JPhauler87

Don’t hate to say it. Choice I made. May still make it? With trailer hooked, spools pretty quick. SO. Thoughts on manifold and turbo blankets to help spool?

Driving at the speed limits I'm netting 18mpg daily driving and 11mpg towing. Happy. Working on dialing back pre boost smoke. Not bad at all unless I'm making an aggressive left turn into traffic or take off hard. Timing is pretty retarded in the low RPM high load regions. Working on dialing back duration a bit there now, not sure it's helping. Any advice?

I ended up averaging about 9.8mpg on that trip holding 70mph on all but the largest grades. Shorter NH trip with the trailer a few weeks ago netted 10.7mpg traveling at 65mph. I got a VIN locked SSR for a song and paid to get it unlocked. So, I have been playing with rail pressure now. I should take some screenshots, but I basically have it increasing with load and RPM pretty steadily with a dip in the 0-37% 1800-2200 load area to try to work on unloaded economy. (Sold Jr and am <$600 into everything tuning related now.) Duration is still 100% stock. Was around 14.5k psi in the unloaded highway cruise area with 11* and could hear a very faint rattle. Best I was doing with the more aggressive timing was ~16.5mpg. I have been driving it everyday the last week or so and netted a solid 18mpg on a 470 mile tank. Best ever so far with for this truck. Fingers crossed it's repeatable. Last night I lowered the rail pressure to about 13.5k psi in the cruise area with about 10* max timing. Still the faintest rattle cruising, but EGTs seemed to be a hair lower and the lie-o-meter was reading 22mpg by the time I was to work and it has been pretty consistently 2mpg optimistic since I uploaded the first tune on my Jr a while ago. Too soon to tell though. All my unloaded highway driving is moderately hilly with cruise at 65mph. The rest of the timing map is now verbatim what came out of the timing calculator except where I bumped it ~1* in the highway cruise region. The next time I am hooked up to my trailer I will be keeping an eye on how it acts in the mid load range where it cruises with the trailer. I think I was around 5-6* there coming right off the calculator. For the upper RPM and load areas I guess I am seeing very little reason for aggressive timing there since that is not a place I spend much time. And when I am there, I just want the piece of mind that I can be there without worrying about cylinder temps. I may experiment with dropping the rail pressure in the trailer cruise region to see if it helps as much there as it seems to have helped elsewhere in the map. I was initially intrigued by using the SSR to turn off the pre-injection, but I am not sure that will be worth the trouble. Maybe if I find myself with some time to play with it I will experiment, but doesn't sound like it is a very well developed feature. Rear pinion seal has been leaking since halfway to Utah, finally dealing with that this weekend. Have been getting a really annoying shutter on take off since I owned the truck. Cured it by shimming the carrier bearing... then hooked my trailer and found it was worse. Bah! I think I'm going to be saving my pennies for a one piece alum unit. ($$$)

Trying to avoid turning my pistons into puddles of aluminum! Long trip and first time operating my UDC tune in the higher load area of the map where I suspect bad things are more likely to happen, if they are going to happen. I suspect that my changes are not drastic enough to really cause that to happen, and I do not drive aggressively. Mostly looking for a sanity check, I think you've given me one.

Haven't touched duration and still using Jr so no pressure, either. Timing as described, maxed out WG map, little more aggressive torque management than SW3 for smoother operation is all I have done.

Heading out for the first wheeling trip of the year today. ~900 miles. Truck and trailer came to work with me today and leaving right from here. I'm not sure if it is the turbo or the tune - probably both - but I am feeling an improvement equal to or greater than what I felt going from stock tune to Jr. It feels much more comfortable cruising and soaking up medium sized rolling hills at 65-70mph now. Question on EGTs. I am really regretting letting my GF borrow my laptop for a few days because I can't show a screenshot of the timing map I'm running. My cruise region 30-60% load timing is very similar to the UDC Jr sample tune you posted over on CompD (AH) and maybe a hair higher in some areas. In the higher RPM, higher load areas (5th gear grade climbing) it runs very close and just under the SW3 Jr sample tune and is also more gradual getting there (I think your advice was 'less static'). On medium hills at 70mph and ~60-80% load, I am seeing 1000-1100* and 25-30lb of boost. 4th and 5th gear steep on ramp at the same 85% load to about 2700rpm and I'm getting to 1250-1300 by the time I shift, so only briefly seeing that. Again... really wish I could post a screenshot, but the lower EGTs in the 60-80% area has me a hair concerned and wondering if I should revert back to SW3 for the trip. There is one area I hear some timing/injector rattle while running through the gears at higher loads that I haven't identified yet but it is very brief so I am not too concerned there. Mostly concerned about 5th gear sustained 1200-1300* based on SW3 sample high RPM/load and 1000-1100* letting cruise control do work cruising smaller hills on the highway.

Thanks. Had to go reread some old posts to correlate what 45mm3 would mean with weird duration labels, but I see now that’s about 32% load. Other than using the calculator as a guide, listening for rattle, and watching for a haze, what can I do to make sure I am at safe but efficient timing values in that 30-50% load range for towing?

Last full tank was 16.4mpg cruising my hilly commute at 65mph. First 1/4 of that tank was SW3, the rest was UDC starting at 9* and adding .5* every 100 miles or so. Best ever mileage (17mpg) was achieved on this same route, but middle of summer. Is there any harm in running it as-is to see how it does? I have noticed SW1-9 sample tunes all have the same cruise timing profile, and really, the biggest differences are at the high loads and rpms. I read a thread over on Smarty Resource with Brian saying he gained like 3mpg grossing 20k lb running SW7 vs stock tune. Looking at all the timing profiles, I am curious how he achieved such a large gain given where I'd expect the truck to run when towing, even with an optimized rail map.

I have been continuing to add .5* of timing waiting to see some indication not to... and I'm now at 14* in my cruise region. No knock or combustion rattle, probably a bit more injector tapping (remans) Truck is still responsive and builds boost quickly at the cruising loads Exhaust is clear, no haze Rail pressure reads on my OBD app what I'd expect to see at those loads based on looking at the stock pressure map. Up to 2000rpms going through the gears it seems I can here a little more 2nd gen-esque noise, but pretty faint. Should I keep going until I see some sign I've gone too far? This is a lot more than I'd have expected to get away with!

So, I chickened out and am sticking with Basic. Got a couple lines cheap, used S06s. I am running a timing map similar to the SW3 sample tune with a couple exceptions. Enlarged cruise hump, not quite as negative timing at very low rpms, little more timing in the ~50% load cruise rpm area to help with towing mpg. No towing for a few more weeks so I am working on the cruise hump. I am trying to find the max timing limit. I was under the impression the combustion rattle I’ve read would indicate too much timing in the 6-31% load range would sound like a second gen truck. I’m around 9.5* and am not hearing that, or really hearing anything much different. I’ve noticed since installing the new turbo at lighter loads that I hear what kind of sounds like a lighter, soft hollow kind of flutter, very faint. Not sure I could even capture it on camera it’s so faint. I have not noted a huge change since UDC. Am I listening for something that subtle, or will I KNOW when I’ve gone too far? https://smartyresource.com/forums/topic/737-cruise-timing-for-2005/

That’s my manager’s favorite saying! But yes, I think I understand now. So at a given load/rpm, the ECM, based on throttle position and other things, makes a determination of how much fuel it needs in mm3. It then references pressure and duration tables to determine how much pressure and how many us to stay open for, then when to start injecting. I see why increasing pressure with load and rpm makes sense and why the stock map is so ridiculous in the lighter load/medium rpm areas. Is 15k too low for the cruise hump? I read a 2012 thread about you going to 14k at cruise and it was too low because boost and EGTs went up... but then also continued on to discuss how pressure related to timing and the need to make a calculator. Did you find 14k (or even lower) was ok with properly balanced timing and pressure at cruise? What would the symptoms of a rail pressure that’s too low, even with timing within reason based on calculator? If I’m prying too much into your trade secrets, I understand and my feelings won’t be hurt Really appreciate the help!

Can you explain how reducing the rail pressure helps? As I continue to read, this seems less clear to me when using a timing calculator. I understand more rail pressure means more fuel injected for the same duration which requires less timing in order to not rattle (right?) and vice versa. So as long as you balance the two and ignore CP3 loss from making 20k psi instead of 15k, and you have a pilot that helps ignite whatever fuel you’re injecting almost immediately... what difference does it make? (Rhetorical, I’m sure it does make a difference.) Is it that less fuel gets injected because the rail pressure is lower? Meaning, less fuel with more timing at the same load/rpm would be more efficient. I am still a little fuzzy on the order the ECM uses the tables and have a feeling that coupled with the weird labels in UDC basic are throwing me off track a bit.

A 10% gain in mileage? That’s significant IMO. Is that on top of what you gained with UDC and S06?

AH, what kind of mpg gains were you able to make with pre and post injection changes? I know I will eventually need to access the rail map to lower pressure but as far as basic vs Pro for what I’m looking to do, those things seem to be the biggest items that could effect mileage that I won’t have access to with basic. I know the guys at Smartyresource have told me they haven’t found either to have much effect.

Dongle came. Unopened in the box for now. Downloaded Pro. Hooollly crap there is a lot going on there.

The price tag to go to Pro is hard for me to swallow, even with some saving. I actually ordered the dongle this afternoon. I really do understand the silliness of spending good money after bad... but I also kinda wanna see what I’m getting myself into before I spend $1300+... ?

Got it, thanks. I plan to do as I mentioned smoothing things out and playing with spool and cruise sections first based off the map I get from your calculator and comparing to some of the example tunes in there. I read some more this morning about the calculated splits and the theory/meaning behind that... wasn’t clear reading it last night but I think I got it now. Will continue reading. Is more timing and therefore efficiency possible than what your calc gives knowing I have a cam? I’m sure it will take a little trial and error. For now, I like the idea of being able to pull over and switch back to SW3 if needed because it’s rattling or smoking. Hoping I can adjust in small enough increments to avoid that but stuff happens. I can see myself totally nerding out on this. Probably drive my GF crazy on the laptop in the trailer playing with the tune on trips while everyone is out around the fire So, I’m seeing used SSRs out there pretty cheap. If I only intend to use it as a medium for UDC anyway... does an SSR open more tuning capability over an S06?

I opened your calculator with Google Sheets while I was paying with UDC and I’m not sure if it’s working right through Sheets. I changed duration in a couple spots and it did not change anything in the timing tab. Just for giggles, I pasted in the timing table in the “copy paste” tsb thats in there and it looked typical of what you’ve talked about doing with the cruise hump, spool lull, etc. I have also read that there is not much reason to mess with OEM duration. I need to get excel and open it for real, but since I’m not likely going to mess with duration and I can’t mess with rail timing... seems like that’s about where your calculator is going to leave me. Right? Better than stock, but ~9 degrees in the cruise hump seems low to me.

Got UDC downloaded and played around the last couple hours. Looks like one way or another, I should be able to reference what SW3 looks like once I have the real deal program? I'd rather start there than with a stock tune since I'm pretty happy with it now. Smooth things out, add the timing "cruise hump" for MPG, and mess with timing on the low end timing to dial in how my new turbo spools. Looks like a fun learning experience to dial in a tune for my truck. With a little help, of course Ordering dongle soon, and will probably look to move to an S-06 eventually.

I will check out the UDC demo, that’s a good idea. I’ve been assuming that the UDC platform is user friendly and that a novice could get decent results with some time and research invested in understanding how it all works. But I should probably see for myself what it actually takes. EDIT: OK... had a chance to read up more. I was under the impression that UDC dumbed things down for the end user, but I’m realizing it is still real custom tuning, just with an easier interface. May still give it a shot myself... but I’m realizing that paying for a tune could be worthwhile. Not as simple as buying the dongle and spending a couple hours clicking around.

Edge got sold and turned into the Jr. Selling the Jr will leave about a grand I’d need to fork over on top to get into UDC Pro. I know good tuning isn’t cheap, but that is more than I’m willing to spend right now. Is there efficiency to be gained bumping the timing at light to medium loads with what I can do with a Jr UDC? Bottom line: will I be disappointed if I spend $260 on the UDC cord/dongle for the Jr in pursuit of MPG? Here is the thread I started over on SmartyResource. Brian offered the same advice initially, but said there were still gains to be made even with Jr UDC. https://smartyresource.com/forums/topic/1927-more-mpg-jr-w-udc-or-time-to-upgrade/?tab=comments#comment-10626

Started a thread over on Smartyresource specifically about tuning and MPG as well.

Debated 60 vs 64 wheel... went with the 64. LOVE it so far. Can’t wait to get the trailer hooked up. That season is coming soon! Only into my first tank of fuel, but I am not seeing much of any mpg increase. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but whatever. Runnjng the Jr on SW3 POD90. Going on a road trip with it this weekend so I’ll have a few tanks to compare. However, I’m beginning to feel like I’m reaching the limit of the boxed Jr tunes. The options I’m considering are: UDC thingy for my Jr. - May call MADS and pick their brain on this one. Sounds like there are some limitations doing it with a Jr, but will they really limit me in what I want to do? New mild turbo, mild cam, towing 11-12k. SW3 power is plenty for my use, I want to use less fuel. Can I just crank the timing to where it doesn’t rattle or haze and go from there? SSR - seems sweet but kind of involved. Are results better than UDC and Jr? EFI live - everyone raves and it seems like an opportunity since I have one of the few years that allows me to use it. However, I can’t tweak as I feel I need. Not sure how I feel about trusting someone to produce a tune for me that’s perfect. Thoughts?? Found a thread with AH giving a great review of Smarty Jr UDC setup He moved on, but I may be content if I can get another ~1mpg towing, ~2mpg empty with some timing tweaks.

I was looking at this pretty hard. About $1000+ less than the 62/65 setups people seem to be running. $265 with free shipping in their eBay store. http://turbolabofamerica.com/he351-exhaust-housing-upgrade/ I emailed Turbo Resource a few weeks ago and haven’t heard anything back. I’ll give them a call. I have been going back and forth on tuning or hardware change.

Hi Guys Back in October my girlfriend and I did a 5400+ trip to Utah and back with my truck, trailer and Jeep. Amazing trip. Truck was flawless, zero issues. 9.7mpg average with speeds at 65-70. One persistent thing I have noticed that has always been a complaint of mine with this truck is that even when keeping speeds reasonable (65-70 on the interstate), the truck wants to make 20+ lb of boost for flat ground cruising. I realize my tall and heavy trailer put a load on it, but that seems like a lot. It makes 12-13psi doing 70 without a trailer on flat ground. I was under the impression after some reading and a comment AH made here that the turbo itself may be to blame with a small and restrictive exhaust side. I have gotten a couple comments when asking about turbo upgrades stating that better tuning would be likely to net me a much better ROI. I am running the Jr on SW3 85 POD and love it power wise. Full load, happy gauges on hills and plenty of power to merge and maintain speed on hills. Is better tuning a better option than a better flowing turbo exhaust side to get the truck to feel more relaxed and use a little less fuel?