hey i was reading about the performance chips for the 6.5L and wondered what kind of difference they made, and what kind of fuel economy to expect after installation? also I have 229,000miles on my suburban with oringinal engine and transmission, should i put something like this on it? also I was wondering is there was an easy way to increase gas mileage without letting off of the gas too much?

Hello and welcome to the forum. I highly recommend a trip to the FAQ section, which is here (also permanently housed at the top of the 6.5 forum section):

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53309

When combined with a mechanical wastegate controller, most users have reported pronounced power gains, although veterans warn regularly of the dangers of not putting in gauges first. If you start changing the computer and the boost, you will get more power, but you will have no idea when to let up on the throttle nor when to stop adjusting until something really expensive breaks (e.g. cracked blocks, blown head gaskets, destroyed cranks, etc.)

So, read the FAQs, put in gauges, then experiment carefully - keep your exhaust gas temps below the meltpoint, and the boost below 15 if you have stock compression.

Good luck,

Rob :)

Oh, the most I've heard is around 5-10% economy gains if you use a chip, but most people eat that right up with a heavier foot as a result of more power. Suffice to say, you will NOT pay for the gains from the pump under most normal (male) conditions. Don't ask me how I know. :)

Rob :O

The guy who had my truck before me said the most he could ever get out of it was 16 mpg...

I always (even in the winter) get over 18...and pretty much 20 driving 65 mph back and forth to school.

(whoops: EDIT: The truck was stock when I bought it...But I believe mileage jumped up 2 mpg w/the chip...)

One more way I can justify the HP4 :D:D

One more way I can justify the HP4 :D:D

Actually...just so everyone knows:
I got the Max-E-Tork Eprom (Heath) 1st. The mileage increase was noticed first then.
I just got the HP4 the other day. No mileage check yet...:cool:

I doubt it will go up though...

with my HP4 i'm seeing about 17 mph with the snow tires on the truck still and i can have a heavy foot at times :rolleyes:. once i change those over i'll be able to see if the mileage goes up any. i didn't have the HP4 before i put those tires on.

Which chip is better for fuel economy the towing chip or the hp4?
is the hp4 still good for towing occasionally, or will it cause problems?

If I understand it correctly, you can talk to them over at Heath and they can get you a chip for either towing or economy.

Bur I could be wrong.

With that many miles a new airfilter, a new set of injectors, and a new timing chain would be the best bet to spend your money on.

It would be hard for me to imagine any chip increasing your mileage on a 6.5L. The only thing that could even be altered would be the timing. The timing is already pretty good from the factory. Newer trucks have more variables which could help on those.

Chip can alter ERG (can be blocked)

Chip can alter Wastegate (maual wastegate fixes that)

Chip can alter fuel ( Can't go leaner as it wouldn't maintain the speed, so that want help economy)

If I am missing something here as to how it can help fuel economy please chime in.

Shifting, torque curve, TCC lock, timing are about all I can think of, DP. But mine went up when I put in my chip, too. Not a huge amount, but 1-2 mpg pulling a trailer isn't anything to sneeze at.

As was mentioned, I didn't notice any mileage increase empty until I managed to get the grin off my face and stop taunting powerstroke drivers... once I started driving like I used to drive, the mileage came up there, too.