Well, I'm here to give an unbiased opinion between the two tuners! Here's my background. I purchased the Quad with a new MBRP turbo back exhaust with DPF delete. I ran the tuner for the past year and I put about 30k miles on the truck with the tuner. I ran the tuner on the 70 hp tune unless I was towing and then I ran it on the 50 hp tune. I averaged about 13.4 to 13.9 mpg (all hand calculated). I own a roofing business and my driving is about 60% hwy, 40% city. I have an 08' GMC 4x4 crew cab dually with the 3.73 rear end. I was running with stock tires and all stock settings. I was in between getting a new truck or spending some money on this one to dress it up. After a month of deliberation I decided to keep the truck and do some upgrades. I got new tires-Michelin 235/80/17s. The Michelin LTX tires are great and I love the way the bigger tires look on the truck. I went with the torsion keys and lifted the front about 2". Finally I spent the money to upgrade to the Kennedy Diesel Tuner (70 hp tow tune)! Since the Quad was already installed on the factory ECM, I had to do things backwards. I purchased the Kennedy tuner and a new ECM. The new, factory ECM was sent to me and I installed it in place of my factory ECM. (INSTALLATION NOTE: The ECM is easy to install once you figure out a few simple tricks. For my truck, it was easier to unlatch the lower connector before the upper. They were really tight the first time disconnecting the ECM. I kept wondering why they wouldn't release. Installing the second ECM was easy. I found that when I installed the Kennedy ECM that I had to connect the lower cord first and then the upper. Just a little insight for future buyers of the Kennedy Diesel Tuner!!!) I sent my factory ECM back to Kennedy to be tuned. In the meantime, I ran the truck with the factory ECM. I drive a lot so I probably put about 700 miles on the truck during the 5 days running the stock ECM sent by Kennedy. After a few days my truck went into "reduced power mode". The truck would only run about 50 mph and it was a little frustrating while I waited another two days for the tuned ECM. So my only regret was that I didn't pay to overnight the new Tuner from Kennedy. My suggestion to anyone having to do it backwards like me would be to pay extra to overnight the Kennedy Tuned ECM so that you don't have to drive around with the DPF delete on the factory ECM. I want to also note that my case was rare and many guys have run the factory ECM with a DPF delete and never experienced the reduced power. I think for some reason my truck might have gone into a regen mode.??? So back to the tuner comparison----. Keep in mind that my truck was set up with the factory tires and factory suspension settings with the Quad and with the Kennedy Tuner I have larger tires (235/80/17) and a raised front end. Bigger tires and a raised front end result in more drag and I want that noted as it's the only variable in this comparison. The nice thing about the Kennedy Tuned ECM is that he set the Tuned ECM to my new tire size and the speedometer and mileage are right on!!! PERFORMANCE???? IN MY OPINION, there is no comparison. The quad is known for dumping a lot of smoke when you step on it and leaving a serous black smoke screen for a long distance! Some guys like this, but to me, it's a display of wasted fuel and an inefficient tuner-ONCE AGAIN, JUST MY OPINION. On the other hand, The Kennedy Diesel Tuner doesn't leave any black smoke on mid acceleration and just a small gray trail on full acceleration! The tune is basically perfect. The shifts are very smooth. I rarely give the truck full acceleration but I love to give it mid acceleration. This truck drives SO good under these conditions! In traffic, I love to put the truck in tow/haul mode. You will definitely love the way it drives unloaded in the tow/haul mode. It's like a sports car! Finally, lets compare fuel efficiency. As stated earlier, I averaged 13.4 to 13.9 mpg with the quad (hand calculated). I noticed that the truck display would always give numbers about 1.5 mpg higher and the fuel used was always low about 1 to 1.4 gallons. This was another observation. NOTE- I've only gone through two (2) tanks of fuel so far. The first tank I averaged 15.4 mpg and this last one I averaged 15.8 mpg. Go figure!!! I went with a larger tire and raised the front end and I gained almost 2 mpg! My dash displays are very accurate now compared to hand calculating. The amount of fuel used was within .2 mpg and the mpg was about the same, .2. All I can say is "I" am extremely impressed with the Kennedy Diesel Tuner and I would highly recommend it to anyone!!!! JUST MY OPINION!!! The other great benefit of the Kennedy Tuner is when you go into the dealership for service, you simple change out the ECM. The final test will be in the next few weeks when I get to tow with the Kennedy Diesel Tuner.

thats pretty awesome...i planned on goin with the performance/tow tune this summer

Thats cool, but whats the cost dif.?

kennedy is cheaper if u send in your ecm to be tuned..its about 750 total if u buy a spare ecm but the advantage is your stock one never has been tuned if u bring your truck to the dealership..just a quick swap

where can you get a Kennedy diesel tuner also does it come with a new ecm

its a emc that he tunes using efi live..u can use yours or have him supply one
kennedydiesel.com (http://www.kennedydiesel.com/categoryresults.cfm?Category=17)

Do you plan on installing your factory exhaust when you go to the dealer. If not and you run the factory ecm with the DPF delete, the dealer will say WTF.......

I'm likin the sound of this but is it worth doin on a stock truck? ie. DPF, intake, exhaust (all stock) and no blocker plate?

Does the ECM not track miles driven or anything else? You just plug it back in and it's like it was always there? Does it need power at any point to keep the data saved? sorry if these are dumb questions :(

I'd like to get so more outta the truck since I went to 285's but have 2-3 years worth of warranty left.

Moved to 4th gen electronics...

kennedy is cheaper if u send in your ecm to be tuned..its about 750 total if u buy a spare ecm but the advantage is your stock one never has been tuned if u bring your truck to the dealership..just a quick swap

Tha'ts not bad..

I'm likin the sound of this but is it worth doin on a stock truck? ie. DPF, intake, exhaust (all stock) and no blocker plate?

Does the ECM not track miles driven or anything else? You just plug it back in and it's like it was always there? Does it need power at any point to keep the data saved? sorry if these are dumb questions :(

I'd like to get so more outta the truck since I went to 285's but have 2-3 years worth of warranty left.
John can tune the ecm to block the egr and turn dpf on or off.Plug it in and go and no does not need power to save.John is great at what he does.

I'll be going with the Kennedy Tune as soon as i get the money rounded up

"I'll be going with the Kennedy Tune as soon as i get the money rounded up"

X2

I took my business partner out in the truck this afternoon. He asked about the new tune and if I noticed a difference. I said watch the muffler and I stomped on it. His exact words, "wow, I didn't see any black smoke. That's amazing!" He couldn't believe how hard it pulled. He couldn't believe that there was no smoke. There you go! The truck runs really clean and efficient! That's coming from a die hard Ford guy! :D

I will 2nd, 3rd, 4th or what ever number we are on! John knows how to tune, period! It is worth the money but for me the number one reason I buy from John is service! My opinion you CAN NOT beat the service you receive from John

They can still tell you tuned your truck. The ECM tracks things like miles since last regen and what not. They can still tell if they want. Plus your new ECM from Kennedy has no history of regens period. You will be screwed if something major happens. Not trying to be a jerk just making sure everyone has all the info

if u tune a spare and keep yours stock then if u take it back to the dealership with your original one it will have no trace of a tune..the regen total will be whatever u had befor u took the emc out for the new one

They can still tell you tuned your truck. The ECM tracks things like miles since last regen and what not. They can still tell if they want. Plus your new ECM from Kennedy has no history of regens period. You will be screwed if something major happens. Not trying to be a jerk just making sure everyone has all the info

Banks :)

if u tune a spare and keep yours stock then if u take it back to the dealership with your original one it will have no trace of a tune..the regen total will be whatever u had befor u took the emc out for the new one


And if you only show 4 regens but 60,000 miles for example their going to question why so many miles with so few regens. It's programmed for a regen to happen every so many miles at minimum, more often if other conditions are met. If they don't see at least the minimum amount of regens for the mileage they're going to start questioning.

And if you only show 4 regens but 60,000 miles for example their going to question why so many miles with so few regens. It's programmed for a regen to happen every so many miles at minimum, more often if other conditions are met. If they don't see at least the minimum amount of regens for the mileage they're going to start questioning.
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That's true, but look at how many miles he puts on the truck, He'll be out of warrenty or w/a new one in a couple years. As you all know if you're seriously considering playing then you already considered that you will pay. Case in point. When I went in to the dealer, for one of those TSB flashes a while ago, I asked them to check to see how many regens it had done, the writer and the tech did not know what regen was!

The idea behind the ECM swap is to get rid of any glaring evidence that the truck has been altered. Some dealer techs are fine and will even go to lying about programming history, while others will obsess about your EGT gauge being an obvious sign.

By putting the stock ECM back in the first place that is checked (programming history) is fine so there would have to be a reason to dig further. If a guy had a DPF issue then the regen ghistory would definitely be checked, but I would surely hope that if a guy did have an issue (which he shouldn't) he'd research and attempt to fix outside the dealer network.

John----You've got my attention !!!!!!!!

great tune!

I have had mine for two days and couldn't be happier with John and his performance tow tune. Pulls great and mileage jumped 3 mpg. I had all the emissions crap disengaged.

Nice report, I just like the idea of a setup where I can change the tune/speedo/tire size/gears anytime I want to. My Quad won't smoke unless I'm in the 90hp setting or higher, and that's either getting on it WOT or lugging it in 5th/6th. I only tow with the econ setting anyways. Other than that, my Quad won't smoke at all. Nice to see other's experiences with their setup! I know it gives you some piece of mind knowing that it will be harder for a tech to tell if something is going on with programming, but if a GM rep gets involved and comes in, thinking you have fooled GM with a second ECM is wishful thinking. They can find out, if they want to look into it further than normal, which I guess is the point of the second ECM.:) Sounds like you enjoy John's tuning, not surprised, he knows his stuff. Chris

Without completely upsetting the apple cart, can I ask a question? Everyone seems to be worried about GM not honoring a warrantee because of a tuner. Has anyone been denied coverage because of this? Or is it just paranoia because GM issued a TSB saying look for one? I understand that if you run a tuner and it plugs the DPF, obviously that caused a problem. But it seems that if you run a programmer, most have already dropped the DPF anyway. Like it has been said many times before, if you're gonna play with the factory settings, expect to pay for what gets messed up.

Quite some time ago already I had a customer load up his DPF with a tuner. Dealer tech was requested to look up History and report. When it came up altered, they wer told to discontinue repair/diagnosis.

Doing it this way allows you to return to completely stock.

It's not like we are looking to cover up blown engines, it's more about relieving the doubt as once you modify, it's easy to blame the mods for most anything.

OMG! just got my kennedy custom tune and test pipe from john. All i can say is WOW. The truck is a blast to drive ,very responsive and already see a increase in mpg. Kudos to you john for a job well done.

I can personally tell you that if you crack a piston or blow-up a motor, GM wil not rebuild the motor. Once you have run a tune and destroy the motor, it your baby.

If you put as many miles on your truck as you do, who cares about the warranty. It will up before you know it anyways. That is how I looked at it, and you already deleted your dpf, so not to be bunghole, but i see no question here as to what you need to worry about. Just get your truck how you like it and save money for the day something needs to be worked on. That is why I run the supposedly big dog of the bunch.
I do not run it on the really high levels, but guaranteed I have plenty bills in the bank for the SCIV when mine craps out. I just do not see the great paranoya about the dealerships, after all that is why we have the dmaxes, cause they need to go to the dealer way less the the other brands.

I can personally tell you that if you crack a piston or blow-up a motor, GM wil not rebuild the motor. Once you have run a tune and destroy the motor, it your baby.
what tune was you running when it happened to you?

truck 08 lmm the quad produces almost 0% smoke at 70 hp and below 90 produces a slight gray haze. block your egr and produce even less smoke.

Update! I ran my truck on a trip down the interstate yesterday and got 22.5 hand calculated! Previous tank was 50/50 city and hwy and it checked out to 17.96mpg hand calculated.

truck 08 lmm the quad produces almost 0% smoke at 70 hp and below 90 produces a slight gray haze. block your egr and produce even less smoke.

Running a lift pump will make it smoke awhole lot less too. Before the pump with Nick's 11.29 tune, I'd run up a hill with cruise on and pour smoke most of the time. Now I have to open it up hard to get just alil out of her.

Did the same thing on my truck through socal diesel in may of 08. Cost about 500 with the extra ecm and tune. Oh and just so you know since you ran that stock ecm from kennedy with the dpf delete and sent it into limp mode, they are gonna be able to see that from now on even if you put that ecm back in and put the exhaust on. So i hate to break your heart but whatever money you spent on that ecm was wasted. I have my totally clean ecm sittin in the closet for a rainy day..

DTC's can be cleared last I checked

I just bought John's 70 hp tune ..... love it.. very responsive, no smoke, it fills like I'm driving a sports car. ;P and I gained 3mpg. If you like plug and play this is it. Takes about 20min. to install, and I was taking my time. Thanks John for a great tune.

I just bought John's 70 hp tune ..... love it.. very responsive, no smoke, it fills like I'm driving a sports car. ;P and I gained 3mpg. If you like plug and play this is it. Takes about 20min. to install, and I was taking my time. Thanks John for a great tune.

Thanks Bdaddy!

I just bought John's 70 hp tune ..... love it.. very responsive, no smoke, it fills like I'm driving a sports car. ;P and I gained 3mpg. If you like plug and play this is it. Takes about 20min. to install, and I was taking my time. Thanks John for a great tune.

Did you do the DPF delete also ? I'm still thinking about the Kennedy ECM and "test pipe" but dang that's alot of cheddar :(..

Ever have a sale Mr Kennedy :D??

Get one fired up for me John. New LMM being picked up today. My wife says no more smoke with this truck....but keep me in mind when I get the trans done...;)

From my experiance with Johns' LB7 tunes this should be a good one. I drove the new ride home today, and am dissapointed, but considering what I'm used to ...to be expected. I'll be in the mix soon at this level...promised the wife no big power...for now......Did you do the DPF delete also ? I'm still thinking about the Kennedy ECM and "test pipe" but dang that's alot of cheddar :(..

Ever have a sale Mr Kennedy :D??

Get one fired up for me John. New LMM being picked up today. My wife says no more smoke with this truck....but keep me in mind when I get the trans done...;)

All I need to know is VIN, tire rev per mile (if other than OE tires) and DPF yes or no. You can do what you want with the DPF be it a simple test pipe or a full system. Keep the trans stock. Maybe a Jr. kit and Mike L cooler...

I'm in this boat too JK. I am going to get an ECM from you as soon as I get some play money. I need a few other things too (Cognito braces, tr sleeves,etc.).

On your LMM tow tune.........if you go with no dpf do you have to change exhaust(or run a test pipe)?? Or will the stock exhaust system still work if left in place ?? I don't tow heavy........just a 6500lb boat once or twice a month !

if you turn off the dpf in the tune then you need to remove the dpf. if you dont remove it then it will get plugged up and truck will limp mode until you comlete a regen. a test pipe will work but then you still have the ugly tail pipe

All I need to know is VIN, tire rev per mile (if other than OE tires) and DPF yes or no. You can do what you want with the DPF be it a simple test pipe or a full system. Keep the trans stock. Maybe a Jr. kit and Mike L cooler...

Has Mike came out with the LMM cooler yet?

Still debating my tire options....and if i will retain that musket...

Nice tune John! Good bit of power yet very, very smooth. Running the DPF tune for now untill i get the plumbing fixed up. I will leave for a long tow trip tomorrow and will post results later. I like......

Ran the DPF tune for over half of a 2600 mile tow trip. Towing was much improved with the added power, and i gained about 1+ mpg to boot. I ran stock for the last leg to get some regens on the stock ECM. Stock power is respectable, but a definate let down over the tow tune, usually requiring a gear lower on even mild grades. I will have the DPF delete soon and am eager to see how much mpg i can gain. So far so good....great tow tune...not too shaby empty either;)

awesome tune john! Keep up the great work:D