Hoping some of the expert tuners on this forum can help me out here. I have read the sticky and used the search function but i am completely new to this so if you can help with advise specifically for my truck that would be great.

i am not into racing, my truck is just for pleasure and hauling my boat 6500lbs or so. Really all i was going to do mechanically to the truck was new exhaust and turbo mouth piece. But a post by another member in another thread got me thinking on tuning.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=405051&page=3
I run a 5" MBRP Turbo back exhaust with a muffler and without a cat and I love it. I have almost no drone at highway speeds and can't complain one bit. The hissing/VVT sound at idle can be changed with EFI tuning. Also an option if you don't want to mess around with all that is just buy a pre-tuned ECM which is available through many tuners. They can do anything from mild to wild...get rid of the hiss at idle and keep the power levels safe on a stock trans. Plus the numerous other options with a DSP5 (5 position switch that changes tunes) you can go stock, tow tune with turbo brake, mileage, fun street tune and a "hot" tune if you'd like. I'm no tuner just know from dealing with them.

specs on my truck
2005 chevy duramax crew cab
209k miles
i bought the truck in Oct and she is flawless so far.

this month i plan to put on the following:
mbpr 5" turbo back exhaust
lbz turbo mouth piece

Now with the following goals in mind what tune is right for me? In order of importance

1-longevity and health of truck
2-economy and performance
3-towing

keeping in mind the 209k miles the truck has what would you suggest if anything

EFI is way to expensive and advance for me


if adding a tune will diminish my trucks life because of the high millage or put me in a position that i must mod other things to ensure its safety or even give me a chance at having other mechanical or computer problems then i rather stick to my plan of exhaust and mp.


thanks for reading and any and all advise!

i run a small fishing forum so if anyone needs help with fishing come visit or ask me anything.

Hoping some of the expert tuners on this forum can help me out here. I have read the sticky and used the search function but i am completely new to this so if you can help with advise specifically for my truck that would be great.

i am not into racing, my truck is just for pleasure and hauling my boat 6500lbs or so. Really all i was going to do mechanically to the truck was new exhaust and turbo mouth piece. But a post by another member in another thread got me thinking on tuning.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=405051&page=3


specs on my truck
2005 chevy duramax crew cab
209k miles
i bought the truck in Oct and she is flawless so far.

this month i plan to put on the following:
mbpr 5" turbo back exhaust
lbz turbo mouth piece

Now with the following goals in mind what tune is right for me? In order of importance

1-longevity and health of truck
2-economy and performance
3-towing

keeping in mind the 209k miles the truck has what would you suggest if anything

EFI is way to expensive and advance for me


if adding a tune will diminish my trucks life because of the high millage or put me in a position that i must mod other things to ensure its safety or even give me a chance at having other mechanical or computer problems then i rather stick to my plan of exhaust and mp.


thanks for reading and any and all advise!

i run a small fishing forum so if anyone needs help with fishing come visit or ask me anything.

Adding any power (nomatter how you do it- tuning, or just exhaust/intake) will reduce the overall life of any engine. More power almost always equals less life. That being said, in many cases, these engines don't fail because the bearings wear out or the rings are fried, they fail because something catastrophic happens- broken rod, head gasket, etc.

I don't know of ANYONE who's had to replace or rebuild a Duramax because it "wore out".

That being said, I think it's safe to say you can add "some" power without being concerned with REALISTICALLY reducing the life of your engine.

If you buy a tuner (Edge, PPE, Banks, etc), the next problem you're going to have is your transmission. You can make plenty of power to roast a stock trans. So if you don't want to have to put in a built trans, you'll want to stay with something that's only 40-60hp over stock "to be safe".

So if you don't want to have to put in a built trans, you'll want to stay with something that's only 40-60hp over stock "to be safe".



This is exactly what i am talking about. I just do not know what to buy or how to go about any of it.

This is exactly what i am talking about. I just do not know what to buy or how to go about any of it.

IMO, go with an intake or intake mod, exhaust, and a tuner with a more "mild" setting.

I know of 3 or 4 trucks PERSONALLY, of my friends, that I've seen in person, hands on that have been run since new with exhaust, intake, and chip, all with now 100-340k mi on each of them, with no issues whatsoever.

Personally, if I were in your boat I might consider EFILive just because of all the options it gives you for things other than just tuning- speedo correction, EGR delete, etc. Things that'll make your truck more fun to drive, and in some ways better running. If you buy the EFILive from a good vendor, they'll include a few tunes, especially ones at the HP ratings you're looking for.

I would go with Guy Tripp at Socal Diesel for EFILive, if that's the route you choose... www.socaldiesel.com or Mcrat http://www.mcratracing.com/products.html.

efi live ranges from $700-$1000+ so it is def out of the question for me, i was hoping to stay under $500 otherwise i just wont tune the truck since in reality i do not "need" it.

http://www.pacificp.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_35_47&products_id=129

this one has 3 tunes one being 40hp which would actually be what i would use since everyone has said to stay 50 or under and i plan to.

i looked at the edge but they are as expensive as efi live

Mabey a used Banks economind. They are less than $500, plentful and on setting 2 or 3 they are around 20 to 40 HP over stock.

I just installed a an EFI live tuned ECM from Nick at Duramaxtuners.com in my 05 LLY with a DSP5 and it works great. Seeing as that I don't have a built trans my hottest tune is a 100hp race. The first tune is optimized stock then a 40hp tow tune with turbo braking and then a 60 hp light tow with braking and then 80 street tune. I haven't tried the tow tunes with my TT yet but even without a load it works well. The average price for the pretuned setup seems to be about $500 and it's easy to install and the tunes are great. If you're going to tow the turbo brake is worth the price alone compared to the price of an exhaust brake. I didn't want to do the tuning myself because I wouldn't be able to stop playing with the tunes like I have with motorcycles with Power Commanders where I put more miles on playing woth tuning then just enjoying the bike.

thanks for the advise guys keep em coming

thanks for the advise guys keep em coming

Having an '05 LLY, you could use EFILIve v1, which is only $549...

http://www.socaldiesel.com/2EFILive.htm

Just a thought to keep in mind.

Having an '05 LLY, you could use EFILIve v1, which is only $549...

http://www.socaldiesel.com/2EFILive.htm

Just a thought to keep in mind.

but it seems as if it does not bring any pre tunes on it..

Mabey a used Banks economind. They are less than $500, plentful and on setting 2 or 3 they are around 20 to 40 HP over stock.


ill have to look into those



how about this one guys?
http://www.pacificp.com/store/index....roducts_id=129 (http://www.pacificp.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_35_47&products_id=129)

i looked into the banks like you suggested and i like what i see as far as the reviews i read on the forums.

What i cannot see even on the banks web site is the details of the HP on its settings.

I was looking at the bank economind

i looked into the banks like you suggested and i like what i see as far as the reviews i read on the forums.

What i cannot see even on the banks web site is the details of the HP on its settings.

I was looking at the bank economind

I have a Diablio Predator and it fits my needs just fine. I use the 65 hp tune and do not abuse the throttle. I bought mine here at marketplace for $200 bucks. They come up for sale here often as guys get new trucks. It also can read balance rates and other uses. 120k on my truck now.

im in the same boat. 148k miles and i dont 'need' more hp but would like a little extra as well as better throttle response (and maybe better milage). looks like what im thinking is what the OP went with. mbrp and edge attitude.

Lo-Buk so far i am happy with the set up

I just got a buddy of mine to use his EFI to reflash my truck with 5 tunes. I bought the DSP5 and gave him $100 for the license and I'm good to go. $140 and I've got 5 safe tunes. Last check I was getting 19.7mpg

thats good mpg right there....Im at about 14 with an older superchips tuner

With those miles on the truck, 40hp to 60hp wont hurt anything, even the trans as long as you don't get all throttle happy all the time. Like the other member said, it does slightly reduce engine life, but not majorly its all in the drivers habbits. The exhaust and intake mods are great mods to help the motor breath easier and help it not work as hard. I personally use efi live and have a 70hp or so tune on it and I will have it on the truck for years to come because it runs smoother and the mpg is worth the few miles I might loose on the motor. PPE is a great tool as well, level 2 would be great for you it adds 90hp at the crank and roughly 60 at the wheels and has alot of other advantages such as tire size changes and scan tool. Stay away from edge IMP they suck, but some guys like them and I wont argue with them just my experience, they are choppy on the throttle and are inconsistent in power. Hope this helps.....Anyone else has an opinion please chime in so we can discuss this and see what everyones results are....Thanks guys....