Transcript
APRIL 2008
BY JACOB WHITE
DIESELTECH
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Back in the early years of diesel performance more horsepower was pretty simple really. All it took was a quick adjustment to a fuel screw, maybe some different springs in the injection pump, a little bigger nozzle on the injector and there you go—more power. Just about anyone with knowledge of an injection pump and a screwdriver could turn up the power output of those engines. But as technology advanced and computers started controlling the engine’s parameters, making more power got tougher. Well, sort of. With the advances in computer technology and programming, it actually got easier for a diesel truck owner to turn his truck up. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very computer savvy, but I can turn up the power in my truck pretty easily with just
the push of a few buttons. As a matter of fact, I don’t even get my hands dirty when I do it. So in a way, maybe turning up our trucks is easier than those old mechanical setups. But none of that ease would be possible if it weren’t for some pretty smart computer programming gurus with a love for diesel performance. That’s where Jody and Diane Tipton of DP Tuner come into the picture. DP Tuner is a family-owned business located in Hoschton, GA. Jody was just another one of us diesel truck addicts who wanted to get more out of his 7.3L Powerstroke. With more than 20 years in the information technologies field and being employed in telecommunications, Jody pursued toying with the factory tuning. The background he had in com-
puter programming allowed him to access Ford pcm tuning and figure out where adjustments could be made to improve performance, economy and even transmission behaviors. He became familiar with tuning tools pretty quickly and soon he was not only tuning his own truck, but those of friends and acquaintances. Word caught on like wild fire and 7.3L tuning soon became his full-time job. The company was formed in January, 2005, and DP Tuner has since become one of the premier tuning companies in the Powerstroke industry. About three years back I purchased a 7.3L with hopes of blowing black smoke everywhere and beating up on a few Dodges. Soon after my purchase, I bought a programmer from one of the
big names in diesel performance tuning. While this generic programmer worked as well as advertised, it still left something to be desired. The power increase was good, much better than stock, but I felt the truck still had a lot left in it. I caught wind of this DP Tuner company and made a quick phone call to speak with them and find out just exactly what they were about. After about 15 minutes on the phone with Diane I decided that one of their adjustable chips was worth trying. Everyone I had talked to about DP Tuner said they were well worth the investment and I wouldn’t be disappointed. So I ordered one and removed my current programmer from the truck. After installing the DP Tuner 6-position chip I was amazed at how much better the truck was to drive. Power improved quite a bit, mileage increased, egts dropped and the truck was just nicer to drive. The throttle
response and drivability of the truck was just incredible. Thinking back, I started to wonder what made DP Tuner’s programming adjustments so much better than my previous tuner? Well, after speaking with the Tiptons about this very question I think I can safely answer it while giving you a little insight as well. Most of your standard “off-the-shelf” programmers for the 7.3L are built with pretty basic adjustments to the stock pcm tuning. This allows the programmer to be installed in any 1994-2003 7.3L Powerstroke models. While these tuners
work great, the tunes are very generic and are not built to each truck or owner’s specifications. That’s where DP Tuner is different. Each and every chip they sell is set up to the owner’s specifications and to the modifications on each specific truck. DP Tuner can custom build the tunes you ask for your truck and your truck only. Things such as intake, exhaust, turbo, injectors, gear ratios, tire size and transmission modifications are all taken into account to see that your truck will work to the best of its ability. Each vehicle is different and each owner wants
APRIL 2008
GET REAL. GET LIVE. GET TUNED.
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GOT A STROKER? GET DP TUNER
(above) Powerstroke owners all across the western states gathered for the opportunity to be live tuned by Jody Tipton of DP Tuner. (right)Tuning is easy. You just need to know what all those charts and graphs do.
GOT A STROKER? different things from his truck, so the chip can be tuned to your wants and needs. Their F5 chip for the 7.3L allows up to 16 different programs to be burned onto the chip and allows you to switch from one program to another on the fly. No need to stop and reprogram every time you hook on to a trailer or line up next to some guy in a Duramax. More or less horsepower is just the push of a button away. The goal at DP Tuner is to offer an aftermarket chip that will allow your truck to act and perform the way you want it to. Aside from the custom burned tunes and adjustable chips DP Tuner offers, they also offer Live Tuning. Jody will sit down in the passenger seat, connect all his tuning tools and software right into your truck and tune it while you drive. This allows him to even further fine tune a setup to your expectations.
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Jody Tipton hard at work. He has access to over 3200 engine parameters.
GOT A STROKER?
Cruising the highways of Colorado with Jody in the passenger seat working his magic. in the transmission controls. With Jody in the truck and us cruising around the streets of a little town in Colorado, he was able to adjust the shift points to the precise time and rpms that I preferred. Shifting in all six programs was adjusted so that in towing situations shifts can
happen fast but not harshly, while the shifts in the race program could happen quick and hard to allow the best transfer of power to the ground. He also worked on torque converter lock-up to allow for better power transfer. DP Tuner continues to work on 7.3L
tuning and is constantly finding new ways to improve performance. The company also offers tuning for the 6.0L Powerstroke, 5.4L and have started tuning on the 6.6L Duramax. If you own a 7.3L Powerstroke and are looking for a little better perform-
ance and drivability, DP Tuner is one of the premier companies out there. You won’t find nicer people to deal with or better products anywhere in the industry. If you’re interested in finding out more about DP Tuner you can visit their website at www.dp-tuner.com. DT
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will react to programming changes in a different way, the Live Tuning allows Jody to on the fly adjust every parameter so your combination of parts works flawlessly together. However, the biggest improvement from the Live Tuning session was found
APRIL 2008
Just this past October I took the opportunity to let Jody Live Tune my pickup and tweak the tuning of my already incredible programs. With Jody in the truck we were able to improve the fuel mapping to decrease smoke output while increasing power and mileage. Jody has access to more than 3200 different parameters in the 7.3L pcm, each of which plays a specific role in your truck’s performance. During our Live Tuning session he also adjusted the timing and pulse width of the injectors to further enhance horsepower, while also helping to increase fuel mileage. Since every truck is different and each
Who says a Powerstroke can’t smoke? All it takes is the proper tuning.
