Anyone using GDE tuning ??

[Mharrison]

Interested to get some real world feedback!!

 

[Mharrison]

Captain any updates on the tune....what are the details for emissions testing. I have heard some state it will pass an obd2 emissions test and others will not comment. And are they stating it will pass with egr system left turned on of turned off?

 

[madpuma13]

Captain isn't quite pleased with some aspects of the tune. He has a post over on another forum ( not sure if against rules here to mention other forum names).

I have the tune and am very happy with it. I have 3.92 gears and didn't notice super acceleration improvement but I don't drag race the truck either, never really taking it above 2500 rpm.

Using my scangauge, I can say that the tune would pass an emissions obd scan.

I specifically like the egr fix this has done, lower required regens, the evic display changes, and of course the better gas mileage. On the highway I see nearly a 6 mpg increase over stock averaging overall to about 4.

Good luck with your decision

 

[BoostN]

Captain isn't quite pleased with some aspects of the tune. He has a post over on another forum ( not sure if against rules here to mention other forum names).

I have the tune and am very happy with it. I have 3.92 gears and didn't notice super acceleration improvement but I don't drag race the truck either, never really taking it above 2500 rpm.

Using my scangauge, I can say that the tune would pass an emissions obd scan.

I specifically like the egr fix this has done, lower required regens, the evic display changes, and of course the better gas mileage. On the highway I see nearly a 6 mpg increase over stock averaging overall to about 4.

Good luck with your decision

You may post to other forums. It's sad that forum doesn't allow other forums to be posted. I'm here to help you guys, and all the info we can gather is always best for us!

 

[madpuma13]

You may post to other forums. It's sad that forum doesn't allow other forums to be posted. I'm here to help you guys, and all the info we can gather is always best for us!

Well this forum has become that much more awesome to me then.

Here is the post: http://www.ram1500diesel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9318

 

[Mharrison]

That was brutal reading on the other forum. A whole lot of negativity and hostility. I got about 3 pages in and stopped.

 

[Helo10]

Installed my GDE last week. Truck runs great, better acceleration, looks like a little better milage, no install problems, & exhaust break works well on steep grades without trailer.

 

[BoostN]

Installed my GDE last week. Truck runs great, better acceleration, looks like a little better milage, no install problems, & exhaust break works well on steep grades without trailer.

Thanks for the feedback. Welcome to the forum Helo10!

 

[Mharrison]

Good to know

 

[CaptainMal]

NOT remotely displeased.

My post on the other forum was ripped because I first talked about how the dealer messed me up with some the installation, GDE had no instructions or receipt included. I was not computer lifestyle aware that in this "modern" world people expect you to Google the instructions and that PayPal has an electronic receipt. I am the stupid one according to oh so many that ripped me.

The installation issue is also partly my inept dealing with the wiring harness connections both coming apart and going back together and being routed properly. Again. It is my fault for being such a duffs even with the instructions I downloaded and printed out.

As for operation, my initial impressions were neutral. Neutral must mean bad to so many. I could not give it glowing praise or find anything negative. The tune did not make my truck a monster truck or dragster. I can now say, 400 miles later, I really still find no change in power or operation. Maybe my truck was always fast and had no turbo lag? I never knew it any other way and now it's the same. That's fine with me and I said that.

Saying that did not sit well with some.

I now think, I mean think because I have not towed with it, that the fuel mileage solo and at reasonable speeds, has improved. With my twin tanks that will take more miles to be sure.

Doubt the program has decreased top speed. It used to be 106 and now it easily went to 100 mph but I had issues reading boost, hp, exhaust temps and more at the same time so I stopped for safety reasons.

They advertise that it shuts off the EGR system. That is why I bought it. How can I be sure it does? Frankly there's nothing I can see there and nothing I can really do. I reported "nothing" as the operative word and got ripped for that. To me that was a good thing.

Only proof I have of change is the cruise working at 15 mph. Could not duplicate the exhaust brake until I first find a hill ( no hills in south Florida) and tow something.

Another thing I noted after about 170 miles running last night and today to family get-togethers for Christmas. I think, there's that word again, I think the exhaust temperatures are running a bit lower than before. Maybe 50 -100 degrees lower, depending on speed.

Is it worth it?

If the EGR system is shut off the answer is a resounding YES!. If there are future problems with the DPF and/or the DEF systems that would cost me money out of warranty, for $100 re-flash pipe and labor, I can now delete.

 

[Mharrison]

Ya I agree besides the fact I cannot delete anything in my state and pass emissions every 2 years. It would be nice to be able to do away with anything that could potentially cause an issue but the choice isn't mine

 

[CaptainMal]

You can move. You can get enough reasonable people together and throw out the government to be replaced by a reasonable one.

You do have choices.

 

[Mharrison]

I am a supporter of the state of Jefferson movement....to split our northern half of the state from the southern and it has about 11 counties now with petitions to secede from the state...it's just whether or not the feds will allow the split to take place...

 

[William Wehlage]

I have a 2015 Ram Bighorn 1500 4x4 with 3.55 gears. I also have replaced the factory tires and rims with 17 inch stock rims and run 10-ply Hankook ATMs, which weigh 18 pounds more each. I bought the truck new in May 2016 and it has 6500 miles on it (pre trip). I recently changed my oil and went to the Rotella 5w40 syn. as per the Ram directive.

I Received the GDE Hot Tune on Thurs and installed it in anticipation of my Trip from Jay, OK to South Bend, IN this weekend. I immediately drove it and I noticed an improvement. Power is much better, lag is gone and Torque is greatly increased. My 40 some miles on Thursday before the trip averaged 31.7 mpg on the EVIC on the backroads with average speed of around 35 on the EVIC.

Then I departed for South Bend. Much better power and mileage. Ascending all the Missouri hills between Joplin and St. Louis, the truck never downshifted once, but remained in 8th gear. I made it to South Bend with a hand calculated fuel mileage of 27.8MPG for the 716 miles- Not bad for getting stuck in Chicago traffic for 1.5 hours. By the way, this was on one 26-gal tank.

One the way back, traffic was better, but I drove a little slower during the night and made it back home to refuel. Hand calculate adv of 29.2, again making he 718-mile trip on one tank of fuel. My adv previous hwy mileage was around 24.5 after installing the new tires. The GDE Tune has extended my range by about 120 miles per tank.

I'm happy. I was thinking about keeping my old one, but after the trip, I think I'll send it back.

Attached is a pic of my optimistic EVIC from the trip back.

 

[swordfish]

2015 Laramie 3.55, gde hot tune, my best average was 29.5 from roseburg oregon to santa rosa calif 550 miles and still had a 1/4 tank (on a 7000lb truck). try that in a silverado, thats normal driving,if i baby it i could get 30 + so far no issues with GDE hot tune,my regenes have been as good as 400 miles, my average around town has is 26 to 28. installed tune at 6500 now have 15000, lets see what ram does in their up coming models, i can't see to much more mileage improvement with this class of truck, unless tesla gets involved. oh yeah and my oil is still semi clear at 5000 miles where it would normally be as black as coal on stock tune.

 

[swordfish]

trip to bend oregon normal driving.

 

[1shadowsabre]

Seriously making me consider it!

 

[Day Trippin]

I've been running the tune now for several months. For me it was not an earth shattering improvement in performance. The performance improvement is a bit more like your horse feeling his oats a bit more in the morning. Not the mind blowing the improvement some tunes give but at the possible expense 7-10%longevity.

This is a very conservative tune designed to not decrease the reliability of the truck. Soot/sludge buildup is less and my oil is definitely cleaner. I still didn't like the throttle response of the tuned truck and felt that while it was better than stock, it still left something to be desired. It felt pretty soft to me so I bought a throttle sensitivity booster. Much more satisfying to drive.

At the end of the day am I glad I bought it? My reserved answer is probably. I always have the feeling I'd like maybe another 30-40 hp/tq out of it to be really satisfied with the performance of the truck. The mileage is definitely improved. For me it has been about 7-10% overall. Even running my winter 10 ply tires (heavier than stock) and winter diesel, my mileage is better than it was with the truck stock and on summer fuel.

If I was pretty certain there would be not catastrophic engine failures like some have experience, I'd likely go with a bigger turbo setup that GDE has been testing. Supposedly it drops the 0-60 times to about 7 seconds flat and that would be quite satisfying as a daily driver. They didn't notice any decrease in fuel economy during normal driving. Apparently the stock turbo is the weak link for better performance.

So as it is, the GDE tune is a set it and forget it type of tune. Shouldn't hurt long term reliability from over stressing anything with excessive boost and fuel tuning. Quite likely it will help because of the reducing sludge and soot in the motor. You'll have to decide if it is worth the investment.

 

[BoostN]

I've been running the tune now for several months. For me it was not an earth shattering improvement in performance. The performance improvement is a bit more like your horse feeling his oats a bit more in the morning. Not the mind blowing the improvement some tunes give but at the possible expense 7-10%longevity.

This is a very conservative tune designed to not decrease the reliability of the truck. Soot/sludge buildup is less and my oil is definitely cleaner. I still didn't like the throttle response of the tuned truck and felt that while it was better than stock, it still left something to be desired. It felt pretty soft to me so I bought a throttle sensitivity booster. Much more satisfying to drive.

At the end of the day am I glad I bought it? My reserved answer is probably. I always have the feeling I'd like maybe another 30-40 hp/tq out of it to be really satisfied with the performance of the truck. The mileage is definitely improved. For me it has been about 7-10% overall. Even running my winter 10 ply tires (heavier than stock) and winter diesel, my mileage is better than it was with the truck stock and on summer fuel.

If I was pretty certain there would be not catastrophic engine failures like some have experience, I'd likely go with a bigger turbo setup that GDE has been testing. Supposedly it drops the 0-60 times to about 7 seconds flat and that would be quite satisfying as a daily driver. They didn't notice any decrease in fuel economy during normal driving. Apparently the stock turbo is the weak link for better performance.

So as it is, the GDE tune is a set it and forget it type of tune. Shouldn't hurt long term reliability from over stressing anything with excessive boost and fuel tuning. Quite likely it will help because of the reducing sludge and soot in the motor. You'll have to decide if it is worth the investment.

Great feedback and review!

 

[Radio_Flyer]

Just did mine. 400 mile trip, pouring rain and high winds. 29.4mpg using fuelly. Pull much better, holds 8th a lot better, only one regen. Sounds good. This is on winter fuel as well. Update after return trip.