GDE Performance before and after testing

[DMDK-ECO]

Hi everyone im new to this forum.
Just bought my 2016 Ram Longhorn ECO New
Very dissapointed straight from the lot on performance, turbo lag, torque misplaced and to seal the deal Prius took me off the line at a red.

Scoured the world wide web for weeks for Tuning info but kept finding GDE. The problem is that too many people out there just sound like telemarketers when it comes to reviews of the tune.

So to make it short, ordered the tune today with diaplay and brake option.
Booked a Dyno for next week before the swap and booked it for thereafter. I know this isnt what this tune is for but just coming from a long years of performace vehicles, auto cross and 1/4miles i need to see for myself what the whp is out of the dealer and after the tune.

In all honesty the truck has what it needs, good engine but sadly at full boost and in 3000s rpms.

Wont even touch the EGR and soot issue, its been beatten to death. All diesel fans lost their cool starting on late 2007 Cummins with (Tar-choker additions) but those got solved with a chop, straight pipe and a tunner sensor disable. We I guess are not as lucky for now, but any help from this Tune to tame the system will be appreciated.

Anyways, i will post my Before and After Dyno Pulls here, they will run in Vancouver BC Canada (for all the elevation must-knows) and on typical ULSD from Shell.

Cheers.

 

[BoostN]

Looking forward to your review. Welcome to the site!

 

[DMDK-ECO]

Part 1 of my Tuning Post.
Just did Close to 10 runs on the Dyno on my Truck in complete stock configuration.
Had a hard time keeping it in gear, it kept downshifting at full throttle even though in Manual Mode
But attached is the most stable run.
As you can see 206hp at 3550rpm and 384torque at 2800rpm
Torque didnt flat pull but droped, I at least expected to keep it up to 3500rpm

Installing GDE ECU Tomorrow, will run data logging over the weekend with Dyno Scheduled for mid next week. Lets See

 

[Great White]

I'm considering the GDE tune as well so I can't wait to see the results!


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[Day Trippin]

I too can't wait to see the results. While I won't go with a tune, It is still interesting for me. I don't want to have any possible warranty issues and possibly have a claim denied.

 

[cevans]

What a terrible thread title - click bait level 10.

You CAN'T keep torque peak on a diesel engine until 3500 RPM. Physics. Diesel doesn't combust fast enough at that RPM to make power. You can get a flat peak in the 2-2800 range, but above that it just isn't going to happen.

GDE reviews are telemarket-y because people like their GDE tunes. Just because everyone likes their tunes doesn't degrade the legitimacy of their opinions. I'm a big fan. #1 reduce the number of engine & turbo damaging regenerations #2 improve MPGs to over 30 on average and #3 add some more power.

GDE doesn't advertise huge performance gains (~25hp) so I don't think anything is going to be "exposed" through this. Others have also dyno'ed their own trucks pre/post GDE and confirmed GDEs estimated power gains.

 

[DMDK-ECO]

What a terrible thread title - click bait level 10.

You CAN'T keep torque peak on a diesel engine until 3500 RPM. Physics. Diesel doesn't combust fast enough at that RPM to make power. You can get a flat peak in the 2-2800 range, but above that it just isn't going to happen.

GDE reviews are telemarket-y because people like their GDE tunes. Just because everyone likes their tunes doesn't degrade the legitimacy of their opinions. I'm a big fan. #1 reduce the number of engine & turbo damaging regenerations #2 improve MPGs to over 30 on average and #3 add some more power.

GDE doesn't advertise huge performance gains (~25hp) so I don't think anything is going to be "exposed" through this. Others have also dyno'ed their own trucks pre/post GDE and confirmed GDEs estimated power gains.

Thread not intended to bash anyone or anything.
Title could be better now that i look at it, lets change it to "GDE Tune Before & After"
Have not seen any independent actual postings of Before and After so descided to make one.

As I said not expecting anything in a $1K MOD.
My Cummins cost $10K+ to reach my liking. My SRT will see $15K before it gets to Chew on the Hellcats

 

[cevans]

More data is always good, and we appreciate you taking your time (and money) to get another data set. I agree that GDE Before & After Dynos would be a much better title.

Good back to back dyno video here:

 

[BoostN]

Thread title changed as requested.

 

[DMDK-ECO]

Long awaited GDE ECM arrived!
Swap took about 10min with 2 sockets 8mm & 10mm as expected.
Did what instructions said. Odometer, oil life and DEF guage remained as before the swap. Regen was forced right away and the rest is history.

The truck definately seems smoother and quicker, shifts like butter while riding the torque wave. The turbo lag is practicaly gone and the turbo whistle, finaly sounds and feels like a turbo is actualy there. Im very pleased with what i sense after the swap, stepping on it off the line lost traction on my 285 BFG KO2s

Dyno is booked for Friday morning, will post the results right after.

 

[Great White]

The...anticipation...is...maddening lol


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[Day Trippin]

I ended up going with the GDE tune.

Pros:
Regen - Definitely has slowed the regen process
Mileage - So far it is up, a bit early to tell, but looks to be at least 10% and possibly more
Engine brake - Likely my favorite feature so far
Cold start high idle - Will be useful in the winter. It only works when cold enough so far not quite there yet but could soon be
Cleaner oil - Should help over the lift of the truck

Cons:
Power - maybe not so much as a con, but I thought it would feel a bit stronger than it does
Throttle response - while better than stock, still has a way to go

If you are buying this for the HP/TQ increase, maybe look for another tune. This is clearly biased towards getting 'some' improvement while keeping the longevity of the stock turbo and keep EGTs in check. While you can feel a bit extra push, it isn't the more dramatic tunes you might have experienced with other vehicles. When I tuned my Excursion, it was a VERY noticeable difference.

I thought the throttle response would be a bit snappier than it is. While the tune helps, it is still sort of mushy for me. Someone on another forum pointed out some devices that help quicken up the throttle response. I may go that route at some point.

I read a lot of posts in multiple forums even before I bought my truck about the GDE tune. I think the ones who thought this made a huge difference in acceleration never drove a car/truck where the tune very transformative with respect to acceleration. Honestly I could roll this truck into the dealer and they'd never suspect it was tuned when they drove it. It really is more of a stealth tune.

I totally understand it was biased for longevity after driving it. This should be a tune you could put in and just forget about it. I can't really see it over stressing anything on the truck. Just set it and forget it.

I don't regret buying the tune at all as the pros I mentioned above are pretty important to me. I plan to keep the truck for quite some time and they will make a significant difference over the life of the truck. I can see my next step, if I go there, would definitely be to upgrade the turbo as it does seem to be the weak link for better HP numbers while still being reliable.

 

[BoostN]

I ended up going with the GDE tune.

Pros:
Regen - Definitely has slowed the regen process
Mileage - So far it is up, a bit early to tell, but looks to be at least 10% and possibly more
Engine brake - Likely my favorite feature so far
Cold start high idle - Will be useful in the winter. It only works when cold enough so far not quite there yet but could soon be
Cleaner oil - Should help over the lift of the truck

Cons:
Power - maybe not so much as a con, but I thought it would feel a bit stronger than it does
Throttle response - while better than stock, still has a way to go

If you are buying this for the HP/TQ increase, maybe look for another tune. This is clearly biased towards getting 'some' improvement while keeping the longevity of the stock turbo and keep EGTs in check. While you can feel a bit extra push, it isn't the more dramatic tunes you might have experienced with other vehicles. When I tuned my Excursion, it was a VERY noticeable difference.

I thought the throttle response would be a bit snappier than it is. While the tune helps, it is still sort of mushy for me. Someone on another forum pointed out some devices that help quicken up the throttle response. I may go that route at some point.

I read a lot of posts in multiple forums even before I bought my truck about the GDE tune. I think the ones who thought this made a huge difference in acceleration never drove a car/truck where the tune very transformative with respect to acceleration. Honestly I could roll this truck into the dealer and they'd never suspect it was tuned when they drove it. It really is more of a stealth tune.

I totally understand it was biased for longevity after driving it. This should be a tune you could put in and just forget about it. I can't really see it over stressing anything on the truck. Just set it and forget it.

I don't regret buying the tune at all as the pros I mentioned above are pretty important to me. I plan to keep the truck for quite some time and they will make a significant difference over the life of the truck. I can see my next step, if I go there, would definitely be to upgrade the turbo as it does seem to be the weak link for better HP numbers while still being reliable.

Great review. Thanks for sharing!

 

[DMDK-ECO]

Well here it is.
Id like to correct my original stock numbers message. The Stock Torque was just over 334 not 384 as i mis-typed.
And BTW Dyno used was a MD Mustang Dynometer (2/4 wheel-drive model)
All pulls were done in 4th Gear.

Gains overall are pretty much what they were suppose to be, but those I feel arent important, what i wanted to see was exactly what happened,
large gains at around 2400-2500 (80torque 30hp) and everything peaking 3000-3300rpm I felt it there right after the installation, and was anxious to confirm with Dyno.

Driveability of the truck to me is now where it should be. Cant comment on economy improvement just yet, since i've found myself being quite heavier footed since the Tune install Truck feels strongest in 4th and 5th gears which is awesome for passing power and grade pulling.
Ive had quite a difficult time trying to get the Turbo break to work, at this point dont know if it actually does or not, plus dont really know what it should feel like. (any close to exhaust brake on 6.7 Cummins??)

I am very surprised to hear that some people dont notice the effects of the tune. I mean to me the first run was so obvious, the faster shifting gears, with better smoother acceleration from standstill (Obvious Torque at bottom end). The Lag to get rolling is sooooo much better. The Truck overall just doesnt stress anymore in any gear, smooth coasting.

I mean obviously YES no burnouts in 4th Gear and Huge Cloud of TAR like my past Cummins, but I mean Cmon it should be common sense this wasnt ever designed to be.

For $1K CAD to ME this is more then you can ever ask for.

 

[BoostN]

Great results, thanks for sharing!!

 

[Brokedownbutgood]

A quick video I did that shows exhaust working

 

[Day Trippin]

Basically for the exhaust brake to work, you have to above 2500 rpm and in 1-6th gear. It changes the geometry of the turbo to provide more resistance.

Basically your dyno plots reinforce my seat of the pants impression, it is an improvement but not earth shattering. Also this is one of the diesels that you seem to have to rev it more to make it go. There is not a ton of low end torque. It definitely needs to rev to get out of its own way. Maybe not a fair comparison but my little VW TDI motor (1.9L) has peak TQ at 1900 rpm. Peak HP at 4100. It dyno'd at 363 TQ at 1900 rpm at the wheels. Not a stock motor (stock turbo though with a few factory parts swaps and an APR chip). It retained the stock power characteristics just amped them up a bit. It has been running in this state of tune since 2002 and has over 200k trouble free miles. Of course none of the crappy emission stuff like the newer motors.

Every time I drive the RAM it just feel a bit gutless until it revs. No real significant TQ off idle. Your dyno plots just reinforce that and obviously there is only so much the GDE tune can do to help with this. Thank god it has an auto tranny to mask a lot of this. Even Ram's dyno plots basically show nothing below 1500 rpm. I probably should have paid more attention to the dyno plots before buying the truck. I assumed that the GDE tune would have made a bigger (subjective) improvement in normal day to day driving. There is an improvement but it really isn't that noticeable until you rev the truck. I am definitely glad I didn't go with the Eco Tune. I would have been totally underwhelmed.

I think the truck overall (tuned or otherwise) could have been much better if they biased it for a bit more low end off idle pull. It would feel more responsive in day to day driving. In a lot of ways it feels like a gasser when driving it since you have to keep the revs up a bit to make it go. Honestly I think my 3.5L Ecoboost motor in another vehicle has better pull at 2k than this motor. I seriously considered going with a F150 and the Ecoboost. I didn't go that route for a few reasons. I think the the ride of the Ram is much better. I like the interior better and past experience with the motor has show fuel economy rarely lives up to the EPA ratings. Having said that after I tuned mine, I saw massive improvement in an already quick vehicle AND my mileage went up significantly. However if I extrapolated out my MPG numbers on the lighter vehicle I have with that motor (Flex AWD), I would probably end up in the low 20's in the 150.

I bought my Ram to replace my Flex as our tow vehicle as I often towed around 4-5k and 5k is its max and it really wasn't designed to do it all the time. So far I love the Ram, just feel a bit underwhelmed by what the motor could have been.

I would have liked to see the motor stock where the GDE tune is at now. Then have some additional headroom for more if needed. From talking to the folks at GDE, it seems the stock turbo really is limiting the motor a lot. I can't say I want to drop 4k to upgrade the turbo and really let the motor breath. I do appreciate that they've tuned the motor to keep safe EGTs and not overwork the stock turbo. So I guess for now it is as good as it is going to get for me unless I want to totally throw my warranty away and upgrade the turbo. Then you have to deal with the weak stock tranny limits as the next week link in the chain. Apparently it is only rated for 500 lb/ft so that doesn't leave you much room to go there either.

 

[Day Trippin]

Just want to clairify I am not saying the GDE tune is bad or the EcoD sucks. Objectively it seems like they (FCA) could have done a better job with the initial tuning giving how heavy the truck is and the fact it will pull loads. As I mentioned upstream GDE is quite conservative in their tune so I understand their approach.

This isn't a tune like you might see on other car/trucks with very significant gains like 40-50%. Just keep your expecations in check and you'll likely be quite happy with the limited performance gains. Then again better fuel efficiency AND better performance is like having you cake and eating it too even if it isn't a big slice.

 

[BoostN]

Objectively it seems like they (FCA) could have done a better job with the initial tuning giving how heavy the truck is and the fact it will pull loads. As I mentioned upstream GDE is quite conservative in their tune so I understand their approach.

It's likely the tune is conservative due to EPA guidelines on Nox output, etc... we all know, the more power, the more technology that's required to clean up and make it meet emission standards. Ram probably felt like they found that "Happy Medium" area.

 

[Day Trippin]

I am not saying necessarily more power, just shift it more to the left of the graph. It wouldn't hurt for Dodge to follow a bit of Ford's playbook and lighten the heifer up a bit. I can't say to go with an all aluminum bed but you could strategically look at areas where you could shave a few hundred pounds in the truck and not sacrifice any strength.
I think the EcoD is still the best truck in its segment but they could have made it better without too much work. I still have an issue with the whole Fiat thing. I had such crappy luck with all the old Fiats I had. They didn't do jack when something failed even 50 miles out of warranty (literally). I had to eat an entire motor rebuild because of their stance. Motor failed at 12,049 miles and 10 months. They only had a 12/12 warranty. It was the last Fiat I bought for 30+ years.