He eventually found a local shop, Elite Diesel Services. The shop connected a laptop to the engine, flashed the electronic control module and inserted a file with new data. “It’s been a night and day difference with fuel economy and power,” Backlund says. He hasn’t tracked the exact fuel mileage benefits, but says he did gain nearly 150 horsepower – currently at 580, up from the stock 435.

Fuel costs can be cut and power squeezed from stock ECM programming, says Pittsburgh Power owner Bruce Mallinson, whose company specializes in diesel engine performance and does the type of work Backlund had done. “If you can do just a mile or a mile and a half [a gallon] better, you’re going to put about $20,000 extra in your pocket each year,” he says. Pitt Power engineers are constantly researching modern engines and ECMs to determine what can be improved, he says.

The service may require additional hardware and/or software tools on the. The ECM tuning may cause emission. Be the first to review “Cummins ISX CM2250 EGR. It's likely been asked 1000's times already but who's doing good tuning on the isx in. Heavy Duty > Isx tuning. The tuning software and.

Toying with tuning? Proceed with caution Re-flashing your ECM or remotely advancing injection timing and the quantity of fuel that goes in for each power stroke could certainly give an underpowered, fuel-thirsty truck a boot in the rear. It’s also bound to send Nox emissions through the roof and, along with them, peak cylinder pressures and the amount of heat your cooling system and engine oil will have to remove from cylinder liners, pistons and other parts. A drastic increase in power is likely to significantly increase oil soot, caused by the greatly increased ratio of fuel and air going into the cylinders. It could also over-speed the turbo and cause erosion of the turbine blades on the exhaust side.

Increasing the torque sent through the drivetrain can cause serious trouble, too. Transmission, driveshaft and rear axle manufacturers design their products to precisely match the level of torque they are specified for. Here are a few pointers to minimize impact of engine alterations if you decide to do so: USE AN EXHAUST PYROMETER. If your dash doesn’t already include an exhaust pyrometer, install one.

Then, consult an engine shop as to the maximum exhaust temperature that is considered satisfactory. When exhaust exceeds this temperature, back off on the throttle. ANALYZE OIL AND LUBES. This way, you’ll know whether or not the soot levels in your oil are building to maximum tolerable levels and if your oil is breaking down from the extra heat. Resident evil 5 gold edition xbox 360. Keep a close eye on oil and coolant temperatures, too, and reduce power if they exceed normal operating recommendations. Watch transmission and axle oil temperatures, too.

Pay close attention to the gearbox gauge because there is more friction and heat there. If the manufacturer’s recommended operating temperature is exceeded, reduce power until it drops to a satisfactory level. Also, use only synthetic lubes because they handle heat much better. AVOID HEAVY THROTTLE. The most critical time for torque damage to drivetrain components is when running in lower gears. Mimic the operation of multi-torque systems by avoiding heavy throttle until you’re in high range and, preferably, until you are operating in the top two gears in the transmission.

–John Baxter Companies like Pitt Power, Bully Dog and Delta Force have two major reprogramming methods: • A flash of the ECM that tunes it to perform differently. • Installation of a device on the engine that changes signals either to or from the ECM, based on parameters entered by the user. Mack Trucks’ Dave McKenna cautions owner-operators to be careful with their equipment, as “bootlegged” data files haven’t been through the rigorous tests manufacturers subject their equipment and software to each year. “We spend tens of millions of dollars a year – if you lump the industry together, hundreds of millions of dollars a year – to try to have a better product than the next guy,” says McKenna, director of powertrain sales and marketing. “If you’ve got a guy with an iPad or whatever that says he’s got a file that can improve fuel economy, well, yeah, it may improve fuel economy but it’s going to cause problems somewhere else,” he says. McKenna points to engine life and disruption of meeting emission standards as probable compromises.

“It’s a balance,” he says. “When we put an engine data file together, the first thing we try to do is achieve a torque profile that’s going to work, a horsepower profile that’s going to work with that torque profile, and then we work our darnedest to get optimal power, fuel economy and emission regulation.” Alex Nikolic, sales manager for Delta Force Tuning, based in Sanford, Fla., agrees that engine changes usually compromise the engine elsewhere.