Best Programmer for 2004.5 Cummins

[Dock]

I"m looking at getting a programmer for my dodge, just wondering what everyone out there has and what you like or dislike about it. Im looking to get one that i'm able to change so that i can get fuel economy for in town but power for pulling the sleds and trailers.

What else is recommended to do? Injectors, air filters, anything to the tranny?

 

[throttlejocky316]

When I had my 04.5 cummins I had the bullydog powerpup programmer. It had tow (70hp), performance (90 hp) and extreme(130 hp) settings. I always ran the performance tune when unloaded and averaged around 19 mpg at 75. On the tow tune I averaged 11 mpg pulling. I never had any issues with the programmer and it had very good power. I also had an airaid jr. intake kit.

 

[robertyoke]

smarty or tst, tst can make alot of power but it comes on with boost and will be easy on the drivetrain. smarty is great if you have a heavy foot it will be very hard on the trans. efi live is out now for the 5.9's but it above what most people can or want to use.
at the least i would say torque converter and valve body, as i'm assuming you have a 48re auto if you have a nv5600 then drive it till you puke the clutch then get a southbend con-fe.

 

[Dock]

smarty or tst, tst can make alot of power but it comes on with boost and will be easy on the drivetrain. smarty is great if you have a heavy foot it will be very hard on the trans. efi live is out now for the 5.9's but it above what most people can or want to use.
at the least i would say torque converter and valve body, as i'm assuming you have a 48re auto if you have a nv5600 then drive it till you puke the clutch then get a southbend con-fe.

Would you say tune the tranny first? make sure it can handle the power and then add the programmer? I do have the 48re, i come from manuals and i really don't like the auto, i find it laggy and it doesn't harness the power of the engine as it is now, one of my biggest beefs with the tranny is that if you hammer down the engine will rev right up to the red line but the truck really doesn’t accelerate. Dose the torque converter and valve body change that?

 

[SledGuru]

I liked the edge for that year of truck it does everything as said about about the bully dog

 

[vdog0531]

Would you say tune the tranny first? make sure it can handle the power and then add the programmer? I do have the 48re, i come from manuals and i really don't like the auto, i find it laggy and it doesn't harness the power of the engine as it is now, one of my biggest beefs with the tranny is that if you hammer down the engine will rev right up to the red line but the truck really doesn’t accelerate. Dose the torque converter and valve body change that?

Yes, a heavier duty torque converter will help lay that power down to the tires. In doing so, it will add some stress to the other components in the transmission. So there is a fine line you want to walk between getting as much power through the transmission as you can, without adding too much stress to it to break anything. Upgrading the valve body will help with line pressure and the torque converter will help move that power through the transmission. Good tuning will also help the trans with better torque converter lock up. Torque converter lock up usually only happens in the top gears and on my powerstroke, i could feel it go into lock up when i had it turned. It almost felt like a whole other gear. When the torque converter is not locked up, think of it like a manual trans with the clutch peddle about 90 percent of the way out but not all the way. Then, when the auto goes into lock up, it would be you letting your foot all the way off the clutch. When cruising down a local road at 30 mph and you dip the gas, you will see the rpms go up and a small difference in the trucks acceleration where as you driving at 65 on the freeway and you dip into the throttle a little, the rpms will actually follow the speedo because the torque converter isnt slipping when its in lock up. A more agressive converter will help transfer that power better when not locked up and sometimes will lower the lock up point, depending on the converter. Depending on your financial situation, mileage on the truck, how long you plan on keeping it, etc etc ETC, i would look into building the trans, then you can throw any mods you want at it at a later date. Also, by getting a built trans that can put the power to the tires, it will in turn make the truck more effecient by not losing power in the trans and getting it to the ground. But, the downfall to any mods, is the money. it will turn a 1500 to 2000 dollar valve body and torque converter upgrade into a 4000 dollars built trans real quick. SO, lots to consider.

 

[robertyoke]

Would you say tune the tranny first? make sure it can handle the power and then add the programmer? I do have the 48re, i come from manuals and i really don't like the auto, i find it laggy and it doesn't harness the power of the engine as it is now, one of my biggest beefs with the tranny is that if you hammer down the engine will rev right up to the red line but the truck really doesn’t accelerate. Dose the torque converter and valve body change that?

I would and did upgrade the tc and vb on my 03 before i upped the fuel. the tc and vb is a good investment if you plan on keeping the truck, it will make a hell of improvement. If you add power, it will be even worse driving through the converter and when the tc locks up you will probably smoke the tc's clutch and then all the crap from a burned clutch will take out the rest of the trans.

 

[Dock]

Thanks for all of the input and help on this.

I was talking to a friend about it all last night and decided that what i'm looking for is better economy, i'm not one of these guys that needs to smoke every truck on the road i just want to get more from what i have.

I get 5-6 kms/ltr (i think around 11.5 to 14 miles per gallon) depending on loaded/unloaded or town/hwy driving which i've recently found out for this truck is terrible and i recently found out that my friends 08 ford gets 8-10 kms/ltr. I drive fairly lightly as my economy would drop even more if i'm heavy on the gas, what would help my economy? I don't mind dropping some $$$ as i figure i'll have the truck for a while still

 

[trickedout700]

I have a few chips for your pickup if intersted. One is a Predator Diablosport gave me 19 mpg in my 03 dodge. And the other one is a Superchip Cortex. Both very easy to install and easy on pickup. I went to a Smarty SR which took my mileage down to 17 but oh well i guess.

 

[clarson80]

do your homework on rail pressure before you buy a programmer...too much rail pressure for extended periods is not good.

I run the quadzilla adrenaline in my '05 (which actually monitors rail prssure, big plus), the mileage setting helps a little, like most, because of the added timing...but don't expect miracles out of any programmer for mileage. The addrenaline is a very aggressive programmer though, it shuts the waste gate off even on stock setting...I see high boost numbers towing heavy even on setting zero.

If I could do it over again with my 5.9, i'd go with a smarty...and of course get the analog gauges on the pillar to go with it.

 

[summitboy]

Sounds like your the perfect candidate for a Smarty Jr. 100HP
Max. Better economy and wont kill a stock tranny. The truck will run better overall. I had a stock 48RE for years with the Jr pulling my 17000lb 5th wheel. Just change the filter and fluid and it will treat you right. You wont have to watch things like rail pressure or EGT with the Jr as compared to some other brands although it is good to have a set of gauges imo. The Smarty is designed right and keeps EGT and rail pressure in check unlike some of the other offerings.

On that 04.5 you should see the boost increase which cools the EGTs even better. You could go with a Smarty Sr but the temptation is pretty strong to turn it up and then you will wish you had a built transmission LOL. Dont waste your time with anything else unless you have access to a dyno and EFI Live which really isnt out for the 04.5 yet lol.

 

[ryanjeri]

I have an 04.5 with the 325/600 in it. Love the truck, it is the meager "not mega" cab version.

May be a long read.

When looking at a programmer if you have the 04.5 it was a mid year change so if your buying for an 04 there is a good chance its for a different motor.

Have done quite a bit of reading trying to find out what is best to fit my need's, I tow 30 foot enclosed with 7 foot interior usually with 5 sled, also 5th wheel during the summer.

I have 2 Van Aaken Developments chip's taken off, edge juice that was replaced with the currently running Edge juice CTS "though i am considering a change"

I have an FASS fuel system, with 3 micron filter if i remember right, stock injectors.

ATS Stage II with ATS 5 Star Torque Converter

Compound turbo's restricted to 45lbs of boost. From Here

I have around 145000 miles, and i drive, um bad.

If im nice and stay the speed limit, last trip was 21 mpg on the freeway, hand calculated.

My normal driving results in an average city/town of 16.

A couple things that I have been told/read

Injector failure, going to happen and will probably be fuel related.

In comes the FASS with 3 micron filter, this is supposed to decrease injector failure rate because of better filtration.

Smarty Programmer i think is what I am going to change to, though its difficult to want to remove my CTS as the gauge cluster is pretty cool

I had really high EGT's as a result of running a Edge box, there was nothing I could do to get them down, except the compounds or remove the box.

Compounds it was, and had I know what a difference it would make, I would have done it the day after I bought my truck.

Hands down the best performance mod I have done, it is incredible.

The transmission was done before the compounds, I had my edge on 5, did not think about it and pulling my 5th wheel. I pulled out in front of someone and floored it. It went no where fast, and i was getting an upgraded transmission.

Now don't get the impression that I am a expert on these things, far from it. I actually do Computer consulting, so i spend a fair bit of time on the net, and have spent some time reading forum's and post after post trying to pick the right information out of a sea of crap.

So if you have any question's about something I am running feel free to ask.

Oh and Blend Doors, get ready for them, they fail, when they do don't use factory replacements, cause you will be doing them again. Um wait, I am doing them again. Get these, save yourself some headache and do them all.