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Bully Dog opinions on Fuel Economy (post results)

12K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  testorossa1989 
#1 ·
Hey guys

I'm starting to look into a tuner for strictly fuel economy gains for my 01 7.3 4x4 crew cab. I'm from the Mustang world where SCT is Supreme. While I was digging I found that sct is a death sentence for diesels which is unfortunate to say the least.

I've done some serious digging hours on hours and I'm at the point where I just want the opinion of everyone now directly related to fuel economy. I heard DP is good but never heard of them and I'm very skeptical of a chip hanging out of my OBD port vs 2017 live data feedback. I've been looking at the Bully Dog for the fuel coach feature. While I'm fully aware a custom tune is better than canned, I just don't have the modifications to justify it or the time to get on a dyno.

I just want a solid tuner that will truly offer me fuel economy gains while not risking my motor/trans (Edge Tuners). I have a virtually stock truck atm that does 500 miles a week(2/3 highway) unloaded and don't need to go fast. I have a 9 second cobra that does plenty in that department [emoji1] [emoji1].

Thoughts/feelings /comments on Bully Dog triple platinum for fuel economy mode with any results if possible??

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#3 ·
Bullydog and DP tuner are pretty far down on the list of tuners anyone uses.
DP hasn't been popular since 2008. So your reading old threads.

Their is nothing wrong with having a chip attached to the pcm.

90% of us have his style chip and no issues.

In fact, flash programmers often become corrupted and your stuck with a vin locked programmer and or dead truck.

Php hydra is the most popular and for good reason.
 
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#4 ·
We would be glad to help you out. Jody (our tuner) has been writing custom tunes for the 7.3L engine longer than almost all other 7.3L tuners still around today. He has even taught some of them the ropes. There is a reason we have stayed around this long.

Whether a tune is written on a chip and installed on the PCM or it is flashed onto the PCM via the OBDII port does not matter. We can put the exact same tune on either way. The chips are nice because they are switch on the fly and simple. Programmers are nice because they can usually read/clear codes, monitor engine PID's, etc., so they are a multi purpose tool. If you ran SCT, you know this already.

With a good quality programmer (such as our Infinity Mini and Infinity-DX) I have never seen a dead truck. You are never stuck in a tune and your PCM will never be damaged by them. Every once in a while we will get a report of a person turning the key off or disconnecting the unit while a tune is loading. In this case a Stock Recovery file may be necessary, but that is only an e-mail away. Once loaded, you are back on your way. If you do not install a chip correctly, you can fry the chip and/or the PCM. And there is no fix once that has happened. You will be getting a new PCM.

All this being said, they are both good options. Just make sure directions are followed when using them and you take your time during installation to do it right. I ran a chip for many years and now I run our Infinity programmer. My reason for switching was because I did not have the need to switch tunes on the fly and I wanted to get rid of my analog gauges and watch everything on a touchscreen. Different strokes for different folks.

A bit of advice though... Look past Bully Dog. They are just not near as user friendly as they should be, especially when it comes to loading up custom tunes. It seems like customers have to get in touch with Bully Dog Tech Support way too often. Many times they need to remote into your computer to get the issue resolved. Even though Bully Dog and SCT are owned by the same company now, they are not created equal. SCT is still a better platform. Not the best, but better than Bully Dog if those are your only two options. SCT issues are mainly related to their lack of support for the 7.3L platform with every new firmware update. What I mean by this is that the gauges and monitoring function continue to get worse as they put out new software. They are fine for loading custom tunes, but not for much else.

Getting to your original point for this thread... Fuel mileage. This is a tough one to answer. While a lot of guys do see better mileage with aftermarket tunes, there is not way to guarantee it. There are too many other factors involved besides tuning. Things like the condition of the injectors or driving habits have a much more important role on mileage than tuning. I always tell guys looking for a mileage increase the same thing. Don't buy a tuner expecting a big jump in mileage, it is very possible you will be disappointed. Buy the tuner for the increased performance, better shifting, etc., and if the mileage gets better, just think of it as a bonus.

Sorry for the long winded post. Just want you to have the most accurate information possible so you can make a well informed decision. Again, I would be happy to help you out if I can. Feel free to contact me via e-mail, PM, or phone call.
 
#5 ·
welcome to the org :) I gotta get some things clear before I continue though. SCT is hands down the best programmer for the 6.0l diesels and for many of the 6.7 guys. So whoever/whatever told you they are the death of diesels is not experienced or knowledgeable whatsoever.

Many 7.3l owners go with a chip since the 7.3l can be switched on the fly without major issues like the newer type ecms on the newer powerstroke diesels.

many like the ts 6 pos chip, php hydra, dp tuner for the chip type tuners. I personally wasn't too impressed with my hydra and had to wait weeks to get any answers on some issues I was having. Many here will laugh but I have spoke to a few members and if you are looking for a no frills, not the best but simple. The hypertech programmer is what I would of gone with. I like the ability to have high idle, anti theft programs, towing programs though so they hydra just fit my budget, simple installation, and tons of features. I figured the hypertech was $329, but only power was available, while the dp tuner was a little to pricey for me... I gained an anti thefy system, high idle, tow and daily driver tunes for the hydra for $325. I can't say anything bad about dp tuner since I have no experience. Although PHP might be really well regarded, their customer support is severely lacking.

If you are looking for strictly fuel economy and running one tune 99% of the time I would go with hypertech. I have spoken to a trusted member here and hes been using it 7 years plus and tows 5th wheel alot. If you want more features and shift on the fly check out the chip type tuners, hydra, dp-tuner, or ts 6 pos chip.
 
#7 ·
Ts for $260 or infinity for $1100?

Difficult decision haha
 
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#9 ·
True

. I could add in the cost of AE and gauges and still come out about 200- 500 bucks cheaper.

One year warranty? That's not great on a 1.1-1.4k piece of hardware.
 
#10 ·
$260 TS Chip
$360 AE w/ Ford Bundle
$200+ Laptop required for using AE
$200 Autometer EGT Gauge

That puts you over $1k...

For that price, you can get the Infinity-DX, EGT kit, and a few custom tunes.

Many electronics come with a 1 year warranty or less. Even the AE program you mentioned above carries a 1 year warranty. To add to this, we have only had maybe 3 or 4 units go in for warranty work in the 4+ years they have been out. They have proven to be extremely durable in the heat/cold and whatever else they are exposed to.
 
#12 ·
LOL

I'll take a laptop lol
 
#13 ·
My coworkers runs a bully dog on both of his 7.3's, an Excursion and F250, for fuel economy. He claims to get 17-18mpg. Not sure how true it is, never rode with him or in his truck. Nor did he say if that was running empty or towing. Assuming that was empty.
 
#15 ·
Justin is on here quite often. He should see this.

Justin is the best asset that DP tuner has, I can't say much for the rest of them though.
 
#16 ·
Oh I'm sure he is. It's just if I contact them directly I expect some kind of response. I'm certain I'd get the info I need through the forums, I just want to complete a sale through the physical website and it's pretty apparent that won't happen. I just feel it's more trouble if their parent outlet takes as long as they do

Any feedback on the Bully dog though?

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#19 ·
My 2cents...

1st - Bully Dog is past their prime, there are Much better options today for a Ford.

2nd - The is no tune for a 7.3 that's going to make a bigger improvement on mileage that YOU, and how you drive. Save your money, buy fuel with whatever changes you are planning to do to your truck, you'll come out ahead.

3rd - Pay careful attention to tire pressure, dragging calipers, and overall maintenance to get the most from the fuel you now buy ;)
 
#20 ·
Already cleaned up the preventative and changed my station which made a huge difference. I'm just at the point where I think I want the Bully to monitor my driving parameters since there's major fluctuating differences day by day in my economy. I'm sure curious what people are seeing gain wise associated with that tuner if any. I realize the nature of the beast is that there's no magical wand that will get me +7.

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