best chip for balance power and econ?

[howardtm]

Well...it looks as though my E550 finally got fixed(knocking on wood). Next step is to make a mod, nothing erxtreme. What I'm looking for is a bit extra power, a little more torque for pulling loads up hill and as much increase in MPG as possible. Empty weight of this thing is 13,350lbs, with me and a full(55gal) tank. I realize that 17-18MPG is probably somewhere on Fantasy Island so I'd be thrilled to see 15-16 loaded. I'm not heavy footed and usually average 63-65 down the freeway. I'm not into "smoke" ...thats unburned fuel ergo...no bang for the buck. As soon as extra funds come available, I plan on ordering in a couple of K&N air filters as a start. Can't seem to find anyone who makes an aftermarket performance intake system for the E series, or bolt-up 4" exhaust for that matter. Being a 20' Box truck, makes finding a shop to custom install one very hard so that part may well have to be passed on...Although...shops that work on the big rigs might be able to come up with something on the exhaust end. Also, if anyone can tell me for sure, I've read posts regarding gutting or eliminating the "cat"..I assume this refers to the catalitic converter. Isn't that just a tad risky? If ya get inspected and you've bypassed it, wouldn't that cost ya or is a cat really required on a diesel? (mine's a 2003 E550 comm'l box truck and couldn't tell ya right now whether or not it even has one).
As for the "chip" It's really hard to sort thgrough all the manufacture's hype and propangda. All I want is something simple, straight forward and that will do the job without screwing up everything else. No 200.00 chip that takes spending 3 grand on other upgrades and modes just to get it to function properly. At the moment, no...I haven't got any guages installed. Still trying to figure out where to put them when I finally DO get the cash to spend on em..dash space on a van is, shall we say, limited at best. (thinking about making a fiberglass "pod" to mount on the top of the dash) What I need is some practical guidance and suggestions as to which "chip" would work best for my basic needs/desires with the least amount of headaches. Any suggestions? Thanks guys (and gals too I'm sure)

[mako314]

have Jody at DP Tuner reflash you pcm its only like 80.00

[howardtm]

oooook...who is Jody and where is DP tuner??? (stupid question huh)

[howardtm]

oops..never mind, found em...seems there's a dealer here in Pa. about 220 miles east of me. will call them monday.

[mako314]

DP Tuner is in Ashville NC ,they have a web site that shows all of their products and available tunes and programs. I also beleive they are one of our site sponsors. they are good people to deal with and will answer any ??? you may have..

[MartyB]

I agree with the vote for DP-Tuner, though I'm not sure what Jody has for the E series. For the guages, you might want to check out Hypermax Engineering. They have a pretty nice guage pod and combination pyro/boost gauge that mounts on top of the dash.

[straycat]

ITP Diesel, L.L.C.

Check out the link above, Dennis is a dealer for DP and will set you up the way you should be for a cube van. I would suggest the 40h heavy tow, the 60h medium tow and the 80h light tow. With your weight, I don't think you want to get into the big power tunes, but these tunes are switch on the fly, help with your trans shift points, line pressure and tc lock up points. I drive a cube at work quite a bit and I think that would work great for you. Good luck.

Gord.

[Logan]

I have the Quadzilla Commander for guages, it comes with a little stand that you can mount just about anywhere. And it comes with 4 guages, so you can monitor what you need to. As far as a Chip, I like the chips over the programmers. Since it is an "E" truck, it has had the HP lowered at the factory. I bet if you got someone to burn you a custom chip to get you back to a regular stock rating, you would be good. Jody has some great tunes as do several other guys. Keep on asking around, but it will prolly have to be a custom burn.