Diesel Tuner's Blog

Times they are changing. Everything seems to be moving in the direction of "smart" technology. While this seems like an annoyance living in a world of folks glued to smartphones and using an app for everything, it also has it's advantages when it comes to the modern farmer.

Smart farming is bringing the farmer what he needs to push his yield and his land's productivity past where it traditionally performs. These days we see combines manipulating calibrations to help achieve less time in the field while saving on fuel costs. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many different aspects in which the world of agriculture is moving.

Farmers all around the country have utilized box programmers or other various items for tuning their tractors. With tractors becoming more and more electronic based, the need for tuning your combine has gone up. It can be overwhelming if it's something new to you and your equipment, so let's dive into the most common questions asked in regards to up-rating your tractor with a custom programmer.

DT LML Twin Kit: Peak Performance And Driveability

Introducing the DT LML Twin Kit for 2015-2016 Duramax trucks from Duramaxtuner.com!  This kit was designed in-house with Wehrli Custom Fab to give you a product that pushes the limits of power and keeps your EGTs cool.  Let's go over some of the features this product has to offer your 2015-2016 LML.

Stealth 64?  Stealth 64G2? Stealth 67G2?

You finally got the okay from the wife on spending that tax return, you're thinking about upgrading the turbo on your 2001-2004 LB7.  Like any well educated Duramax owner you go to DuramaxTuner.com to check out everything you can on the Stealth turbo, but you're still wondering which is right for you.  

Now you may have the urge to simply pick the turbo with the highest peak power.  Maybe your thought process is to go immediately at the cheapest price.  To be honest, no matter which way you go, each Stealth turbo is going to be better than the stock charger. However, there are a few things we would recommend you consider before making your buying decision. It can help you save money and time in the long run, so let's dive into which suits you best.

There are a few things to consider before picking a new turbo for your LB7:

1.  What size injectors do you have?
2.  Are you going to build the engine?
3.  What is your ultimate HP goal and what do you plan on using the truck for?

You use your truck for daily commuting or hauling the family and trailer for a long weekend of camping,  you’re rolling up to your work or that campsite and you notice the LML go into regeneration (regen).  You can’t keep driving as you should because you got a job to do or things to unpack.  You can’t help but wonder what can be done to keep your LML from going into this cycle as often as it does, we’ll get into that in bit, first let’s look a little more at DPF regen. 

The DPF takes essentially 700 miles or 18 hours of drive time to put it to the maximum values of normal calculated mass soot levels, which if you were curious is 44 grams.   Active Regen describes the procedure your truck goes through to burn that accumulated soot.  To do this, fuel is dosed through a 9th injector directly into your exhaust.  Many drivers have noticed a drop in MPG and even potentially a lack of power during regen. 

A popular theory is that if you go through regen less frequently, your MPGs will go up.  So, how can you go through less regens?

It's that time of the year, you're in the field or just about to get in the field, you know you spent a lot of time last year just wishing your tractor had better power. This year go ahead and up-rate your rig to give you the quickest, most efficient work in the field yet! Maybe you feel as though your tractor is under powered when it comes to tillage or you just want your sprayer to get the job done fast, well tuning is exactly what you're going to need to push this years yield past prior seasons. Get more power safely and get it at a fraction of the cost.

We know this is your livelihood. We come from farm communities and we know how difficult it can be managing yields, crops, equipment, etc. These tunes are made with you in mind. The heart and soul of America is agriculture and this programmer is here to help push you to where you want to be. These tunes are for the farmer that is not ready to buy expensive new equipment or to pay a premium price for the next level at the dealer where you purchased the tractor.

Single, Drop-In, 800 HP, LB7 Turbo:

When you're looking for the ultimate Duramax turbo, everything really depends on what caters to your wants and needs for your truck.  This turbo was created with diesel enthusiasts such as ourselves in mind. We asked what everyone wanted in a larger turbo and the Stealth 67 G2 is what we came back with. This new addition to the Stealth line is superb and fits in the family of our in-house designed, industry leading turbos. Let's delve into what this beast can accomplish. 

The Stealth 67G2:

• Quick spool up
• Big power
• Great daily driver
• Models available for 2001-2016 Duramax (LB7, VVT, LML)

How it started:

LML SPADE & Smart EGT Control:

Exhaust Gas Temperatures (EGTs) give you an insight as to how much stress you are putting your engine under.  It is the most accurate way to monitor if your current activity is safe for the engine. 

In a factory tuned truck high EGTs would most commonly be a sign of a physical problem like a boost leak.  However, a tuner added to an aggressive driver could result in EGTs beyond the desired limit.  

Most examples of this also include a mismatch of your tune level and truck operation.  Such as the guy towing in his race tune.  

The LML SPADE by DuramaxTuner.com now includes a Smart EGT Control feature.

• Let your tunes manage the EGTs so you can keep your eyes on the road
• Have peace of mind that your truck is safe
• Get the power you need from your truck without sacrificing reliability

What crashes an LB7 and LLY ECMs?:

If you have a 2001 - 2004 (LB7) or 2004.5 - 2005 (LLY) Duramax and have been thinking about tuning it, this article is for you. 

As you're probably aware, ECMs have some small risk of crashing during a tuning flash.  Browsing the forums online you definitely already picked up on the fact that the LB7 and LLY ECMs are more suscepitble to the issue.

To make sure you aren't stuck stranded somewhere far from home follow these tips: 

• Disconnect all aftermarket electronics
• Make sure your batteries are at a full charge
• Flash your truck at home or a local garage