Questions About Weird Tunes

Don't be afraid to give me a technical info dump.

I can handle it!

The two things I am extremely curious about are.

1) If anyone has ever done an "unsexy" tow tune, that would have the throttle response of stepping on a rotten plum but lugging 30k up a mountain at 20 mpg? (LOL, I know) I wouldn't mind if my truck felt like a 70's grain truck for even a 0.1% increase in laden MPG--and it seems like what tuners call a "tow tune" is usually just a "mild performance" tune.

2) Has anyone ever tried to do a tune only for idling overnight?

Not even designed to be put into gear at all, just to run accessories/heat/ac and keep the oil circulated (my current tuner gauge shows it burning 0.4 GPH/1.1 GPH at low and high idle, again even a -0.1 reduction would be worth doing to me)

I drive a 2017 3500 6.7L, sleep in the back for weeks at a time, and haul campers--usually try to pull fairly big units at 13k+, but sometimes I pull the small ones and the tiny ones.

Drive back empty a lot, and it seems like the normal hot tunes are pretty darn good at that job.

I never drive over 65 MPH.

There is only so much you can do with a stock Cummins 6.7L, but mods are where the significant changes happen.

Have you reached out to DRD?

Thank you,
igotacummins

I was thinking about it, but it will probably be a couple of weeks before I can pull the trigger.

I figured I'd ask on here to see if there's anything technical I don't know about.

That is why nobody's tried this kind of thing that I can find before I bother the man at work.

Definitely going to be doing some exhaust work around that time; I was also considering head studs.

So far I haven't been convinced that injectors/fueling would really make a lot of sense for the truck's work

Since you have the Aisin, trans-tuning is out of the question.

The exhaust would drop down EGTs to get more heat out of the motor.

I would also do a known intake horn as well.

A better-flowing exhaust manifold will help drop EGT'S for you.

If you get one, I highly suggest the exhaust stud kit.

Most people go for a resonator and then to a muffler if there is a bit of drone in the cab.

Injectors could help if they are worn out or want to bump your rig up with power.

Studs, regardless of even being stock, are a big plus, more so for you because you can't have a mishap while 4k miles away from home.

A lift pump could benefit you with better filtration than stock, prolonging components downstream.

The biggest thing YOU will notice is DRD blessing the truck.

Oh, that is one thing I've already got.

My 109 gal aux fuel tank has a spin-on filter on the pump, through all three filters make a happy truck vs. filling into the stock hole.

Also, almost always use an additive because diesel in different states can be alien chemicals to each other!

My only question with studs was if that'd require a new gasket and a break-in procedure to do 100% correctly.

I admit I hadn't considered the intake before you brought it up.

It depends on how many miles you have on the motor.

If she has a bit, I would personally pop a new HG in as well with a resurfaced head.

The intake horn allows more air to the chamber for better combustion with a few reduced temps.

A bigger intercooler would drop a lot in EGT'S, which new cold & hot side piping goes from "stock" 3" to 3.5".

That mated up with, let's say, a Banks Monster RAM would help you.

I forgot the stock inlet for the factory intake, but if you got the intercooler, your bottleneck would be the factory intake.

No tuning is required.

Check out one of our vendors, @DDP

Emails or phone calls will be your quickest reply, but they jump on here more than you think.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Corkey

It depends on how many miles you have on the motor.

If she has a bit, I would personally pop a new HG in as well with a resurfaced head.

The intake horn allows more air to the chamber for better combustion with a few reduced temps.

A bigger intercooler would drop a lot in EGT'S, which new cold & hot side piping goes from "stock" 3" to 3.5".

That mated up with, let's say, a Banks Monster RAM would help you.

I forgot the stock inlet for the factory intake, but if you got the intercooler, your bottleneck would be the factory intake.

No tuning is required.

Check out one of our vendors, @DDP

Emails or phone calls will be your quickest reply, but they jump on here more than you think.

---

@Longshot

Thanks so much for the mention; holler at us anytime, my friend.

If you need a built head and any other parts for the build, feel free to reach out, as we are happy to help.

Sales@ddpmotorsports.com

866-895-3833

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Longshot

Don't be afraid to give me a technical info dump.

I can handle it!

The two things I am extremely curious about are.

1) If anyone has ever done an "unsexy" tow tune, that would have the throttle response of stepping on a rotten plum but lugging 30k up a mountain at 20 mpg? (LOL, I know) I wouldn't mind if my truck felt like a 70's grain truck for even a 0.1% increase in laden MPG--and it seems like what tuners call a "tow tune" is usually just a "mild performance" tune.

2) Has anyone ever tried to do a tune only for idling overnight?

Not even designed to be put into gear at all, just to run accessories/heat/ac and keep the oil circulated (my current tuner gauge shows it burning 0.4 GPH/1.1 GPH at low and high idle, again even a -0.1 reduction would be worth doing to me)

I drive a 2017 3500 6.7L, sleep in the back for weeks at a time, and haul campers--usually try to pull fairly big units at 13k+, but sometimes I pull the small ones and the tiny ones.

Drive back empty a lot, and it seems like the normal hot tunes are pretty darn good at that job.

I never drive over 65 MPH.

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Banks throttle monster to get rid of that rotten plumb.

And it goes back to stock in reverse, so hooking up a trailer is not all twitchy.

Get the Banks i-dash gauge/monitor and tweak it on the fly.

As for faster idle, can you do the cruise control deal?

How about one of those little chicom diesel parking heaters?

Keep your truck warm, it's a little diesel-powered furnace.