Just picked up a 04.5, 3500 1 ton, 6speed.

What I want is to get a little more HP and MPG out of it. I know that these 2 don't go hand in hand.

I see all these chips and there is so many to choose from. What do you guys recommend to get? What works what doesn't?

I use this as a DD and weekend tow rig.

Thanks

Any good diesel forums you would recommend?

cumminsforum is good.

5" turbo back exhaust and a good intake with new intake elbow should help and be less risky than the chip.

The smarty programmer is one of the best out there. availabler through mad ecm.


some will argue that 5" lowers mileage when compared against 4" i have no opinion. i have 4" and have yet to see a solid arguement (actual proven dyno numbers to the benefit of either the 4" or 5" over stock 03+ exhaust. change the muffler and run it. a AFE is a good intake to look at stay away from K&N on a diesel.


there is a hub kit available from ems for a dually though there really isnt much you can do to improve the mileage on a rolling brick. most guys have reported 1/2-1 mpg changes on a dually where as SRW is seeing 1.5-3 mpg gains with hubs, programmer, exhaust and an AFE. i jumped from 18 to 22. that is hand calculated.


drive by rpm and boost level. i keep my boost below 10 while driving unloaded and i keep my rpms at 1650-1800 and the truck gets the best milage. figure out where your truck likes to run and drive it there dont just drive it as fast as you can.

hell mine with do 130 mph but it sure sucks the fuel down then.

Your truck has 4" or 4.5" exhasut from the factory, don't replace it, just open it up. My truck is an auto but I made mods in this order:

1. Edge w/ attitude: definitely more power, gauges are very nice and the corrected speedo was nice since the truck has 35's. With everything else stock I couldn't really see an increase in economy. I foudn that "towing" did yield the best average economy for me.

2. Removed cat and installed dynomax flow-through muffler: again maybe a slight increase in economy, a bit more noise; not much of a power difference.

3. BFAF: With the edge on stock I'm seeing 3+ mpg better than I have yet on the truck. Other settings and towing show slightly better economy, but nothing to write home about. The stage II kit makes the turbo A LOT more audible in the cab, the stage I from AFE is supposed to flow the same, but retain the factroy sound deadening devices. No real noticeable increase in power, but you can feel the truck is breathing much more easily.

I've had the edge in for over a year now and almsot weekly pull at least one load at least 10k lbs. I'm noticeing a lot more blow-through on the trans and will swap to a billet convertor and some internal mods, before it :mushroom: I suspect you may start to see issues with teh stock clutch at the same point I am at.

Just picked up a 04.5, 3500 1 ton, 6speed.

What I want is to get a little more HP and MPG out of it. I know that these 2 don't go hand in hand.

I see all these chips and there is so many to choose from. What do you guys recommend to get? What works what doesn't?

I use this as a DD and weekend tow rig.

Thanks

Any good diesel forums you would recommend?

Don't waste money on a complete exhaust system. Just kill the cat and put a programmer on it such as the BullyDog TripleDog or the MADS Smarty. I have an 03. You could put the 3.42 gears in it and put the EMS kit on to put locking hubs on the front and report back with mileage. Nobody I've found on the internet has the balls to do the gears for some reason. I think I would love them on my truck but who knows.

Andy

I have the same year as you, but mine is a 2500 4x4. You didn't mention if you have a 4x4 or what axle ratios you have(3.55 or 4.10), which makes a big difference in mileage. You also didn't mention your budget for mods. I would first lose the cat and muffler and insert a 4" straight piece giving you a 4" turbo back exhaust, and add either a BHAF or other CAI. This is the cheapest stuff to start with, especially if you like 'loud'. If you have several hundred more $$, go with a programmer, EDGE, TST, Van Aaken, etc. I personally have the VanAaken smartbox and love it.

a great resource for info is dodgeforum.com in the cummins diesel section. Tell 'em bigmike sent ya.