[ejk78]

Hey guys, i was wondering if there was anybody that could break down the differance between programers, tuner and chips(or are they basiclly the same thing)? Ive seen Superchip, Cortex and Bully Dog and havent been able to find what they do differant vs each other:4-dontknow:

I have an '04 quad cab 5.7 hemi with daul exhaust, thorley long headers, and a K&N cai intake, so just lookin for somethin to compliment everything without much of a headache(have seen some horror stories on here)
Thanks

 

[erm]

A chip is an item (basically a circuit board) that is plugged into the wiring harness between the PCM and the rest of the engine. It's functions are very limited and basically, they tell the PCM that the engine is running lean and the PCM adds fuel to compensate. It's a very poor way to make a little bit more power.

To make a distinction today between a tuner and a programmer is almost impossible. However, previous generations of tuners had canned programs and that was it. You couldn't update them and your selection options were very limited, including tire size, shift firmness, speed limiter removal and, in some cases, raising the rev limiter.

Today's tuner aka programmer, have canned tunes + the ability to hold multiple tunes and you have a lot more program options available to you now. Some of those options are adding or reducing fuel, shift firmness in stages, adjusting knock retard, timing, different gear sets, yadda yadda yadda.

So for your truck, in my view, you will get a programmer.

 

[ejk78]

wow thanks for the break down, the programer sounds like the way to go.....Any thoughts on what type has worked best for the hemi? Not really worried about cost unless its 200 vs 450....just looking for something that is reliable and not to hard to install....the top 2 that ive heard of are the Diablo Predator and the Bully Dog GT3 (i think)....Anything else I should check out???

 

[SS4Luck]

Do you research on the tuners and figure out which one fits in your budget and has option you would actually use and go for that one. They are all the same at the end of the day.

A lot of people like the diablosport trinity because of its display and features in it (read codes, record performance, extra gauges) and because DS is known for their amazing support/customer service.

If you dont need all teh extra stuff a hand helf flash tuner is cheaper and would be more what you are looking for if you want to just "tune it and forget about it". If you do get a handheld tuner as they are commonly referred to, make sure it is in your truck 100% of the time. You never know when something may start acting funny and rather than be stuck away from home with a retarded truck, flash it back to stock and troubleshoot tomorrow

 

[snrusnak]

^they gave good advice.

Superchips makes the following: flashpaq, cortex, and vivid. flashpaq and cortex are basically the same, but cortex gives a 2 yr powertrain warranty. Vivid has the same programing for the truck, but also has more options like I believe touch screen, it can run android, etc.... flashpaq and cortex are more for tuning it at the moment, then throwing it under the seat and forgetting about it, although you can data log and read trouble codes, etc.... with them, it's just not as user/viewer friendly of a screen.

Diablo sport makes (from what I know): predator (similar to the flashpaq) and the trinity (similar to the vivid). There are some differences between the superchips products and the diablo products, but they are basically the same. The main differences are that with diablo you can do some custom tuning (if you were to swap cams, longtube headers, etc...) and with superchips you can't do custom tuning. Also, superchips offers a lot more transmission tuning options that diablo does not offer (such as torque management adjustment). The trinity came before the vivid and as far as I know the only difference is that the vivid offers android support. Also, with diablo products I believe you can completely disable the esp(traction control).

I personally use the superchips as I am going to stick mainly to bolt ons and won't need custom tuning, and I like the transmission tuning options. I also feel that superchips squeezes a little more power out than diablo with their canned tunes. Either tuner would be great, like I said they are very similar.

Any other tuner I have no experience with and I personally think they don't offer what superchips and diablo offer...

 

[ejk78]

so i looked up both systems and it looks like the best choice right now is the Cortex:smileup:....I saw the Bully Dog GT system also, is that in the same category as the Diablo and Superchip? It doesnt seem to be much more of a benefit for the extra $100:Wow1:....

 

[BadHazard]

hardly anyone is running the bullydog

 

[snrusnak]

bullydog is similar I believe but I have no experience with it. I think it has fewer options than the superchips and diablo.

 

[ejk78]

Awesome thanks guyz......might end up trying the Cortex:smileup::smileup::smileup:

 

[SS4Luck]

so i looked up both systems and it looks like the best choice right now is the Cortex:smileup:....I saw the Bully Dog GT system also, is that in the same category as the Diablo and Superchip? It doesnt seem to be much more of a benefit for the extra $100:Wow1:....

I wouldnt run bulldog on a gas engine. Their speciality is diesel and while they make great diesel stuff, I havent seen much thats stellar about their gas stuff

 

[platinuminjected]

excellent info on all the above but have you made your final decision yett bud? a programmer would go really well with your mods

 

[ejk78]

Im thinkin the Cortex, i was lookin at some of the other systems and the setup, userfriendlyness, and compatibility made me alittle nervous. i like to think i know enough about the truck to fix things but electronics can be a nightmare. hopefully i can get one in the next couple weeks and be able to give it a good report card...:smiley_thumbs_up:

 

[hemidan345]

Hey guys, i was wondering if there was anybody that could break down the differance between programers, tuner and chips(or are they basiclly the same thing)? Ive seen Superchip, Cortex and Bully Dog and havent been able to find what they do differant vs each other:4-dontknow:

I have an '04 quad cab 5.7 hemi with daul exhaust, thorley long headers, and a K&N cai intake, so just lookin for somethin to compliment everything without much of a headache(have seen some horror stories on here)
Thanks

A programmer a chip and a tuner are all the same thing. The automotive world is full of terms that turn into slang. All 3 items do the same thing they tell the pcm and tcm to add more fuel and shift at different times.
Most of the horror stories heard are from people going into the custom settings in the programer and changing things they dont know about.
If your unsure just go online to the suppliers website to read about the product before purchace. Or bring your truck to a performance shop, they will know what to do. ps im a dodge technician by trade so im not full of it lol. good luck man

 

[snrusnak]

^that's not true.....a chip is like a "piggyback" circuit board as described above that stays on the truck and tricks sensors....not good.

A tuner accesses the actual "software" of the computer through the obd port and actually rewrites the programming....this is good

An example of a "chip" is the "jet stage 1" or "jet stage 2" chip

An example of a "tuner" or "programmer" is the superchips or diablo sport.

 

[chefred112]

I've used both superchips and diablo...these are the top tier programmers for the hemi's, not knocking bullydog (great for diesels though) but none of the really good performing trucks run it. if you take a little from the inputs from the guys the question comes about, how advanced are you planning to mod...cam? heads? or pretty much the bolt ons, cai, exhaust etc.... now, if your only planning on bolt ons i would lean towards superchips because they have better tranny control then the others.... if your going advanced mods then do the diablo because of the custom tuning capabilities (via cmr tuning)...but either way, you can't go wrong with either of the two..

 

[ejk78]

well i decided to go with the super chip cortex, il try and keep you updated on how well it works with my truck. i have to tell you im VERY excited:ura1: to find out!!!!!!!

 

[TerrysRam]

I wouldnt run bulldog on a gas engine. Their speciality is diesel and while they make great diesel stuff, I havent seen much thats stellar about their gas stuff

Very good advice.
I've known quite a few guys that have used the Bullydog on their diesels with phenomenal power gains - that's BD's specialty as said above. I have not known anyone that used them on a gas engine. Not saying it's not a fine product, just can't attest to the performance.

I've used both Superchips and Hypertech on past trucks. They are both very similar. Some folks think they are worth the $$ others don't.