Hello all,
I am new to the site l so I didn't want to ask a lot of the same questions that have been asked before so for the last two days I have been reading thread after thread trying to become educated. It seems that most on the site swear by the Smarty controllers. I have friends that like their Bully Dog and Edge products, but from what I have read in the past two days it seems the Smarty would be the best purchase to make. I am looking for fuel mileage and towing power. I know that I will probably have to get a air intake and possible gauges. I notice that Mad Products make several different controllers so how do you decide which one will fit your needs? Any help would be greatly appriciated.

 

I have a smarty sr and love it on my 06 but i hear people talking that they like the ppe programmers on your year of truck not telling you which one to buy but just something for you to check into and ill also add that the ppe is cheaper than the smarty and with any programmer gauges are always a great idea

 

I was on here for over a year before I bought a programmer. I really, REALLY like my Smarty Revo POD. I like all the adjustability of the individual parameters. This is a box that you will grow into instead of out of. The others are set it and forget it programmers for the most part, that hold you at the mercy of what the manufacturer wants you to run as far as RP, timing, waste gate function, torque management, etc. The Smarty isn't for everybody, but it's for me. Am I a Smarty fan boy? You betcha. I have to get a SB3250DD just to hold the clutch on level 4... that's a good box.

 

I have been researching a programmer for a while now and I think I am ready to make the step towards getting one. I was looking at the Smarty Jr. but it seems if I catch the horsepower bug in the future then I would be limited as to what I could do. I haven't heard of the PPE programmer I will have to look into that one as a prospect also. It does seem that the Smarty controller is one that is talked about a lot on this forum. I am on a fairly limited budget so I want to do all of the necessary research before I drop the cash. Thank you for the replies so far I hope I get a few more to better help me decide on what would be right for my application.

 

As you said, large Smarty Fan base, so you can't go wrong with it....between the jr. and the sr....if you're ever going to do the whole 500hp+ thing and invest further in things like a turbo, cp3,....get the sr.

 

If funds are limited you should consider a Bully Dog, you can find then cheap in the classifieds and with come supporting mods will get you into the 450 HP range plus allow you to change things like your tire size, fogs with highs etc, many of the things you'd normally have to go to the dealer to have done.

No matter what you decide you should think about getting gauges first.

 

smarty is good actually great

 

Something that hasn't been said, and i i thought i would throw my two cents in. I have a edge juice w/ attitude. kinda going along the same lines as the bully dog as Fisher was talkin bout. This adds good power to start. but you also will get the ur gauges as well. and u said moneys kinda tight (I believe we all hear that one!) you can likewise get these fairly cheap in the classifieds on here or on ebay. you will have all the levels to choose from. and down the road you can unlock hot. cuz if your like most of the rest of us... you'll soon catch the HP bug.

 

I did a lot of research before I bought mine. It seems that if you're going to leave the struck fairly stock, with only a few small changes, then there's very little differance between one programmer and the other. The all seem to make about the same power, and make essentially the same changes.

One of the big advantages to the Smarty is that it doesn't leave a foot print that's easy to spot. If you're still under warrenty, that's a big issue. You don't want to be buying a new trans because you run the Bully Dog in level 2.

I recently had my transmission overhauled. I took off the Smarty before dropping it off. The dealer didn't bat an eye, just fixed it.

BTW, mostly I use the Smarty with PoD to turn the power down; don'tt need 600ft/lb while driving empty. It takes the strain of the drive line, and saves fuel.

 

If your Smarty fried your tranny once why would you waste your time having the dealer rebuild it back to stock if you're gonna run the Smarty again? You know it'll just blow again and you'll need to rebuild it again.

When my clutch started slipping I didn't go to the dealer for a new stock one, I bit the bullet and payed for a SB OFE out of my pocket and put it in myself.

If you play you're gonna pay no matter what programmer you use...

 

H&s Race Tuner Hows 225 Hp Tune Sound

 

First, the truck only had about 3K miles with the Smarty. The other 32K were stock. So I doubt it was the programmer.

Second, Like I said, I use the smarty to turn the power down when empty so it won't fry the drive line. It's not always about maximum power. Sometimes it's about driveability and economy. I already have a hot rod, and I use the truck mostly to tow it to the track.

And, finally, I had the dealer rebuild it because it was free. I like free.

 

Smarty fanboy #230