My truck is totally stock as far as engine goes......only thing I have is a K/N airfilter. As far as chips go.......can I buy one without changing anything else or getting any gauges. I dont want to spend a whole lot of money on it right now. Or what if I just got a cold air intake, would that make a big difference? This is the first diesel that I have owned......thanks for your help.

 

Well, guages are always recommended on this site and for good reason. There are some chips or modules that are around 50-60 hp (Edge EZ, Van Aaken, XZT, and others) that you would probably be fine without doing any thing else to your truck.

As for the cold air intakes, they don't give you much more noticeable power, but they make your turbo louder. If you plan on getting the mod bug and intake could'nt hurt.

Good luck with your truck.

 

alright cool, thanks..........
how about this......if there was an order to purchase things what would it be? gauges then intake then chip? or does it matter?

 

I would do gauges first, that way, whenever you have/can/want/need to upgrade something, you will always be able to keep the truck safe. I would also recommend actual gauges as opposed to using the ones say on an Edge becaus eyou may want to scrap the edge one day and then you are without gauges. Separate gauges will give you the most flexibility and allow you to get the most out of any mods you do.

My order would be:
(1) Gauges
(2) Smarty
(3) Exhaust
(4) Intake

You sig doesn't say whether or not you have a 6spd or auto. If you have the auto you will need to start beefing it up to maximize the Smarty, but your clutch (if you have a 6spd) will hold a lot more power in stock form.

 

I know nothing about guages.....for example what would be good to buy or prices. Or what to even look for. I guess I will start doing some research.

 

Do you have an auto or manual?

If you have an auto you want Fuel Pressure (0-30 psi), Boost (0-60 psi), EGT (0-1600°F), and Trans Temp (0-280°)<--I think 280.

A Manual doesn't need the trans temp.

I like the Di Pricol Gauges and the Autometer Cobalt ones. If you are interested, I am about to get rid of my Cobalts (EGT, Fuel Pressure, and Boost) because I got DiPricols to match my other 2 gauges and would sell them to you at a much reduced price. Depending on how my tech does it, you may need nothing or at most you might need the "sensor kit" for hooking the gauges up.

 

Ther are a few boxes and programmers that will get you off the line faster- but not all are created equal. From what I've read, the Smarty and the Diablosport Predator are both real good for low rpm fueling.
Like everyone else said- You'll need guages to keep your right foot from destroying your truck.

 

So do you have to buy a pillar that will hold all of the guages and can they be installed yourself even if you dont know a whole lot about what you are doing?

 

I bought the A-Pillar because it holds 3 gauges very nicely and is very easy to see without looking away from the road. As for installing, I didn't install mine but I think on a scale from 1-10 in difficulty, that they are at least a 5 because of knowing how to tap the stuff for accurate readings.

 

I personally would recommend to someone like you that has very moderate needs and wants to go with something like the edge juice with attitude monitor, or the quadzilla products. That will give a nice bit of performance and mileage gains, and also will give you the guages that you need. After that I would look at an exhaust upgrade, and air intake upgrade. For light to moderate use this would be the ultimate setup

Kevin

 

I personally Don't think the Quad or Edge will get you off the line faster. The problem is your computer is going to protect your tranny and you really won't gain much. So when you try to put the power down the computer will slip past it to protect the tranny. I also don't recomend the edge. I didn't like the MPG's with it. Other than that the power was nice. But I lost mpg's. Some people gain. But I wasn't one of them. I have read that the programers can get you off the line faster since they can change shift points. The quad and edge are boxes