First post! I might could have found some answers to this, but the search function is not currently working, I get a submission error.
Anyway, I have my EZ Link Tuner, Anarchy 5 tune pack, full exhaust and egr delete ready to install. I'm primarily doing all of this to have a smoother transmission and prolong the life of the drivetrain. A boost to fuel economy and power addition are secondary factors to me. Everything else on the truck is stock and will stay that way for the most part. Suspension, wheels and tires are the only other modifications I will do in the future.
So my question is, which tune should I choose to give me the most longevity? Let's go ahead and establish that the more you beat on any vehicle the faster it will wear parts out, that's a given. So maybe I should ask, is there a power level I should avoid that is known to break something early?
I'm sorry, but this seems like a rhetorical question. The truck is designed to run and last a long time stock. Many individuals get multiple 100k's of miles out of them completely stock. If you want it to last longer than that, then run less than stock power and don't flog it.
Short answer:
My guess would be the lowest power setting and drive like you have a brain.
You didn’t increase the longevity of your truck by any means from deleting. You actually decrease longevity by doing suspension wheels and tires. No tune will give you the most longevity. The narrative of “deleting so my truck lasts a long time” is inaccurate and unfortunately has spread so far and wide these days that it’s regarded as truth.
Let’s just establish that before we proceed any further.
The only thing you gain from deleting is more power, transmission tuning, and marginal fuel economy. The ONLY way you increase the longevity is by keeping it stock, doing regular maintenance, and driving responsibly. Deleting your 6.7 never has and never will increase longevity, it ONLY removes future problems with emission components, which has nothing to do with the lifespan of your motor or transmission.
I have to disagree with you on this. Yes the new 6.7 are good even with emissions on. That being said, sending exhaust gasses back into the intake is not good for the motor. Won’t kill it but the motor would be a lot happier breathing 100% clean air. The other emissions ( def and dpf ) are just restrictions and don’t really hurt the motor. Just can be a pain if you don’t do long trips in the truck or let it regenerate like it should. That’s why drd is offering egr less emissions on tunes. Leaves all the tree hugging crap on and intact minus the egr.
But to answer your question- level 5 and stay below WOT is just fine. Once you throw the suspension and tires on there, no tuning will prolong the life of your drivetrain, only a gear swap.
The people with the highest millage trucks seem to be all stock. And the few problems they have had that we know about, do not seem to be related to emissions. This excuse to delete for longevity is a farce. Better pedal response, more power, better acceleration are about the only valid reasons to delete, and none play well into longevity. But delete and drive it like a normal person and you will not have any problem and will have no impact on longevity. But we have all ready the posts where someone cranked up the HP to show off or see what it can really do and what it does is break something, your tune is overriding the power management safety built in to protect components and give you that longevity.
Egr coolers cracking and def pump, injector, heater and bad fluid and the biggest issues. I've done multiple coolers between 80 and 90k miles seems to be the magic failure number. As long as you catch the coolant loss in time you wont have catastrophic engine damage. Tuned or not, turbo actuator, water pump, batteries, tires, alternator, y pipes on dual rad trucks are the normal maintenance items
Thank you all for the comments. I understand that the mods I've listed won't increase longevity, though I consider the egr delete a positive long term benefit. From having 100% clean air in the motor to the egr system failing itself. My primary concern was knowing if a 50% increase to HP was going to harm something that was well known beyond the standard "the more you beat on it the earlier it will break". I think I've heard what I was looking for. Thanks again!
As power goes up the life of the trans tends to go down. A lot of longevity will come down to the driver. Drive easy and it will last longer. A good smooth driver could keep a higher hp truck together longer than a fool with a stock truck.
the power management and traction control seriously limit the fools ability with a stock truck. I see kids on FB complaining all the time their new trucks cannot do burn outs and doughnuts, even see them complaining about the lack of ability to force it to lose control in the snow. I loved losing control in a snow covered parking lot but never would have imagined doing it with anew $70K truck. that is what the $500 beaters were for we drove back in the day, young people back then just did not drive new vehicles.
You're not wrong CJ. But it can still be done. Large tires with the crappy gearing can wipe out a trans in short order. Most damage to the trans is the OD clutches which doesnt happen at take of
To answer the OP's question, I keep mine on level 5 position switch on level 2, just for my own peace of mind. Being the type of driver I am, I'd have no issues turning it to level 5, I just dont feel the need. Heck even the mild tow tune is a huge difference from stock. Drive responsibly and you'll be fine.
Here's my truck at 30k miles with a blown transmission
Was deleted at 8k only ever ran anarchy tow tune, I was the only person who ever drove the truck and always took it easy. 50% of the miles were towing up to 15,000lbs. Always a lottery, don't expect any help from the dealer once its deleted. If I could do it all again I wouldn't change a thing but you have to pay to play
Have a built trans now, run a higher tune from a different company and no issues at 50k miles to date.
Was on tow tune, 40hp over stock. Only tune I ever ran so wasn't switching tunes
I was getting a few rough shifts here and there a few weeks leading up but nothing I thought was serious, had just got back from a 1500 mile road trip a few days before pulling our travel trailer. The day it blew I was pulling a 16,000lb trailer, had just driven through the city so lots of stop and go and had just hit the highway was doing 50mph with cruise on and the dash lite up and the engine reved to redline as I had cruise engaged and the trans was slipping. I managed to limp to a safer spot to park and unhook the trailer, time the tow truck showed up the truck couldn't even drive up on the deck under its own power.
My 2011 2500 was deleted with stock trans and never had an issue when I traded it with 100k miles on it. I'm sure its a lottery with these trucks, most people don't have an issue if they treat them right but there is a chance something goes wrong and it is an expensive exercise.
As noted in at least several of the previous responses, any increase in power will result in a decrease in longevity. More power equals more stresses. More stresses on the components will mean less life in each component. Will you be able to predict what the change is? No. The precise quantification of the decrease in longevity would only be characterizable given a large number of engines modified the same way. All you can say is "If I boost power, something is more likely to fail in direct proportion to how much more power I dial in." If you want to enhance longevity, de-tune the engine. I'd be willing to bet -- and I don't generally make bets -- that the de-tuned standard transmission trucks have generally longer engine lives than automatics, given similar duties, use, and maintenance.
As noted in at least one previous response, ingesting soot and combustion products isn't good for the engine. Giving the engine nothing but clean air can do nothing except enhance longevity. Anyone who's looked at the oil before and after EGR deletes will immediately see why this might be so. Sure, the extra contaminants are all pre-sump collection side and theoretically filtered out each cycle through the engine... but still! It just doesn't seem a good idea to intentionally soil the oil.
If I were going to void my powertrain warranty, and if I weren't at all concerned with emissions testing etc., I'd delete the intake-side recirculation emissions stuff in a heartbeat.
JMHO
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