Performance Modules (Pros and Cons)

Brandon raises a good point. Any "chip" or "tune" added to a truck that is still under warranty had better be easily removeable and undetectable for trips to the dealer. I would never condone abusing warranty by trying to force the dealer to do a repair when I damaged something with the chip. If my converter clutch, trans clutches, or any of the things that are frequently killed by "power mods" needs replacing, I'll be going to ATS or some place anyway. But unfortunately, unscrupulous dealers AND manufacturer reps have been known to effectively null your entire warranty when a performance mod is detected.

And I sincerely hope that nobody tries to jump in with that Magnusson-Moss web myth. The MM Act does NOTHING for you in this case, and even if you thought you could make a case (you would almost certainly loose), trying to pursue it in court would be a prohibitive expense and drain on your time, not even worth it.

So, my opinion is that they leave me no choice but to play games and lie in order to keep things "fair" by enforcing my own ethics rather than relying on theirs. For that reason, my system can be removed in about 10 minutes with nothing but a Phillips screw driver and a wrench for the pyro probe. I also carry a pipe plug to fill the hole in case I need service while on the road, and that plug is the only evidence that anything was ever done. Any questions about the plug will be answered with "There was an EGT gauge that was previously installed for towing that has been removed".

On replacement ECMs, not only is it more difficult to take it in for service without flagging your VIN, but you only have one setting. I find that I use several different settings depending on what I'm doing. Setting 1 for towing heave and/or in the mountains, S2 for moderate loads and flatter roads (dropping to 1 if EGT persists in the higher ranges), S3 or S4 for playing lightly or unloaded. Low boost fueling cranked up if I really want snappy throttle response and fast turbo spool, 3 for my typical setting which is still quite snappy but with MUCH less soot and black cloud. Or even 1 on LBF when towing something I don't want covered with soot when I get there and I don't really need/want LBF. Just like multiple transfer case ranges, 5 (or 6) speed over 4 speed, and so on. More options is always a good thing in my book…

Something else that just came to mind is look for things like "torque management". Many times it's not just the "maximum torque" that you need, but torque at the right points to get the work done, while avoiding it in other areas that would cause unnecessary stress on the trans or something. In know Edge is VERY highly regarded in this respect and this is often sited as one of the main things that sets them above others who sell competing box/tune products with the same (or even better) numbers at a lower price.

And obviously a chip that produces a higher advertised (generally "peak") number with a narrow "band" (torque curve goes up and then drops off relatively rapidly) is less desirable than one that produces a lower advertised number but a wider band. It's a bit over simplified, but what you really want is more area under the curve rather than higher peak numbers (more or less).

And finally, safety features. I really like that Edge/Attitude integrates the EGT so that it can back out fueling at pre-set limits and help prevent a meltdown. I don't care how "hard core" you think you are, after a few thousand miles of towing, and many hours behind the wheel, you WILL get lax about watching that gauge, so it's nice to have the safety features…