I have a '03 H2. It has a Dynomax cat-back and Airaid intake for power mods. I'm running 37" Trail Grapplers and towing a 6000 boat each weekend during the summer. It is in serious need of more power and better mpg. I"m averaging 7mpg when towing.

Can anyone recommend what the best option is? I have seen some tuners(Blackbear), chips, and programmers but, what is truly the best?

Thanks,
Todd

 

Moved out of the "archive only" section to where it might generate some discussion, possibly even an intelligent discussion at that.

 

i have been really happy with my super chip cortex. you will be able to adjust your speedo and stuff with the 37s and utilize a tow mode tune in under 5 minutes then switch it back to any performance tune you prefer when not towing. you can do the shift points, shift pressures, rev limit, speed limit, and tire size with the cortex. ive had it in mine for almost 3 months now and have really liked the tune so far.

i run a 91 tune in it for performance and mileage but thats just because i like the extra power to turn the 44s. it gets the best mileage doing it that way, im getting 10 if i work hard and about 8 driving it on the highway. its a huge improvement from the 6 i was getting when i bought it.

our burb got 4 mpg with the 5.3 using the mileage tune on it also. The second one i bought was a 2 vin tuner so i could do them both. im sure if mine was close to stock tire size i could get pretty good mileage too.

Nevermind on the tuner, i just sold it.

steve

 

A programmer isn't going to do **** for you except remove some cash from your pocket. You want to get the power back you lost w/ those tires? Put some 4.88 gears in your rig. You should get atleast 1 MPG back. Your way off the power range right now.

Alot of people have no clue how big of an impact increasing tire size is on power.

7 MPG is pretty bad. You didn't say how many miles you have. You might want to look into some maintenance....fuel filter, pluges, etc.. I've never got under 8.5 MPG towing.

 

You need to be runnin 5.13 gears w/ your 44s. Bet you would get a point or two back on your MPG also.

 

i know what i need to do LOL just having the extra 2 grand to drop on it to do it is the problem. i bought it the way it is, sooner or later, ill fix it. in the mean time, the 300 i spent on my tuner works well enough to keep me happy with my mods.

10 mpg with 44s and 4.10s isnt too bad imo. they get 12-14 stock usually...

i went from 16 at best with our burb driving with the wind and behind a semi to getting 20 pretty easily without trying at all with a simple mileage tune on it. no other changes to anything, esp my driving habits. imo it works pretty well for the coin i spent on it. I can pay it off quite quickly with 2-3 mpg on my h2 running premium and my burb at 4 mpg running regular. 4.45 for prem and 4 a gallon for reg doesnt take long to make a few hundred bucks back.

steve

 

It has 54K miles on it. I actually just installed new plugs, 10.2mm Taylor wires, and did the transmission and diff service on it. I tow 2 hours to/from the lake and it is up and down hills the entire way... I'm thinking about adding 5.13 gears but, will probably get a Blackbear custom tune first to see if that makes any difference.

 

I've towed with a tuner---you get extra power, at the cost of extra heat. I made a 4 hour trip with the programmer pulling a 6500 pound trailer and put the stock tune on for the return trip. The premium fuel alone seemed to make the best difference.
When I was towing with the tune, my trans and engine temps started going thru the roof and the truck became a bear to drive. Plus, when I got in town, it was shifting terribly, not fun at all.
I'd recommend a tune for improved performance in making the deuce feel faster around town, but do not recommend for towing.