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Old 07-29-2018, 09:24 PM   #1
Freeheel4life
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Anyone pop in a Hydra chip?

So for you former OBS Powerstroke guys and next gen 7.3L guys, has anyone ran any of the tuners/chips from Hydra??
I still haven't had a chance to get the camper out this summer as its boating time and I'm pushing to make my ski money to stay in the trailer as much as possible this winter.
That being said I just hauled a double decker 25.5' pontoon up to McCall (2k ft of elevation gain in 100 miles so "mostly" uphill). I ran the pontoon to the CAT scale after the trip and it's just over 7k lbs and 1140 lbs of tongue weight. This is the heaviest, most awkward shape, and longest trip I've towed with the new to me truck, and closest to the trailer.
The longer wheelbase was night and day for stability, but honestly not feeling like it had the power anymore than my 1/2 ton or getting better fuel economy. Used up both tanks on the round trip(200 miles). Dont think I have boost leaks or other mechanicals as theres no "coal" and no misses. Tried to keep the AC off but it's hot, so it was on and off. Truck ran great but certainly didnt pull hard on the climbs.

So finally to the questions after the LONG backstory. Hydra advertises big gains. Has anyone used their products?? I know I'm going to need to up my monitor/gauge(EGT/pyro temp especially) game if I go that route. Is there anything I'm missing or not thinking about as far as mechanically before I start chasing HP dragons?? I got on powerstroke nation a while back and haven't gotten much feedback on posts. Any ford guys recommend a better forum for the above questions??
Is it worth going intercooler route first before tuning?? Am I just setting the bar too high??
I'm sure ChuckS from Mountain Home and some others here have traveled Hwy 55 NB, so hoping they can weigh in. Looking forward to anything anyone else has to offer as well. Thanks in advance.
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Old 07-30-2018, 01:52 AM   #2
flybouy
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This is a very popular forum for your truck/engine. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum170/
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Old 08-02-2018, 04:25 AM   #3
Stircrazy
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I ran DP tuner, when I had my 7.3 he was known as the best 7.3 tuner around. I still recommend him to anyone.

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Old 08-02-2018, 06:06 PM   #4
Ken / Claudia
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I was on same road with the listed truck 2nd week of July this year, no TT it stayed in Caldwell that day. 1st time ever on that highway and it is a heck of a climb. Empty was no problem as fast as I darned to go which was holding around 55 until the sharp turns.
Now to your question. No I have not, I used a super chip back in around 2006 and it made lots of more power towing and empty. Truck had about 40,000 miles on it and several thousand with the chip. One nice normal day, empty from a dead stop as the truck shifted into 2nd gear the hole truck jumped and I felt a something break along with the sound. The tranny blew up. I added 3 gauges, a tranny cooler 2x as large as the factory cooler and a ford tranny. Just the tranny was 2800.
The chip never made it back into the cab. Towing about 8,000 lbs up a another steep highway on a hot summer day, That tranny blew out the front seal when temps got around 200 degrees. But it did hold together.
I bit the bullet and had a custom tranny built at a local shop, cost 5400. Now I can tow and have since around 2008 as hard and fast as I want. They also added a 12 inch electric fan mounted into that large tranny cooler and placed it center of the grill area. I towed 5000 lbs in 115 degree temps from Oregon into CA. at freeway speeds and tranny issues are a thing of the past. Along with other changes. It has 16 clutch plates, 8 more than ford used.
Bottom line be very careful about adding any more horse power without a better tranny. My story is not the only one like that. It was common back than. The ones who install a super tranny, several I know, have chipped as the tranny shop said I could too but, look what it cost me. I just live with the factory power. I guessed I could have stayed around 50 on that climb until those sharp curves with the TT. That is only a guess. My year as the factory inner cooler, that only added a little power over your engine. I am not sure I ever noticed a difference. I had a 1996 7.3 before this truck. Sold it with close to 150,000 miles. Now all those friends have traded off their 7.3s years ago. I could also but, with 180,000 miles this truck it still drives and looks nearly new. I do fix and replace anything that breaks or now wears out.
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Old 08-04-2018, 04:33 AM   #5
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Not familiar with that particular tuner, but I added a 6 position chip with Wildman tunes years ago and never looked back. One of the positions is "stock". Basically a waste of a position because I never use it.
As with any performance add on, the gains they advertise are based on a lot of variables. Most being other add on's. If your going to go with a tuner, also look at changing your intake and exhaust (air in/air out). Its going to run hotter so you'll want gauges. If you haven't already, look at a larger trans cooler (6.0 cooler is almost twice the size and fits right in). It just never ends but it's fun.
https://www.powerstroke.org/
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Old 08-04-2018, 07:08 AM   #6
Ken / Claudia
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Although not about a chip but, in my 1996 and current truck I added a better intake system. That and changing out the stock down pipe from the turbo to exhaust did add power and was not too costly. It made the engine louder only down side. The pipe from the turbo fits 3 inch connections on both ends. Ford made it half that size between. Aftermarket remains 3 inches. The cooler from a 6.0 is a great upgrade. Keep the fluid going through the stock radiator and than a 2x times larger cooler and it may solve any further heat issues. I turn that fan on when towing in hot temps at slow speeds, say a steep gravel mt. road. At highway speeds not sure it helps since air is forced through at those speeds OK.
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Old 08-04-2018, 08:49 PM   #7
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Hydra is a great tuner....but remember to put the monitors in place. If it stills has the stock muffler that would be a great place to start. Look at running something with a better straight thru design, like a twister muffler. https://www.google.com/search?q=twis...BtdYb13jwd6CM: and a cold airtake will help out some before you decide on a chip or tuner.

Also give 1023diesel a looksy. Dusty Holgate is a 7.3 diesel tuning guru for the Hydra....I know he is in Alaska but he made a trip to Texas (?) and tuned a bunch of trucks there and the guys were tickled pink. He really knows his stuff. http://1023diesel.com/store/
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Old 08-07-2018, 11:32 AM   #8
Freeheel4life
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Thanks for the great responses fellas. Theres one really good sized hill that I had to gear way down and pull at around 40. Not the end of the world, just expected some more pull from such a large displacement TD, but most of my diesel hours have been logged in slow moving heavy equipment and not on the road towing. Mostly just concerned as it is a hill I will be climbing with the trailer this winter, and the pull up from Farewell Bend on the 84 is always a tough one too. The occasional pull over Cabbage Hill just outside of Pendleton is right up there as well. Guess I'm just going to have to keep rolling the hazards in the slow lane for these big grades for now.
I am thinking I will stay stock for now as I dont really have money to throw at it, and to do it right I would want to add an intercooler, EGT monitors, trans temp, chip etc and all of that adds up, just to end up needing a trans.
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Old 08-07-2018, 01:05 PM   #9
Ken / Claudia
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I pulled my trailer up cabbage hill several times. On the last trip traffic was light so no slowing behind the 18 wheelers. I started at 65 and was at 50, maybe 52 at the top. Been up and down it in winter snow and ice at a much slower speed.
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Old 08-07-2018, 08:10 PM   #10
Freeheel4life
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Thanks for the info Ken. I looked at Powerstrokehub(its been a very useful source of info) and from what I saw there your 2002 is only 25hp and 50lbs more torque than my 97. Hopefully I have a similar story with our trailer and a lot of the drag was the upper deck of the pontoon I was hauling. I have a feeling it's going to be slow pulling the camper though. That's fine. Was just tired of getting walked by semis on the interstate in the 1/2 ton. At least now I shouldnt shimmy as hard. The added wheelbase was super noticable with the pontoon.
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Old 08-14-2018, 08:09 AM   #11
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I run the PHP Hydra in both of my 7.3L's it is one of the best upgrade's you can make too a 7.3L. I do recommend getting gauge's too monitor EGT's, etc.. I went with the Edge SCT2 on my F-350. Also have you upgraded the transmission cooler?? the 6.0L cooler is a direct bolt in replacement and helps keep the transmission cool. The great thing about the Hydra is you can buy and program it with custom tune's, me I run Bill's tune's you get with the chip from PHP, Bill has been tuning Powerstroke's for a very long time, and I have a huge advantage because he is about 20 minute's from my house, and so is Jody from DP tuner.
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Old 08-14-2018, 12:46 PM   #12
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After I blew the front seal on my 97 towing a 42' gooseneck trailer with a farm tractor with implements (about 12K lbs.) on a hot summer day I had the transmission tech at my Ford dealer build one with a billet convertor. He also installed an Edge program and put a 4 inch MBRP exhaust and a huge transmission cooler of his own creation. I put 50K miles on it in the summer of 2012 hauling RV's from Elkhart, Indiana. The Fifth wheels I hauled weighed between 9000 to 15000 lbs. and running the Edge program in the second position (80 hp and 100 ft/lbs) I picked up about 1 1/2 mpg running empty and towing mpg's were between 10-13. The transmission temps never got to 220 degrees even in the mountains when the air temps were around 100 degrees that summer. I didn't have any gauges. The guy that installed it told me that I would have no issues with high EGT's since we opened up the exhaust. I sold that truck to one of my employees last year after I moved up to a 6.7 and it's still running strong.
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