Advantages of having a gryphon php?

[str088]

I was just wondering what gains have you guys seen in your vehicles performance ever since you guys have installed the programmer? I also have a cai installed in my truck and just wanted to know if anyone else has this and does the tuner compliment it very well, as in do they improve the performance of the vehicle better together as opposed to having one over the other. I know that the tuner helps solve the lean problem that the truck has, but disregard that. And does the tuner change the sound of the truck? Thanks for the replies in advance.

Also which would be better for a daily driver as far as throttle response, acceleration. Performance or tow. (obviously tow is more for pulling something) which one do you guys use the most. I ordered 91 performance and 89 tow.

[Jackpine]

Originally Posted by str088

I was just wondering what gains have you guys seen in your vehicles performance ever since you guys have installed the programmer? I also have a cai installed in my truck and just wanted to know if anyone else has this and does the tuner compliment it very well, as in do they improve the performance of the vehicle better together as opposed to having one over the other. I know that the tuner helps solve the lean problem that the truck has, but disregard that. And does the tuner change the sound of the truck? Thanks for the replies in advance.

A programmer won't change the sound, except for possibly eliminating the terrible "drone" some CAI's produce.

The big issue is, that Bill can't really tune the truck to make the CAI an "additive" feature, performance wise. The CAI introduces so many negative issues, that Bill has to take care of them and that involves "de-tuning" to a certain extent.

The better approach is to use your CAI as a rain gutter downspout extension on your house and perform the "Gotts Mod" change to your OEM CAI. (Yes, the OEM intake IS a true CAI, with a restricted inlet. Most aftermarket CAI's are really WAIs, Warm Air Intakes, since they position the inlet in the engine compartment.)

Gains? Well, I have much improved shifting while passing. It feels like I have more low end power and, I am getting better gas mileage.

- Jack

[str088]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

A programmer won't change the sound, except for possibly eliminating the terrible "drone" some CAI's produce.

I never noticed a drone from my CAI, but if it's there I'm glad it'll be somewhat eliminated!

Well the intake I installed is actually pretty good imo, the only thing it really changed was that it gave me a smoother tubing that connects to the throttle body, and it relocated the airfilter from the throttle body and put it right onto the wheel weld. Basically where the stock intake was connected. I've seen the gotts mod, and I don't think that's suppose to be put onto the 04-08 body style, I believe it's the DWV Mod that works with this generation. So basically aside from smoother tubing, the changed placement of the airfilter, and an added auxilary airscoop (which yes, does get added air from the engine bay) It's very much like stock, also it is sealed. I don't know if that makes sense or what. This is the intake, afe stage II 54-80512 to get the idea.

Are the gains significantly noticeable? What I mean by significant is could you tell the difference from what it felt like before from what it drove like after the installation? I know it's not going to add like 50 hp and 55 tq. But was it evident enough to where it was noticeable?

Thanks for your reply Jack, I really appreciate it. Your comment is well noted.

Lol actually you were mentioned in the thread in the post I was referring to regarding the DWV/Gotts mod. They said you also adapted the gotts mod to work on this generation. Maybe I should have done this mod, but I am actually quite fond of the intake I have installed already and don't really want to remove it lol.

[Jackpine]

This is the version I was talking about. http://forum.gopowerhungry.com/resou...-pictures.html It works for 04-08 trucks. I don't know what year your truck is, so I can't tell if you need to use a different version.

The AFE looks like it could have modified the MAF environment, which is a potential source of destructive trouble, but Bill's tunes can compensate for that.

Smooth is not necessarily "best". Airflow, with the "pulsed" suction that the cylinders give, forms pressure waves in the inlet that can cause both performance reducing interference and "noise". The resonators on the stock intake are there to reduce/eliminate this. (It's a bit like "noise canceling earphones" you buy for long airline flights.)

Bill has said the Gotts version causes NO adverse effects. He is not so charitable with the commercial CAIs. I happen to share his opinion.

Are the gains with a programmer noticeable? They were for me. The passing performance was greatly improved and I am certain I've gained in the fuel economy area. The "feeling of power" is a bit more subjective, but I think I've gained there too.

Now, I don't recommend you alter your first post with new questions. People will miss these. Put them in a new post (but in the same thread).

To answer them: I have an 87 Performance and an 87 Tow tune. I use the tow tune whenever I hook the trailer up and don't change it until I return home, even if I disconnect the trailer at times. (DO NOT change tunes in the boondocks!) If I'm not on a towing trip, I use the 87 performance tune.

Why just 87 tunes? Because the engine is designed for 87 octane gas. It does not have the compression ratio to really take advantage of a higher octane blend. Yes, the high priced stuff MAY give you "better" performance, with an adjusted tune, but at what price? Do the two balance out? And, can you always get the higher octane blend everywhere you drive? Using a higher octane gas is not harmful, but using a lower octane gas than the tune is designed for IS harmful.

And, you probably know this, but some people don't. High octane gas is NOT "better" gas, it just has a lower resistance to ignition and burns slower.

So, those are my thoughts for today.

- Jack

[str088]

I have an 04 XLT 5.4l.

The AFE looks like it could have modified the MAF environment, which is a potential source of destructive trouble, but Bill's tunes can compensate for that.

Yeah that's what everyone says, which is why I'm getting a tuner to
counteract it. I see. I've seen some gains from this intake so I don't
really want to replace the old one back in, it actually has a crack on
the box of the airfilter (stock). I've noticed better throttle response.
As far as MPG when I had the stock intake I went 356 miles, and the
afe took me to 382. I drive pretty consistently so I love the difference
that it has given me. But thanks for giving me a break down for stock
intake. I appreciate it. I just always thought it looked pretty restrictive
with all those chambers.

The passing performance was greatly improved and I am certain I've gained in the fuel economy area. The "feeling of power" is a bit more subjective, but I think I've gained there too.

That's exactly what I was looking for, I wanted a little more gain in the
mpg. I know the power is not really reliable because anyone who buys
something expects to see some improvement so they do "see it" if that
makes sense. Like the placebo effect. But one could speculate that there
will be some gain "power" wise.

Okay, I'll stop editing my posts. I just didn't want to keep on putting
new posts, so I just added on.

I was thinking of that, but I regularly put in 89 myself. I know it's not
necessarily better gas I just wanted a little more oomph you could say
when I accelerate. I ordered 91 because at the bottom of the gryphon
php page I got confused with the red paragraph saying it's better to get
87 and 91 instead of 89 and 91. So I thought that they were saying that
I shouldn't get the same octane for both custom tunes or I'd be wasting
my money kind of thing.

I know my motorcycle can't get anything lower than 91 because it would
put too much wear on my engine. 01 CBR. I didn't realy know that but
you learn something new. I actually thought they just burned easier.

Thanks Jack for your input and information it is invaluable to me and
appreciate the time you put into replying to me.

[ticopowell]

Just to add on to Jack's posts, I also noticed a distinct upgrade to the power during passing. Also the quickness of the shifts on top of the extra hp makes me hate going back to stock!
I have an 05 XLT with the 5.4 just for reference.
Also the 89 octane, if the engine isn't tuned for it, really can't provide more oomph. It also won't help in gas mileage for the same reasons as power.
How it works is that the octane makes it burn slower under the same pressure, or burn at the same rate under higher pressure. This is an advantage in high compression motors, such as your motorcycle, or most racing engines, but in our trucks it isnt necessary, and they can't take advantage of it without tuning. With some octanes, I dont think 89 is far enough off of what our trucks are designed for, it can actually hurt gas mileage and power because it burns too slow. this could possibly leave unburned gas in the cylinder which would then exit out the exhaust and possibly causing backfires or in racing motors that cool blue fire .
Hope I helped you and everyone understand more , and if I am wrong, feel free to correct me!

[wood4heat]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

I hook the trailer up and don't change it until I return home, even if I disconnect the trailer at times. (DO NOT change tunes in the boondocks!)
- Jack

This got me a bit concerned, are there potential reliability issues involved in changing tunes or something?

[ticopowell]

Yes and no. I have never had a problem, and if they do happen they are few and far between. Since when you change a tune you are essentially rewriting the computer, there can be data transfer issues, and if your battery doesn't have enough power it can also cause some major problems. I know Jack always hooks his truck up to a charger whenever he changes tunes just to make sure there is always enough power getting to the Gryphon and the ECM.
So yes, do not change a tune when you are far from home or a towing company (yes a mistake can make the truck not run), but problems like this won't happen most of the time. Like I said, I have had 2 trucks with multiple tune changes on each and I have never seen anything go wrong, and I wasn't hooked up to a battery tender or charger either.