Professional backcountry snowmobiler, Tony Jenkins recently endorsed Bully Dog's Triple Dog GT tuner after using the device for driving a 350 h.p. Cummins-powered truck with a couple of snowmobiles on a bed deck, often with another four on a trailer he tows behind.
“Hauling that much weight through mountainous terrain, there are many situations where I can really use some extra horsepower,” Jenkins explains. “At other times, my main concern is with fuel economy.”
According to Bully Dog, pickup truck drivers often required to perform multi-tasking duties, ranging from transportation of the kids to the rigors of towing the snowmobiles.
Most light-duty trucks are inflexible as far as torque, horsepower and fuel economy are concerned. This puts many weekend warriors who haul snowmobile trailers deciding between heavy-duty power and fuel economy.
Like Tony Jenkins, many pickup owners use of programmable tuners to monitor and control basic engine performance in terms of torque and horsepower, fuel economy and some engine safety parameters.
Tuners are connected to the engine’s control module to regulate and monitor performance parameters according to vehicle load requirements and the operator’s desires.
Using a tuner it is possible to increase typical diesel or gasoline engine horsepower up to 25%, or to boost fuel economy. Jenkins said the Bully Dog tuner he installed on his 2012 Cummins engine can add up to 120 horsepower.
“There have been times when I got stuck. So, I just reset the tuner for full power, and was able to hot-rod out of it,” Jenkins said.
A variety of horsepower settings are available to accommodate various driving conditions. The selected setting is controlled and monitored by the tuner. This offers the vehicle operator not only more power or economies, but also improved vehicle control via heads-up display of critical engine performance factors (e.g. water temp, oil temp, boost pressure).
“The tuner I use not only optimizes performance, but is also eco friendly,” Jenkins says.
More advanced systems
Bully Dog’s Triple Dog GT offers advanced programming and monitoring capabilities, including the ability to easily change settings, while driving diesel vehicles. This system is the equivalent of a vehicle engine tuner, function monitor, performance gauge and diagnostic device, all in a single unit. In addition to significant horsepower and fuel economy gains, the GT provides a set of monitoring features and diagnostic functions for enhanced driving and safety.
If someone is running in high horsepower mode, and engine coolant or oil temperatures rise above the preset warning level, the GT tuner will automatically recognize the condition and begin to lower the horsepower until the situation is corrected. The tuner will also alert the driver with a message on the panel display that notifies the driver what is happening and why (e.g. Engine overheating, horsepower lowering).
To Jenkins, the user friendliness of his Bully Dog tuner is also a big plus.
Bully Dog tuners are installed cleanly and easily in the cab by attaching to the OBDII port. Installers first connect to the Internet to download the latest software, ensuring that files are the most up-to-date. Then the tuner is connected to the vehicle using provided mounting accessories (OBDII Connector and HDMI cable). The vehicle-specific software (e.g., Dodge/Cummins, GM, Nissan or Ford) is installed by using the tuner and following easy steps on the tuner monitor. After calibrating the system, the operator simply dials in the operating and setup parameters that can be calibrated to the driver’s specific needs.
To ensure reliable, optimized performance, the more powerful tuners will monitor turbo boost pressure, engine RPM, transmission temperature, air flow, fuel rail pressure and other operating parameters.
This cab-mounted control panels are protected from those stresses and can be easily accessed for on-the-fly changes.
To ensure that performance and fuel economy are maximized, Bully Dog has a tool called the Driving Coach available on all tuner models. The Driving Coach is an on-screen feedback system that gives drivers specific tips on how to improve their driving habits in conjunction with their tuner capabilities to enhance fuel conservation while getting more efficient performance. This feature can prove valuable, particularly on those long hauls to get to the perfect snowmobile spot.
More information: 877-285-5936, www.bullydog.com
Editor's Note: This story was submitted by Bully Dog as a press release