U7137 Wants

[brent]

I have had the predator for about 3 weeks now and I would like to offer some improvements/information that I believe most would want. I have a 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 QC.

1 Independent TCM shift point, firmness and quickness control, as a parameter modification and not integrated into PCM performance tunes. Say 3 choices for shift firmness and quickness, and incremental choices for part and full throttle shift points. I prefer a firm/quick shift.

2 Make MDS on/off an quick adjust parameter so that it can quickly be changed. I would like it off around town and on when on the highway.

3 More complete documentation with explanation of acronyms and descriptions of what the custom tune parameters actually do. Currently the U7137 owners manual links to the U7135 manual. e.g What is CALID and CROM and how do you go about installing the device drivers, the DS downloader, etc. After stumbling though it I figured out the CALID was the stock tune and that mine had to be updated before I could install a performance tune. Took much longer to execute than it should have. I don't think I would have been successful if I had not had a technical and computer back ground. What is CROM? Again I had to stumble into what it means and does.

4 Torque and HP curves for stock and all three tunes. MPG improvement numbers for all three tunes? This data should already be available, and just require putting together and posting it on the web site.

5 Small CD? What a pain. I have a slot loading computer, so I had to buy an adapter to insert disk into my computer. Yet another delay installing tune. I can't believe a small CD is much more expensive than a regular size one.

6 Ergonomics. Make the long cable from the predator to the DTC port detachable. What a pain to juggle this cord while trying to hook it to the computer with a 5 inch USB interface cord. How much would it costs to provide a 3 foot USB adapter cable for the computer. Also the A/C power cord and USB adapter cord should plug into the same end of the predator to make cord management easier, while connected to PC.

7 Would "be nice - not required" to have Mac software, but this is solved for me by running Windows XP on my Intel Mac. Today Mac's can boot windows or run under virtualization software.

8 I am sure there is more, but this is all I can think of at this point. I hope this customer feedback provides some idea into what some customers would want. Of course these ideas may not be wanted by all. Problem is Diablo only gets feedback from those who take time to participate in the forum.

9 Another thought. I like the fact that Diablo includes a 93 tune that Superchips does not. I live in a state that does not require exhaust gas testing thus I prefer more performance over CARB certification.

10 In closing, my decision to buy predator over Super Chips revolved around the fact that I perceive that Super Chips does not provide the level of support Diablo does, nor do they deliver, in a timely fashion on their promises. e.g. adjustable "shift points" coming soon! They also didn't have the MDS option until recently. Another thing is the fact that I can't look on there web site and find out what features have been added since original release, like MDS off, without owning a unit and logging in with the serial number. How do I know if I want to buy it, without this info?

[johan]

thank you for the feedback.
1/ We are still looking into the tcm portion of the ram trucks, it is quite complex, so we are trying to figure out how to implement these things without the risk of damaging your vehicle. I am sure we will figure something out and add that in once we feel comfortable with it.
2/MDS can not be a quick adjust as it is in the pcm file itself and any change in it needs a full flash.
3/Our documentation is weak, yes, we do however rely heavily on the forum base, but i do agree with you on that one.
4/As you may have seen, we do not like to post dyno sheets as the results do vary quite a bit depending on application, modifications fuel used etc etc. Same goes for the mpg, mpg is purely dependent on your driving style, but i can safely say that you will pick up 2mpg if vehicle is driven normally.
5/Not sure what the CD is for, installer for the usb cable?
6/Doubt that will happen on the Predator as we are developing new products, but they will all have detachable cords and be powered by usb.
7/Doubt we will support Mac, but who knows.

If you follow any of our Predators, we are constatly making newer and better tunes for all our apps as soon as something new is discovered, so i am sure we will figure out new and exciting tweaks we will do to the U7137 as time goes on.

[brent]

Thanks for the feedback. The mini CD had the downloader and drivers on it. I later figured out that I could have just downloaded them from your Web site.

[mikel]

I have had the predator for about 3 weeks now and I would like to offer some improvements/information that I believe most would want. I have a 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 QC.

1 Independent TCM shift point, firmness and quickness control, as a parameter modification and not integrated into PCM performance tunes. Say 3 choices for shift firmness and quickness, and incremental choices for part and full throttle shift points. I prefer a firm/quick shift.

This can be accomplished through custom tuning, and we are looking into adding more TCM control for the end users.

2 Make MDS on/off an quick adjust parameter so that it can quickly be changed. I would like it off around town and on when on the highway.

Tha'ts simply not possible, if it were that easy, we'd make everything a quick adjust parameter!!

3 More complete documentation with explanation of acronyms and descriptions of what the custom tune parameters actually do. Currently the U7137 owners manual links to the U7135 manual. e.g What is CALID and CROM and how do you go about installing the device drivers, the DS downloader, etc. After stumbling though it I figured out the CALID was the stock tune and that mine had to be updated before I could install a performance tune. Took much longer to execute than it should have. I don't think I would have been successful if I had not had a technical and computer back ground. What is CROM? Again I had to stumble into what it means and does.

There is quite a bit of that type of info that can be found here in the forums.
With todays pressures to cut down on printed materials, we have found that as long as all answers can be found on the web, there is less need for physical documentation to be included on paper.

4 Torque and HP curves for stock and all three tunes. MPG improvement numbers for all three tunes? This data should already be available, and just require putting together and posting it on the web site.

We generally dont like releasing dyno numbers, because the first guy that cant duplicate those numbers in the field yells rip off, and there are way too many variables in existence between dynos and individual trucks. We quote realistic gains that can be achieved by anyone with the Predator on their truck.


5 Small CD? What a pain. I have a slot loading computer, so I had to buy an adapter to insert disk into my computer. Yet another delay installing tune. I can't believe a small CD is much more expensive than a regular size one.

Not sure how to answe this one, except to say that is the disc that comes with the USB/serial cables that we carry, we do not manufacture those.

6 Ergonomics. Make the long cable from the predator to the DTC port detachable. What a pain to juggle this cord while trying to hook it to the computer with a 5 inch USB interface cord. How much would it costs to provide a 3 foot USB adapter cable for the computer. Also the A/C power cord and USB adapter cord should plug into the same end of the predator to make cord management easier, while connected to PC.

This is an improvement being made to future products (see Trinity).

7 Would "be nice - not required" to have Mac software, but this is solved for me by running Windows XP on my Intel Mac. Today Mac's can boot windows or run under virtualization software.

Its tough enough keeping our software up to date with all of the variations of Windows, and our Windows developer is just that, not a OSX guy, so thats not likely to happen anytime soon. Would be nice though, agreed.

8 I am sure there is more, but this is all I can think of at this point. I hope this customer feedback provides some idea into what some customers would want. Of course these ideas may not be wanted by all. Problem is Diablo only gets feedback from those who take time to participate in the forum.

9 Another thought. I like the fact that Diablo includes a 93 tune that Superchips does not. I live in a state that does not require exhaust gas testing thus I prefer more performance over CARB certification.

10 In closing, my decision to buy predator over Super Chips revolved around the fact that I perceive that Super Chips does not provide the level of support Diablo does, nor do they deliver, in a timely fashion on their promises. e.g. adjustable "shift points" coming soon! They also didn't have the MDS option until recently. Another thing is the fact that I can't look on there web site and find out what features have been added since original release, like MDS off, without owning a unit and logging in with the serial number. How do I know if I want to buy it, without this info?

We do include a short revision history on the downloads page, check the U7135 page to see what I mean...

Thanks
Mike

[brent]

Forgive me for assuming FREE customer feedback was welcome and had a place in the product development cycle. I remember in the 60s and 70's when GMs mission was to give the customer what GM determined they needed, not necessarily what they wanted. Look where they are today. Not that I think your competition is any better, but rather I think there is room for improvement in your industry. Yea I am an old fart from the original brute force muscle car era.

As far as documentation, all that is required is a sticker in the box that tells you to go to the web site to view. Of course, what is posted is for a different application than the U7137 we are talking about, and is weak at best. As a customer, I don't feel I should have to dig through all the posts on this forum and then try to piece the information together...just to use your product. Besides, it ain't all on the forum.

Please don't take my frankness the wrong way. I doubt I will take advantage of your money back guarantee.

[mikel]

Forgive me for assuming FREE customer feedback was welcome and had a place in the product development cycle.

Honestly, it is welcome information. Please do not assume otherwise, we do appreciate detailed feedback like this.

[fooshky]

I just took a trip with my 08 5.7L on the 91 octane setting and got 18.2 mpg cruise on at 75 in -15 weather. Very impressed.

Couple of suggestions/comments:

1) Dodge claims the 09 Hemi MDS is "more aggressive." Any thoughts on being able to change the parameters of the MDS. I'm not one of the guys that wants to disable it so I'm probably in the minority.

2) Four cylinder idle--I had a Cummins and could deactivate 3 cylinders on idle. Is there any way to do this on the 5.7L and have it kick into 8 when you take off? 4 cylinder high idle?

[brent]

Thanks for the info. I was getting 17.6 at 70 MPG with Ethanol. Around town is that I was getting 14 overall, but it varied due to traffic and lights. That said, this mileage was with a CAI and Cat Back Exhaust. My mileage went up about 2 MPG after I put CAI on. I am still testing around town with 93 tune, with MDS on and off. I don't seem to be seeing any improvement, however this may be due to the CAI already picking up all the hemi will do. MDS may be saving a little around town, but the truck sure is more driveable with it off, and transmission stays in higher gears longer due probably to 8 cylinder versus 4 cylinder torque. Perhaps testing will reveal that MDS is worth the driveability trade on the highway.