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Have you ever reminisced on the days when your truck’s 6.6L LMM Duramax engine was young and fresh and full of life and power? What if you heard that there was a way to bring that awesome power back? You can refresh your tired old engine with a tuner!
Read on to learn more about these amazing products.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Tuners For LMM Duramax
- OUR TOP PICK: Edge Evolution CTS3
- RUNNER-UP: Bully Dog GT Platinum Diesel Tuner
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Bully Dog BDX Performance Programmer
Comparison Chart of the Best 6.6L LMM Duramax Tuners (2007.5 – 2010)
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What Years Fall Under 6.6L LMM Duramax?
GM was producing trucks with 6.6L LMM Duramax engines for only a few years, so if your truck has one of these awesome engines, it is important to pay close attention to the tuners you are researching to make sure they will be compatible with your specific engine type.
You will definitely be good to go with any tuner from this list. GM was producing 6.6L LMM Duramax engines from midway through 2007 up to 2010, so if you have a truck from one of those model years, check out this list’s tuners.
What is the Outcome of Installing a Tuner in Your 6.6L LMM Duramax?
Tuners can be a game changer for a tired old engine. Check out what they can do for your truck:
Better Towing
Probably one of the main reasons you bought your truck is for its awesome towing capacity, and we are willing to bet that as the years have gone on, your engine’s ability to haul has probably dropped off a little bit. A tuner can make it so that your truck can tow heavy loads like it’s absolutely nothing.
Fuel Economy
Speaking of towing, how about today’s gas prices? Even if you are not using your truck to haul trailers, it can still be extremely expensive to drive a car with such low fuel economy. Tuners can change all that. You won’t exactly be bumped up to hybrid-level fuel economy, but tuners can certainly save you a substantial amount of gas money.
Improved Power
Enough with the functionality – let’s talk about the most fun aspect of a tuner: its ability to boost your truck’s power! Your tired old engine will rev up and sound like new when a tuner is installed to give it a little shock and boost.
Review of the Best Tuners for LMM Duramax
Now that you know a bit more about what tuning can do for your engine, let’s check out some of the best tuners available:
Best Overall:
Edge Evolution CTS3
PROS
CONS
The Edge Evolution CTS3 is arguably the most complete and modern tuning device on the market today.
To start, the screen is a thin, high-definition touchscreen that is infinitely customizable. You can build numemrous pre-saved dashboards to display engine parameters like boost, RPM, fuel pressure, speed, EGTs, current gear, and loads more. Swap between these dashboards with a quick swipe, set one up for highway driving, performance runs against your buddies, or towing!
As for the tunes (which are included), LMMs are supported with 4 power levels:
- Level 0: Stock
- Level 1: 30 HP - 57 Lb-ft TQ
- Level 2: 50 HP - 90 Lb-ft TQ
- Level 3: 75 HP - 150 Lb-ft TQ
- Level 4: 85 HP - 200 Lb-ft TQ
Edge's system is also expandable with their EAS platform. You can incorporate custom probes to measure parameters at specific parameters, new modules, integrate it with your backup camera, and more!
Bottom Line
The Edge Evolution CTS3 is the cutting edge of tuner ability and technology. Also, many LMM owners are quite happy with the tunes and feel they are safe enough for the engine and trans. Our recommendation would be to keep to the Level 1 or 2 tune when towing for the best MPG and to keep from damaging anything!
Runner-up:
Bully Dog GT Platinum Diesel Tuner
PROS
CONS
The Bully Dog GT Platinum Diesel Tuner is an amazing tuner that will allow you to fully maximize your truck’s power through its connection to your truck’s unlock cable and its ability to unleash your truck’s full beast mode.
Tapping into your truck’s maximum power will also enable you to maximize many other aspects of your truck’s capability, including smoother shifting, even when going up hill.
Users report that the Bully Dog GT is also excellent at improving fuel efficiency – this tuner will be able to increase your miles per gallon by four whole miles! With that kind of fuel economy, you will be able to easily offset the cost of this tuner with the reduced gas budget alone. There really is not much to dislike about the Bully Dog GT Platinum Diesel Tuner.
Bottom Line
The Bully Dog GT Platinum Diesel Tuner is an excellent tuner that utilizes your truck’s unlock cable to turn your engine into a monster. It does require the additional step of calling Bully Dog to activate upon arrival, though.
Best for the Money:
Bully Dog BDX Performance Programmer
PROS
CONS
The Bully Dog BDX Performance Programmer is the programmer for you if you are the kind of person who wants to make sure they are always using the newest and coolest in technological advancements.
The BDX comes with a built in Wifi system that can access the cloud for product updates, so as soon as Bully Dog produces a new update, you will be able to access it through your tuner and immediately apply it to your truck. Cloud technology also happens to be the safest storage technology on the market – we know there has not been a hacking scandal into truck tuners yet, but come on, it is surely only a matter of time, so it definitely pays to be as safe as possible.
Besides its high tech prowess, the BDX is also a great overall tuner, providing enhanced fuel efficiency and power, and careful monitoring of all of your truck’s vitals.
Bottom Line
The Bully Dog BDX Performance Programmer is an amazing tuner with the latest and greatest technological capacity. It can be a struggle to initially set up, though, since it does not have clear instructions on connecting to the unlock cable.
Best Monitor-Only Option:
Edge Insight CTS3
PROS
CONS
The Edge Insight CTS3 is the single best monitor on the market for keeping track of absolutely everything you could ever want to know about your truck. This tuner has got knowledge of it all: your truck’s injector balances, its engine parameters, its exhaust, its transmission, even its fuel rail pressure.
Try to come up with something the CTS3 can’t keep track of for you – we promise you will not be able to find even one thing. If you anticipate putting your truck through its paces with a lot of towing or lengthy trips, the CTS3 is ideal for being able to check in with your car and ensure it has everything it needs to continue running properly. It is easy to use, with a large screen that will provide all the information you could ever want or need. If data is your game, you need the Edge Insight CTS3.
Bottom Line
The Edge Insight CTS3 is a phenomenal device that can monitor everything you could ever imagine wanting to keep track of on your truck. It's also got the best screen and user experience of anything on the market.
5. SCT 40490 BDX Performance Programmer
PROS
CONS
The SCT 40490 BDX Performance Programmer is the tuner for you if you are looking for a device that can turn your beast of a truck into a true monster. The power gains this tuner can provide are absolutely unbelievable – some users report that they almost feel unsafe driving their truck on the maximum tune from the SCT 40490, it gets so intense.
Some users have tales of boosting their truck up to 95 horsepower and 114 lbs of torque! You will not experience that straight out of the factory.
Additionally, this tuner is great at making modifications for different tire sizes, as well as adapting to custom tune settings. It also boosts your engine’s fuel economy. There really is not much the SCT 40490 BDX Performance Programmer will not be able to get done for your truck.
Bottom Line
The SCT 40490 BDX Performance Programmer is the best tuner on the market when it comes to unleashing the full power of a LMM Duramax engine. However, it does have a tendency to get hot when being used.
6. Duramax Tuner Jack Series SPADE Tuning Device
PROS
CONS
The Duramax Tuner Jack Series SPADE Tuning Device is a fantastic tuning device that will not require a lot of additional work on your part when it comes to tuner programming and functioning. This tuner will arrive on your doorstep with a wide variety of different tunes already pre-programmed and ready to be used.
We cannot recommend the Econo Sport tune highly enough – this tune will improve your truck’s fuel economy to the point where you see noticeable decreases in the amount of money you will need to spend on gas.
Other pre-programmed tunes include individualized settings for pulling towing loads, both lighter ones and those that are more heavy. The SPADE has a handy little switch function that will allow you to move from one tune to the next while you are actually driving your vehicle.
Bottom Line
The Duramax Tuner Jack Series SPADE Tuning Device is a fantastic tuner that is simple and easy to figure out. However, if you do want to go beyond the pre-programmed tunes, it can be a little difficult to program it yourself.
Pros and Cons of Installing a New Tuner
Before you make your final decision, you may want to weigh some pros and cons:
Pro: Vitals Monitoring
If you have ever been frustrated at finding out something terribly wrong with your truck only when you take it in to the mechanic, tuners will solve that issue for you forever. Tuners are able to keep track of all your truck’s data and let you know exactly what is going on with it.
Pro: Efficiency
Once you are able to start keeping track of your vitals, you will likely notice that with a tuner, everything on your truck just runs…better. You will not need to fix things as often on a truck whose efficiency has been pushed to the highest levels and is running at the top of its game.
Pro: Shift Smoothing
One of the most obnoxious things about driving a truck is the tendency for the vehicle to automatically downshift when it is heading uphill. Say goodbye to that frustration forever with a tuner.
Con: Installation
Some tuners can be pretty tricky to install, particularly those that require going under the hood and actually wiring it to your engine. It is sometimes safer to have your local mechanic set your tuner up for you.
Con: Warranty Voiding
This does not apply to all tuners, so double check on yours, but some tuners can void a vehicle’s warranty. This likely will not even apply at this point to LMM Duramax engines, unless you are buying them used.
Conclusion
If you want to bring your engine back to the way it used to operate when it was entirely new, tuners are the way to go. Analyze what you are looking for in a tuner and weigh the pros and cons. If you go with a tuner from our list, you (and your truck!) are guaranteed to be happy with the result.
