iCryWheniGoPoop

^^^^This post could have been posted by me^^^^, I would love to tune all your guys trucks because it is something I like to do, I just like to make sure that everyone is aware of the consequence's before I do tune. I have a full time job and don't need your tune to pay my light bill this month, or I would say "GM will never know" like most other tuners out there. As soon as I'm comfortable with my truck and feel its time, I will tune mine. I have only had my truck 6 weeks and have 9k miles on it so its not like my warranty is going to last long anyway. On another note.... You will love your truck all over again if you get a good tune from a reputable tuner. I advise putting all your mods on first and just getting a full dyno tune. You will not be disappointed and if he is a good tuner, it will only increase the life of your drive train unless of course the new power can't keep you off the skinny pedal. Steve

That's odd that he's not tuning TCM yet. I was certain that the the TCM was same with the addition of a few parameters in the OS. Oh well, BB is a reputable tuning source and probably worth the wait. You never know what you are going to get from these flyby night tuners that keep popping up on every street corner, calling themselves tuners just because they have a Dyno and a copy of Efi Live.

I wonder what that little return spring is made of on the DynoMax... I just cant see it holding up to a couple thousand heat cycles, but I'm sure DynoMax Engineers have thought of that and made the spring from some tung-stain-tanium alloy, only mined in the remote regions of of SW Kansas.

I think a previous poster nailed your issue right on the head by saying that you probably had AC/Defroster on when truck started. I wouldn't put a hole lot of time into worrying about it. You could spend that time much wiser by doing more mods.

You are right, I would probably get the pressure up a bit so that the clutch packs are held a little firmer and shorten the shift overlap between shifts at minimum. GM sets trans line pressures in a narrow window or sweet spot because they try to keep it just high enough that it will handle the advertised tow rating but at the same time they don't want to turn it up any higher than needed because the more pressure the pump has to make, the more parasitic loss there is which in turn uses more fuel/power which makes it less EPA friendly, God Forbid.

Sounds real good at idle and I like the tip. From what I can tell watching it from my phone, it looks like a single pipe kit with a dual tip, correct?

Sure, I'm not pointing fingers at the cause of a hard part failure, it could just be dumb luck that your engine failed or trans went. The ECM controls so much now, I'm not sure what all they (GM) could blame on a tune. It could very well be that a good tune would increase your engine/trans life . There are a lot of very capable tuners out there that can deliver a better/safer tune than what GM gives us.

Let me rephrase that, they have no say IF the CVN log is requested. My dealership will do all they can for me otherwise

With GM... Dealership has no say. It is all up to corporate engineering because when they get your CvN info, it is usually because engineering requested it.

If those numbers are apples to apples testing with no fudging then that's good. I can't handle the sound though..... sounds like no low flying birds are safe within a half mile of the vehicle. I typically try to go for an enclosed/sealed air box unit that gets no air from the engine compartment, that is as quiet as possible. Most times I will mod the stock air box with larger fresh air intake holes and change out factory tube from air box to throttle body with something much smoother flowing than the stock intake muffler that comes on these things. I will mod this one within the next week or so, time permitting.

I can't speak for 4wd but my 2wd hit the bed seem on a 2" drop. Actually one side hit very lightly and the other side had about 1/16" clearance. I knew that any give in the rubber bushing would cause contact so I folded both sides over. Funny thing is that I had enough room to put the bolt in so I didn't think I had a problem, then I stuck my phone up there and took a picture and seen the issue. I wish I still had the photo to post now. I just assumed everybody had this problem until I started reading and nobody mentioned it. I actually contemplated using the 1" drop location and removing block so I wouldn't have to beat on my new truck Somebody start a new thread asking for picks of 2" shackle drops, showing space between spring loop and bed seem. I'd bet that there is more rubbing than not.

Ok, there seems to be a little confusion and a lot of misinformation passed around the internet that WILL eventually bite one of us in the butt when they go in for a warranty after they get their truck tuned. I just want to lay some of this information out on the table so that when we get that bill for a failed lifter or a transmission replacement, we already have our checkbooks out and pen in hand. Is there a Flash Counter? NO! Well kind of. its actually more complicated than that but it roughly sums it up. It is actually more of a Flash History Log using what GM calls CVN's or (Calibration Verification Numbers) For those of you that are Techie it is a Checksum Value which is the value of your calibration. This is VERY Simplified - Timing table = 10 Fuel table = 10 Trans shift table = 5 Trans pressure table = 5 rpm limit table = 2 speed limiter table = 2 This would make your stock CVN = 34. Now if you change anything in your tune it will effect the CVN value and the dealer will see that it is not what came factory and bam- bye bye 5/100k Will they catch it if we change it back to stock? YES They actually log ANY CVN CHANGES which they can access at any time with the Tech 2 or 3. The kicker is, it only logs CHANGES to the CVN value. I'm not 100% sure for 2014 on how long the history is but from past ECU's it is at least a 10 CVN change history. Since the ECU is only logging CVN changes, that keeps us from being able to flash the stock tune back in 10 times to wipe out the history. What happens when the dealer flashes in a new Calibration like when we had the exhaust overheat recall? This is actually logged in the CVN history but GM is fully aware of what they put in each vehicle and is all tracked through our VIN #'s. The Dealer CANNOT see what was changed in the calibration, they can only see that it was changed and that is all they need. If the ECU is sent to GM engineering, they can tell you what was changed. What is getting me is that there are Tuners out there saying that this is all a bunch of BS and that GM will never know. The guys at both the major software tuning companies know this and make it public - they have nothing to gain by this except for loss in sales from people scared to tune now, and that is where I got most all of this information with a little help of a couple Techs with Tech 2's. In 2008 this technology was alive and kicking in the Duramax platform, in 2010 it was in the Camaro/Vette. 2014 its in our brand new truck design that we are so eager to tune because honestly, there is a lot being held back on this new DI motor. I know there will be some Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act posts... just remember, it clearly states in our warranty verbiage that any changes/modifications to the ECU will void warranty period and... If you feel you are in the right, it is little ole you against GM, so think long and hard before plunging into that ECU. Take this information for what it is but IF your truck starts using oil, engine starts rattling, transmission starts slipping and you have a tune... The first thing you will think is "I hope that iCryWheniGoPoop guy was full of crap". Steve

Actually... You can read lower on the Dyno, it's just not a typical practice because most people just want peak numbers. A Diesel engine is well past halfway through RPMs at 2500. I can Dyno you from a dead stop if you like. Also, actual gear or gear number is irreverent, ideally you want the gear closest to a 1-1 ratio in the transmission for the most accurate reading. The steeper the gear offset is, the more power it robs, that goes for rear ends as well.

Yeah, I have pulled it up a couple times today and looked at it along with the install instructions. I think I am going to go ahead and order it, that's a damn good price do get that kind of drop.

I agree 100% Tom, It is your truck and if you are happy with the ride quality then by all means don't change a thing. It may not have sounded like it, but It was just a suggestion. The rest of the information that I posted was for users that are attempting to do this install and I wanted to make sure that they get the correct information along with as much detail as possible... like pointing out the how the bed seam can come in contact with the spring after lowering. Also.. any real suspension guy knows to tighten all suspension components when the suspension is loaded but most DIY do not and I wanted to make sure that they had that information available. I'm already contemplating that $200 2/4 lowering kit from Rough Country. Do either one of you local guys know anybody around here that has done that install. I'm kind of leery of the weight of the truck riding on the heads of 4 Grade 9 bolts in the front but damn that's a good price to drop it that much.

So... Just curious if you relocated to horn or just downloaded the horn app?

Don't take this the wrong way but Just because you don't feel it, doesn't mean it's not there and that small vibration over time can still take out U-joints, pinion/diff bearings and transmission components. I really didn't think we would have an issue with a 2" drop but I just wanted to get some input from others that have dropped theirs. I haven't been building cars for as long as your guy but I have been doing it 28. From mild to wild, street strip off-road specializing in LSx builds. It's been killing me not to start tuning on this new DI engine but I don't want to throw my warranty out the window on an unproven design, so I have started looking at other ways to tinker on it until I feel that the majority of the bugs have been resolved. So far my truck has been issue free besides the TSB/recalls with 9000 miles already. Good

Tom, Did you pick up those blocks here locally in BA? It doesn't look like you put any wedges in there, are you getting any vibration now that you lowered it that extra 3/4"? I was figuring that we may need about 2-3* correction to keep factory drive line angle but I didn't get any vibration with just the shackles so I didn't mess with correcting the angle. If I put the blocks in I will probably go ahead and put the wedges in since I will be in there anyway.

Hey Tulsa, Broken Arrow guys, Broken Arrow here as well and Tom, you will need to cut those bump stops. A few things you guys need to think about when lowering your trucks with these 2" shackle drops 1. Cutting off the bump stops are easy, I simply stuck a hack saw up there and cut them off in less than 60 seconds. 2. One thing most guys don't look at is how close the bed seam is to the spring now that it has been lowered. I got up there with my camera and one side was actually hitting and the other had about 1/16" clearance, so I had to roll over the bed seam just above the shackle. Withough doing so, I was sure to have a rubbing issue over time. 3. When tightening up the shackle bolts, be sure and put all the weight on the springs either by putting it back on the ground or putting the jack stands under the axle. If you tighten up the shackle bolts while the axle is hanging, you are essentially locking the shackle/spring bushings in that position and when you lower it, they will have torsional pre-load/pressure on the rubber causing premature wear and possibly squeaking. 4. I bought the cheap shackles from autozone, if you tighten them to spec (do not over tighten) and put the weight on the springs before tightening like I mentioned in item 3 you shouldn't have any issues with squeaking like other users are complaining about. I have had mine on for a couple months and have no hnit of an issue. Also It is really easy to drill and tap a hole in your cheap shackle from autozone if you want a grease zerk. Steve

Mike... I love your matter-of-factness (pretty sure that's not a word) I tune with one of the two major software platforms available for GM products, have been doing it for right at 10 years and am pretty sure that the dealer could tell using my software. I know you guys put a lot of time and research Into your product and don't doubt your claim but.... let's just say that I purchase from you and install, would you be willing to carry warranty for the rest of the term? (Only If GM dropped me for finding the modification to ECU of course?) I will start researching what you have to offer while I wait for your response.

The "Dealer" CANNOT see the changes BUT... On the 2014's which are now on the global platform like the Vette and Duramax have been on since 2010, they can now tell if the ECM has been flashed by way of a little hidden flash counter built into the system. This means... Say the dealer has done a couple flashes so far like on the Recall and maybe another TSB, this would have the counter set to a 3 (factory flash+recall flash + TSB flash). You come in because you have a transmission failure or dead miss in cylinder 4, dealer will more than likely be instructed to pull an image and history on ECU and send it in so that engineering can see what may have caused it, BAM! There sits a flash counter showing a count of 6 when they know that it should be set at 3. That's when they give you that ever so polite quote of $7400 to repair vehicle while you are trying to argue that it is still under warranty. We have been getting away with it for a long time, unfortunately the Dealer has the upper hand until some 9yo inner city Hacker Prodigy decides he wants to sit down for 45min one night and trick the system that hundreds of college grads have been working on for a few years. Now if-when-and how often the dealer actually snaps an ECU image and history for diagnostics is a different story. My Dealer that I just stumbled across today told me they will do all they can to keep that from happening as long as I am upfront about tuning on it. The dealer I had yesterday all but threatened to drop my warranty for putting Drop/leveling shackles on the back of my truck

Update, I went to the dealer next to my house that wouldn't work with me on purchasing a new truck... Well turns out they have the best service dept ever. They said that I could lower raise any amount I want and if I had any questions reguarding drive line angles and possible warranty issues that they would help me in anyway they could to keep my truck under warranty. I also told them that I Dyno Tune vehicles and asked if there was anyway around the flash counter. Service told me there is no way around it but if I tell them I have modified the tune that they will do what they can to keep from checking that if there was a warranty issue. That wasn't enough to make me crack into it and start tuning but I was impressed at how they were willing to find ways around warranty work to keep me from loosing 100k warranty.

I talked to my service manager and was told that anything more than a leveling kit would void my warranty. That's why I only went with lowering shackles. I really don't understand that because after I thought about it, there are other local dealers around here selling brand new trucks with 4-6" of lift on them. Either way... I went with the cheap old 29.99 lowering shackles at AutoZone and couldn't be happier with the quality.

I just put the AutoZone drop shackles on my 2014 QCSB 2wd. How come nobody has mentioned that we have to fold down the seam on the bed in order to run them in the 2" drop position? Makes me wonder if everybody is checking for clearance after dropping the truck and putting weight on the bushings. Install wasn't bad, besides having to pry over the leaf springs to get the bolt out. If I knew at that point that I was going to have to fold the seam over, I wouldn't have had to do that though. Also having to remove/install the receiver hitch cost an extra 30 min. Took me 1.5 hours to do but worth it once I was finished. I will post pictures in the next couple days.