Whipple Supercharger Install '17 2500hd 6.0L

[Biggerdogg01]

19 minutes ago, ITS_CLN said:

Wow.  Very impressive.  I saw the Whipple Dyno sheet from Whipple and I salivated so much with 400/400 rear wheel claim, that two weeks ago I ordered a 2019 Crew Cab Denali HD.

 

I spoke with with Dan @ Whipple in Fresno, CA and Dan said the CA CARB EO # is coming within 60 days for the 2019 model which is the same as the previous years.  2020 may/should/does have a new 6.6L Gas Engine with direct injection.  I am not sure yet exactly but you get the idea it is a different animal possibly with a new ECM.

 

I live complete opposite of where you live in CT.  I live in the Northwestern part of Los Angeles County here in California.  2-3 hour drive from the Whipple shop.  I want to drive out there, meet them, buy a kit and return home to install it myself.  You have inspired me and have given me confidence in the part throttle operation.  The E78 ECM has scared me ever since I ordered the truck I came home to find out it has this ECM and people do not know how to tune it or say it is very different.

 

I read of two guys installing Whipples or Magnachargers and being unhappy with the part throttle surging or something and taking them off and selling them.  Then last night I found this post after reading some things on HPTuners (since whipple uses HPTuners).

 

The truck I ordered is this:

 

2019 4WD Denali HD CrewCab Short/standard bed 6.0L Gas L96 CA Emissions 

TriCoat White ($1,095)

Jet black interior (don't like the Cocoa black combo)

VYU Snow plow prep package (deletes the sliding rear window, also deletes UG1 homelink) comes with the strongest stiffest front springs and torsion stuff

Z71 (hill descent)

Alternate step package (-65?) Round steps so much better looking on the website i hope i like them or they go in the trash

Dual battery

High idle Switch

220Amp alternator (included in VYU but i would have clicked anyway)  Also included in VYU is TRW the lamp beacon wiring and switch

Engine block heater

20" chrome cast aluminum wheels with I think 265/60R20 tires.  I want to say they are 32.5" x 10.4" wide stock for those of you who speak Standard measurements

Interior protection package (plastic interlocking floor liners)

I did not get any tow things in my bed and I also did not get the large Ford SuperDuty tow mirrors.

 

They tell me GMC accepted my truck order this week and the estimated production date is the first week of February.  I should have her at the end of Feb or beginning of March.

 

$63,620.00 MSRP.  Ill pay a little less but OOOOOMMMMPH I never thought I would live the day I bought a brand new truck with this MSRP.

 

And now $6,700.00 on the Whipple...

 

Wife hasn't said no yet...

 

Eric

 

 

 

 

Eric,

 

Congratulations on the new truck. I am so very lucky to have a performance tuner over here that dialed my engine in after the Whipple install. You will read (if you haven't already) about people bad mouthing the E78 ECM. It is all about knowing HOW to tune it. My tuner actually calibrates a lot of Whipple's programs for them, so when speaking with them at the time of purchase, mention my guys name. I will PM you his info when you are ready. Knowing how systems on your truck work is very important. I do a lot of research before making choices and then confirming them with experts. 

[qwank]

@Biggerdogg01 do you happen to have the part number for the IAT sensor that Whipple uses in this kit?  

[Biggerdogg01]

24 minutes ago, qwank said:

@Biggerdogg01 do you happen to have the part number for the IAT sensor that Whipple uses in this kit?  

Unfortunately I do not, it is included and installed with the intake manifold.

[ITS_CLN]

8 hours ago, qwank said:

@Biggerdogg01 do you happen to have the part number for the IAT sensor that Whipple uses in this kit?  

Contact Whipple and they will get back to you ASAP.  They are great people.  I wonder if its a stock LSA or something IAT sensor.

[ITS_CLN]

12 hours ago, Biggerdogg01 said:

Eric,

 

Congratulations on the new truck. I am so very lucky to have a performance tuner over here that dialed my engine in after the Whipple install. You will read (if you haven't already) about people bad mouthing the E78 ECM. It is all about knowing HOW to tune it. My tuner actually calibrates a lot of Whipple's programs for them, so when speaking with them at the time of purchase, mention my guys name. I will PM you his info when you are ready. Knowing how systems on your truck work is very important. I do a lot of research before making choices and then confirming them with experts. 

Thank you.  I wasn't scared about others experiences with the E78 ECM, and like you, I was going to try.  Still will.  Hearing your success makes me almost jealous, definitely envious!  We have no humidity down here in the SouthWest so I obviously need a SouthWest tune for my area and high heat for the summer months.  I will share anything I learn along the way.

 

Any ECM can be tuned, just knowing how the systems work and any limitations.

 

I have some minor experience with GM LS1 tuning with EFI Live and Moates RoadRunner realtime.  Enough to get me started with this HPTuners and the Whipple.  I have enough mechanical experience to get the Whipple installed.  Definitely not at your level 40yrs mechanic but my father was a 50yr mechanic and is now in forced retirement (health issues).  I'm sure I will make a comical mistake along the way, but that is going to be half the fun.

 

I think I am going to drive the truck stock and make sure it is not a warranty headache.  I'll likely take it on a bunch of trips this summer with the wife (we have no children yet) and put the Whipple on around October/November this year.  I'm not installing a Whipple in 110 degree heat no thanks to that for sure.

 

I had to order my truck to get a 6.0L.  They have 2 work truck gassers in stock locally and five at Earnhardt Chevy in AZ.  Do you know how many dealers told me to buy a Diesel?  But the Diesel has this great longevity they said.  The Diesels never break down they say.  The Diesels have 910 torque they say.  The Diesels get better fuel mileage they say.  The Diesels can tow more they say (without specifying it takes a 3500 DRW to do so).

 

The truck I purchased actually has 500 less GVWR capacity as the same truck in Diesel (9500 vs 10000) BUT don't forget my truck has a +250 lb payload capacity in the bed which I use a LOT more.  That is because the Diesel engine weighs a bunch more than the gas engine.

 

Towing Capacity is as follows:   

Engine	Max Towing	Max GVWR
Vortec 6.0L V8	14,500 pounds	9,500 pounds
Duramax 6.6L Turbo-Diesel V8	15,400 pounds	10,000 pounds

 

So without the dual rear wheel the Diesel can only tow 900 more pounds has a Max GVWR of 500 more lbs.  Whoopdie doo.  I can put 250 lbs more in my bed still.

 

The dealer also doesn't specify how to maintain a Diesel or the costs associated with it.  The price of Diesel is higher.  It rattles at idle like a sonuva and my wife HATES the rattle.

 

The other day I saw a Duramax same truck as mine turn the corner while I waited at the light.  I told the wife see its clean as it left down the road.  It got maybe 500 feet and belched a blue puff.  Thing looked pretty dang new I dunno if I was an LP5 engine or not but the wife yucked and said yeah Clean Diesel.  Quiet too at idle.

 

This is why we are naming the truck ITS_CLN .  It has the cleanest Diesel engine money can buy.  $10,000 less and its a gasser.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by ITS_CLN

[KARNUT]

Whipple is a good company to deal with. When I bought my 92 Chevy I wanted to change my spring tensioner pulley. Five minutes later I had a part number. That's pretty good for a set up that's over 20 years old.


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[ITS_CLN]

 

heres a guy with a 2.9 Whipple on a 2500HD. I want to see your video!

[ITS_CLN]

I spoke with Whipple and you have to be very intelligent to understand the why's and the whats.  Randy, I got your answers and we can move forward.

[ITS_CLN]

hello.

 

My truck is arriving in two weeks.  I am getting my whipple the first day the 2019 CARB EO # is approved.

 

I have decided I am going to install immediately.  Can your tuner help with my needs or is it solely for his needs ($$$?).  It's all good I'll figure it out...Its only money.  I just gotta flash the god damn cash and the ****ers will do what I want.  End of story.

[Biggerdogg01]

You can get ahold of him, tell him I recommended you to him. His name is Ted Jannetty

 

https://jannettyracing.com

 

Randy

[Biggerdogg01]

The weather here in New England is hit and miss (snow and ice) but I will be towing for the first time since installing the Whipple. We are taking our 5th Wheel to Tennessee. I am excited to see how the increase in hp/tq performance pulls the hills through PA and then once we get down in VA and TN. I will post the trip once I have something to post.

Oh, I also installed a Flex a Lite dual fan set-up pulling 6000cfm and leveled the truck with the Suspension Maxx leveling kit, very nice product. I came with stock spacers (I already have Bilsteins), and the kit come with from differential spacers which maintains the CV joint angle so the boots do not prematurally wear and also saves the joint.

[Larry Cundiff]

On 12/16/2018 at 3:18 PM, Biggerdogg01 said:

This write-up is for a 2017 Chevy 2500hd 6.0l Flex Fuel.

I decided to install the Whipple Supercharger system on my truck. The Supercharger Kit comes with very quality parts that are precision made. Now, the install manual needs some definite editing due to missed steps and steps that can be performed ahead of time to save interruptions in the process.

I am editing the instruction manual to include time saving steps and will post it when completed.

The kit for my truck took 2 days which is not out of the question if your being careful. The kit includes a HP Tuners MPVI-2, supercharger w/ intercooler, intake manifold, fuel rails, heat exchanger, reservoir tank w/electric pump, new belt, tensioner with idler pulleys, MAF sensor to throttle body hoses, new 160-degree thermostat, and all the hoses and electrical wiring needed. It is a little overwhelming when I first laid it all out, but once underway (with so so instructions), everything seems to just fall into place. Granted, I have been a mechanic for over 40 years, but a person with less time can surely do this themselves with patients.

This kit uses the stock airbox set-up with a high flow filter. Other than that, most everything is new install.  

The kit uses the stock fuel pump and injectors. These items on the flex fuel are more than sufficient in supplying fuel to the engine.

The very first thing I did was read the stock files in the ECM with the HP Tuner program, then I sent the log file to Whipple via email and within 1-2 days, I received my new tune for the truck for after the supercharger install. The next steps were to drain the coolant, and begin to remove components such as: stock intake manifold, alternator, fuel rails, stock belt tensioner and idler pulley, plus more.

There were a few hiccups that occurred during the install. The kit included an older wiring harness that I had to adapt to my truck, (this truck is my daily driver, and I couldn’t wait for the correct harness), older fuse tap, defective MAP sensor (GM part, which is installed before the intake manifold due to the location on the back of the engine), and the intake bulge pipe did not fit correctly. Other than these shortcomings, the install was not very difficult. The install of the heat exchanger and reservoir tank w/ circulation pump were a little confusing and time consuming, but with proper instructions, it should go easy.

Once everything was installed, I programed the truck for the new tune. I have been having issues with the tune. After speaking with a professional tuner, I discovered the computer for the 2500/3500hd 6.0L is only used in these trucks. The tuner explained that tuning these trucks are a PITA. I have an appointment on Friday to have mine dyno tuned. The shop that I am using does quite a bit of work with Whipple and actually makes a good number of their programs.

After that long-winded explanation, I do have to say, the low-end running issue I am having trouble with gets ironed out on Friday, but the Whipple Supercharger is an amazing product and makes amazing power. I will know more of exactly how much power it is making on Friday. I can say that 20 mph to 110 mph happens before you know it, and with a wide-open throttle, you will be forced into your seat.

I will update and answer any questions.

If you don't mind me asking what kind of low end running issue were  you having? I have a 2.9 Whipple on my 2014 5.3l and I am also having low end issue. 

Edited March 17, 2019 by Larry Cundiff
Spelling

[Biggerdogg01]

5 hours ago, Larry Cundiff said:

If you don't mind me asking what kind of low end running issue were  you having? I have a 2.9 Whipple on my 2014 5.3l and I am also having low end issue. 

Larry,

The issues that I had were from incorrect instructions. What type of low-end issues are you having?

 

[Biggerdogg01]

On 3/10/2019 at 10:45 PM, Biggerdogg01 said:

The weather here in New England is hit and miss (snow and ice) but I will be towing for the first time since installing the Whipple. We are taking our 5th Wheel to Tennessee. I am excited to see how the increase in hp/tq performance pulls the hills through PA and then once we get down in VA and TN. I will post the trip once I have something to post.

Oh, I also installed a Flex a Lite dual fan set-up pulling 6000cfm and leveled the truck with the Suspension Maxx leveling kit, very nice product. I came with stock spacers (I already have Bilsteins), and the kit come with from differential spacers which maintains the CV joint angle so the boots do not prematurally wear and also saves the joint.

Well, I learned several things on our trip from CT to TN. First of all, I need to speak with my tuner and find out if under driving the supercharger will keep me out of boost at certain rpm ranges. The tune in my truck is set up for the most horsepower, this does not make for the best towing, thank goodness it will be at least another year before I tow again. The second thing that I learned with a supercharger is, you cannot use cruise control! I love my cruise control, however, cruise control is set off vacuum, and when the engine starts making boost, the speed continues to climb and I would have to turn off the cruise.

One thing that was very enlightening, was while entering the interstate and picking up speed, many of the semi's that were already doing the speed limit, were amazed that I was able to out run them by the end of my on-ramp. I received many thumbs up from them.

And lastly..…….when your truck is set up for getting the most horsepower, I found out that the average fuel mileage for 850 miles turned out to be approx. 6-7 mpg towing a 14,000lb 5th wheel

[Larry Cundiff]

7 hours ago, Biggerdogg01 said:

Larry,

The issues that I had were from incorrect instructions. What type of low-end issues are you having?

 

Biggerdogg01 the problem I am having is throttle surges is the best way I can describe it. When I'm cruising about 70mph on the highway around 1900-2000 rpms and come to a slight incline/hill. It feels like someone is taping on the throttle rpms go up and down about 200 maybe 300 rpms it's very annoying. Whipple says I have an air leak. They asked me to do a smoke test and I couldn't find any leaks. I'm going to keep searching though.