Stage 3 Off-Road

Reflashing your Powerstroke's PCM with a new tune is, without a doubt, the best, easiest and most cost-effective way to get huge power gains out of your Superduty. SCT, H&S Performance, Diablosport and Superchips all have tuners with pre-loaded performance tunes designed to pull massive power and torque out Ford's big diesels. The best news is that the highest-powered canned tunes available from these companies can give your truck up to an additional 120 horsepower while boosting torque to nearly 1000ft/lbs. Even the lowest horsepower tunes (which still add an extremely impressive 40 horsepower), practically eliminate the absurd amount of turbo lag that has plagued the Powerstrokes since their inception. Despite all of their inherent benefits, many of these tunes require some amount of preparation to keep your truck from hurting itself with its new-found power.

Our best-selling tuner for Powerstroke diesels is the H&S XRT Pro which contains several high performance tunes for 2003 to 2012 Super Duty pickups. This basic tuner hooks into your OBD-II port using an included connector cable. The easy to follow display allows you to select from one of three tunes that account for the presence of a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and a set of three high-powered, off-road, ''race'' tunes for truckers who have removed their DPF for closed-course competitions. The XRT Pro can upload the new tune in a matter of minutes through the use of simple on-screen instructions. The tuner saves your factory file, just in case you run into issues. You can even download software/firmware updates and new tuning files from the internet unto your home computer and then transfer the new files to the tuner using the USB cord included in the package. While the XRT Pro can upload and store new tunes, it can't provide you a constant analysis of your Super Duty's performance like it's higher-tech cousins, the Mini Maxx and Black Maxx tuners. These tuners mount onto your dash and have a constant connection to your truck's computer system, giving you a live feed of up to four different parameters including boost pressure, RPMs, coolant temperature, fuel pressure and many others. Both H&S Maxx series tuners can adjust tune settings on the fly, ironing out powertrain management issues as they come up.

SCT Performance offers much of the same lineup as their competitors over at H&S. Their lineup of handheld programmers come packed with performance tunes that can give your Super Duty's Powerstroke Diesel up to an extra 120 horsepower based on just the tune alone. The SCT tuners hook into your OBD-II ports and can also read and clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs). Each SF3 and X-Calibrator 3 tuner can receive updated software and new tune files from your PC using a standard USB cord that comes with each tuner. SCT's Touch Screen Extreme Tuner offers a functional touch screen system with live monitoring and data logging functions and includes a handy windshield mount for optimum viewing and ergonomic considerations. The best thing about all of SCT's tuners is that Stage 3 Off-Road can build you your own custom tune that is specifically designed to get the most power out of your truck. All you have to do is send us some information on your Super Duty and we'll build you a tune and send it to you via email. All you have to do is transfer the tuning file onto your SCT tuner from your PC and then upload it to your truck's computer. When you order a custom tune from Stage 3 Off-Road, you are immediately qualified for our Loyalty Tunes Program where you can receive free tunes for life on selected products that require tuning or whose performance can be improved through tuning. Stage 3 can currently tune for 7.3L, 6.0L and 6.4L Powerstroke engines. We're currently in the process of collecting sufficient data on the new 6.7L in the 2011 Super Dutys and hope to provide tunes for them as soon as possible.

While a super powerful tune that gives your truck over a 1000ft/lbs of torque sounds awesome, your truck will need extensive upgrades in order to handle the extra power. All trucks looking to run the best tunes out there from H&S and SCT will at least need a cold air intake, exhaust upgrades and possibly an exhaust gas temperature (EGT) gauge mounted in one of our many gauge pods. Granted, you can skip the entire gauge process altogether by purchasing a tuner capable of displaying EGTs like SCT's Touch Screen Xtreme, H&S Mini Maxx or Black Maxx. 6.4L and the new 6.7L Powerstrokes display their EGT information through their OBD-II port. Older trucks will require a pyrometer probe to be installed into their exhaust manifolds in order to pull an EGT reading. EGT temperatures should not stray above 1400 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods of time in order to avoid engine or turbo damage. Tunes that push 6.4L, 6.3L and older 7.3L Powerstrokes beyond the 1000ft/lb mark will also need to have a set of cylinder head studs from ARP. These studs are heat-treated prior to threading and are rated up to 190,000psi. ARP's studs prevent head gasket failure that's all too common on older trucks with serious tunes.

If you don't have the time, energy, cash flow or technical know-how to prep your truck for ultra-torque tuning, then using one of the lower-tiered tunes present on your choice of tuner is a perfectly viable option. The basic tunes from SCT and H&S that give anywhere from 40 to 60 extra horsepower are excellent tunes for Super Duty owners that want more power out of stock Ford trucks. These ''towing'' tunes give pretty good power gains, but more importantly get rid of turbo lag to get you more low-end torque for improved towing and drivability. Medium level tunes (usually called ''street'' tunes) in the 70 to 90 horsepower range generally require at least a cold air intake, if not exhaust upgrades and are perfect for aggressive street driving, off-roading or duning on the weekends where your truck would require some extra power to plow throw the underbrush. Big ''performance'' tunes are meant for the Super Duty owner who does consistent, serious driving or competes in off-road or track events, but shouldn't be used for towing.

The popularity of diesel tuning has literally exploded over the last few years, making PCM reflashing the go-to upgrade for Powerstroke users. The ease of use, excellent power gains and arguably the best horsepower-to-dollar value on the Super Duty performance aftermarket causes most of customers to flock to tuner companies like SCT, H&S and Bully Dog in huge numbers. Still, it's important to prepare your truck for all of the horsepower and torque caused by powerful performance tunes. Ford's Powerstroke diesel engines can easily be pushed to power ratings where it can seriously harm itself or other truck components through tuning alone. Careful monitoring of EGTs and increasing engine airflow are absolute necessities when contemplating higher-tiered tuning. Contact or call Stage 3 Off-Road at 1-877-5-STAGE3 or 623-434-5277 to find out more about diesel tuning, to start building a custom tune or with any questions or comments.