[Osmosis]

I just purchased a used superchips 3715 for my 02 dakota.

I have a ton of tuning experience with some previous hot rods, currenty use Code 59 for my 93 GMC Typhoon. However, I purchased the superchips 3715 chip for an easy plug an play program for my dakota. I'm not too familiar with the plug and play units, and I have no plans on using my dakota for anything but my daily driver. That being said, I I was hoping to squeeze more gas mpg out of a plug and play programer the superchip 3715 kit I bought. I have heard it has a gas saver mode, but I've yet to see that mode. The only modes I see are, 1- performance mode, 2- towing mode, and 3-87 octane mode, that's it. From what I v'e read, It sounds like there is an economy or gas saver mode I have yet to find.

Now, when I go into the modes, I only get performance (91 octane), towing, and 87 octane for the options. I try and custom tune the chip and I get options to eliminate the speedometer limiter, RPM limiter, and tire size. that's it........
No gas saver or economy mode.

I have also read that you can change shift poins and such, but the prameters in the superchips seems limited to what I have read. What do I need to do to make this chip change shift points? and better yet, what do I need to do to make the chip go into gas economy mode???????

Thanks for the help

Oz

 

[FastQC4.7]

I just purchased a used superchips 3715 for my 02 dakota.

I have a ton of tuning experience with some previous hot rods, currenty use Code 59 for my 93 GMC Typhoon. However, I purchased the superchips 3715 chip for an easy plug an play program for my dakota. I'm not too familiar with the plug and play units, and I have no plans on using my dakota for anything but my daily driver. That being said, I I was hoping to squeeze more gas mpg out of a plug and play programer the superchip 3715 kit I bought. I have heard it has a gas saver mode, but I've yet to see that mode. The only modes I see are, 1- performance mode, 2- towing mode, and 3-87 octane mode, that's it. From what I v'e read, It sounds like there is an economy or gas saver mode I have yet to find.

Now, when I go into the modes, I only get performance (91 octane), towing, and 87 octane for the options. I try and custom tune the chip and I get options to eliminate the speedometer limiter, RPM limiter, and tire size. that's it........
No gas saver or economy mode.

I have also read that you can change shift poins and such, but the prameters in the superchips seems limited to what I have read. What do I need to do to make this chip change shift points? and better yet, what do I need to do to make the chip go into gas economy mode???????

Thanks for the help

Oz

3715 does not have a Fuel Economy tune on it. The newer 3815 does, but the 3715 does not. Your best fuel economy is going to be on the 91 octane tuning anyway. More timing = Better MPG. I played with the MPG mode on my 2006 Ram and around town on the highway, went the same driving loop on different nights, in minimal traffic, no idle, same speeds and found the 91 octane mode a good 2 mpg better than stock and nearly 1.5 mpg better than the MPG mode. All the MPG mode did is turn my truck into a gutless pig with no power at all, couldn't even pull a 2% grade without downshifting into 3rd.

 

[Osmosis]

Does the 91 tune require 91 octane fuel for good gas mpg. The reason I purchased this tuner was to squeeze 2 or more mpg out of my truck. I have a long commute each day to work and was hoping to get 20mpg out of my 2002 dakota crew cab 4x4 truck ( all stock minus the chip and KnN air filter..auto tranny). My previous F250 got a whopping 10-11mpg. I needed a truck and the dakota fit the bill. Now, so far my best gas mpg has been 16.5mpg I"m hoping to find 20. All freeway driving by the way.

I"ve heard of some here using the preformance tune with 87Octane. My delema here is that I tune my Typhoon and trust me, YOU CAN NOT HEAR when your truck is knocking. You can, but at that point...wow, very bad, VERY BAD. Maybe not so much on a NA engine, but still not good. that begin said, I am tempted to try running the 91 tune on 87 gas IF I can get better gas mpg ouf of my truck. I"m easy on her so I'm not too worried about detonation as I rarely mash the pedal down. I don't think I 'll run into much problems with this tune with 87 octane and with the way I drive the dakota. I do floor it on my Typhoon, but not the dakota. I"m just looking for others here running the 91 tune with 87 octane in the tank and their experiences?

Thanks for the info

 

[dakota g33k]

yes the 91 performance (and the towing perf) tune requires 91 octane fuel.

i've used all three modes on my 3715, and the best mpg i've pulled was 22 mpg, keeping the rpm at 2000 or lower on long highway trips. my truck, though is a 2wd v6 though and i haven't used the 87 tune since 2005 when i decided to go with the 91 mode.

but for local in-town driving, i'll usually only get 12-16 mpg

 

[SteveBeRT]

I have the 3815 and have used all of the tunes on my 01 RT and my MPG was about the same on all of them. If you are not interested in performance, I would just load the 87 octane tune. I like the performance and so I run the 91 performance tune. And mine is a DD also.

 

[Wrider]

I know mine is a manual so it isn't quite the same... But I went from about 14.25 in the city to pulling around 16.5 by using the 87 octane tune.

 

[Osmosis]

I just ran a tank of 87 on the 91 performance tune. I can tell by my gas tank reading that I did get better gas mpg. After 3 shifts @ work to-&-from it used to take 3/4 a tank. Now, I'm just between 1/4 and 1/2. usually, i'm at 1/4 and a hair above.

I did not change my driving habits so I'm curious to see my gas mpg. Best I got on stock was 16.5, all Hwy driving. Next week, I"m going to try the 87 tune.

Normally, I would have not used the performance tune 91, however, I do all hwy driving on my truck and rarely getinto the throttle. I've read a few guys get better gas mpg on the 91 tune. I'm gonna try all 3 tunes each week to see if there is much difference.

I"ll post my results as maybe this will help someone out

 

[Wrider]

I just ran a tank of 87 on the 91 performance tune. I can tell by my gas tank reading that I did get better gas mpg. After 3 shifts @ work to-&-from it used to take 3/4 a tank. Now, I'm just between 1/4 and 1/2. usually, i'm at 1/4 and a hair above.

I did not change my driving habits so I'm curious to see my gas mpg. Best I got on stock was 16.5, all Hwy driving. Next week, I"m going to try the 87 tune.

Normally, I would have not used the performance tune 91, however, I do all hwy driving on my truck and rarely getinto the throttle. I've read a few guys get better gas mpg on the 91 tune. I'm gonna try all 3 tunes each week to see if there is much difference.

I"ll post my results as maybe this will help someone out

Just so you know the Superchips install managed to recalibrate my gas gauge, so use the old school method of calculating gas mileage.

 

[Osmosis]

no shit

Well, my gas mpg has not changed at all. I drove my truck as normal. I passed a few people but never was "on it" much at all.

16.5 mpg average driving speed has been 67mph. This is using 87 Octane on the 91 perfromance mode.

Now I have the 87 octane mode with a full tank. We'll see what results in a week or two.

 

[01Motorsport]

Hey, Osmosis; welcome to Dak-Dur.
You really need to use mostly 91+ octane to see any mpg gain from the Superchips. The mpg improvement should counteract the extra fuel cost. 100% gasoline may help, if you can find any.
I've used the Superchips 91 program for over 4 years now. It was good for a solid 1 mpg improvement, but I had already done other MPG mods, like air intake, y-pipe, hi-flow cat, cat-back exhaust, and synthetic fluids. I do get 19 to 20.5 mpg without using A/C, 18.5-19 with A/C. That's with a RC 4.7 with manual tranny weighing 3759 curb weight (4000+ in normal use). The heaviest 1997-2004 Dakotas were V8 Quad Cab 4x4's, almost 4500 pounds curb weight. So in reality, 16.5 mpg nearly stock for a truck like yours is pretty good.
The single best mpg boost I ever got from a mod event was replacing the highly restrictive factory y-pipe with a Magnaflow unit, followed by a Carsound (Magnaflow) hi-flow cat. converter. Solid 1 mpg there, too. The exhaust and Superchips are very cost effective; they pay for themselves at the pump.
BTW, tire pressure is the number one overlooked factor in mpg. Find the max pressure on the sidewall and back off 5 psi for starters.

 

[Osmosis]

I appreciate the comments guys,

I am frustrated as the sticker tag sales price stated 18mpg on the hwy, mayge that's @ 60 mph? My best friend has a manual and gets 20-22 on the freeway. I"m getting 16.5 so far. I regret selling my F250 Loved that truck, but the dakota seemed to fit the bill. In comparison, the dakota is a HUGE value compared to the toyota's that have less power, less room and a higher price tag!

As for my dakota, I'm done with the exception of the chip kit. I"m gonna mess around and see if I get any better gas mpg on 87. The price for 91 will be off set with the cost, may even cost more to run 91 with the increase of 1 mpg. That being said, gonna experiment with 2 more tank fulls to and from work one shift rotation each and see if I get any better gas mpg. Tire pressure is at max - 5psi Either way, that dakota is a much better purchase than a toyota when looking at price points, interior room and towing capacity....and it's made in the USA

 

[Wrider]

Really? 16 on the highway? My 4.7 Dakota got 18.25 driving hard (anywhere from 60-110) before I put on the superchips.

 

[Osmosis]

I just put new plugs in gapped @ .040, KnN air filter, oil change and the superchips 3715. What gives?

O2 4x4 auto

 

[01Motorsport]

Really? 16 on the highway? My 4.7 Dakota got 18.25 driving hard (anywhere from 60-110) before I put on the superchips.

Again, we're talking about a Quad Cab 4x4 automatic's mpg.
One thing to consider in your future maintenance, Osmosis, is synthetic fluid in both the transfer case and the rearend. That should help minimize friction (mpg loss)from the 4x4 setup.

 

[Osmosis]

I"M changing my oil today. I only use Amsoil in my vehicles. I will eventuall swap out the tranny oil. I'll have to take it to a shop so they can run out all the oil tranny oil and fill it with synthetic.

This shift set, I"m using the 87 octane tune. Who knows, maybe I might get better mpg?

 

[01Motorsport]

This is one of those little things, but they all add up. Extensive idling can cause you to lose as much as 1 mpg on a tankful. You can fight this a couple of ways. *Take a path with fewer traffic lights/ stop-n-go. *At a daytime "known" long stop, like a familiar long traffic light, RR crossing, or real slow bank teller or drive thru, shut 'er down. You may be surprised how much gas you save. Just be sure that your battery isn't crap :funny:

 

[Osmosis]

01 motorsport, where did you purchase the Y-pipe kit and for how much? I"m assuming it was a direct bolt on to the stock exhaust manifolds? Just thinking of futre ...possible mods

Work week 2 starts tomorrow with the 87 tune...gas mpg we will see!

 

[Jackedak03]

My 03 Dakota quad cab 4x4 4.7 3.55 auto got around 19-20mpg's all highway when I first bought it. It had 245/70/16's on it and I cruised at 70mph.

A few variables to take into account-
1. What is your tire size?
2. What is the gearing on your truck (their should be a tag inside your glove box)
3. How many miles are on it?
4. What speed are you at on the highway?
5. Are the roads flat or hilly?

Towards the end of my ownership I couldn't break 16mpg mixed with my Dakota. Not really bad considering my area is all hill's and I'm sure the elevation is a little higher as well. I traded with about 80k miles but never changed the 02 sensors. I think one of this biggest things people overlook when trying to get better MPG's is the 02 sensors. I try to replace mine every 60k miles. Might be something to look into.

 

[Wrider]

The other thing you have to keep in mind is that elevation DOES make a difference in your MPG. Lower elevation = more oxygen in the air, therefore more fuel needed to burn correctly, plus harder to push through the thicker (and often more humid) air.

 

[01Motorsport]

01 motorsport, where did you purchase the Y-pipe kit and for how much? I"m assuming it was a direct bolt on to the stock exhaust manifolds? Just thinking of futre ...possible mods

Work week 2 starts tomorrow with the 87 tune...gas mpg we will see!

Magnaflow makes a bunch of y and x pipes. Mine cost about $40. I had the muffler shop change the pipes from the manifolds from 2" to 2 1/2" up to the y-pipe, and replaced the 2 1/2" cat. with a 3". www.magnaflow.com under products/ pipes and tubing.