Click here and scroll down for the install! The Edge Products Company in Ogden, Utah, has established a reputation for producing one of the most advanced diesel fuel-management computer chip upgrades available. And with the introduction of Edge's Attitude II, or A2, fuel management is taken to an entirely new level. Similar to the Attitude, the A2 will monitor turbo boost, rpm, exhaust gas temperature (EGT), and show the percentage of fuel backdown to maintain a safe EGT. The driver can set the Max EGT, and when the temperature approaches that maximum level, the Juice automatically adjusts fuel and timing to avoid any possible damage to the engine.
The driver can also set a Low Boost Fuel level for more power off the line and, through the Edge Evolution module (sold separately), modify fuel levels during wide-open throttle shifting for less wear on the transmission and overall improved driveability. A level of Max Boost can be set, with an alarm to warn you when it has been exceeded. That's about where the similarities to the Attitude end. The larger memory bank in the A2 will memorize engine parameter values that your vehicle produces, such as rpm and backdown percent, and it will also capture 0-60 and quarter-mile times.
The new larger color LCD monitor will display actual speed (corrected for non-stock tire diameters), percentage of auto transmission slippage, engine temp, trans temp, throttle percentage, engine load, and barometric pressure. For those of us who still like to look at little needles, the A2 will display virtual full-sweep gauges for boost and EGT, with a choice of background colors. Feeling lost? Push a button on the A2 LCD monitor and a full-feature GPS with turn-by-turn voice prompting pops up. The voice prompt also names the upcoming street to turn on. The GPS will show routes, ETA, and include thousands of points of interest, such as restaurants, rest stops, fuel stations, and emergency facilities. Push another button to display the screen for the weatherproof wireless rearview camera. It can be mounted anywhere, to assist in hooking up a trailer, backing into your favorite campsite, watching the kids playing in the camper, or keeping an eye on the dog or your mother-in-law you left in the fifth-wheel.
During a recent visit to the Edge facilities, we had the opportunity to drive an '05 Power Stroke with a pre-production version of the A2. The new external temperature gauge on our F-350 4x4 Crew Cab showed a chilly 37 degrees F, so we didn't feel out of place with four snowmobiles in tow as we headed into the Wasatch Mountains behind Ogden. The loaded trailer weighed in at 6,860 pounds, and our combined GVW was 14,780 pounds. As recommended by Edge, we set the Juice to power level No. 2 for towing.
Finding a deserted backroad outside of town, we made several 0-60-mph and 40-60-mph runs. For consistency, we kept the transmission in the Tow/Haul mode, the Max EGT at a safe 1,350 degrees F, and the Low Boost mode at its No. 5 setting. Going from zero to 60 mph while pulling the trailer, we had an average of 14.7 seconds. Accelerating from 40 to 60, to simulate pulling out to pass a semitruck, took an even 7 seconds, which is impressive, considering we were at more than 4,000 feet in elevation. We could imagine even faster results at sea level. Switching back to a factory stock power level, those times jumped correspondingly to 18.05 seconds and 9.4 seconds.