2008 Ford Super Duty Power Stroke - 104 More Horsepower!

The new 6.4L Power Stroke offered in the '08 Ford Super Duty is full of new technology that helps it meet strict emissions standards while still offering the consumer class-leading diesel performance. However, this engine features some extremely complex electronics that provide aftermarket performance companies like Bully Dog with a whole new set of challenges when it comes to getting additional performance. Like it or not, the Power Stroke has gotten a lot more high-tech, so we visited Bully Dog to find out what it thought about the new common-rail system with piezo injectors and see what it was able to do with the new 6.4L.

"The 6.4L has really challenged our engineering staff because the Siemens 64-bit processor features more checks and balances than anything we've ever seen before," said vice president of engineering, Philip Klassen. We were able to tag along as Bully Dog installed a preproduction version of its performance management tool (PMT) on a 6.4L.

Easier Install
We were impressed with how easy the PMT was to install and the horsepower it was able to add to the 6.4L Power Stroke. The different displays on the gauge unit are definitely neat to play with and do a good job of displaying critical information in an easy-to-read format. The number of display options on the PMT may be a little overwhelming for some beginners, but once you decide what you want to know, the interface is easy to use and extremely informative.

Bully Dog's latest electronic...        read full caption Bully Dog's latest electronic gadget, the performance-management tool (PMT), is an onboard computer programmer that displays a number of engine readouts and adds power by saving a performance tune to the ECU. The PMT is basically a high-end digital gauge system combined with a downloader in a simple-to-install package.	One of the advantages of the...        read full caption One of the advantages of the complex electronic system in the 6.4L is that it has several sensors already installed on the engine that the Bully Dog engineers were able to tap into and display the readouts. For example, the 6.4L is equipped with a total of five separate exhaust-gas-temperature (EGT) probes: two in the exhaust-gas-recirculation (EGR) system and three in different locations of the exhaust system.	The PMT is extremely easy...        read full caption The PMT is extremely easy to install because no additional measuring devices have to be put in. On older diesels, customers needed to drill and tap the exhaust manifold and then run wiring for the EGT probe.
With the PMT's display mounted...        read full caption With the PMT's display mounted to the dash, the cable was routed from the display to the OBDII port. At this point, all you need to do is plug in the Bully Dog connector to the OBDII port under the dash, and the PMT interfaces with the truck's computer and displays the data on the PMT's digital screen.	The most complex part of the...        read full caption The most complex part of the 20-minute installation was finding a suitable 12-volt power wire to provide power to the display. With the help of a test light, the Bully Dog technicians chose a power wire next to the OBDII port and used an electrical connector to tap into the power. For the PMT to communicate correctly with the truck's ECU, the PMT uses an OBDII-to-USB conversion plug. For a clean installation, the panel on the end of the dash was removed and the wire was run underneath the dashboard.	The PMT's display can be mounted...        read full caption The PMT's display can be mounted pretty much anywhere the user wants to put it, but the simplest and best location is on the dash next to the A-pillar. A handy self-adhesive pad comes with the kit, so there's no need to drill any holes.