What are my exhaust upgrade options?

[Ridgerunr]

We just picked up our used 2016 NV3500 SL high roof cargo, and I was wondering about exhaust options. I've been looking around and can't really seem to find anything for the NV. We plan on towing a large travel trailer and are looking for improved performance. I read posts about the bully dog programmer and that seems like a nice option as well. Any info would be helpful.

[ASD Dad]

People have installed Titan exhausts with modifications.  Nothing out there just bolts right up but most can be made to fit by any competent shop.  Headers should fit as well if you want to go that route.

 

Highly recommend the Bully Dog and several others do as well.  Getting rid of the throttle restriction at take off will be the biggest game changer when towing.  Makes a total night and day transformation of the van.  

 

Titan intakes also fit with minor mods.  I had the Airaid which was the highest rated Titan intake with proven dyno results.  It just droned way too much when towing.  If I didnt tow so much I would have left it on but it was really annoying to the family when we were towing.

[Ridgerunr]

Thanks for the info.

[trdriver71]

I was just reading on the titan forum and one guy said he had his titan dynod before and after a bdgt and it acually lost him power i can see the wot at the start making a difference but other than that i would go with the type of programmer that flashes the ecm like the uprev to make a difference. 

Edited January 28, 2017 by trdriver71

[ASD Dad]

I was just reading on the titan forum and one guy said he had his titan dynod before and after a bdgt and it acually lost him power i can see the wot at the start making a difference but other than that i would go with the type of programmer that flashes the ecm like the uprev to make a difference. 

 

Have a link?  I researched tuners for months before picking the Bully Dog and it was by far the most tested and well reviewed tuner out there.  I looked at dozens of dyno charts and even tons of time slips where people were running back to back runs with different settings.  The biggest time slip advantage was the WOT restriction removal but even with rolling starts there were differences.  

 

You are also misinformed.  The BDGT DOES flash the ECM.  If you dont believe me, go ask one of the many who bricked their ECM from a bad flash or not following instructions.  BD also tells you to remove it for any service work, if they try and do any ECU work while your vehicle is in service that will brick the ECU and it will also render your BD useless the next time you hook it up.  That is also why there are very specific tunes that need to be downloaded for every make and model vehicle and the year.  I had to wait 2 weeks for BD to make a tune for my van.

 

Superchips and others also flash the ECU.  The biggest and really only reason to use UpRev is they offer custom tuning.  If you go with something like headers, intakes, cams or the Stillen Supercharger then you must use UpRev.  None of the others offer a tune that will work with those aftermarket parts.  You should also only get an UpRev tune from a dealer who can tune it on the dyno.  That is UpRev's biggest advantage, they can tweak it per vehicle on a dyno with the mods you have installed.  If you only have simple bolt ons there is no reason to go the UpRev route and pay a lot more money unless you really just want a custom tune for your exact vehicle.  You can always tell UpRev what mods you have and they can make you a custom program but it will be a best guess by their engineers.  An UpRev tune for the NV the last I checked runs an easy $1000.  They dont have a factory tune for the NV and treat it as custom.  You can get a BDGT, intake and exhaust for that much money.

 

BD and others like Superchips play the middle game and offer "safe" tunes for basic mods along with doing things like removing the throttle restriction, changing engine timing, etc.  There is only so much that can be done to a gas motor to tweak it.  Diesel guys get the big gains but they can play with boost pressure and other tweaks.  

[trdriver71]

if the bully dog tuner flashes the emc then you should be able to remove it and those changes are still in the ecm right because that what flashing the ecm means that it reprograms the original setting with there not just try to trick the computer that 

 

http://www.titantalk.com/forums/titan-performance-modifications/126337-does-bully-dog-gt-really-work.html#post2335368

 

https://theshopmag.com/features/do-engine-programmers-really-work-here-s-facts 

 

you will notice in this last article it says nothing about flashing the computer. when I watch shows like horsepower tv and they flash the computer it is just something they attach to the car do a download to it and unplug it. 

[ASD Dad]

Haven't read links yet but you need to research BD and Superchips more. They both fully flash the ECU and you can remove both from the vehicle after flashing. Most remove the Superchips since it doesn't do much after the fact. The BDGT is a scangauge among other things showing many different configurable variables. You can also adjust things like engine timing on the fly. That is why people leave the BDGT hooked up.

 

When I refernced removing the tuner it wasn't the gauge. You need to flash the ECU back to stock before taking it in for dealer service. It's not 100% required but much safer. If there's some small update they need to flash the ECU for you risk bricking it and even if it does work the BDGT will not the next time it's plugged in.

 

I think you're confusing a flasher like BD and UpRev with something like the Hypertech Interceptor. That hijacks the signal without actually flashing the ECU. Safer for the computer but that was junk on my Tundra.