I agree with sydways I too have 7.3 its an 03 model they are bullit proof.

My best friend just bought the LBZ (in a gay aqua blue color) and I keep tellin him to get a programmer for just the mileage increase alone. but the ones you mentioned are all that available. I don't think you should pay more money for Bullydog or banks. Edge has a good product but an off the shelf programm thats designed for a wide range of models isn't the best way to get the most out of your rig. A custom program specific to your truck, computer, gears, and modificatios is the only way to get the full potential out of it.

These Diesels have so much potential its unreal. Black smoke is a good thing. you'll see big rigs dump smoke when they leave a traffic light. When its tuned to run at its peak or maximum performance it will smoke under a load. The tranny's are the weakest point of all these rigs.

And about my mileage let me put it into perspective, I don't drive 55 all the time thats true. my foot is usually through the floor. but when i do drive easy I was getting those numbers. think about it if stock guys get 15-19 then a chip adding 5mpg isn't far fetched. Heck superchips guarantee's 1-3 mpg increase right on the box. thats based on a bone stock truck. so you throw on turbo back exhaust and an open intake 5mpg is very plausable. a K&N filter alone gives folks in all kinds of cars and trucks 1 mpg. food for thought

I agree with Troutly. Ford rushed to get the 6.0 out and I think they learned a valuable lesson, since they had so many problems and lost alot of customers (like myself) who bought GM or Dodge trucks.

a church that's downhill from his house....

1/ Black smoke is wasted unburnt fuel. Older big rigs smoke because of the inefficient fuel delivery system. Black smoke from a diesel in Europe will get you a ticket.

2/ K&N type filters on their own are not a good idea for turbo-diesels unless used with a sock or outerwear. Turbos at high boost will pull grit right through these type filters and damage your turbo.

My new one arrived today!

Exactly six weeks from order to arrival.

I'll post some pics after I get it "dressed".

I agree black smoke will get you a ticket. Its (the citation) based on the Ringleman chart and depends on how black it is and if it last longer than 5 seconds.

When you accelerate or rev the engine in other words there is a load greater than normal driving, a diesel tuned for maximum output will put out black smoke. Have you ever watched truck pulls? thats excessive but thats what I am talking about. Now if you are tooling down the road billowing smoke under regular driving conditions you need a ring job or you'll have to buy stock in oil.

I know what you are saying about unburnt fuel thats very valid but have you ever seen a diesel thats a bad ass mo fo not smoke when it leaves the line? Or climb a hill? So to say Black smoke is not what you want must be just for argument. A buddy of mine owns a hod rod shop here called Carmichaels customs. He is a trained Diesel mechanic that gave up the diesel stuff and now builds street rods. He put an older mechanical cummins in his 87 F350. He wins the truck pulls at every fair (local ones anyway) and does all the upgrades on my rig plus tons of others. his rig blows so much smoke that you will have to stop in the middle of the road and wait for it to clear before you can proceed. My point is that every diesel thats tricked out from race to a pull rig to guys everyday drivers smoke when they take off or put there foot in it. are all those guys wrong too?

Troutly thanks for beaten the dead horse. All I can give you is the rational that I did. I was speaking of any diesel. Appearantly you have something against guys with PSD's. You are obviously a Cummins guy so lets just agree to disagree about the mileage thing. I will give you this I think that cummins has the best thing out currently, i hope FORDs 6.4 when it ever gets here is up to the challenge. Why do you belong to TDS and not Dodge truck world or diesel truck world or diesel power mag.com?

My brother in law owns a Ford dealership. Blue runs in his veins. HE told me to not buy a Ford 6.0. He said used 7.3's don't last on his lot a week.....He said the 6.0 is one of the worst mistakes Ford has made for losing market share.

I also work for a utility company, and we have Ford 6.0's for serviceman bucket trucks, and they are POS's.....

When I test drove one, I loved it, but I listened to my brother-in-law's warning... The actual Ford truck is VERY nice, but the motors do not have a good rep..

I have a 204 F250 king Ranch crew cab with the 6.0. I bought it brand new, and have had zero problems with it. Ive towed my boat about 3,000 miles on it, My enclosed trailer a couple thousand, plowed snow, etc. It always fired up even at -25 deg windchills without being plugged in. I have recently added a superchips tuner, and a silverline stainless dual exhaust. I cant be happier with the truck.

I know many have had issues with their 6.0's. But the company I worked for had a fleet of duramax trucks with the Allison trannies that everyone brags about. Two of those trucks had the trannies replaced, one at 9k miles, the other at 13k. The Duramax itself I liked.

I think alot of it is personal preference. My truck has a 100k miles powertrain warranty, and I feel comfortable having that. There are more than a few guys out there with some high miles on their 6.0 powerstrokes. I know one guy who has 230k on his 03 and still purring like a kitten. The 7.3 was definatly a great diesel engine and my buddy has an 03 with a 7.3. Nice truck, but Ill take my 6.0 over it any day. His 7.3 is really noisy, and the power is no where near the 6.0.

Honestly, I would love to own any of them, Dodge, Chevy, or Ford. I think they have all come a long way compared to the trucks 20 years ago.

Most people on the web are constantly bashing the 6.0 powerstroke. I would bet that 90% of them that call the 6.0 a piece of junk, have 0 hours of seat time behind one. My buddy who has the 7.3 used to call me up and ask me for my assistance before he bought his truck a few months ago because he knew I owned a couple diesels before. I sent him some info, helped him shop, etc. he closes the deal on his 2003 F350 with the 7.3, and a few days later he goes over to the local camping store thats filled with hilrods who all claim to be truck guys, while only one guy there actaully owns a diesel. All the workers in there start talking trucks with him. So he calls me up, and now all of a sudden my buddy is a diesel expert. Mind you e had his truck less than a week. He begins telling what a p.o.s. the 6.0 is, and that he is so glad he got a 7.3. he starts rambling on about how the 7.3 gets better mileage, better built, has more power, etc, etc. Then he starts to tell me that I should have bought a 7.3. Well, he stopped talking after a week later we happened to be following each other over to the shop. He was in front and caught the red light. I pulled along side him and rolled my window down, I asked" lets see if my p.o.s. 6.0 could keep up with that 7.3, he was all smiles and reved his motor. The light turned green and his face dropped as I was thru the intersection before he moved 10ft.

The whole reason I went to a diesel was 100% for towing power. Thats it. I hope my engines last a million miles, but in the mean time I want something that hauls the load, and puts a smile on my face. The Ford straight 6 was a great engine, and would last a long time, but when its time to strap on a 10k lb load, I want the power to get the job done.

I would strongly disagree. I know alot of people who "bash" the 6.0 because they had a 6.0 and had alot of problems with it--including myself.

I had a 2003 Ford with the 6.0 and I had it for 10,000 miles or so and had alot of problems, so I traded it in. I had approx. 300,000 miles on a 7.3 diesel Ford, which approx. 275,000 miles were towing and it was a great truck!

To me the 7.3 is a MUCH BETTER motor. It did need a tuner and exhaust to wake it up. I am not bashing Ford, I like their trucks, just that the 6.0 was intoduced too early, way before the "bugs" were worked out. The 6.0 is all turbo boost and not enough low-end power.