Quick Hit: EFILive’s Developments For The 2.8-Liter Duramax

The latest addition to the Duramax line is not one that’s big and burly, but rather one that’s small and potent for its size. The 2.8-liter inline four has had a fair amount of success abroad, and now that it’s here in the U.S., it’s geared to make a big impression on the truckbuyers who have wanted a midsize pickup combined with the capabilities of a diesel motor.

But factory vehicles can always be made to run better. Where it concerns tuning, EFILive is on the spot with new software designed to make these trucks perform to the peak of their abilities. Given that the New Zealand-based company has had exposure to the new Duramax for longer, it’s allowed EFILive to develop unique tuning software with a better understanding than the competition. We talked to Donna Blackmore for more information on this new software.

How did EFILive become interested in the 2.8L Duramax?

Donna Blackmore: The 2.8L Duramax was first released in non-USA markets in 2014. We’ve seen a significant trend in manufacturers moving towards smaller diesel engines and creating a tuning tool for a world-wide platform on technology we were already familiar with was a good fit. This engine is currently paired with the T43 transmission, which we’ve supported in GM Gas vehicles since early 2008 – the icing on the cake was that GM eventually decided to take this platform combination to the US market.

What is DSP4? How long has it been around?

DB: Duramax Switchable Performance for switching tunes on the fly has been around since 2007 for Duramax LB7 and LLY. 2.8L Duramax DSP4 was released in September 2015 for non-USA vehicles. Within weeks of the USA vehicles hitting the streets, our March 2016 software release delivered the first tuning parameter software for USA based vehicles as well as DSP4.

Using both V7 and V8 software versions is required to do tuning on the Duramax, according to the user guide. Could you explain, in the simplest terms, what V7 and V8 do and how they would work on FlashScan products? Also, how long until V8 absorbs V7 software?

DB: V8 software ‘manages’ our FlashScan and AutoCal hardware – the software makes the devices function and allows the user to configure the device to best suit their needs.  It’s also the program that allows users to read and flash the ECM/TCM.

V7 software is used to edit the tuning parameters and upgrade to DSP4. It was first released 15 years ago, and was designed to interface with the GM Gas LS1 controller. Since then we’ve expanded to support a total of 45 different GM Gas, GM Diesel, Dodge Cummins, & various transmission controllers. The software flexibility required to quickly and efficiently add new controllers just doesn’t exist in V7, and we’ve become so much smarter in our processes so we are redeveloping our software to deliver better results and features to our customers.

We don’t have a time frame for when the V8 software will completely replace the V7 software, but we do expect new platforms to be solely released on V8 within the next 18 months. V8 isn’t designed to be a static product – we’ve got lots of design and development ideas lined up to keep delivering users the best tuning experience as tuning platforms and technology changes drive innovation.

How long would it take to get EFILive’s tunes working on a Duramax?

DB: The read and flash process consumes just a matter of minutes, but customers can data log and edit tune files to their heart’s content. It really depends on the goal of the user – simply tuning for better fuel economy and power gains might take a couple of hours for a new tuner, or 15-20 minutes for a tuner shop. But if you want to data log and dial in hard part changes, expect the process to be much longer.

Once installed, what features and benefits does EFILive’s software do for the Duramax?

DB: Fuel economy & power gains will be the biggest reasons people want to tune their trucks. Control over injection events is also important, but for those who want to add hard parts like twin turbos the EFILive software will assist in getting the best performance from these upgrades.

DSP4 delivers switchable tuning on the fly, so for those customers who switch from towing to performance tunes or race tunes, this feature will allow pre-loaded tunes to be changed without spending a few minutes to reflash the ECM.

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