Bully Dog Rapid Power module for Sprinter
- Thread starter durendal
- Start date
gary 32
07 ncv3 pv
I own an 07 with an ecu tune, (I answered your past posts), I bought the largest power increase I could find because if I am going to risk my warranty it might as well be worth it. I know not everyone will share my opinions. The drive ability difference is night and day and the big van is actually quick. I feel safer being able to get out of my own way. I use the extra power responsibly, the mileage increase around town is impressive.
I have a new product from Bully Dog the watchdog. I can watch boost, egt, oil temps and real time fuel mileage on (1) 3"x4" display all at once. There are 16 other functions I can monitor with the simple push of a button. It also has a "driving coach" to help you be more efficient. I followed a tidy post on this forum for scan gauge install, (driver left plastic air bag cover small hole at bottom), it plugs into a released obd port and needs a switched power source, thats it. I paid a 221.98 shipped for the monitor. I am still dialing in the driving coach feature but all other gauges work as advertised, great product.
My point is you are risking your investment. It might not be a bad idea to see exactly how far you are pushing your Sprinter with any alterations. For instance, I now know that boost has been raised to 22 pounds and that my egts, oil and coolant temps are all in a nice safe range. But also know that any tuning may find a weak link in your Sprinter, that will be your dime.
I have a new product from Bully Dog the watchdog. I can watch boost, egt, oil temps and real time fuel mileage on (1) 3"x4" display all at once. There are 16 other functions I can monitor with the simple push of a button. It also has a "driving coach" to help you be more efficient. I followed a tidy post on this forum for scan gauge install, (driver left plastic air bag cover small hole at bottom), it plugs into a released obd port and needs a switched power source, thats it. I paid a 221.98 shipped for the monitor. I am still dialing in the driving coach feature but all other gauges work as advertised, great product.
My point is you are risking your investment. It might not be a bad idea to see exactly how far you are pushing your Sprinter with any alterations. For instance, I now know that boost has been raised to 22 pounds and that my egts, oil and coolant temps are all in a nice safe range. But also know that any tuning may find a weak link in your Sprinter, that will be your dime.
I took the plunge and installed a Bully Dog Rapid Power Module on a 2009 Sprinter 2500 170" EXT Midwest Automotive Design conversion van and so far, I've been quite pleased. There is a noticeable increase in power in the 30-60 mph range and the power delivery seems a little less "lumpy" and the engine response is also a little bit better. I also purchased a Bully Dog Watch Dog monitor. I used the performance test function of the Bully Dog monitor and the 0-60 time dropped by .8 seconds from 17.6 to 16.8 seconds (I, unlike most testers, am driving the vehicle like I OWN it and not like I stole it.) So to me this was a realistic performance test with accelerating from a stop with the engine just above idle and then going, not some 3,000 RPM drop it into drive and see if you can get the rear wheels to break loose test (I save that type of performance test for the last day before I return my BMW at the end of its lease)! The tests were performed on different days and at slightly different temperatures, so back to back results may have yielded a different result.
I cannot imagine anyone buying a Sprinter and being really concerned about performance, but it does make it much more enjoyable being able to keep up with urban and suburban traffic after the Bully Dog upgrade. My biggest complaint before was when keeping up with that 40-60 mph traffic and sometimes having to run the engine at WOT to keep up with the varying speed. Now I don't feel like "that guy" that is slowing down all of the traffic and having everyone try to cut me off because they don't want to be behind the slow poke. Now I just get cut off by the people that don't want to follow a 25 foot long, 9 foot tall silver behemoth.
In addition, I installed a K&N Air Filter and had the tires filled with Nitrogen at a local dealer. The K&N probably adds a negligible amount of power/mpg and the Nitrogen filled tires do a better job at maintaining tire pressure. Before the NitroFill, I would see swings of 12 psi in the tires from cold to hot and the TPMS would give me an alarm when I first started the engine, but then would go off after 5-10 miles of driving. Now I only see a 2-3 psi change from cold to warm/hot tires.
Overall, I have seen a modest improvement in mpg. with 16.8 vs 16.5 for mostly city driving (over about 800 miles), and 22.9 vs 22.3 for simple set it on cruise control highway driving (over about 500 miles) with these upgrades. However, I have found myself more assertive in accelerating in traffic to see if I can detect any difference with the new found power. So after the "new" of the engine upgrade wears off, I may see even more improvements.
A couple of notes on the various products:
1. The Bully Dog module includes instructions, but the pictures are from either a Mercedes SUV or Sedan with the same engine and not the Sprinter. You will have to use some torx bits to remove the air box and some engine cover pieces on the rear passenger side of the engine. Not a major deal, but it is not a mere 20 minute install like the sales brochure may lead you to believe. Unless you are a pro, give yourself about 2 hours on a nice sunny day to do this.
2. The prices of the Bully Dog unit are fairly consistent across the board. Most will show a MSRP of around $599 and will sell them for around $510. I lucked up and bought this from AutoAnything.com when they were running a 15% off + free shipping special back before Christmas. Unfortunately, the sale did not apply to the K&N filter which is fairly consistent in price no matter where you purchase it from. A local dealership was running a service special on the NitroFill for the tires and it was $45 (including Nitrofill's roadside service and travel "benefits" which comes with the package), but typical cost is $55-$60 in my area.
3. The Bully Dog Watch Dog monitor is nice, but it is not something I use very often like I originally thought I would. It connects to the OBD port, but the connector has the wire coming out facing the front or firewall of the vehicle and then you must feed it up to the small screen. And unless you want to hard wire it to your vehicle so that it only operates when the engine is running, you must unplug it when not in use since it could drain your battery in a matter of a few days (there is no off button on the unit).
Would I do this all over again? Yes. I can see and feel the difference in everyday power and response. However, If I was using my bean counter side to make the decision, I factored it would take about 120,000 miles of driving to recoup the cost (unless I start seeing more than .6 mpg improvement which is a possibility if I can control my right foot).
I cannot imagine anyone buying a Sprinter and being really concerned about performance, but it does make it much more enjoyable being able to keep up with urban and suburban traffic after the Bully Dog upgrade. My biggest complaint before was when keeping up with that 40-60 mph traffic and sometimes having to run the engine at WOT to keep up with the varying speed. Now I don't feel like "that guy" that is slowing down all of the traffic and having everyone try to cut me off because they don't want to be behind the slow poke. Now I just get cut off by the people that don't want to follow a 25 foot long, 9 foot tall silver behemoth.
In addition, I installed a K&N Air Filter and had the tires filled with Nitrogen at a local dealer. The K&N probably adds a negligible amount of power/mpg and the Nitrogen filled tires do a better job at maintaining tire pressure. Before the NitroFill, I would see swings of 12 psi in the tires from cold to hot and the TPMS would give me an alarm when I first started the engine, but then would go off after 5-10 miles of driving. Now I only see a 2-3 psi change from cold to warm/hot tires.
Overall, I have seen a modest improvement in mpg. with 16.8 vs 16.5 for mostly city driving (over about 800 miles), and 22.9 vs 22.3 for simple set it on cruise control highway driving (over about 500 miles) with these upgrades. However, I have found myself more assertive in accelerating in traffic to see if I can detect any difference with the new found power. So after the "new" of the engine upgrade wears off, I may see even more improvements.
A couple of notes on the various products:
1. The Bully Dog module includes instructions, but the pictures are from either a Mercedes SUV or Sedan with the same engine and not the Sprinter. You will have to use some torx bits to remove the air box and some engine cover pieces on the rear passenger side of the engine. Not a major deal, but it is not a mere 20 minute install like the sales brochure may lead you to believe. Unless you are a pro, give yourself about 2 hours on a nice sunny day to do this.
2. The prices of the Bully Dog unit are fairly consistent across the board. Most will show a MSRP of around $599 and will sell them for around $510. I lucked up and bought this from AutoAnything.com when they were running a 15% off + free shipping special back before Christmas. Unfortunately, the sale did not apply to the K&N filter which is fairly consistent in price no matter where you purchase it from. A local dealership was running a service special on the NitroFill for the tires and it was $45 (including Nitrofill's roadside service and travel "benefits" which comes with the package), but typical cost is $55-$60 in my area.
3. The Bully Dog Watch Dog monitor is nice, but it is not something I use very often like I originally thought I would. It connects to the OBD port, but the connector has the wire coming out facing the front or firewall of the vehicle and then you must feed it up to the small screen. And unless you want to hard wire it to your vehicle so that it only operates when the engine is running, you must unplug it when not in use since it could drain your battery in a matter of a few days (there is no off button on the unit).
Would I do this all over again? Yes. I can see and feel the difference in everyday power and response. However, If I was using my bean counter side to make the decision, I factored it would take about 120,000 miles of driving to recoup the cost (unless I start seeing more than .6 mpg improvement which is a possibility if I can control my right foot).
mean_in_green
>2,000,000m in MB vans
Before you start thinking it's something for nothing remember - increasing your vehicle's performance will also increase wear and tear on other components. It's not something you always appreciate in the short term, but worth mentioning. The clutch which lasted the shortest time on mine was the one I ran at the same time as a tuning module.
Chandlerazman
Active member
Clutch? what's that?! Us American peeps do not even have the liberty of burning up one of those goodies 
mean_in_green
>2,000,000m in MB vans
Point taken, you do have torque converters though.