Daily Driver Report – Programming Power with Hypertech
Story by Hot Rod Hilda
Hi everyone, this is Hilda, the Blacktop family adopted me from Angel City Pit Bulls and NKLA a couple of months ago and this is the first article I get to write for Blacktop Magazine. They call me Hot Rod Hilda, and I guess I’m pretty lucky, ’cause these guys like hot rods.
Today the boys, (Billy and Tony) are installing Hypertech Power Programmers to their RAM 1500 trucks. Billy’s truck is a 2007 crew-cab 5.7L hemi and Tony’s is a 2005 standard cab short bed with a 5.7L hemi also. I don’t ride much in the ’05, because I prefer the big backseat of the crew cab. Anyway, back to the installation. Due to the year difference Tony’s has the Hypertech Max Energy where, Billy is installing the Max Energy 2.0.
For the 2005 the options are a bit limited however, he was able to tune it for a variety of fuel choices, reading trouble codes, tire speed specification and rev-limiter. These limitations are brought by the auto manufacturer, not the programmer. For the next year, this same programmer can add more detail to the tune. Tony’s truck “Blacktop Bruiser” has an AEM cold air induction system, a new shortened MAGNAFLOW Performance Exhaust and a Hellwig Sway Bar.
Billy’s 2007 has an AIRAID cold air induction system, and Gibson performance exhaust. The options are a bit more detailed for his truck, he can do all the same, and the following adjustable features: Performance Tuning with fuel choice increase up to 13hp and 16 pounds of torque, speedo/odometer correction for tire sizes of 22.5 to 44 inches in 1/4 inch increments, speedo/odometer correction for a multitude of gears, return back to stock feature, Diagnostic Trouble Codes, and it is Internet Updatable.
They are still in the testing and diagnostic mode, but on all accounts, there appears to be a better throttle response, mid-range torque and better fuel economy.
We are sad to report that Mark Heffington, Founder and President of Hypertech, Inc. passed away on April 23, 2016 at the age of 74. He was a chief designer at Crane Cams after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Tennessee. In 1972, he founded Cam Dynamics and sold the company in the early 1980’s to consult on camshaft design and engineering for companies including General Motors. In 1985, he founded Hypertech to help tune and program the new wave of computer controlled engines in racing. He invented the Power Chip that used replaceable chips in electronic control modules. He was inducted in the Hot Rod Hall of Fame in 1997, and the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2012.