We Install an Edge L5P Duramax EvoHT2 to Unlock Our Trucks Full Potential

Going back to late 2016, GM had announced the all new L5P Duramax Diesel for the upcoming 2017 model year. That 6.6L Duramax had been completely overhauled form the current 2011-2016 LML generation with major changes both internally and externally. An all new fuel system design, new injectors, different turbocharger, different emissions equipment, it was literally all-new from the oil pan up. Along with those changes came an all new Engine Control Module (ECM) that GM considered impenetrable, so there would be no way for the aftermarket to access, reprogram, flash or make any kind of change to it. This was done for a number of reasons, but meant that the aftermarket would never be able to support performance tuning for the application, creating some major heartburn across our industry.

But of course, like anything, where there is a will, there is a way, and the aftermarket went right to work trying to crack that new ECM. It took some substantial effort and even some years before any real progress was made but over time some options for performance gains were popping up here and there. At first the aftermarket was developing ways to add gains without changing the ECM. Rail pressure and boost fooling boxes, and more basic throttle pedal adjustment devices came first. After a while, someone finally figured out how to open up the ECM, make some physical electronic component changes on the main ECM board and then reseal so it could then accept aftermarket flashing. For the past two or so years, this has been the only way to add performance tuning to your L5P Duramax diesel. Unfortunately, that process has some negative downfalls. First off, vehicle downtime. This process requires you to remove your ECM, ship it off for modification, then get it shipped back to reinstall. Secondly, this means a GM scanner or dealer tool can no longer talk to the ECM, so that factory warranty or future dealer support goes out the window. Lastly, cost. These ECM modifications and the supporting flash tuning has been north of $2500 or more, making it a rather expensive decision to make on top of finding the time to be without a truck to drive for a week or more. There are some aftermarket tuning shops that have smoothed out this process by offering unlocked ECM’s up front in exchange for your stock unit, but the big cost is still there.

This is where the engineering and development staff at Edge Products comes into the picture. As a leader in performance diesel tuning for over twenty years and with plenty of experience on the L5P platform itself, they knew there had to be a better way. With the success of their Pulsar V3 inline module in the L5P market, which offers impressive power gains and feature control by piggybacking your stock ECM, they set out to not only improve the flash process but entirely reinvent it from scratch. After hundreds of hours, the team at Edge were able to decipher the factory code and ECM read/write process to allow their EvoHT2 and all-new Locksmith device to unlock your ECM through the OBD-II port to then accept flash tuning from the pre-loaded handheld tuner.

As the first to market with such a device, there was some skepticism from the industry, as this was a process that had previously been deemed impossible. GM had that ECM locked up tighter than Davies Jones locker, but the Edge device does in-fact work its way around those issues encryption issues. Through proprietary technology developed by Edge Products, the Locksmith device and EvoHT2 work together to electronically unlock the ECM for flashing without ever having to even touch the ECM. This means no ECM cores to deal with. No ECM shipping across the country and back. No messing with fragile ECM connectors and harnesses.

In addition to making the process much simpler, Edge doesn’t change the GM protocol for ECM servicing, so at any time the Edge tuning can be returned to stock settings and the truck can be dropped off at the dealer for service work and GM technicians can flash the latest factory updates into the ECM without issue. The hardware comes with step-by-step instructions for unlocking the ECM and then flashing the pre-loaded tunes into the truck. With four tunes to choose from, you can set your truck up to do exactly what you need whether your towing, daily driving, or trying to embarrass your buddies new Camaro at the stop light.

As for the tuning itself, Edge prides itself on offering emissions friendly power gains through hundreds of hours of calibration development in their in-house emissions testing cell. All their tunes are created with better economy, power gains, and emissions compliancy in mind. After meeting self-certification standards that meet all of CARB’s top level emissions requirements, Edge releases their tunes to the market with assurance even their 150hp tune will pass testing at the CARB EO facilities. While the device isn’t currently 50-state legal as they wait for CARB officials to review the submission and documentation before signing the EO paperwork, it is 49-state compliant currently. So users can rest easy knowing the files will be safe for an otherwise stock truck, helping to ensure your trucks emissions equipment stays happy as well.

While the device is preloaded with their tuning files, Edge does give you, the truck owner, some customizable options within the device so you can fine tune those calibrations to best fit your driving style and needs. Users have the ability to adjust throttle pedal sensitivity, calibrate the speedometer for tire size or gear ratio changes, remember your Tow/Haul and Exhaust Brake settings on engine start-up, adjust you engine idle, rev limiter, and speed limiter settings as well. The device can handle an Allison transmission relearn, perform a manual DPF regen, read and clear trouble codes and even adjust your TPMS settings.

On their chassis dyno in Ogden, UT one of their test trucks in stock form laid down 378hp/882ft-lbs of torque. With no other modifications to the truck but the ECM unlock and the Extreme tune flashed picked up 147hp/362ft-lbs torque, bring final peak numbers to 525hp/1244tq to the tires! Those are massive gains for a emissions friendly truck and something you most definitely will feel from the seat. Testing shows 1.3-seconds quicker and 8+mph gains in the quarter mile. In the milder tunes, like the Heavy Tow file, owners will love the added low end grunt and performance while dragging a massive trailer over the longest grades. EGT’s are kept in check and under similar driving conditions, distance between DPF regens and Urea consumption doesn’t seem to change much either.

This all-new process completely changes everything you once knew about tuning the L5P Duramax and will lead our industry into the future with even more capabilities. At the time of this article being put together Edges support only covered the 2017-2019 model years, but the 2020-2023 support was going to be releasing soon, if not by the time this article hits newsstands. The EvoHT2 is a great tuning option  that can do things to the L5P Duramax we once didn’t think possible. The simple and easy to use interface, makes this no brainer if you’re looking to add power or mileage to your GM diesel truck.

SOURCES

Edge
888-360-3343
www.edgeproducts.com