To delete or not to delete? That is the question

[BarryGedman]

You are going to trade it in when it’s 3 years old no matter what you say today, don’t delete it. I say “I’m going to keep this one a long time” until the next model comes out and it changes my tune real fast….keep it stock is my vote. It’ll be easier for you to trade in on the new 2029 model.

You will want to ditch that 6.7 the moment the 8.0 PS hits dealer lots, and I don’t blame you , I’ll be right with

You are going to trade it in when it’s 3 years old no matter what you say today, don’t delete it. I say “I’m going to keep this one a long time” until the next model comes out and it changes my tune real fast….keep it stock is my vote. It’ll be easier for you to trade in on the new 2029 model.

You will want to ditch that 6.7 the moment the 8.0 PS hits dealer lots, and I don’t blame you , I’ll be right with you.

Nah, I had my 2006 5.9 Cummins for 11 years. 190k miles on it and it still ran like a top. Other than chewing through steering gear boxes every 75k miles, that thing did everything I could ask of it with 35% less power than an HO Tremor. Had life not gotten in the way, they would be burying me in that truck some day. I go all in on my trucks making them mine so I hate parting with one that I get set up just the way I like it.

 

[Velvet Elvis]

Yeah I hear you, but I’m not looking for smoke and power either. A basic tune designed for efficiency and engine longevity won’t create any unless I’m smashing the throttle. What it will do is make the truck more reliable. I don’t think anyone will deny that. It also gets rid of multiple common failure points and the need for the added cost and risks associated with def use. A common thread I see over and over in this forum goes something like this. “Just make sure you use your truck for more than short trips and drive it hard and the emissions system won’t create any problems for you. If you aren’t towing a 400k pound gooseneck trailer loaded with a decommissioned space shuttle from Tierra Del Fuego Chile to Deadhorse Alaska three times a week, you’re just posing and really only need is a gasser and a bigger dick anyway” My counter is, how about I remove all that efficiently sucking, EPA blowing, dogshit and then drive the truck however the fuck my needs, desires and micro penis dictate without having to give it a second thought? We as Americans have allowed this gradual conditioning to the erosion of our god given rights to take hold to the point where we now think it’s normal that the government requires a bunch of efficiency robbing bullshit on our trucks that require you to drive it like an asshole to satisfy this imaginary cost of admission for engines that we used to be able to drive however we wanted for 500k plus miles because they were the most reliable engines on earth. I say fuck that shit! My communist state has all sorts of civil rights violating gun laws as well. I didn’t join the Marine Corps and spend my youth in shithole third world nations so my own government could select the vehicle I drive for me and tell me how many freedom seeds I can load into a magazine. Holly hell, where’s the fucking Tylenol.

I respect your point of view. but... these engines are more reliable than the old ones in an important way. They will start cold at 20 below zero with no block heater My work assigned 7.3 doesel would not fire below 30 without plugging it in, and even plugged in, negative 10 was about its limit.

I treat this thing like a gas truck. i pay no mind to regens at all.

It could run more efficient by deleting, but I'm not unsatisfied with how it runs now.

If you want to gain more, by subtracting complexity and failure points, i don't blame you. But these new systems work well. I'm not spendong the money to remove it.

Kinda like the cp4 debate. no one is wrong here.

Your truck, you customize it to your liking, sir.

 

[Velvet Elvis]

A good truck is like a good dog. They're family.

I tend to keep mine a long time as well.

Make it yours, keep it as long as you please.

If my system goes wonky after warranty, I'll trash it and tune er up at that point.

Until then, i don't think about it much.

More concerned about egr honestly. And by more, i mean barely at all.

 

[BarryGedman]

I respect your point of view. but... these engines are more reliable than the old ones in an important way. They will start cold at 20 below zero with no block heater My work assigned 7.3 doesel would not fire below 30 without plugging it in, and even plugged in, negative 10 was about its limit.

I treat this thing like a gas truck. i pay no mind to regens at all.

It could run more efficient by deleting, but I'm not unsatisfied with how it runs now.

If you want to gain more, by subtracting complexity and failure points, i don't blame you. But these new systems work well. I'm not spendong the money to remove it.

Kinda like the cp4 debate. no one is wrong here.

Your truck, you customize it to your liking, sir.

On that note, I will definitely be putting in a disaster prevention kit. For $450 bucks I think that’s cheap insurance. Probably won’t upgrade to the aftermarket fuel pump for a few years though. If the pump goes and the DPK also fails, that’s god sending a message.

 

[Velvet Elvis]

On that note, I will definitely be putting in a disaster prevention kit. For $450 bucks I think that’s cheap insurance. Probably won’t upgrade to the aftermarket fuel pump for a few years though. If the pump goes and the DPK also fails, that’s god sending a message.

I have a 150,000 Mike warranty.

When ib buy an extended warranty, i don't ever end up needing it. Murphys law.

 

[BarryGedman]

I have a 150,000 Mike warranty.

When ib buy an extended warranty, i don't ever end up needing it. Murphys law.

I may buy that, and by buy try to negotiate it for free. I typically show up with cash and a pre approval from the credit union and tell them I f they match the interest rate and throw in the extended warranty and service plan for free, I’ll finance half the price of the truck through Ford credit. They will throw in a lot of extras if it’s the difference between them making 10k in interest vs zero. Worked with my 26 Bronco.

 

[JCKustoms]

I did the full delete including the PCV on my '22 at 55k miles (Jan, '26), sitting at 62k miles now. I was going to wait until the warranty was up, but couldn't! I've since had 2 engine accessory related warranty claims and they never said a word, and I didn't pay a dime.

I run mine on 3 which nets me the best for non-towing. 250 mile round trip last month 3000' ele to up over 5,000' ele pass down to sea level and back. Averaged 21.9 mpg. And I'm not a light foot. Before deleting, I'd maybe get 18 mpg.

 

[BarryGedman]

I did the full delete including the PCV on my '22 at 55k miles (Jan, '26), sitting at 62k miles now. I was going to wait until the warranty was up, but couldn't! I've since had 2 engine accessory related warranty claims and they never said a word, and I didn't pay a dime.

I run mine on 3 which nets me the best for non-towing. 250 mile round trip last month 3000' ele to up over 5,000' ele pass down to sea level and back. Averaged 21.9 mpg. And I'm not a light foot. Before deleting, I'd maybe get 18 mpg.

Fuck that’s fantastic. I keep telling myself I’m wait till the warranty expires but I’m like you.

 

[Cux211]

Fuck that’s fantastic. I keep telling myself I’m wait till the warranty expires but I’m like you.

Take that with a grain of salt, most dealers if your deleted they flat out won’t touch the truck, and the newer trucks a much more efficient than they used to be so 99% of the time a delete truck only gets 1-2 mpg bump all to often I’ve seen deleted trucks pick up nothing mpg wise

 

[Tex_Hunter]

Im now in full research mode thanks to a work related move back to somewhere that deleting is actually an option again, and still undecided.

My drive cycle has changed considerably vs out in CA where I was running 80-90% of my commute on the highway to now shorter and probably 50% highway with a lot more traffic, but it also will increase longer highway trips on the weekend and more frequent heavy towing as I’m back closer to the ranch where I have 4.5yrs of accumulated projects that I’d been neglecting while I was out of state. So I will pay closer attention to my soot buildup and regen cycle frequency here.

I’m also in the camp of “my truck is too quiet with all the restrictions on it”, coming from 2+ decades of driving gas trucks I still don’t like how quiet the diesel is, so even if I trust the emissions system I still have the itch to open it up a little.

TL/DR: I want to do it, but I’ll probably wait till the 3yr/36k bumper to bumper warranty is out before seriously considering it. The thought process there is that a delete with supporting mods like a DCR conversion and good transmission tuning removes most of the things that could cause an expensive warranty repair once the “bumper to bumper” expires so your exposure is less if the Ford dealership decides you voided whatever was left of the warranty at that point.

 

[ramv]

What kind of mileage improvements do people see towing?

 

[Warpath]

Yeah, I’m definitely going back and forth on just doing it right away vs waiting until the warranty expires. It’s happening either way eventually, that’s for sure. Any problems?

I've had problems but, none mechanical. I had issues with my tail lights and BCM. It's been a good truck.

 

[JTredway]

Take that with a grain of salt, most dealers if your deleted they flat out won’t touch the truck, and the newer trucks a much more efficient than they used to be so 99% of the time a delete truck only gets 1-2 mpg bump all to often I’ve seen deleted trucks pick up nothing mpg wise

yea some guys see no real MPG increase, they just don't lose what they would from a regen on a tank. Example you were at 15.5 mpg before a regen and finished the regen and dropped to 14. you'd just never see the drop from the regen. It's still a gain just not a gain in the sense that i went from 15.5 to 17 but just staying around 15.5 the whole time.