As mentioned elsewhere on the site, Idaho Rob is Rob Coddens, owner of Adrenaline Truck Performance, located in the treasure valley of Idaho. He does custom tuning for the Duramax, and specializes in emissions-compliant tuning of late-model trucks, though I think he offers delete tunes as well. There are a handful of tuners here on the site, and even more that aren't sponsors. You can't go wrong with any of the vendors here, they all offer good programming.
As for doing an emissions delete or not, that comes down to your area and preference. If you live in an area without emissions tests, you can delete the emissions equipment. You will get a bit better mileage without it, and in theory it can be less maintenance (since you have removed some parts, you don't have to maintain the removed parts). However, deleting is illegal in many (most?) states, and modern emissions-compliant tuning has come a long ways. You can still get really solid power and mileage with a tune and full emissions, then you have no problems with emissions tests, and don't worry about smoke & the negative attention it brings with it.
As for which year(s) of trucks to buy, they all have their issues and their upsides. There are groups of people who swear by each variant. Here is my
personal, biased opinion of the different models:
- LB7 No emissions to begin with, best fuel mileage when tuned, but eats injectors regularly (though the new SAC-style tips might help/solve that, time will tell). Has excellent power potential in the aftermarket. I own one, and don't regret it.
- LLY Gains a VGT for more responsive driving, but some rare trucks had overheating issues. Has wiring harness issues that cause them to drop cylinders occasionally, but can be easily fixed if you are at all handy with tools.
- LBZ The best of the bunch for near-stock use. VGT, 6-speed transmission, and minimal emissions. Can't think of a downside of this model, actually.
- LMM Basically a LBZ with a DPF bolted on. Uses post-injection for regen, which shortens oil life, but oil is cheap. Biggest problem with this one is the 2007+ trucks are butt-ugly, and you have to live with that every day. Interior is initially nicer, but doesn't seem to hold up from what I have seen.
- LML A solid motor in stock form, but the CP4 (high pressure fuel pump) is unreliable compared to the CP3 used on all previous motors. The injectors are also absurdly expensive. Fuel mileage is finally back up near the LB7 thanks to DEF and the fancy injectors. With a CP3 conversion and an emissions-compliant tune, this motor is a force to be reckoned with. Truck is still ugly, but I am holding out hope for the 2017 to go to the light-duty body style, which is less ugly.
Again, that is just my
personal, biased opinion, and many will disagree (some people even prefer the looks of the 2007+, those heathens :spit
.
Most of the information you want can be found by searching this forum and the internet in general. Welcome to the site, and overall, you can't go wrong with any year of Duramax, so long as you know what you are getting into.
Oh, and finally, if you tune
any year Duramax aggressively, sooner or later, you will toast the transmission, so if you want the most reliability, stick with the stock tune or a "heavy tow" tune (tune for towing heavy things, not an aggressive tune that is "tow safe").
