The 5.9 Cummins is a beast of an engine, especially for a straight six. It’s one of the biggest six-cylinder motors around, and it’s got a great legacy behind it that’s part of the sterling reputation of the Dodge Ram. There’s an easy way to get some extra performance out of these motors, though, with a simple plug-and-play installation. Enter the world of performance tuners for the 5.9 Cummins. These modules can be connected to your motor in order to affect a wide range of different variables.

Let’s jump right into some of the best tuners for 5.9 Cummins on the market, and then we can talk about how to decide which one is perfect for you. Price as of 05/12/2018 10:19 PDT (more info) Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. This tuner comes with ten default settings, and the ability to load them onto your truck’s ECM within just a few minutes.

It comes with built-in options for towing, racing, and anything else you might think to do with your vehicle. It also allows the advanced user to download their own sets of modified parameters. The best part is really the fact that it works great straight out of the box and allows you to use it with a surprising amount of ease. It’s great for someone who just wants to get a boost in power and miles per gallon for cheap and without any hassle.

Hands down, this is one of the best diesel tuners for 5.9 Cummins engines. Price as of 05/12/2018 10:19 PDT (more info) Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Another great programmer from Smarty. This one is designed for the 2nd generation of the 5.9 Cummins motor which had slightly lower horsepower. The function is the same though, coming with ten different presets for varying purposes, quick downloading, and the ability to make your own set-ups for customized usage.

It also doesn’t leave a trace on the computer, so you won’t have to void your warranty, and that ability surely makes this one of the best tuners for 5.9s Cummins period. Price as of 05/12/2018 10:19 PDT (more info) Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change.

If you’re looking for the most advanced tuner you can find, you don’t need to look any further. This one comes with the usual software by Smarty but added on is a touch screen display that’ll show you the intimate details of your engine’s function as it runs. The tuner (see full specs) boasts some pretty impressive hardware of its own as well, including dual CPUs which make it quick and responsive.

The UI is customizable for your needs, and it can alert you when parameters are out of whack as well, it’s simply one of the best diesel tuners for 5.9 Cummins around. If you really want to open up your truck, you might just find that this is the option for you.

It’ll remove the speed limit and add horsepower in about fifteen minutes, which is really something when you consider the limited benefits of much more costly and time-consuming upgrades. The product also comes with detailed instructions which will allow you to do what you want and has an attractive display so you’ll be able to see exactly what’s going on with it. Unlike a normal hot chip or a programmer, tuners are mainly made to be used with their presets.

Once you have one on your truck, you’ll be able to experiment with them to find out which works best, as well as find other sets which might suit your needs better. Most of them come with a pretty minimal interface, making them something of a plug-and-play push button device which improves performance by tweaking off of your sensors.



Each of those above will have settings for racing, maximizing fuel efficiency, and towing at the bare minimum. The array of factors that can be altered is actually pretty impressive when you stop and realize it’s just a device you plug into your dashboard. One thing to be aware of is that most tuners will leave some level of “trace” in your ECM which can void your warranty. None of the Smarty tuners will do this, however, and as long as you set your motor back to factory default before taking the truck in you’ll be good to go.