Best Programmer for GMC Sierra 1500

Best Programmer for GMC Sierra 1500 Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

As gas prices rise, many truck owners are looking for effective ways on how they can get better fuel consumption. If you own a GMC Sierra 1500, a great way to get more distance for every gallon is by calibrating your truck with tuning. The process is quick and easy. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a mechanic to get results. When you purchase a programmer, you can do the modifications on your own within a few minutes.

In this article, we’ve researched the best programmers for GMC Sierra 1500. Check out our list and let us help you save time with research. We’ll look at each product’s specs to help you decide what’s best for your truck. Want to know more about tuners and programmers? We’ve written a full guide on tuners here.

The 4 Best Programmers for GMC Sierra 1500:

1.  Edge Products 85450 CTS2 Gas Evolution Programmer – the best programmer for GMC Sierra 1500
2. Jet 15008 Performance Programmer
3. Superchips 2845 Flashpaq F5 Tuner 
4. Hypertech 2000 Max Energy 2.0

Our Recommendations

REVIEWS YOU CAN TRUST 

All the information and opinions you find on Mechanicguides.com come from a team of automotive journalists and an independent mechanic, Steve “Whip” Whipple with 11 years of auto industry experience. We look at the latest market research, talk to experts, and draw from our own practical experience to bring you reviews and guides that reflect what you’ll encounter in your garage. For more information about the team, see here.

Our Pick: Edge Products 85450 CTS2 Gas Evolution Programmer – The Best Programmer for GMC Sierra 1500

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Optimize the parameters of your GMC Sierra 1500 with the Edge CTS2. This small, yet powerful tuner can efficiently improve your fuel economy and speed. Apart from that, you can also monitor the performance of your truck. This will help you figure out your driving habits and change them, if necessary. This will guarantee that you’re not hurting your engine or your miles per gallon even after you’ve installed a tune.

A Programmer, Monitor, and Performance Tester in One

The Evolution CTS2 from Edge is among their best-sellers because it’s so easy to use with its 5″ touchscreen. Just touch the screen to activate the menu or to move from one setting to another. Here are more reasons why the CTS2 has an “edge” among the other programmers for your GMC Sierra 1500.

Use It as a Programmer – It gives you two programming options – basic and custom. When you choose the basic option, you’ll see 5 levels of tunes from towing to extreme. On the other hand, the custom programming gives you more options to achieve the maximum potential of your truck, beyond what the manufacturer has set. For starters, you can initially choose the basic programming and do a performance test for a couple of days. But if change your mind and decide that you want to get intimate with the parameters, all you have to do is set it back to stock first and then choose a new pre-loaded tune. Once you click “Custom Programs” it’ll direct you to the parameters that you’re allowed to change.

Use It as a Monitor – Once you’re done tuning, the device allows you to monitor your truck’s efficiency through its 5 (!) gauge screens. This will show you, in real-time, how well your truck is doing after the tune.

Use It as a Performance Tester – The Edge CTSs comes with Performance Tests that record your 0-60 time, quarter-mile time, and horsepower performance after you’ve installed a tune.

Why should you get it?

The Edge CST2 is an innovative programmer that responds quickly and intuitively through its 5″ touchscreen. It’s a 3-in-one device that will attend to all your needs. So you don’t need to shell out a lot of money to buy an additional monitor and performance tester. It may be a bit expensive but with its packed with tons of goodies; you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.

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Budget: Jet Performance Programmer – The Best Performance Chip for GMC Sierra 1500

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If you’re on a budget but still want to improve the drivability of your GMC Sierra 1500, the Jet Performance Programmer is a great option. (As long as you don’t live in California – it’s not legal there.) Even though it’s one of the lower priced programmers, it still does its job well by manually improving the parameters once you plug it into your OBDII.

Use the Jet EZ Program to Choose for You or Adjust Parameters Yourself

The Jet Performance Programmer is very handy – and it’s small, which reminds me of the old pagers that we used to have before the cell phones were a thing. It has a large screen with up and down navigation and an ‘Enter’ button below. It’s simple, yet very functional, when it comes to tuning the different modes of your truck.

After you install it, you’ll see that there’s a program referred to as the Jet EZ Program. The program allows you to use Jet’s “Tri-Power tuning technology” which basically optimizes your horsepower and torque for economy or performance based on if you use regular, mid grade, or premium fuel. It’s perfect if you don’t want to customize a tune yourself.

On the other hand, if you really know your truck, (and know what you’re doing), you can adjust parameters yourself, too. This is the route you want if you have a specific goal for your truck in mind.

Automatic Stock Backup Has You Covered

Regardless of which tune you use, the device automatically makes a backup of the stock tune before it starts overwriting the saved parameters on your ECU. You’ll need the stock tune especially if you’ve noticed any unwanted changes or there are some code signs on your dashboard. Going back to stock on your own will save you a trip to your dealership for a reprogram which could cost hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars.

Why should you get it?

Assuming you don’t live in California, the Jet Performance Programmer is a great device if you just want to just “throw on” a tune to improve overall performance but you also want to have the option to play with modifying the parameters yourself. And if something does go wrong when you’re playing around, you can feel safe knowing that the device has a backup of your stock tune if you need to go back to square one or take it to the dealership.

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Perfect for Older Trucks: Superchips 2845 Flashpaq F5 – The Trusted GMC Sierra 1500 Programmer

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If you have a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 or older, the Superchips 2845 Flashpaq can give you improvements in speed and fuel efficiency while giving you the power you want for casual towing with a 2-year powertrain warranty. It’s easy to hold and control in one hand with a high-def 2.8″ color screen.

Pre-loaded Tunes That Fit Almost Any Condition

These pre-loaded tunes were engineered with specific kinds of drivers in mind. It includes tunes for 91-93 octane fuel, one for towing, and one for improving gas mileage. So no matter if you want performance improvement, a towing boost, or better fuel efficiency, the 2845 Flashpaq will deliver.

Know What’s Going on Under the Hood

The Superchips Flashpaq F5 also allows you to monitor your truck after tuning so you can determine if it’s good enough for your driving needs. If it’s not working out the way you want, you can choose a different tune or manually change the parameters to meet your needs.

The device also lets you know if there’s trouble under the hood with its 8 gauges. And if you’ve noticed that the engine light is on, you can check the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) through the device and clear them.

Why should you get it?

The Superchips Flashpaq F5 is certainly one of the best programmers for pre-2017 GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. Not only can you improve the fuel mileage and speed, but you can also monitor data in real-time to make sure your new tune works. Plus, with its ability to clear DTCs it can save you a lot of money and trips to the mechanic/dealership in the long run.

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Hypertech 2000 Max Energy 2.0  – The Solid Power Programmer for GMC Sierra 1500

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Your truck’s performance will stand out when you use the Hypertech 2000 Max Energy 2.0. This device is ideal for users who need to tow heavy loads because of how effectively it improves torque. It’s one of the few programmers for the GMC Sierra 1500 that can help achieve the highest power level of towing while keeping the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) at a safe level. With this, you’re guaranteed that the engine is protected even if you have to tow on a daily basis.

Allows for Lot of Manual Modifications

The Hypertech 2000 Max Energy 2.0 may look like an old design compared to its competitors but in spite of the simple display, it will still give you the right boost without damaging your truck’s computer. It’s very easy to set up within 15 minutes and easy to operate with its well-lit screen and straightforward navigation buttons.

The device only has 2 pre-loaded tunes, one for regular octane fuel performance and one for premium octane fuel performance. So it’s ideal for those owners who want to get into the fun details and adjust everything themselves. You’ll be able to customize settings based on parameters like your truck’s tire size, the rear gear ratio, TPMS threshold, top speed limiter, and rev limiter.

After you’ve changed the parameters to your liking, the device automatically saves your stock tunes before it starts to overwrite it. You can also save it as a preset tune (up to 5) if you want to come back to later or like to test out different tunes before settling on one.

Why should you get it?

Affordable and functional, the Hypertech 2000 Max Energy 2.0 delivers you the swiftness specifically for daily towing tasks. From the TPMS threshold to the rev limiter, you can adjust the parameters to how you like to drive. However, in order to get the best boost in performance, there’s a bit of a learning curve – you need to know what you’re doing with each adjustment.

Final thoughts on our GMC Sierra Programmer Review

Once you’ve experienced the boosted performance brought by one of our recommended programmers for GMC Sierra 1500, you’ll never want to go back to your stock settings again.

Our top pic, the Edge CTS2 Gas Evolution Programmer, is pricey but you’ll get a lot of features and save yourself so much money if you were going to buy a monitor and a performance tester anyway. The Jet Performance Programmer is great for those on a budget because even though it’s cheap, it’s so easy to use. If you have an older GMC Sierra 1500 truck, the Superchips 2845 Flashpaq F5 is your tuner. It’s easy to use in one hand and still lets you monitor driving data and clear DTCs along with installing awesome tunes. For those who need serious towing boosts, the Hypertech 2000 Max Energy 2.0 is your tuner but only for those owners that know what they’re doing.

Please take note that although these tunes are sure to give you more power, cleaner emissions, and/or better mileage, you still need to consider your driving habits and the area where you usually drive. With these factors in mind, you can choose the right tune settings that will match your conditions and improve your driving style to achieve your truck’s full potential.

If you want to do more for your GMC Sierra 1500, we also have a roundup of the best shocks and rotors for your truck too. Get ready for the smoothest ride ever.