Edge Insight CTS2 Review
What is the Edge Insight CTS2?
The Edge Insight CTS2 is a diesel performance monitor. Performance Monitors are a must-have upgrade for any diesel truck owner. They give you real-time insight and performance monitoring so you know exactly how your truck is running at any given time. They also give you tremendously helpful tools like trouble code reading and clearing, and performance testing. They’re extremely easy to install compared to traditional gauges, and they are highly customizable, allowing you to set up a number of different gauge layouts. While there are a couple of name brand performance monitors, the Edge Insight CTS2 is one of the most popular choices.
What Does the Edge Insight CTS2 Do?
If you use your truck for heavy hauling or if you’re a modified performance junkie, the Edge Insight CTS2 is one of the first performance upgrades you should consider. It utilizes the OBD2 Port to display detailed vehicle parameters like exhaust gas temperatures (EGTS), transmission temperatures, and DPF status. Unlike traditional gauges, the Insight CTS2 is a monitoring device that can be configured to your liking. You can adjust the layout, pick which specific parameters you want to display, and even set-up alarms to warn you if something is out of whack. Even a stock truck used for commuting can benefit from the addition of an Insight CTS2. It has a fuel economy coaching tool that can help you increase mpgs. There is even a maintenance tool that reminds you when it’s time for an oil change or other maintenance tasks.
Key Feature Breakdown
Diagnostic Tool
When your truck has a problem, you often find a warning light illuminated on the instrument cluster. While it alerts you to the problem, it doesn’t help you identify what the issue is. The CTS2 gives you the ability to read trouble codes, allowing you to identify the problem. Diagnosis becomes much easier, and sometimes fixing the problem can be as simple as clearing the code. Modern diesel trucks are very complex and there are a lot of sensors that can go bad. Sometimes a truck can even go into limp mode when there is an issue. By clearing the code, you may be able to limp your truck home, saving you from paying an expensive tow.
Gauge Display & Performance Monitoring
In the past, gauges had to be installed if you wanted to view performance parameters that weren’t available in your instrument cluster. Today, monitors like the Edge Insight CTS2 offer digital gauge displays that adjust to your preferences. Installation is way easier than traditional gauges, and digital monitors also offer insights that traditional gauges can’t display. After you’ve set up your display to your liking, it’s also very easy to change layouts and parameters quickly if you want to take a look at something else.
One feature that makes the Insight CTS2 unique is it offers you the ability to set-up audible and visual alerts. This way, even if you’re not paying attention, you’ll know when a temperature gets too high or if another problem occurs.
Other Noteworthy Features
Maintenance Manager
The CTS2’s maintenance manager is one of my favorite features. You can input a variety of maintenance tasks and set up mileage alerts that notify you when it’s time for service. This is a great tool if you service your vehicle yourself, because you won’t forget when it’s time to change your oil or fuel filter.
Fuel Mileage Coach
Another cool feature is the Fuel mileage coach. You can set up different parameters for fuel economy on your main gauge layout. Then, the Edge CTS2 will keep track of your average fuel economy and give you tools to keep track of your true fuel mileage. You can even input the cost of diesel or gasoline in your area, and it will calculate your average cost per mile.
Diesel Resource Review of the Edge CTS2 Insight Monitor
Now that you know the impressive features of the Edge Insight CTS2, I want to tell you about my experience using it with my L5P Duramax. I’ve used this monitoring device on my other trucks and I loved it. Let me tell you what makes this performance monitor so special and i’ll elaborate on the few things I think it lacks.
Value & Price
The Edge Insight CTS2 costs an average of $430. While it’s slightly higher than some of the other performance monitors on the market, like the Bully Dog BDX I’ve previously reviewed, it’s worth the higher price. There is more value when you purchase the Insight CTS2 as you get a complete kit. It includes a mounting solution which many of the other competitors do not. No stock tunes are included though, if you want some basic box tunes you’re better off going with the Edge Evolution CTS2, which still offers the same data monitoring capabilities with the added benefit of box tunes. Recently, Edge released their Insight CTS2 Pro which is the Insight CTS2 with custom tuning capabilities through HP tuning software.
Design
The CTS2 monitor is one of the premium monitors on the market. The design has much to do with it. The kit is designed to be a complete and simple installation, utilizing the OBD2 port and a suction cup mount. The cable that connects the CTS2 to the OBD2 port is small and doesn’t feature any extra boxes or connections that make hiding the cable difficult. Everyone wants a clean install, and that’s exactly what you get with this monitor. Edge also makes dash, pillar, and center console mounts that can make the installation look even better.
Edge Insight CTS2.
Another important design feature I really like is that the suction-cup mount doesn’t use a magnet to hold the monitor. I can’t tell you how many times when I’ve used competitor’s products, the monitor falls off the mount when I make a turn. I haven’t had that problem a single time since I’ve installed this product on my L5P Duramax.
The overall design of this monitoring device is exceptional. The monitor itself is sleek, featuring a touch screen to change screen. Everything is very customizable to personal preferences. You can change displays, layouts, and even upload a custom picture to display in the background. Another exciting design feature is that this product has a bunch of accessories that can be used in conjunction with it. These include things like pyrometers, switches, and additional sensors.
Updates are done over the internet by plugging in the device to a computer. That brings me to my only complaint about the design, being the lack of easy updating via the cloud and wifi. I think that one addition could take the product to another level and make it much more convenient to update the device.
Performance
There are a lot of tools and features that make this performance monitor a good investment. The primary reason we all get this product is because we want to monitor critical parameters, but this unit offers much more than just a digital gauge display. The diagnostic feature is extremely useful. While my L5P Duramax is too new to have problems, i’ve used the CTS2 on some of my work trucks in my family’s air conditioning company to identify problems. Even on a new diesel though, this product can be very useful. You can force a manual regeneration event to clean the diesel particulate filter found on newer diesel trucks. You can also performance test your truck to find out quarter mile and 0-60 mph times.
In the era of immediate gratification, we expect things to work immediately or very fast. I’ve seen in some reviews of the CTS2 that people complain about the loading screen time when turning on the unit. While it doesn’t boot immediately, by the time i’ve put on my seat belt, plugged my phone, and i’m ready the drive, the unit is one my gauges. I think the gauge display loads very fast compared to other units i’ve owned.
Quality
While it may not load as fast as we’d like it to, the one issue i’ve never had is that it doesn’t turn on. Other performance monitors i’ve used don’t turn on when I turn my truck on. I have to unplug the unit from the OBD2 port and then plug it back in for it to turn on. The Insight CTS2 is consistent. It’s always worked. I had a CTS2 unit sitting in one of my drawers for two years. When I graduated college, I re-installed it, and it worked perfectly still! That speaks a lot about the quality of this product.
Another impressive factor is that I keep my CTS2 hooked up on my windshield everyday. I live in Florida, where it’s consistently scorching hot. My unit has survived this extreme heat and sun exposure without any issues.
Overall Thoughts
The Good
If you’re looking for strictly a performance monitor, the Edge Insight CTS2 is one of the best options available. It gives you a lot of features that are very useful, and once you have them, it’ll be hard to survive without them. This product offers one of the most customizable and comprehensive gauge layouts. It’s reliable, and it comes with everything you need to install it and put it to work immediately.
The Bad
The major downside to the CTS2 versus other products like the Bully Dog BDX is that it doesn’t offer box tunes or custom tuning. If you want to tune your truck, you have to use the Edge Evolution for box tunes or the Edge Insight CTS2 Pro for custom tuning with HP tuning. It also has to be updated by plugging into a computer directly which is a little outdated compared to some other options that update automatically via the cloud.
Buy the Edge Insight CTS2 on Amazon
Buy this product by clicking on the picture below! If you’d like more information, check out the Edge Products Website.
Edge Insight CTS2 Accessories
| Product Description | Link to Buy |
| DAILY DRIVER/TOW KIT EGT W/ STARTER CABLE CS/CS2&CTS/CTS2 | 98620 |
| POWER SWITCH W/ STARTER KIT | 98609 |
| 12V POWER SUPPLY STARTER KIT FOR CS2 & CTS2 | 98615 |
| SOTF (Shift-On-The-Fly) Accessory 11-14′ 6.7L Powerstroke 15′-19′ 6.7L Powerstroke 10-18′ 6.7L Cummins 01′-04′ LB7 Duramax 04.5′-10′ LLY, LBZ, LMM Duramax 11-16′ LML Duramax | See Below 98650 98651 98652 98655 98654 98653 |
ABOUT Kamil
Founder of Diesel Resource and a complete diesel head. Has a little bit of problem buying too many trucks. Learn more about him by checking out his truck.