Truck Upgrade Bug

[NautiGirl]

I am honestly not sure why I am about to do this but...I need you guys to tell me to step away from the ledge. I have started looking at aftermarket tunes for the F150.

I had a WRX back in the day that had a mild COBB tune on it, my WRX was the first year Subaru did Drive By Wire so I justified that one by saying "it will make the throttle response so much better", and it did. It also added 40hp and 60ft/lbs of torque.

I am in a similar situation w/ the F150. The transmission program in the truck is insane. Ford was trying to get every MPG they could out of the platform so under low load situations the transmission will often shift all the way up to 5th or 6th. Think cruising through a neighborhood at 25 - 30mph in 5th gear. Putting the truck in tow/haul or sport mode fixes the problem, but it doesn't remember that setting once you turn the car off. Terrible first world problems I know.

So here I am looking at transmission tunes only - which do exist and basically put the truck in sport mode all the time. Then I made the mistake of clicking on the dyno graph page. Big Mistake.

Turns out the 3.5 Eco can make some crazy numbers, and is very very conservatively tuned from Ford. Here is a graph - now I know this is marketing propaganda, but +100hp +100ft/lbs of torque look fun.

I shouldn't - I am still under power-train warranty - but.....if nothing else its a fun off season conversation right. That can't hurt anyone? Wait did I really just ask CobaltChat to stop me from spending money? I have lost my mind.

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[Big Block Power]

The hell with a tune. Let's get this bad boy. Look at the name on the truck. Not the 4 letter weird either. They make everything go faster.

[NautiGirl]

Perfect typical excessive CobaltChat response.

[AsLan7]

[Big Block Power]

Perfect typical excessive CobaltChat response.

Just trying to help a buddy out. On a positive note we have another buddy in the front row so you don't miss out on it

[cmattj]

Come inside... it’s cold and slick on the ledge.

Did you know that auto dealers representing manufacturers when doing powertrain warranty repairs must submit the software history file to the mfg?

This means that even if you where skilled in putting the OE tune back in it will show.

The vehicle looses warranty in powertrain from that point on.. and... no dealer could warranty the repairs after that regardless. ( even if you pay for it )...Ouch.

Things have changed so enjoy what the mfg have spent millions of $$ designing the best package for longevity.. not just for power.

My .03 cents

[Big Block Power]

True old wise one. They make us send the topalogy report. It shows how many times the software has changed. But if your close to the end of warranty then not much of a risk. Just do it. Let us know how she performs.

[rrfisher]

I had a 5* in my 2014 and it was amazing. I only ran the 87 perf/tow and wish I ran the 93 perf before I got rid of it.

If you're concerned about warranty, 5* sells an extended with the tune for $500.

[NautiGirl]

Come inside... it’s cold and slick on the ledge.

Did you know that auto dealers representing manufacturers when doing powertrain warranty repairs must submit the software history file to the mfg?

This means that even if you where skilled in putting the OE tune back in it will show.

The vehicle looses warranty in powertrain from that point on.. and... no dealer could warranty the repairs after that regardless. ( even if you pay for it )...Ouch.

Things have changed so enjoy what the mfg have spent millions of $$ designing the best package for longevity.. not just for power.

My .03 cents

Thanks Matt for being rational, I will most likely at least hold off until the powertrain is up - hopefully - maybe - most likely. Pushing the sport button isnt that big of a deal...but that 93 Performance Tune is pretty damn nice looking.

[NautiGirl]

I had a 5* in my 2014 and it was amazing. I only ran the 87 perf/tow and wish I ran the 93 perf before I got rid of it.

If you're concerned about warranty, 5* sells an extended with the tune for $500.

I saw the extended warranty - and it seems nice - but I also don't know how much I trust a warranty from 5*.

[Bfun220]

I say sell that Ford and get this. I'm sure it would pull your boat and its probably already tuned.

[Big Block Power]

I had a 5* in my 2014 and it was amazing. I only ran the 87 perf/tow and wish I ran the 93 perf before I got rid of it.

If you're concerned about warranty, 5* sells an extended with the tune for $500.

I saw the extended warranty - and it seems nice - but I also don't know how much I trust a warranty from 5*.

No one will honor the warranty. You may have to pay for the repair and prob submit it yourself. Unless they pay with a cc.
Just buy a hemi

[akorcovelos]

Everyone knows I like voiding warranties at this point, and we have a 3.5 Expedition...that said, I would want to see some real world dyno charts before I believe gains like that. OEMs do tune conservative but not THAT conservative. Also keep in mind the 3.5 is an awesome engine, but it still uses many of the same many if the same designs that caused the Triton motors to be so unreliable. I owned a 5.4 Expedition before the 3.5 and that experience almost prevented me from buying a new Ford. So far the Eco seems to be holding strong, but I'm not touching the tune until it's out of warranty. After that, I'll do some heavy research and find a tuner that has some good first hand customer testimonials on actual gains and HOW their getting the power.

[rrfisher]

I had a 5* in my 2014 and it was amazing. I only ran the 87 perf/tow and wish I ran the 93 perf before I got rid of it.

If you're concerned about warranty, 5* sells an extended with the tune for $500.

I saw the extended warranty - and it seems nice - but I also don't know how much I trust a warranty from 5*.

I hear you there. I didn't get the warranty, so I have no idea how it works. You can do what I did and upgrade to the 10 spd transmission, this thing is made to tow. Having the ability to remember the last drive tune setting would be nice.