For those of you worried about your warranty,hears some advise. I always return mine to stock for dealer visits. Last year I changed to stock before I drove to the dealer for inspection and emissions and it failed emissions test.I told the tech that I just changed the tune. He told me to drive it down the highway for 5 miles at a steady 55 mph and come back to retest. This time it passed. It takes some drive time for the tune to completely change back. If you know your taking it in switch it a day or two before you go so the computer resets.

 

It may take more than just a day or two to complete the drive cycle so all sensors achieve readiness.

 

My son is a Ford Master Technician. He agrees that there are exactly three different ways to identify modifications through the ECU. Ford has set up special files that record multiple history information. He told me Chevrolet and Toyota also have this ability. He did not know about the other companies but he assumed they do as well. He told me he has seen at least twenty vehicles that were found with "alterations" performed. He is required to alert the service manager who in turn sends the data alterations and vin number to Ford. If warranty work is requested on these vehicles he assumed Ford would then "flag" that request for investigation.

As for Five Star, I have seen nothing but positive comments on every F150 forum I visit. I know Stage 3 use them for custom tunes and Stage 3 is simply the best in my opinion, so that is another "plus" right there.

 

So... I've been reading and finding lots of different opinions on intakes. In my '11 Limited I am completely stock and looking to make some mods. Not sure if I should save the $$ on an intake and just get the tuner, or save up and do an intake and tuner.

Some say that an intake without a tune isn't worth it anyway. Others say that the net result of a new intake is negligible.

Websites like K&N say I can get 22+ HP at upper end of RPM with their Aircharger.

Since I don't tend to trust the "internet" at large I am seeking the recommendations of my favorite forum.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but as I am considering a X3 tuner I thought I would ask.

 

Hi.

Just stick with the custom-tuned flash programmer (SCT preferred).

Your instincts are spot-on ... WASHOOBI's (warmer-air-than-stock-under-the-hood-bling-intake) are not worth it on a stock truck from a $/power perspective.

Cheers

 

It's been a while since I've posted on this thread, but it's mainly because the amount of hours I've been working the last 2 months has been quite a grind. 70+ hours a week for almost 3 months straight just hasn't allowed me any extra time.

I was finally able to make it to a local dyno and test out the custom tunes that I purchased from Mike @ 5 Star Tuning. I made separate trips on 2 consecutive Saturdays so that I could get a factory tune baseline pull and test the 87 octane tunes on the first trip, and then go back the following Saturday to test the 93 octane tunes. I may have a slight touch of OCD, (although I've never been diagnosed LOL) but really I just enjoy learning all that I can about my 2 Fords and being totally "in tune" (pun intended) with them. It may take me a little while to post the actual dyno graphs and numbers as I need to figure out how to transfer them to my computer and then post them, so please bear with me. LOL

From what I've seen through other peoples' dyno results the 6.2's make about 325-330hp and 340-345 tq at the rear tires bone stock from the factory. I had already added a K&N cold air intake (the HDPE plastic tube kit) to my truck about 8 months ago, so a bone stock pull was not an option. For the baseline pull I was yet to install any of the custom tunes so that I could have the factory tune tested. The factory tune made 349.5hp @ 5600 rpms and 372.6 tq @ 4600 rpms. Not too shabby with only the CAI.

The first custom tune that was tested was the 87 octane economy tune. It made 362.3 hp @ 5600 rpms and 383 tq @ 4500 rpms. The final pull of the day was made on the 87 performance tune. I actually wish the tech at the dyno would've let the engine cool a little longer between this pull and the prior one, as it only put down 353.7 hp @ 5600 rpms and 381 tq @ 3900 rpms. Even though the peak numbers were a little lower on the performance tune, it made a substantially greater amount of hp and tq much lower in the rpm range, which I would much rather have anyways for real world driving situations.

The following Saturday I returned to the rollers to try the 93 octane tunes once I had a chance to run the 87 out of the tank and fill up on 93. The temps and humidity were pretty close to the initial visit, which I was glad of so that the pulls would be fairly consistent. I also made a point to ask the dyno tech to start the pulls as low as possible (1500-2000 rpms) so that I could see just how much power it was making down low in the rpm range as that is where the engine runs most of the time anyways. So the 93 economy tune yielded 370.8 hp @ 5700 rpms and 393.2 tq @ 4500 rpms. Finally we got to try the 93 performance tune and it turned out 369.1 hp @ 5600 rpms and 395 tq @ 4500 rpms. Damn near the exact same peak numbers as the economy tune, but once again, a TON more hp and tq lower in the rpm range. I also love how the performance tunes adjust the shift points of the transmission and hold the gears a little longer to make it feel like your always in the right gear with instant power available by just rolling into the throttle.

Forgive me for rambling on so long and in such depth and also for not having the pics up with the post. I know everyone has different views,opinions, and experiences but keep in mind that these have been MY personal experiences and FACTS with only a couple of opinions tossed in towards the end referring to the adjusted shift points. Actual graphs and charts will be coming soon and thanks again to those of you that actually appreciate the info and experiences that I've shared. I've found that there isn't a whole lot of info out there on the 6.2's and it's been a pleasure to share with ya'll!

 

Thanks much for that review!

 

My pleasure Cheef! I just realized how long that post was.... My fiancee just asked my "how many people do you think will actually read that whole thing?" LMAO!

 

Hell, I couldn't believe she actually read it... LOL

 

And once again, shout out and thanks to Mike @ 5 Star Tuning! Couldn't be happier with their work!

 

So here are the dyno graphs starting with the factory tune. Only other mod is 57 series K&N CAI.

Custom Economy tune 87 octane

Custom Performance tune 87 octane

Custom Economy tune 93 octane

Custom Performance tune 93 octane


For some reason their A/F wideband wasn't reading correctly.... And idk why I can't get the pics to show up any larger. Feel free to look view them in my album pictures. Sorry about that. Also feel free to school me on how to get them to appear larger when posting in threads.... LOL! Thanks for looking!

 

Pretty darn good numbers from a simple tune and upping of the octane!

Most women don't get this entire forum at all though . . . lol

 

Great review! Glad the truck is running great with just a couple simple mods. Those are great hp and tq numbers.

 

Thanks y'all! I'm pretty happy with it. I know it may not be much in a lot of peoples' eyes, but for what I've spent I am EXTREMELY happy with the bang for the buck. It made a decent gain as far as the peak hp and tq numbers go, but what I'm really stoked about is the 40-50 lbs-ft gain from 2000-3000 rpms. THAT is what I was really looking forward to! The only thing I would've liked to do diferently is to have pulled the CAI off and get a TRUE BONE STOCK baseline pull just to see what it would've been, but there were plenty of those on the web for me to go off of... LOL

 

I'd also like to throw a shout out to R.P.M. Performance and Machine in Fort Walton Beach, FL for their hospitality and time. Chuck is the owner and Shannon operates the dyno for him. They do A TON of machine work and have a brand new CNC machine at their disposal as well. I'm not sure if they are actually tuning yet as they just got their dyno going again a few months ago, but they've been in the high performance business for like 15-20 years I believe....