First off, I have to say thankyou mike for getting it sent out so quickly. I know you've been working real hard at getting these tunes done, and I appreciate it.

The truck runs great. I won't be able to see the full affects until I get the AF1 installed. I want to floor it soooooo bad, but I don't want to hurt anything since it's tuned for the intake. I have noticed much quicker downshifts, there is almost no lag at all. The truck also pulls quicker mid - top under half throttle.

The only thing that had me worried, was that I seemed to have lost my throttle response on takeoff. It seems to be getting better the more I drive it though. When I fist installed it, it seemed like the truck was starting off in 2nd gear. It took way more throttle to get it moving as compared to stock. Hopefully it's just the learing curve, as I said, it seems to be getting better. I'm also thinking it might be running a little rich, since I don't have the AF1. That might also cause this.

Once again, I have yet to floor it. But, I can't wait, it's killing me. Just from what I feel now, I know it's gonna fly.

Thanks again Mike

 

Hey offroad maniac...where abouts in AZ you hale from....not too many of us online???

 

Hi ORM,

Thanks for your post, glad you are enjoying your tuning!

And yes, it *is* tunning a bit rich without the AF1 installed, if we tuned it for the AF1 and it is not yet installed. Now that will improve a bit thru adaptive as you drive it more, but it won't be really pulling it's best until the AF1 is installed, of course. The difference you will see in the off-line and low-rpm response when you add the AF1 will be quite noticeable.

Have fun!

 

Tigga-
I'm located in Tucson right now. I do notice that there aren't too many from AZ on here.

Mike- thanks for your reply. I was hoping that is what is was. Just curious, does it have to be running real rich to throw a code? Also, will it be alright to hot rod it after I get the intake, even though the pullies aren't installed yet?

 

you can get on it after the intake is on- the ud pullies don't make power- they free up existing power-phil

 

Hi ORM,

It has to be exceeding the allowable emissions output by more than 50% for a number of drive cycles before it will throw a code and illuminate the Check Engine or Service Engine Soon, etc. (MIL) lamp on the dash - so you can be running rich by a a good bit before it will throw a code, and you may not ever see that - don't count on it, as that may or may not happen. I would just say that when your tuning is set up for the AF!, get the AF! on there ASAP so that you are running the configuration that your tuning is set up for, just so you get the best performance - it's not like you are going to damage the engine, or run so rich that you hurt the catalytic converters or anything like that.

You can full-throttle it right now, and in the 2004 & newer trucks, a lot of times that is when you see lean or rich-based codes get thrown - so if a dash light comes on, just plug in the XCal 2 and see if it is a rich code, and if so, just clear it, and get the AF1 on there as soon as you can.

And yes, you can full-throttle it even though your underdrive pulleys are not installed yet, that won't be any problem at all, that only determines how much parasitic loss you have - that is what underdrive pulleys do, free up parasitic losses caused by turning all of the various accessories faster than they really need to be turned - we do bump up the idle speed just a tad for them, but again, that is not going to cause any problems if you do not have the pulleys on, as it is a very small amount.

The main thing is to just get the AF! on there so you are running the configuration we have set your tuning up for, that AF1 is really the key thing in this regard.

Good luck!

 

I will be interested to hear how this works out for you offroadmaniac.

I purchased a Troyer tuned Xcal2 on Ebay for my 2006 5.4 and after programming it with the 93 octane performance tune I am seeing what may be the same poor low end throttle response. I really thought the truck was starting in second gear. (For the record, the information that came with this tuner indicated that the programming is intended for use with the Air Force One intake which I do not have)

Basically I found the low end response to be so poor that I have reloaded the stock tune.

Here is my best description of what it felt like to drive the truck with the 93 octane performance tune loaded: (based on how far you push the pedal)

From a dead stop-
0-50% feels like you are towing a heavy load. Little acceleration
50-75% feels like ~25% did on the stock tune.
Pedal to the floor produces great acceleration. Better than stock.

Cruising on the highway (55-70mph)
25-50% produces almost no acceleration.
50-80%, again feels like ~25% on the stock tune.
80-100% causes a hard downshift and the truck pulls like a scalded cat.


Basically the truck performed like a 4 cylinder Ford Ranger with a nitrous switch that is activated under full throttle. It pulls hard when you floor it but otherwise, it's a dog. What I am saying is that the performance is there but only under full throttle. Another thing is that at cruise speeds the transmission doesn't appear to be downshifting when it should which contributes to the poor acceleration unless you floor it.

Anyway, like I said, I will be interested to hear how your truck is running when you add the intake.

 

Hey mike-
well, I think i had to floor it once, to get out of the way of traffic. But, other than that, I stayed out of it. But, I did get the AF1 installed today, and loaded the 91 tune. This thing is awesome. I can't stay off the throttle. Now, my low end is still not there. If I'm moving at 30mph and floor it, this thing hauls. But, from the low end, it still lacks. Now, I do have some heavy 20's installed, but it still seems slower than stock. I tried getting the revs up at a red light, with my foot on the brake. And when I let go and floored it the truck just bogged. I was expecting it to jump, but it didn't at all. I'm gonna give it some time to learn, and maybe that will help. But from there, I'm not sure. Let me know what you think Mike. By the way, when I'm saying low end, I mean from a stop. This thing pulls pretty good from the lower RPMs of 2nd. It reminds me a lot of how my procharged '02 use to be. Pulls like a bat out of hell on the top end. Thanks again Mike.

Aaron-
From what I said to Mike, that's what I see. Now, when I'm at cruising speeds, it doesn't take much throttle to get it moving. Mostly, it's just from a stop. Just curious, even though I'm sure this isn't a problem. But, how many catalytic converters do you have? I only have one on each side, and other '05s & '04s have 2. But, I did mention this in my tuning sheets. Do you have stock wheels/tires?

 

Hi ORM,

Just FYI - this is *precisely* why we tell people *never* attempt to make seat of the pants guesses at results, as it's nothing more than guesswork, and is completely invalid - there is no controlled testing, etc., it's purely guesswork, and 9 times out of 10, done at different times which completely invalidates any such comparisons -

It is literally physically *impossible* for your truck to be slower off the line now than when it was stock in the same temperature, humidity, density altitude & barometric pressure (and fuel) - simply impossible. Well, unless you have perhaps an undocumented reflash, in which case if you want to check that, return the vehicle back to stock and use the "Read Strategy" feature of the XCal 2 and call us with that info to see if you are reflashed & don't' know it - now *that* is the only way that, all else being equal, any truck we tune could ever be "slower" ANYWHERE in the powerband with our tuning than without it.

That is *also* true even if we have tuned it for an AF1 and the AF1 is not yet installed, by the way - there is simply no way that it will be slower off the line unless there is an undocumented reflash when testing under the same conditions. But therein lies the problem - there is no proper testing, and the "comparisons" are all seat of the pants, and never at the same time, etc., and that simply does not work. What has to be remembered is to do properly controlled (including recording baro, density altitude, temp & humidity) and repeating the before & after tests in the same conditions - which means doing it within a very short period of time on the same day, and datalogging all of the powertrain's operating parameters as well as all atmospheric data, and the fuel being the same as well. Even with adaptive, that still holds true - all that adaptive does (in this specific regard) is give additional power gains with additional drive cycles and mileage, it does not make the truck SLOWER.

The bottom line is, there is simply no way anyone's truck is slower off the line with our tuning than without it, period - and anyone who wants to make that contention, I invite them to make an appointment to come to our shop and we will very quickly prove it. And anyone that wants to check to see if they have an undocumented reflash can simply return their vehicle back to stock and then use the Read Strategy function of their XCal 2 and call us with that info. Many reflashes will cause the vehicle not to start, but a number of them will allow the vehicle to run, but not as well as it should, so that is a possibility that can be checked.

This & far more is covered in our documentation, and anyone who reads & follows those instructions will know that their truck is *not* "slower" off the line with our tuning than without it - sorry, but that is simply impossible all else being equal, gang.

Just FYI....

 

Hello Aaron_j,

Sorry, but there is no way you purchased a "Troyer-tuned XCal 2" on EBay. We do not sell on EBay, never have, and never will support that haven for con artists.

We never tuned your vehicle - period. So no, you do NOT have "Troyer tuning" done for your vehicle.

Now you MIGHT have purchased someone else's used XCal 2 there, but if so, you did NOT get *our* tuning for *your* specific vehicle, and that being the case, there is no way it is set up properly for your vehicle - thus there is no possible proper comparison, nor should you even attempt to use it until it is properly reprogrammed.

DO NOT think you can just add the AF1 and everything will be fine, etc., as that is not the case. You have no idea whatsoever what strategy was actually in that previous vehicle, or what is in yours, as that is not revealed by the "computer code," the 4- digit consisting of 3 letters and one number.

Now there are some people that do buy used XCal 2's and then have us re-do the tuning in them, now *that* is a possibility - but we've never done that for you, so no, you do NOT have our tuning done for your vehicle, nor do we even have any customer named Arron with a last name that starts with a J - so there is no way you have been tuned by us.

I would suggest that you give us a call about this and get your tuning done properly - it's hard to do worse than buy some used custom tuning of EBay and just slap it into a brand new $40K (or maybe more) 2006 F-150 - wrong answer, my friend.

Give us a call & we'll go over this with you, and if you have the correct seller's info, we can let you know just what is going on in that vehicle, how to identify your trucks' strategy so we can check to see if it even comes close to matching yours, and what needs to be done to get it right, etc. Remember, you can have a scenario of identical computer codes but different strategies causing a PCM mis-match that allows the vehicle to start, but NOT to run correctly!

This is just FYI here, so you'll know, as I don't want you to take any chances of messing up that vehicle, or not getting what you actually should from our tuning, as it's obvious we never tuned your truck - especially given the fact that we have no customer named "Arron J" anything. We have Arron's, but none with a last name that starts with a J, so it sounds to me like you obviously are using the wrong tuning, and that it needs to be redone for your vehicle.

Good luck!

 

Hello Mike,
I think I made a mistake when I posted. When I floor the truck from a stop, it is faster than stock. But, under part throttle it still takes much more throttle to get it moving. Now, I did make these tests withing 1 hr of eachother. On the same stretch of road, at the same temperature. Even my wife noticed the same difference. I am not going by seat of pants for this, I'm going by position of throttle and speed.

I am working hard at getting my laptop fixed so I can get the datalogging done, ASAP.

 

Are you calling me a liar?

I never said you tuned my vehicle Mike. Are you man enough to come back in here and point out where I did? This is the second time I have encountered you on this forum and it's the second time you have put words in my mouth to facilitate whatever point you were trying to make. Frankly, I don't appreciate it.

I figured I could try out the programming that came with the XCal2 I bought on Ebay and then order programming specifically for my truck (via email update) but the performance of the vehicle was so far from my definition of "improved" that I intend to see what happens with Offroadmaniac before I go any further. Offroadmaniac seems to be experiencing what I did, and if he is then something is definitely not right. The truck may be faster with your tuning loaded but only under WOT. Under any other throttle condition it is a dog.

Now, I saw no issue with at least trying to see what your programming was like considering that most other tuners are advertised for use with a range of model years which indicates that there isn't a huge difference between otherwise identical trucks with different PCM codes. If there were, how could one canned tune work on so many of them?

In any case, for the interested parties, here is what the Troyer documentation says:

"Vehicle is a 2005 Ford F-150 w/5.4 3V V8 & 4-speed Automatic Transmission, Computer Code TEM5"

Mine is a 2006 Ford F-150 w/5.4 3V V8 & 4-speed Automatic Transmission, Computer Code HFJ1

 

Aaron_j

You actually loaded a TEM5 id tune over your HFJ1 ??

 

So how much you want for that dog of a programmer?

 

What Brilliance!