Hey guys,

I hear about people getting their "tunes". What does this mean? Do you buy the tuner and then the people calibrate it for you or something? Or is it like a cheaper way to get a tuner? Im sooo confused... I want to get a tuner in my truck, but I have like no money(16 and no job ftl). Whats the cheapest way to do it?

Mike

 

Read this thread. It will explain a lot about tuners.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=273030

Being 16, and tight on money, I strongly advise AGAINST getting a tuner. If you broke your truck, it would suck to lose the warranty because of a tuner. I don't care what people say, if you can't afford to buy a trans or an engine, you don't need a tuner.

 

Ok maybe Ill go for the AF1 intake first.

 

Chester, I have to disagree with your blanket statement here. Getting a basic tuner, like the 1715 that I have for my two Ford pickups (97 F150 4.6l and 2002 Lightning) can be a very successful experience. If you have a basically stock truck (CAI; Catback) then a tuner is almost a no-brainer addition to get a few more HP and smooth out the rotten Ford shifting, throttle response, etc. And the simpler tuners, with their canned tunes, can be had for relatively cheap compared to the more sophisticated models, especially on eBay, etc.

My only caveat is to stick with the parameters installed with tthe canned tunes...don't go jacking the individual settings around too extremely from the canned settings. Chances are you won't break your truck if you leave it at that, and even if you do, just return it to stock tune before bringing it in to the dealer.

Jim

 

Most are using the Xcal2 which is the actual "tuner" but are having someone like VMP Tuning, Troyer, BamaChips do the "custom" tuning.

Just wait until you have the money, do a lot of research in the meantime. A tuner is probably one of the most important and crucial mods that you can do to your vehicle. It's not something that should be messed with by someone who knows nothing about tuning, it can cause a lot of problems. I suggest you give Justin at www.VMPTuning.com a call and talk to him about his tuning and pricing. Troyer is also another good tuner but he has been taking 8-10 weeks lately unless it's gotten longer. .

 

Contrary to what people say, the dealer won't warranty the truck if the problem was caused by the tuner, and there's no way for you to prove that it wasn't. That's why I advised against it unless you can afford to fix it when it breaks. If you have the dough, then by all means.....

 

"If you want to play, you got to pay"

 

What year is your truck and what motor does it have?