The LET tune makes the exhaust howl at full throttle. I've never heard my truck sound that way. I passed a guy on the highway and could hear my exhaust howling off his vehicle. My little Ecoboost is growing up and made a manly noise! (end of quote) You mean it didn't sound like a church mouse cutting a fart! how did the old plugs look and did you notice any difference with the new plugs?

 

LOL!

Old plugs looked fine and not worn after 36K miles. I could visually tell the gaps varied some but I didn't bother measuring since they were being removed. Didn't notice any difference in the way the engine ran with the new plugs at smaller gap. I put those in on the advice of LET when running a 91 octane tune at higher boost. Stock plugs are fine with an 87 octane tune.

 

Nice writeup. I have been thinking about getting the SCT Livewire for awhile now. I am at roughly 30,500 miles on her already. (commuting miles are racking up fast) So are you saying there is not a real noticeable change from stock to the 87 tune? I am also looking forward to the economy tune and the towing tune.

 

SCT 87 tune is quite a bit more snappy than stock when you want it to be, especially in transitions between off idle and mid-range rpm below 50 mph. This is where it will leave a stock truck to look at your tail lights. Where it really shines is in a "change of mind" scenario where you want a spurt of speed. But don't expect a lot of difference in passing capability on the highway. My butt-ometer is telling me there isn't much difference of performance above 60 mph.

There is no specific Tow or Economy tune option in my SCT X4, just an 87 octane tune (assume it to be the Performance tune). The user manual talks about being able to select Tow and Economy options from the base 87 tune profile, but those options seem to not exist with the F150 Ecoboost. If you really want a dedicated Tow tune then either buy a custom tune from a shop that can flash files on the SCT device, or call SCT and make 100% certain the Livewire comes with the features you want.

I put the SCT 87 tune back in today because it is snowing. Probably run with it most the winter until the slippery stuff is gone. At some point I'll try the SCT 91 tune but not now. I don't have reliable access to 93 octane to run the SCT 93 tune. Any time you switch to higher octane you need to run through two tanks of fuel to dilute the lower octane enough to be safe. That is 1000 miles of driving for me around town so it's just silly for me to try the 93 tune.

 

Still running SCT 87 tune this winter and I can report it is just as easy to drive on ice as the stock tune. No issues in winter driving.

I will say after just a few weeks I have no more recollection of what the stock tune felt like. This SCT 87 tune just seems normal now and like what the truck should have been from the factory. There is a reminder it is above average when I put down the throttle and a lot of tire scratching that never happened before, but for the most part I am so accustomed to it that it seems normal.

Waiting for better weather so I can play a little harder.

 

I didn't care for the SCT tunes. I run my 91 MPT tune year round.

 

I just need a chance to have more seat time to figure out the transmission shifts before I take it on ice. Warmer weather just moved in and roads are melted. LET 91 tune is going back in today for that seat time...

Hey, did you ever upgrade your intercooler? If not, are you thinking about it?

 

No, I just have the stock intercooler. I did remove the plastic "block off" plate that came on it. My early build 2011 didn't have a block off plate so removing it will only make it more efficient.
Am I thinking about upgrading it? I haven't gave it a lot of thought, but it's a lot of money for 12hp. If I was going to spend that much $$ I'd probably go with methanol injection.
But as of now I'm done spending $$ on my truck for a little while. I just spent $1k this week on mods. My next mod will be relatively cheap...new tunes when I install my downpipe that I removed from my 2011 before I traded it.

 

Ya, I was debating methanol vs. intercooler. Agree that intercooler is a lot of dough. I never had a misfire for 3 years until last Christmas and now I'm thinking harder about an intercooler. I don't want to spend money on a downpipe and then lose the new cats due to intercooler water/sludge. Of course, there's another way to make sure cats never fail.

But the one thing that hurts the most is the oil catch can. It's hundreds of dollars for something that doesn't add performance. I suppose I need to buck up and order one since I'm pushing more crap through the system now.

 

Been running the LET 91 performance tune for a few days. The transmission shifts are becoming more docile and smooth as the trans learns my driving style. Getting predictable and feels more natural. Apparently the transmission shifts harder when a tune is first flashed and then settles down after a few days of driving. Haven't used full throttle all week. Haven't needed it -- Part throttle is just as quick as my truck ever was before with a lot more tire scratching.

This tune does hold a numerically lower gear vs stock or SCT, so engine rpm's are running higher on a regular basis. Won't readily drop into higher gears for fuel savings. I find myself shifting into Manual and forcing a gear upshift and then putting it back in Drive. I've talked to LET and they are going to modify my tune to drop into 5th and 6th at a lower speed, per my request.

Also, the cooling fan runs all the time even though it has been near 0F outside. LET will adjust that too for the colder climate where I live. I'm also going to send in a data log to fine tune things. This is the real benefit of working with a custom tuner. Keep tweaking until it works the way you want.

 

Also been doing some investigating into what other modifications I will do. Not going all out with this, just a few sensible things that work well together. The short list is oil catch can, down pipe, and possibly an intercooler.

The more I learn about oil catch can, the more I believe that not having a catch can is the cause of most "intercooler condensation" issues. I really don't think water dropping out of the air charge is the main cause. The bigger problem, and often overlooked, is the stock PCV system coupled with forced induction. An oil catch can is a good way to deal with that, among the other benefits it provides. It is a must have in my book.

I've concluded aftermarket air intake is not worth the money. The stock intake is good... like really good. As good as I can take advantage of with stock turbos. I'm leaving intake alone and just making sure filter is clean. Also concluded cat-back exhaust isn't worth changing. Down pipe is where the gains are to be had in the exhaust system. Intercooler is looking more attractive all the time. Not sure I will buy one but half the cost was freed up by foregoing the intake.

Traction bars... I'm going to need 'em. Not everybody does, but I do. Most aftermarket parts won't last on salty roads and humid summers where I live. Everybody powder coats these days and that stuff just doesn't stick to objects with corners. Still looking at options. Maybe order Caltracs or JLP in bare metal and paint with the same paint used on car frames.

 

Ordered a Wagner EVO intercooler. It was on sale at MPT $110 off and free shipping. Ya, the sale dragged me in. Fits in stock location and is blind to the untrained eye. That's the way I like to roll.

AMR intercooler is definitely king of the hill, but there is no way I am spending $1800 to get one. Wagner is a good #2 choice.

 

Truck has been inconsistent in the way it accelerates. LEC looked at a data log and advised me there is a boost leak somewhere. Too cold outside to deal with this now but I'll have to hunt it down. Still bone stock. Won't do parts swap until there is a nice day to do the work.

 

I'm curious if you're still holding out on the exhaust. I'm pretty convinced at this point to go with the Borla duals, just to keep the sound pointed behind me instead of out the side.

I guess you could say I'm "trying out" some tunes right now, and currently running the SCT 87 until I fill up next time. Kind of like it, but looking forward to trying out the 91 tune...

 

Nope, still not considering exhaust. I would if it was a choke point but it's not. And I have no other driven desire to make the exhaust louder. If you do exhaust then do it because you like it (looks or sound).

Ya, I think that is a good idea. My reference point of "normal" is changing rapidly. Coming off the stock tune I thought the LET 91 was too aggressive for snow. Now I think it is fairly docile.