I've heard the same. Watch out for the tuners. They put mucho stress on many parts, including head studs(an issue for us 6.0 folks).

 

Poncho,
Now I have to disagree here. This forum is for All opinions and facts. Disagreement isn't all bad. I really don't think he was "trashing" that opinion, just difference of opinion.

If FTE's approach ever becomes... for disagreeing member to "just move on", this forum takes a big step backwards.

I use Lucas tranny additive in my Expy and its gone 320k plus without issue. I've had many disagree. That's okay because I feel that others will value my opinion and actual experience.

Back on topic, if nothing else, a tuner or reader to get most pertinent info, is even a better reason to consider something. My Dashboss isn't a tuner, but the info I get from it after custom programming, makes me feel very comfortable when pulling.

 

I have a 6.0 and I have used the sctx4 for about 2 years now. First, the canned tunes are junk. They make your truck shift weird, the truck shutters when you turn the cruise control on and off, they just aren't right.

But a good custom transmission tune makes these truck drive so much nicer, it is a world of difference. I paid 300 for my tuner and another 125 for 3 tunes from Innovative Diesel. I run the street tune from Innovative as my daily driver and love it.

 

I have a '99 F250 SD SC V-10 LB, with 3.73.
I usually have to let off the gas to make it shift, when leaving a stop.
It previously towed a 5th wheeler.

How can I tell if it has some kind of tune, or shift kit?

 

So you have to buy a tune and can't actually 'tune' it yourself?
I thought that was how the programmers work, basically I can tell the transmission for example what speed I want it to shift to which gear, what pressures, temperatures,..... no?


Chris

 

Yes, you can tune on your own right out of the box to some extent, but you get more out of a custom tune from a shop. You can set your shifting, idle rpms, speed governor, jake brake, tire size, etc. So yes, you can do all that without buying tunes, but it's not the same as a custom tune.

The custom tunes are a whole different experience. I don't know if I can explain it, it's just better. I ran the programmer out of the box for a couple months and didn't like the way the truck ran. I bought some tunes to see if that changed the way I felt about programming. Now I will only run custom tunes.

 

I've never used one. Our trucks are intentionally down tuned, to run on 87, and last longer. Also because SDs typically carry heavier loads, more miles. The same 6.2 in the old raptor, put out 434hp, 411Tq, on 93 octane.


That being said, IF you never really put it through severe duty.. Then most of these programmers can take up that slack, and put you on a 93 octane tune at least. I heard the Raptor had a few other odds and ends, cam etc. But I think a 93 tune for us would still get over 400hp at least.


However, my computer experience, and my gut, tells me that programmers are always a little bit of a risk. It's like putting your ECU in the hands of a tiny programming company that claims to "know better" than Ford does. That's like saying "Bob's computer shop" knows better than Microsoft....
Mostly, I only hear good things about tuners. But I bet there's still glitches out there. A firmware flash on any computer or device, is still kind of a delicate procedure. something you don't want to interrupt or get wrong even once.


I think the little extras, and utility features they provide are really cool though. Someone mentioned speedo calibration for big tires, that's great. virtual 1/4 mile, diagnostics, error code resets. That all sounds good, but if you flash your ECU to alter performance, just know that there's a calculated risk involved.

 

How many MPG are you getting on your day-to-day driving with the tune?


I like that my truck starts every time I turn the key and gets me from A to B.


Another question... Say I use the tuner to turn off my check engine light, do I constantly have to have the tuner plugged in for it or is it a one-time thing?


I have an AutoXRay EZ-Scan scan tool that shows me all the important data, so the programmer wouldn't be that important for me. I'm starting to think i'd rather save the money and spend it to get a hold off a Ford VCM scanner...


Chris

 

It's just like a software download and its done. Takes about 3 minutes. You set your tire size/speedometer, egr valve, tune, etc, then you run a download. After that, it is in the truck and you can unhook the programmer.

I leave my x4 hooked up because it has gauges and it is always right there if I want to change tunes. If you want to run a different monitor, that's fine, but you still need to keep the tuner. It links to your vehicle and stores your factory program on the device if/when you want to revert back to factory. So if you want to unhook it, just keep it in a safe spot and don't try to sell it or anything without reverting your truck back to stock.

I am getting 16ish mpg. I haven't been monitoring it as close with 2 dollar diesel.

 

I put in an H&S Minni Maxx, S&B cold air intake and did a full delete with a straight pipe to the muffler. I've noticed considerable gains in performance and a slight increase in mpg's. No complaints here and on occasion I throw in some Howes diesel treatment. Power for towing is though the roof. Depends on what you want to get out of it.