I have an old 2000 f-150 with 5.4 & towing package. My question is do tuners really work for P, torque & MPG?
Also can they do harm to the engine or transmission?

Comments Please

tlbond

 

They will change the transmission shift points, if you get a high octane tune it will get you a little more power, if you have some engine add ons (long tube headers, cams, larger injectors etc) then it can also help.
You will get no MPG changes.

 

in other words , NO... they make you feel good, but not worth it. No gain in power or MPG unless the do major mods to the motor.

 

Ive never been impressed with them. my trucks are stock.

 

Thanks for the reply. I didn't think they did much except relieve you of some money but wanted someone else's ideas.

tlbond

 

I got my SCT x3 and a basic tune for $250.
Would I do it again, probably not, but at least my speedo reads correct for the non-stock tires I have, and I do like the firmer shifting I have with the tune. No "performance" or MPG changes at all with it though, and was not really expecting any.
The good thing is the X3 works with newer trucks and there are things that tunes can do with them, so in the future if I get a newer truck, I can still use the same tuner.

 

I seem to be having better luck than most here....

I am running a superchips tuner & it made a big difference. I purchased it after I installed oversized tires, and basically lost the use of OD, struggling to keep up speed even on flat ground. After installing the tune I could use OD even on slight inclines.

A few months ago I found they updated the program, so I updated my tuner & reprogrammed the truck using the heavy tow mode. I can now drive over the Shasta mountains at 75 in overdrive, only having to pull back on 2 of the hills. HUGE difference!

Yes, I have flowmaster exhaust & a high flow air filter. Maybe that's the difference.

I recommend you to try it for yourself... they have a 30 day money back trial, & currently have holiday sales.

 

Gaser no, dont bother. Diesel heck yea makes a huge difference

 

to get more horse power you need more fuel, more air, different cam timing, more compression, etc....... On a diesel with a TURBO, you can modify the inputs, get more air and therefore need more fuel for more HP........... on a gas motor, it does no good to dump in more fuel as you cant get more air, or change the cam timing........ your just pissing up a rope.

 

In the best circumstances a gas tuner will net about 25hp at the crank, as opposed to a diesel easily getting 100 or more. That's dyno proven numbers that are fairly typical with off the shelf tuners. As stated, to get any "seat of the pants" performance, internal engine mods are needed.

I have a 2000 HD F150 5.4L. I bought a used (UNMARRIED) SCT Flashpaq tuner off Craigslist for $100. It worked great for upping the shift pressure and changing the shift points. It can also calibrate the speedo for different wheels or gears. It has live monitoring that you can watch a variety of sensor outputs, not to mention 0-60 times and 1/4 mile times. Plus it's a code reader that can pull codes off any obd2 vehicle. When I'm pulling a trailer I go to tow mode and it down shifts better when needed.

 

I would agree with the shift points, monitoring and code reader... But you cant get 25 HP out of thin air. You need more air / fuel / rpm......... where did that come from ? The air/ fuel ratio should remain constant.

 

I've personally done live chassis dyno tunes that gained 25-30HP out of a box tune. Getting the A/F and timing set different is all a tuner can due, and it's pretty easy to squeeze a few ponies when the tune is better. 95% of tuners claim the same numbers because it's true.

 

Take an older V8 engine, retard the timing 4-6 degrees, you can easily lose up to 50HP and the motor still run just fine. It's the same thing with computer controlled timing. Change the curve, change the performance. Then, if the A/F is too fat (usually is) you lean it out and squeeze a few more. Higher priced tuners allow for detailed fuel map and timing adjustments, where my Flashpaq has preset fuel maps and timing advances.

 

The factory computer is constantly changing the fuel trim for optimum use and a precise air/ fuel ratio............ and you cant increase the air flow. If there is something wrong with your motor, then you have LOST horse power compared to the factory setting... you don't get MORE HP with a tuner , but you might get back what you have LOST if your maintenance is not up to par.

 

Say what you want, but there's dyno proof out all over the place showing otherwise. I'm not retyping something I googled, I physically tuned cars on a Mustang Dyno, then personally handed the customers the Dyno sheets with before and after numbers on A/F wide band and HP/TQ numbers. Usually hurting their feelings because they thought they originally had more HP than they actually did. We called the dyno the ego killer alot of the time.

So we can just agree to disagree, I'm just putting my firsthand experience out there, whether you believe it or not.