So I just got my Edge 15051 for my 06 5.4 XLT, and wow. I was skeptical at first but as soon as I started driving the difference is night and day. I was hoping some people would post their level 2 settings. You can share level 3 also, but we don't have 93 where I live, and my entire reason for getting this was not necessarily for the added HP, but fuel economy instead.

I am currently running level 2 with 91 in the tank because that is all I ever get. The only thing I have changed is the tire size, and shift firmness. I am at 10 all the way around for firmness, but eventually will try more. If you have a custom tune would you mind sharing it? My curiosity is driven more towards the torque converter settings and tranny settings, but I would also like to play a little with the rest, possibly even a small amount of timing increase if possible to do so since I am running 91. However, I am worried that will only decrease my MPG, and it runs pretty damn good without it anyways. Enough to make me happy. Still, I want to play a little

On the Edge it indicates my fuel milage (both average and instant) but it seems a bit high. Ok, it seems really high. I have noticed that my RPM has lowered on the highway by a full grand, maybe a little more. I am certain I gained some better fuel economy, I can tell just by the way it runs when I'm staying off it. I will do my calculations during the next two fill ups to find out for sure. Might take a couple weeks though.

Also, I have not been under to see what tranny I have, and I have no idea the gear ratio. The tuner set it to 3.73, which is read by the PCM, so I assume that is correct. I do not have a door jamb sticker unfortunately, and the ground is frozen snow/ice with negative temps in my area so I am actively avoiding doing anything outdoors, lol. I even tried looking up the vin number but had a feeling it wouldn't give any results on the tranny or gear ratio, and none of them did, as I figured. What specifically am I looking for to find this out? Is there a code on the tranny or is it just labeled in plain sight, and same with the gears. I also have bigger tires/rims than stock. Mine are 275/65R18 which converts to 2559mm. So, does anyone with this gear ratio and same tire size have to change the gear ratio to correctly display the speed and odometer readings? I am guessing since the manual says odometer readings, it translates to MPG with those settings, and if I do not have the correct gear ratio with my tires than I can never get the correct MPG. Am I right?

Thanks in advance for any input. I have searched and gotten some other peoples tunes on level 2 but just wanted to check here as well for any advice and input. Also, the engine is a new reman with all the FordTechMakuLoko recommended timing parts, phasers, etc etc including the high volume pump and I have dumped exhaust with a flowmaster but nothing else. I do plan on getting CAI here in the next couple months as well.

 

Typically, gas burners don't really see the gains that diesels have. I wouldn't trust any MPG coming from an electronic means (you've got a device on there that's designed to fool computers, how can one trust anything coming from it or the truck that it's connected to?). Only based on calculations, not from good feelings or anything like that (depending on what variables you keep track of will also help determine what gains could honestly be attributed to the tuner or if it was more about environmental changes (both things that you can control and not control)).

Buying a tuner (especially for a gas burner) really should be more about the enjoyment factor compared to MPG gains. Like I said, gas burners don't really see as much gains, so then you have to figure out the ROI of what gains you may or may not have offset with the cost of the device.

Not knowing the gearing can also have an affect as well. Having bigger tires, I would think that the gearing would also not be stock as well. If you are that concerned about MPGs, having bigger tires and making a brick of a vehicle even bigger of a brick is no bueno for MPG. Enjoyment factor may be another story though, if you go for that type of thing.

It would be far better to be doing this for enjoyment compared to MPGs. If you do actually see a gain, great, that's icing on the cake. But more often then not the ROI on MPG gains from a tuner (if it could actually be attributed solely to the tuner) is much higher then what people actually think. They are bricks designed for tasks, not aerodynamic vehicles.

 

It's definitely for enjoyment, because I enjoy the gains I am getting on the low end so I don't have to stomp it to 3-4k RPM's just to get up to speed and the shift points are also much nicer. I plan on tweaking it a bit more to get it down in OD faster and easier when I am trying to save gas. As for the MPG on the EDGE, yea, I don't trust it. I will do my calculations and see where I am at, but it's got to be a tiny amount better since the RPM's are lower.

I do enjoy the WOT response and gains, but with 11-13 MPG average, I avoid it like unhealthy eating, because that's what it is. Kills your wallet and your tank like sugar kills you hopes and dreams of losing body fat. I would even be happy with a 1 MPG gain, because that is essentially 25-30 extra miles per tank. I don't tow, but I do have a kayak that gets strapped in during summer. Since this will be the first summer owning the truck I doubt the weight of my camping/kayak equipment will be any different than the sandbags that are in the back for winter (If I can't ruck it in a pack and store it on the kayak, it doesn't come with me).

Overall, I am please with the purchase and I will never own another vehicle without one, especially once I trade this truck in for something brand new. I already used a guideline from someone else's tune on level 2, but it seemed like theirs was more geared towards a little extra WOT, so I tweaked it to my liking and it seems to be doing just fine for now until my next couple days off. The only confusion I have is when it comes to the transfer case locking points. I am going to play around with normal shift points and put them in the negative and then adjust the T case points as well. I hope to find a medium that allows for a decent change through gears up to 40-45 and easily into OD to really aide the gas savings - without sacrificing the ability to give it a little more when I want. I will tweak for the next couple weeks/months and see where it gets me. I am positive it can be done.

I feel like more people who get this stuff are more interested in power gains, but the option is there to save some gas too, and the manual even explains what parts it can be done on. Will it be a massive gain? No, the same way HP and torque won't be either in the other direction. But a gain is a gain and in terms of fuel economy, saving $3-10 at every fuel up certainly adds up over a year to have more than paid for the tuner. Actually, at a single gallon of gas per fill up where I live, that is exactly what I paid for the tuner in a years time

 

I really hope you are not using the pre loaded tunes on your truck. They are notoriously bad and cause damage. The 5.4 will run lean and burn pistons and valves. Get a custom tune ASAP.

 

I was just confused, because earlier you said this:

That option, in my experience, now this is with diesel, is not as big as one would hope.



I don't know where your from, but around here (in both places that I reside in), we have a phrase known as "Whistlin' Dixie". Those are some huge gains if you think it's going to be saving even the low end of that every fill up and without doing hand calculations each time.

Of course, don't forget that there are different formulations of fuel during different times of the month as well, that could also affect MPG.

It reads as if there is some tweaking (what tweaking that is allowed) of the canned tunes, so it isn't totally canned in one sense. Custom tunes (while in the diesel world, especially with my old 6.0, would have definitely been the only way to go) would add cost that would affect the ROI as well.

Now, this does bring up another con. If the tuner cases damage what ROI that you may or may not have seen would be eaten up with repairs and set that ROI back even further.



There was a phrase that was quite popular when I was on here a lot and that is "got to pay to play".

 

if you've dropped a 1k rpm at cruise on the interstate that leads me to believe you have mechanical problems with the trans or torque converter

 

Can you elaborate as to why? It has not dropped a full 1 grand, but close enough to round up. Where it was at 70 around 2 grand maybe a bit less, it now sits at 1.9 1/2. I don't think that should raise any eyebrows, but you seem to know more than I do so I am all ears. I don't doubt the tranny being at 140k has some wear and I hated the way it shifted before, so I know that is the next thing to go, but I doubt the EDGE will hurt it, if anything, I assume it will help it. Given the massive amounts of issues I already fixed including the new engine, I expect it to be rebuilt within 30k. Without the edge, the shifting was not rough or hard, but the RPM's never really dropped through 3rd and it was pretty firm. My guess is someone towed with this truck and like I see far too often on the roads here in Montana, it was probably too big of a load for the truck. So, no surprises there. I plan on fixing it. When I dropped the pan it still had the stock plug in it, so that should tell you something as well. The fluid was not anything out of the ordinary for a trans with 130k that had never been changed before. If anything, they may have flushed once in it's lifetime previously. I plan on replacing everything according to FordTechMakuloko's videos and as for the Torque converter, I'll play it by ear. No leaks so far and it's holding fluid just fine. I swapped the fluid twice for XL-12 in the 10k I have had it just to get all the old crap out. Same with the tranny. Dropped the pan twice and refilled with Mercon V. The next level of dropping the Valve Body and replacing parts is a bit beyond my capabilities, but I do plan on it. My guess is there is some wear on the POS stock check ***** and gunk in there, and judging by FTMUL's videos, some plastic piece probably holding on by a thread. About as expected at this stage.

I bought the EDGE because my truck felt sluggish and there was a hope of added fuel economy. Overall, it has delivered as expected so far. I do not expect to see an ROI, but it would be nice, even if it took 2 years because I have it for at least 3 no matter what happens. I am not running lean and have tweaked the canned tunes for my truck. I would not run the tunes on a default setting, obviously. I switched to level 3 the other day and started tweaking. I do plan on running level 3 from here out. My tune is as follows:

Level 3
Gear: 3.73
Tire size: 2559
WOT shifting: 5100 all but final is 5000
Standard shifting: -5mph for 4th (kicks in around 40-45 depending on my lead foot. Highway speed here is 65 and it will hold until then if I chose so)
Shift firmness: +10 all the way around
Rev limiter: 5250
Torque Q lock points: -4 in 3rd, -6 in 4th
Speed limited: 130 (why not, I never get past 80)
Timing: +1 (I have had it at +.5 but +1 is as high as I am willing to go on 91)
WOT fuel: 1.35

As for paying for a custom tune, I would have to send it in I think. I don't think the previous recommends for doing so to Power Hungry offer those services anymore. I know I am not running lean because I monitor everything through my BlueDriver. Everything is okay, and I have compared it to FordTechMakuloko's videos to confirm. I am willing to hear any advice on that subject as well, but if it was running lean, I would have known the first time I drove it. Overall, I'd say it's delivered as expected, and any issues that arise with the tranny/transfer case were already there and expected, which is another reason I bought the EDGE to aide in the shifting and torque locking points. But I do think the issues are minimal for a 140k tranny, and the EDGE won't hurt it. I could be wrong, I have been before, once. Either way, I am not looking for a better 0-60 time, just a little more get up and better shifting. The fuel economy either happens or it doesn't. Whatever. Fingers crossed. But it used to need to be feathered to get into OD below 45 and now it goes there easily. I even drove up some hills today to make sure it was not too low or erratic. All seems well. I am very happy with the way it drives especially in the city limits during stop and go.

 

There exists a possibility of it helping or hurting it. Mainly depends on the quality of the tuning and/or refinement of the tuning used. Why so many in the diesel world recommend custom tunes from a reputable shop. 6.0s were especially "sensitive" to off the shelf tuners (ones that didn't have true custom tunes, tunes that were slightly tweaked don't count). I would say that it is true in the gas burning world as well.

Edge devices also had one of the worst reputations for the 6.0. Especially their shift on the fly tuners. Not saying that it's true for the gas burning world as well, just what the experience has been on here that I've heard from other places, so take that for what it's worth.