Hey guys,
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Just wanted to share the excellent experience I’ve had with 5 Star Tuning especially since it was at you all’s suggestion I give Mike a call.
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I originally was having problems with a non-adjustable tuner from another vendor. Although the tune was set up for 87 octane my truck would ping under moderate to hard acceleration while running 87 of two different brands (Chevron & Shell). After multiple calls to the vendor and suggestions that didn’t work it came down to me having to run something higher than 87 to get around the ping. Although I really liked the tune I didn’t want to HAVE to run 89 octane. That’s where Mike came in. He said 5 Star would create a tune around the problem if it really was a problem with my truck. Sounded good so I went ahead and returned the tuner I had and took the plunge.
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First off I received an SCT X3 to retrieve the PCM code. After finding it I sent it off to Mike and within a few hours my tunes were ready. I got them downloaded to the device but was unable to upload them to the truck the next day. I spoke with Mike that afternoon and he said no sweat he’d have me a new X3 by noon the next day (Saturday)! Sure enough, by 10am there it was. This time there were no problems with the uploads. I asked for an 87 Octane Economy, 87 Performance, and an 89 Performance. After driving both of the 87s I could happily report that acceleration was improved and that there was NO ping. Not even a trace of ping. I then asked Mike if any timing was removed from those tunes and he said yes it had been in the range I reported it in with the other device (1500-2000 rpm). He then said I could add a few degrees in with the X3 or he could send me updated tunes. Before I had a chance to think about it there were the new tunes in an email. Sure enough, I loaded the Performance 87 back up and I could feel a little more responsiveness in that range climbing a hill with the AC on and again, NO PING. Since then I’ve asked Mike MANY questions about possible adjustments I could make with the X3 and what effect they would have. Each time I have received a response that same day and a lot of times there were tunes attached with just those changes. I can’t say enough about 5 Star’s customer service. I told Mike they provide the best customer service I have ever received on anything I have ever bought in the last 30 years.
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For anyone considering a tuner or thinking it might be interesting to tweak tunes definitely consider 5 Star. I told Mike, it’s like having 4 different trucks because the tunes really do change the character.
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Like others have mentioned I don’t represent 5 Star and no one paid me to say this. I just wanted you guys to know what a killer experience I have had with them. It’s a gas to tweak a tune and see what changes.
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how much performance did you gain

 

theres no question when the time is right thats who i'll be calling about getting a tuner...

 

Fountain 1, I've only used the seat-of-the-pants dynometer so far but what I have found is that there isn't the lag in responsiveness from a standing start and the shifts are faster and firmer. It also seems like there is more power where I can use it in my daily commute - in the 45-60mph range. Where I can tell the most difference is pulling a particular hill I hit daily with the AC on. With no tune loaded the truck won't accelerate up it in overdrive. With the tune it does accelerate.

I haven't tried the 89 performance tune. With the other vendor's tune loaded I could tell a BIG difference right around 60mph. Though it required 89 octane to prevent knocking and I was running 87 because it was an 87 tune. I'm figuring the 5 Star tune will be about the same since it's based on 89. I'll let you know when I try it.

 

Please do ! im very interested in the true facts , As 5 star is on my short lists of need to have soon ! ive invested my money in differant areas of the truck as of late . but will need to invest in the finale few things , im doing gears ,now , then tuner . Although i thought his tune extended the shifts higher in the rpm range . Not made it shift sooner though ?

 

Sorry, what I said was misleading. I should have stated less lag time during the shifts between gears. With the stock tune in place I get an occasional lazy shift that seems to take longer than usual. With the 87 perf tune I do not experience this at all. The shifts are precise and firm.

As far as at what RPM the shifts take place, I didn't notice while I had the original 87 perf tune loaded. I asked Mike if I could try the stock shift pattern with the 87 perf tune so he changed mine a bit. It seems to work better for me that way because I get stuck in a lot of stop and go traffic on my commute between 5 and 50 mph. Not that original 87 perf tune shift pattern is bad at all, just different. I found the stock shift pattern more to my liking in my usual traffic jams. Mike can set it up however you want it.

Hope this helps a little.