I would appreciate any advice on the best tuner for my 2006 Lincoln Mark LT 5.4L. I tow a 7000 lb boat and the truck pulls it OK, but I would like to get improved towing performance.

Like most 5.4L owners - I would appreciate better mpg also.

I started reading about the 5 Star Tuner by Mike. Have also read some posts about Diablo.

I do not want to risk tearing anything up in my drivetrain by adding a tuner. Any risks?

Any comments are much appreciated.

I do not know a lot about this type of device, but am learning more every day.

 

Call Mike and talk to him about your goals. He will provide you with a safe custom tune for your towing needs (as well as daily driving) and an SCT XCAL3 (or Livewire) all at a reasonable price.

I would not expect any MPG gains. It's not that they're unheard of, it just does not happen on every truck. If you get MPG gains, consider yourself lucky.

 

With regards to “Chips” and “Tuners”, years ago it was the best that most could do to enhance the ignition timing, fuel curve, transmission shift points, etc. It was (and still is) very important that a person verifies that the “Tuner” is ASE certified in both ECM and Transmission programming and IMHO be have current certification by the OEM whose vehicle you want to modify. There are plenty of persons who advertise their programs to be the best and even offer custom tunes, but in all reality, very few actually have credentials in these areas- but that’s not to say that some of these “geniuses” haven’t really caused damage to a few vehicles- just jump over to flatratetech.com and read just some of the comments from the MSE techs!. Perhaps what is equally important is the parameters that can be adjusted are set by the oem vehicle software…so there is really no “magic” in what they are doing anyway.

IMHO, if you live near any major city there are excellent tuning specialist with dynos who for the same price (if not less) will tune your vehicle taking into consideration your specific needs including environmental conditions, for your specific vehicle. IMHO, the best bang for the buck!

 

I'm very happy with the tuner and program that I got from 5 Star Tuning. My 2010 E350 5.4L feels smoother and stronger. It accelerates much better and trans shifts are smoother. I've only used the Economy tune though. Haven't tried the Performance or Tow tunes yet. Mike was very helpful and shipped the tuner fast.

 

I went to Troyers in Covington lastyear and they listened to what I was looking for, the fact that mine was a '07 5.4 Scab with 3.55 gears and 275/55-20 tires ... with cat back exh. ... and that I was not going to be doing engine mods past that and the intake and they suggested the Superchips Flashpaq 1865 with it's 4 canned tunes.

Shifts better, the 4 tunes were ...
... a mileage tune (that I was told would maybe NOT increase mileage) ...
... an 87 octane performance tune (that allowed then 4000 pound towing but that has increased to 6000 popund with updates) ...
... a 91/93 octane "heavy tow" tune that allows up to vehicle max tow ...
... and a 93 octane max perf tune.

It first saves the stock yune inside the tuner before changes are made.

I run the 87 octane tune and just check for updates and when there are any, I update my tuner and then the truck. On a trip, I tried a few tunes on the way to Indy and back last summer. The mileage tune is so conservative that you find yourself mashing harder to maintain speed and it got worse mileage than stock. In the 15.9 mpg range.

Stock got 18.5 mpg.

I went back to my 87 tune that I knew already did better. Rest of trip from tank to tank never under 19.5 and on one tank up in Indiana on flat roads saw near 21. Me, wife, dog, and luggage ... and on the way back, a home AC.

I don't use high test as it's not worth the $$$ for my use. I like the improved shifting and throttle response.