Well I decided to go with the 5Star SCT 3015 tuner for my Ex.
I was not able to find my PCM code so Mike at 5Star sent me the programmer without the tunes. I recieved the programmer in two days. I was able to read the strategy of my PCM email it to Mike and recieve my tunes the next day. All of this in my opinion was very quick and I am not a patient guy, espacially if i have a new toy to play with

I loaded the 87 performance tune this morning and took it for a test drive. I was very happy with the way the Ex performed. My butt dyno was happy too. I could definately feel a better throttle response and now see why most of you here that have the 5star tuned Ex say
"it feels like my Ex lost 3k pounds" Now that might be a stretch but it deffinately feels lighter. It seems to pull better throughout the throttle range unlike before where it would seem to top out.
As for the transmission in performance tune I didnt feel much difference unless I was in the pedal pretty good. Then I felt firmer shifts for sure.

I then loaded the 87 Tow tune. This is where I felt the biggest difference in the transmission. Mind you I wasnt towing anything but I could deffinately feel firmer shifts and it was holding gears longer and not up shifting prematurly.

Overall I believe this is the best bang for the buck and way out performs the Superchips tuner that I had on a previous truck.

Thanks to Mike and 5Star for the fast shipping and great product.


Now it's time to install the Volant CAI

 

i have to agree 150% Mike is fantastic! he has tuned 4 of my trucks and 3 of them were V10 excursions. i told him what i wanted and he made it work perfectly. like you said huge seat of the pants difference in the feel of the truck. biggest change i noticed was he got the tranny to shift exactly how i wanted when i wanted which i think helps harness the power of the truck much better.

glad your happy with yours! i cant wait to order 2 more for my other trucks..$$

 

the V10 like the SCT way better than our 5.4, i know a few members who have the SCT on 5.4 SD and hate them including myself

 

I would agree with that 100% , My 5.4 didnt really wake up much with the tuner. I suppose the V10 has that much more power to harness so you feel a bigger difference..

 

I just finished towing with my 5star tuned X. The towing tune was great. For some reason though my X will never hold OD when towing, even with the tune. My trailer is 11.5 feet tall so that is a big issue! It will hold it at the right speed. But once you hit the slightest headwind it drops to 3rd. Other than that the X feels great towing 9200lbs of TT. Merging is not like it was before. It hauls *** on an on ramp! No longer do i sit and wait as speed builds slowly. My towing mpg also improved at least .5 if not closer to 1 mpg. I need a few more trips to see how it goes with that!

 

I noticed 5 Star is having a special on the SCT with 5 tunes. Is it really worth the $$? My Ex is my daily driver and also tows a 8000lb TT every other weekend. Does the price justify the improvement in performance and mileage?

I like the idea of being able to switch between towing and the 87 rather than have vehicle 'chipped' for one specific task.

Thanks.

 

I just placed my order for the 5 Star tuner and 5 tunes! (Special sale ends tonight) I have been looking forward to doing this for some time now and am looking forward to feeling the improvements. I'm looking to get the 87 Econo, Tow and Perf and the 89 Tow and Perf.

 

I got mine yesterday! Just loaded the 87 eco, about to go for a test drive!

 

what they said. from what ive heard its amazing on v10s though

 

After a few days I am still happy with the way my truck is driving.
"Amazing" may be a bit of an overstatement but a noticeable moderate improvement? Yes.

I still can't wait to tow my trailer to see what improvement I see there. That is where I am hoping to see the biggest improvements.

 

there's a sale?! i may have to buy another for either my expedition or explorer. damnit!

i think it depends how your tune is set-up also as to the amazing effect or not. my tune is ***** to the wall power/performance and it does that very well!

 

Sorry If it's been mentioned. .but how much from beginning to end does a 5 star tune from Mike cost? I have a v10 and I'd love to get a tune from all the good things I've been reading. What all do I need, a controller or something that plugs into my truck somewhere?

 

Mine was $499 with the SPD Y pipe. You can get an X3 with the 3 tunes for $399 or one with just one tune for $379? Well worth it. They send you a programmer. All you need to do is plug in and download te tune you want. Very easy.

 

I wonder how/if yours is different than the tunes I got? You would think any tune they sell would be for "***** to the wall" performance/towing/economy?
Well scratch the economy part............just not gonna happen with a rig this big!

 

Mike can "personalize" the tunes to your driving style and what you want exactly. high shift points, O/D kicking in later (60mph) and i'm sure there are some air/fuel mix changes..ect i dont know the in's and outs exactly but there are huge differences in how the truck feels with the 3 different tunes.

the economy tune is worthless to me, made the truck feel SO lethargic and slow. i could only handle it for a very short period of time.