I'm considering the purchase of a Microtuner for my 2K F150/5.4/4WD which I absolutely love (this is my 6th Ford pickup). My main purpose is to try tuning for better fuel mileage. I've already done an induction kit with favorable results. Performance is not an issue, as long as I don't loose any power. I have questions about the tuners usage. Must it remain hooked to the vehicle at all times? Can you tweak the timing and/or fuel rate in small increments? I'd prefer to stay with 89 octane. Is that possible? I understand that there are additional benefits to rewriting the chip like improved shifting, removal of top speed limiting, etc. I've spoken with Motorhaven who told me that one of the tuner manufacturers is coming out with a tuner for guys who want to improve mileage and make minor modifications while staying with 90 or lower octane. Seems like it would be a huge market. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Most of the units are configured for performance. Thats on premium. I don't think you will ever find anything that will increase your mileage enough to warrant buying the unit..Ford has squeezed the mileage out of these engines pretty good.
Smaller truck will fix you right up.. You can go to the dealer and get flashed with the latest software for your F150.

 

You unplug the tuner after programming. You cannot tweak the timing and 91 or better is required.

The person you spoke with was me and I did not say that they are coming out with one for better mileage. There may have been some misunderstanding. I said they are working on one with an 87 octane setting. The only thing it will do is remove the limiter and allow shift point and speedometer changes. The 87 octane setting is exactly the same as you have in the vehicle now, no performance gain, no mileage gain.

Basically, if Ford could squeeze extra mileage out of 87 octane fuel, they would.

 

Thanks for the response. I may be a little naive but I take it that Motorhaven is the host of this web site. You're not the only person I talked to over there. I talked to sales people before I spoke with you, so I hope you realize how my misunderstanding developed. Regrettably, my intent was not to misquote you. It seems to me that there are a number of chips out there now with "stock" settings that have a similar affect to the vehicle as you have described. It would be interesting to see what this new device has to offer. I have checked out a number of sites and information sources on this subject. I'm sure you know that there is a great deal of conflicting information out there. Some "experts" say, as you have, that Ford has squeezed all of the fuel mileage that they can out of these engines, others say that Ford runs these engines "fat" because of catalytic converter heat issues and there is room for improvement. Some say that the timing curves can be "tweaked", some say they can't. Most say that making the engine breath has some positive effects on fuel mileage. Another gentleman responded saying that I could get the unit flashed with the latest program from Ford. Do you know if it's possible to obtain the improvement statistics for latest Ford program? Just what changes does it make to the existing program? What I'm after may involve going deep into the ECU programming. Unfortunately I'm discovering that present 'Tuner" offerings by various companies won't do what I'd like them to do. I'm sure it's possible to have a custom program written; but at what cost? As I said there seems to be a huge market potential for the type of "product" that I'm seeking. It may just be a matter of time before some company offers a solution, even if some compromises like raising the octane requirement to 89 are required. Eventually, I suspect I'll perform the range of current peripheral improvements to the engine in search of mileage, but not before some solid research and evidence of the outcome. Thank you again for your time and knowledge.

 

Hate to tell you but the only way to get better mileage is to get a smaller rig. A new ford program would get you up to speed with the latest ford updates but your not gonna get any miracles. Its not gonna happen sorry!!