I was looking at getting tunes from 5star for my 6.2 but was wondering what are the differences between the 5 star tunes and the tunes that come pre loaded on the sct tuners?

 

Give Mike a call @ 5Star.....he is the "go to guy!"

 

hoss66, thank you for your interest! The main differences between our tunes and the preloaded options are power and drivability. With preloads you will see +15 hp and lb ft. You will see an increase in throttle response but shifting will be close to stock. With our tunes you will see +30 hp and +30 lb ft, increased throttle response and completely redesigned shift points. You will see much better drivability out of your vehicle over factory ranging from day to day driving, towing, you name it. We get as detailed as possible in the design of our tunes to give you the best of all worlds. Any questions you have about our tunes let us know.

 

So what's the downside? One truth everyone knows in life:"there ain't no free lunch"

So what is the cost? Reduced engine longevity? Transmission life? Something else?
No offense, truly: but what does 5Star know that FordMoCo doesn't know?

Also regarding throttle response- my 07 E350 V10 has fantastic throttle response. Whenever someone else drives my van the first time, they're always embarrassed about accelerating so quickly that it noisily throws around my cargo in the back. And then awkward conversations and apologies. Repeatedly. Every new driver. Every single time. On the converse: when I floor it, there's some room for quicker downshifts and engine response.

 

The custom tunes from 5 Star Tuning are much much better than the canned tunes & a whole new truck overy stock. Really the only thing that suffers is MPG because it's hard to stay off the go pedal lol. No free lunch lol. Ford does tune certain cars and trucks then charges thousands $$$ extra. Custom tunes by 5 Star Tuning is the best bang for buck by far! Excellent customer service also.

 

The custom tunes from 5 Star Tuning are much much better than the canned tunes & a whole new truck over stock. Really the only thing that might suffer is MPG because it's hard to stay off the go pedal lol. No free lunch lol. Ford does tune certain cars and trucks then charges thousands $$$ extra. Custom tunes by 5 Star Tuning is the best bang for buck by far! Excellent customer service also.

 

43281 tuned miles with a 5 star tune trouble free miles.

 

I think the reason they can make me happier with my vehicle is it is tuned for what I need and want which 5star knows and FoMoCo doesn't. That is very likely different than what you need and want. I use a different tune for towing than for daily driving, others don't. FoMoCo has to use 1 tune for every person and every use so as with most things there are compromises. I don't like driving with the tow tune when not towing. The shift points are too high for my liking, but I also don't like towing with my economy tune.

 

that's an interesting answer that certainly has much truth. My question is: specifically what is Ford detuning that Mike's 5Star is comfortable changing just for me?

almost certainly part of the answer would be: smoother shifts. Ford wants everyone to have a nice smooth shift. I've heard that smooth shifts are bad for automatic transmissions (compared to quicker shifts)..

But what else? It just seems like Mike 5Star would have to "harm" something in order to get more power for his customers..

I sure wish Mike would answer lol.

 

5 Star tunes are more sophisticated and more fun than the canned SCT tunes. I noticed the SCT shifts were harsher and that the 5-Star Daily Tow was as strong as the SCT Street tune. Buy your X4 or Livewire from them and you get 3 of each for the same price. Then you can tell us.
5-Star still tunes conservatively so they don't hurt your truck, but pick up quicker shifts, quicker converter locking, etc. Obviously, you could flog it and wear it out sooner. Or you can drive normally and still be happy because the truck is in the gear you need and no downshift delay. Ford assumes we all want to drive like grannys, but many of us want some excitement. I drive tuned the same way I drive stock and get better mileage than stock.
Ford also leaves plenty on the table so they can re-tune later to beat the latest RAM offering. If we knew exactly what 5-Star did, we wouldn't need 5-Star but they sure make my truck into what I had hoped I was getting when I bought it. They tune for the entire throttle range as well and not just for WOT power.
I have used 5-Star on both the F150 Ecoboost and F350 6.7 Powerstroke, both turbo engines. Your mileage on a naturally aspirated engine will probably be less dramatic, but transmission tuning should be great.

 

This question is 6 weeks old and 5Star still hasn't responded

 

Honestly, you come across as having a chip on your shoulder and as someone who isn't going to be happy with any answer, and it could be the 5-Star rep senses that.
A high performance tune driven hard will shorten the power train life and that is just common sense. A mild tune driven conservatively should have no effect on power train life.
My question would be why Ford had such lame response on my F150 Ecoboost. Both 5-Star and SSi made it so much better, each in their own way. It is better on the Powerstroke, but the shifting still leaves something to be desired to prevent bogging down and then downshifting twice to recover from it and I feel like I have to push the pedal harder to get it going from a stop. 5-Star solved both of those problems for me.
BTW, I hear some Ecoboosts can be had from the factory with "Sport Mode" tuning. Sounds like Ford learned something that 5-Star already knew.

 

Really? I never posted in this thread before.

 

Let this be a warning to you; never grow old! Obviously I thought you were the guy you were quoting. I stand by everything I said except for the first line which I retract. I could go back and edit it, but that would take the fun out of it.

 

And I stand by my comment... I think it deserves a response based on the prices they charge.