Tuning question...
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Junior User
Joined: Feb 2018
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Tuning question...
Hey all. I am wondering what tuner I should get to do an "on-road" tune. I have no intentions of deleting the DEF system. I know I can't buy a tuner in the state but I can get one. How much of a power increase can I get with a tune only? I know it's a completely different animal but a CAI and SCT tuner with a Steeda tune made all of the difference in the world on my 13 Mustang GT 5.0. I figure a tune is easy enough to back off of when its time to get smogged and isn't too obvious if CHP pokes around. I'm not sure if I'll even do it but I like to know my options.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2017
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PPEI has a 35hp ECM tune with emissions and a TCM tune as well. If interested just call them. Their customer service is decent...
Trojan Pig
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 135
Likes: 88
From: Southern Arizona
I have an EZLynk with GDP as my tuner. I have a +75HP tune with emissions as well as a +100HP tune with emissions that they modified to slow the soot count increase. There are about 5 TCM tunes along with that as well. There is also a SOTF tune that I assume goes from 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 for HP with emissions but I cannot be sure as I've never used the SOTF and don't plan to. Anyhow, GDP has been great for me.
Respectfully,
Phillip
Respectfully,
Phillip
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Feb 2018
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I have an EZLynk with GDP as my tuner. I have a +75HP tune with emissions as well as a +100HP tune with emissions that they modified to slow the soot count increase. There are about 5 TCM tunes along with that as well. There is also a SOTF tune that I assume goes from 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 for HP with emissions but I cannot be sure as I've never used the SOTF and don't plan to. Anyhow, GDP has been great for me.
Respectfully,
Phillip
Respectfully,
Phillip
Trojan Pig
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 135
Likes: 88
From: Southern Arizona
1. Stock
2. Version 1.1 (I use this with the 75HP PCM tune and is very nice. It increases in-gear pressure as well as firms up the shift.)
3. Soft Shift (More like stock while still waking the tranny up)
4. Medium Shift (Somewhere between Soft and 1.1)
5. High Shift (keeps the gears higher into the RPM and for me too abrupt on the shifts)
6. TC lock at high 2nd with WOT (This one is like 1.1 but when under wide open throttle commands the torque converter to lock)
The 100HP with emissions tune I have has a TCM tune with it. Otherwise, with GDP you normally apply the PCM tune then select the TCM tune you want. This is the one I currently use. It is not as aggressive as the 75HP and 1.1 but it still wakes the pickup up over stock. One word of advice, when you decide to tune, head to your Ford dealer and ask them to clear the KAM for the PCM/TCM prior to tuning. If they ask why, just say you have towed a 10K trailer for quite awhile and shifting and acceleration seems unpleasant now that you are running empty. Then when cleared apply your tunes. You will have much better results. Otherwise, the pickup will seem to run a little "off" and shift weird for longer until the computer "learns" the adaptations.
Specifically, when I didn't have the KAM cleared I noticed that from 3rd to 4th while under an acceleration and then letting up a bit would drop the gear from 3rd to 4th hard. This also happened from 6th to 5th when under acceleration and then letting up a bit. After clearing the KAM adaptations I never experience this.
FORScan seems to be able to clear these on our model years now too if you are comfortable with using it which makes trying out tunes much easier. Also, with FORScan you can clear MSCAN DTCs left from the PCM/TCM flash that the EZLYNK (HSCAN) and other tuners cannot clear. This is the initial way Ford services departments can tell that the pickup has been tuned as there are pending and unverified DTCs such as the BCM losing communication with the PCM. Clearing these with FORScan after returning to stock makes things a bit more inconspicuous as to the vehicle having been tuned. There is more to it but I'll keep from going on a tangent.
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 43
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From: Green Bay Wisconsin
Thought for def
The thought I have for the DEF question is that once I put the tunes on the truck I hardly regen anymore and basically don’t go through much fluid either. I have 47,000 miles on my 17 dually and have used it towing about 25,000 of those miles but with the number 2 SOTF tune which is probably a 30hp tune or so and drove to and from Florida driving a total of 5,400 miles pulling my 5’er and didn’t regen but once and only went through about 2 gallons of def. I put the tune on the truck at 20,000 miles and still not going through much DEF at all. My truck is in the dealership getting a new engine under warranty because it went out of time somehow in a snowstorm when I was driving in deep snow and spun the crank 20 degree off of TDC and bent push rods in almost every cylinder but only enough to somehow keep the engine running which baffled the hell of them and Ford engineers. Don’t ask how or why because Ford doesn’t know either. My point is that with hardly going through any DEF fluid with the program and monitoring the gauges which said the EGR valve was at 4% so I shouldn’t have hardly any exhaust gases recirculating through the EGR and I was concerned because you never know until you inspect and that is just what I did because the engine was torn down getting a new long block. I asked the Master Tech working on my truck what he thought of the condition of the EGR and he said it was like new but he was also unaware that I was using the tune because I put it back to stock before bringing it in. He also said he has replaced a lot of them due to extended idle hours even when trucks have had only 10,000 miles on them and a particular truck was used in paper mills by me which stay running almost every day for hours and he has told them the truck can’t idle that long and should be run at highway speeds a couple times a week to help with EGR getting plugged up. The one he was talking about had the EGR completely plugged up and wasn’t running good and that is how it came in the shop.
I do do apologize for the lot comment and maybe more info that you needed but hope this gives you another aspect of what tunes can help with.
Jim
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Trailering
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 23
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I also have the EZ Link with PPEI tunes and I found that the 0-150 SOTF tunes work a little nicer than the 35 hp tune individually just my .02. The performance diesel shop I use told me not to use the TCM tunes because even though they say it’s great and I know guys that use it have said it’s fine they still have seen issues with it.
The thought I have for the DEF question is that once I put the tunes on the truck I hardly regen anymore and basically don’t go through much fluid either. I have 47,000 miles on my 17 dually and have used it towing about 25,000 of those miles but with the number 2 SOTF tune which is probably a 30hp tune or so and drove to and from Florida driving a total of 5,400 miles pulling my 5’er and didn’t regen but once and only went through about 2 gallons of def. I put the tune on the truck at 20,000 miles and still not going through much DEF at all. My truck is in the dealership getting a new engine under warranty because it went out of time somehow in a snowstorm when I was driving in deep snow and spun the crank 20 degree off of TDC and bent push rods in almost every cylinder but only enough to somehow keep the engine running which baffled the hell of them and Ford engineers. Don’t ask how or why because Ford doesn’t know either. My point is that with hardly going through any DEF fluid with the program and monitoring the gauges which said the EGR valve was at 4% so I shouldn’t have hardly any exhaust gases recirculating through the EGR and I was concerned because you never know until you inspect and that is just what I did because the engine was torn down getting a new long block. I asked the Master Tech working on my truck what he thought of the condition of the EGR and he said it was like new but he was also unaware that I was using the tune because I put it back to stock before bringing it in. He also said he has replaced a lot of them due to extended idle hours even when trucks have had only 10,000 miles on them and a particular truck was used in paper mills by me which stay running almost every day for hours and he has told them the truck can’t idle that long and should be run at highway speeds a couple times a week to help with EGR getting plugged up. The one he was talking about had the EGR completely plugged up and wasn’t running good and that is how it came in the shop.
I do do apologize for the lot comment and maybe more info that you needed but hope this gives you another aspect of what tunes can help with.
Jim
Jim, so what ended up happening to your truck? Are you still running EZ Lynk with emissions tunes on it?
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