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There are a few members here that have made use of 5 Star and are very pleased. Heck he is the Sponser of this forum, which says he believes in the V-10 and its members. A stand up kind of guy. I'm sure others will soon chime in to answer your questions.
However keep in mind that the phrase "Better MPG" and "Triton V-10" should never be used in the same sentence.
Hi top that,
Better economy when towing with a V10 will be hard to acheive, Empty expect no more that 1-2 mpg's. Depending on what your towing always makes a difference as well. Our 7.3L F250 we had for years, it wouuld get 9-11 towing our 5th wheel. Our V10 gets 8-9 towing same 5th wheel on same stretch of road. The tuner will really wake up the truck when towing or just driving daily.
I run the 89 performance/tow tune. You will not see much if any increase in MPG. But everday driving will be lots more fun. Getting rid of the throttle lag is worth the money alone. Lot more responsive.
10 a burning and 6 a turning with 4 of the 6 a burning also.
I just ordered a SCT X3 from Mike on Friday. Awaiting it's arrival.
As soon as I get some custom tunes loaded and reprogram the truck I'll post my impressions.
I didn't want it for mileage. I really want improved throttle response. If I get that, them I expect my mileage will increase by default.
Do keep us posted. I'm still riding the fence on whether or not to get a tuner. If I pull the trigger, I will almost certainly go through Mike at 5 Star.
Hello Top Hat,
My vote is if you are thinking of an SCT Tuner Mike at 5Star is the way to go.
Mike is #1 in Customer Service and great with quick individual attention to every detail. Recently I had some issues with the new X3 I bought from Mike. Nothing he had done just the SCT Firmware upgrade. I just made a 275 mile trip with the 87 Economy tune and did see a slight increase in basically empty only 700 punds in the bed run in extreme mountainous terrain.
I will be using the 89 Towing Tune in March on an extended trip to Arizona....will have a much better feel for the Performance then. Hope you do try the SCT Tuner from 5Star.
If I were to purchase a custom tuned tuner rather than a canned tune, who do I find my PCM code seeing that sticker that everyone talks about is long gone?
boxcar1974 the pcm code some times is a pain to find. You may or may not have to pull PCM.
There are 2 options if you are unable to locate PCM code
1) If your not in a hurry we can send you a demo unit to read your Strategy and just send it back when complete.. This is FREE of charge to you of course... Some times its just easier this way.....and less hassle for you.. We then send out X3 or Livewire with custom tunes already installed on unit.
2) We send you the purchased X3 or Livewire and you read your Strategy and email us back. We will then email you the custom tunes for download onto the flash device... A little more involvement from you but end results are same..
If I were to purchase a custom tuned tuner rather than a canned tune, who do I find my PCM code seeing that sticker that everyone talks about is long gone?
Do I have to remove the PCM to find it?
I couldn't find sticker with the code so I had to pull the PCM.
I unbolted the plug to the PCM connector on the firewall. (Engine compartment drivers side, 8 or 10mm don't remember) Unbolt the metal braket holding the pcm in and remove it. (Inside truck, under dash near floor, to the left) My code was on the PCM case on the end. If the sticker with the code was put on the PCM where the window is on the retaining bracket I would never had to pull the PCM. I took a pic of the sticker and filed it away on the computer just in case.
What can I expect from custom tuning? Are all your tunes "safe" for the long term use? Can you please explain exactly what I would be getting if I chose a X3?
I had a old superchips off the shelf tuner a couple years back and I was not all that impressed with it. It did more for the tranny than anything else.
If you notice in my signature that I have the full Banks powerpack exhaust system in my truck. Does that effect what tunes you send me?
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