Anyone know if the rumor I heard was true?
That Ford has made their programming proprietary (or something) to prevent companies like Banks and Spartan from making tuners for the new 6.7?

I can't remember where I read this unfortunately.

 

I am 99% confident Spartan tuning already has a tune ready for the 6.7

 

sounds like bunk to me..

i'm sure the tuners out there will figure out how to make software for them..

 

if you look on the spartan website they state, "infrastructure already in place for the upcoming 2011MY 6.7L "Scorpion" engines" so i am guessing ford didnt try hard enough or didnt try at all

 

Quote fron the Owners Guide page 10:

Vehicle Modification Data Recording

Some aftermarket products may cause severe engine and/or transmission
damage; refer to the

repairs will be covered by warranty.

I've personally got no position on the tuner mod issue - this is just FYI

 

I was told by a mechanic that attended 2011 6.7 training that everytime the truck comes in for anything the computer is check and if there is any trace of programming ford will send ya a letter of Void of warrentee.
Im sure that there will be no problem programming these trucks but being able to hide the trace of a programmer is over, at least till someone figures out how to get around it.

I think that eventually there will be a piggy back ECU that will be placed in front of the factory ECU( like a sterio and Amplifier ) so there will be no trace to the factory ECU for warrentee issues. It will be a pain though because it will have to be removed each time it is taken in to the dealership.
this is my theory, I could be way off.

 

I dont really have a position either.....However, I will say that these trucks have a serious set of ***** from the factory.. Mine will light up straight away or up a hill. If someone is that into speed, wouldnt a Mustang be a better fit...IMHO Back in the days of the 7.3, yes you needed something to beef it up, heck what did it have, like only 215hp I think...

 

Obviously a bogus rumor I heard then.
What was posted about the 6.7 keeping modifications in memory is apprently the case for the 6.4 as well (although probably increased on the 6.7). The Spartan (for the 6.4) is supposed to emulate a Ford programmer to prevent being detected after erased. I wonder if that will be the case for the 6.7?


The Banks tuner I have for my 6.4 does exactly this. It has a pig tail that goes between the main harness and the computer to mess with things without reprogramming the actual computer.

 

What is needed here is for the tuner(s) to actually grow a set of ***** and offer factory matching warranty coverage to step in when Ford voids your warranty.

Kind of like Dinan does with BMW's, obviously BMW will void the warranty on your motor when you have the boost turned up on your 335i but Steve Dinan will warranty the whole thing for you just like the factory would. If something breaks you're still covered and you can still get the vehicle fixed.

This would require having the programming done at an actual authorized dealer for that tuning product (Dinan uses BMW dealers..... obviously) so that any warranty work has a place to be performed and billed to. So some outfit like Spartan could contact some Ford dealers who were interested in becoming Spartan authorized dealers, send them the software to be sold for a set price and voila' you now have tuning available with a full warranty.

Of course there are some downsides to this approach: for starters the tuning will be much more expensive to compensate for the warranty coverage (Dinan ECU tuning for a BMW runs around $1,300-2K), and the tunes will be more conservative.

 

I'm with you on this. I tuned my 7.3. I tuned my 6.0. I seriously doubt I'll tune this truck.

mikE(OTOH, I don't pull near the max rating either)

 

X2! Pulled a 48' Pace Bigfoot gooseneck race trailer with living quarters around the country with my '01 7.3 SRW backed by a Diablo Predator for 7 of the 9 years that I had that truck. The stock trans @ 92k miles was the only driveline failure. Broken 3rd gear sprag, actually occured under normal driving conditiond without a trailer.
FWIW....Initial seat of the pants feeling is telling me that my '11 far exceeds my tuned up 7.3l.

 

But what's the point? At the end of the day, as you just said, the tunes would be conservative at best and the cost would probably more than double. Whenever you make something produce more power than it was designed to you WILL have component failure sooner than if it were left stock.

Remember that BMWs typically see a much lighter duty cycle than a Super Duty does. So tuning to increase power isn't quite as risky because the engine is NOT going to be run anywhere near full load for any length of time. So in other words you may have the occasional full throttle run but you will NOT be dragging 15,000 lbs up a mountain in the summertime.

When pushed that hard, things can and will break. When an engine replacement runs north of $15,000, that's a huge risk for a tuning company to take.

If they were to "grow a set of *****" they would either run themselves out of business because of the outrageous cost of their tunes, or they would die a quick death after a few dozen warranty claims. There is no "safe" way to tune a truck for more power. In the end the owner assumes that cost. Whether that's through a form of insurance, like your warranty you suggest, or through directly paying the repair cost, the end result is the same.

If you want to play, you have to pay!

 

You would think that Ford would embrace the “Aftermarket Parts Segment” of the industry, epically when it comes to "Sprucing up" the look and inproving performance of your truck. If Ford was more receptive it might generate more sales, since most people out there are just trying to get the best fuel economy and performance. I bet if they (Ford ) offered a performance option for Superdutys there would be allot of takers. If I am not mistaken GM allowed certain “After Market Parts” installed on their Silverado’s a few years back, if I remember correctly did'nt Trucks do a show where they did modifications on a new bow tie.

 

Okay, but there are some big problems with this kind of thinking on a HD application.

First of all, as I mentioned above, many of these trucks are run much harder with a much higher duty cycle than any sports car. So with this kind of engine load increased power means decreased lifespan. Ever wonder why every generation PSD has been rated for more power than it's International counterpart? Might have something to do with duty cycle. They couldn't warrant a 350 HP 6.4L engine in a truck with a 40,000 lb GVWR. Would push the engine too hard!

Also consider the power output the new engine makes. 390 HP is more power than quite a few semi trucks have. The new 6.7L engine makes more power than nearly every single class 5-7 truck on the market. And these trucks are rated for FAR more than our little pickup trucks are! I know for a fact that one of the largest carriers in the nation uses 370 HP engines! Have you ever looked at the driveline of a Class 8 truck?

Driveshafts, transmissions, differentials, axles are all HUGE. They have to be to stand up to constantly running at max capacity. Do you think the new 6R140 transmission is as durable as an Eaton-Fuller Class 8 transmission? Probably not, and I don't think we'd want something like that...they weigh over 1,000 lbs!

So how do you warrant an expensive engine and driveline that's only rated for the stock engine output for more power without blowing a fortune in warranty claims?

I'd also ask how would you do something like this and still make it EPA and CARB compliant?

 

Point taken but I am sure that there will be someone out there will modify their 2011 regardless of the warranty concerns. I am also sure that Ford has built their engines on the conservative side and there is allot of potential to improve the performance of the 6.7, I would not be surprised to see a 2011 SD modified with all the bells and whistles in one of the Diesel performance magazines by the end of the year. I kind of look forward to seeing that and the numbers on a project like that. I still contend that the average Joe (weather he is using his truck for work or a weekend tow vehicle) if he could modify his rig to get a couple of more miles per gallon of fuel he would surely do it. You could be right Ford could have hit one out of the park with this new motor, and from looking at the other post on FTE allot of guys who have their New SD are happy with the millage that they are getting now so that is a plus. I mean I am sold and I am ordering my SD tomorrow.