Ive done so research and found a little input on this subject, im looking to try and collect it all together in one thread to help myself and everyone out. Obviously if you buy a truck with a 5.0 fuel economy is not number one but what about still trying to keep the economy up while the power stays or rises also.

i myself coming from the diesel world and being a powerstroke tuner i see that power and economy can both be added at the same time to keep you as well as your wallet happy at the same time.

I would like to collect data on what programers and whos tuning is being used as well as what the fuel economy on some of these trucks is.

If theres a very similar thread that i missed please point me to it.

Well whats everyones opinions?

 

Bump. No ones gonna chime in?

 

Most people here are using 5 stars for the program and the programmer.

 

Do you have experience with them?

 

Do you guys make any other modifications before using a tuner?

It seems to me that with today's engines, Ford does a pretty good job of finding the best compromise tuning for a given configuration, and you won't gain much by changing the tune on a stock configuration, like heads, cams, or intake/exhaust parts.

 

I've been thinking about putting a 5-Star tune on my 5.0L FX4 now that it's officially out of warranty.

I've only driven stock 5.0L trucks...The only thing done to mine is a Flowmaster 10 series muffler.

But from the guy's I've talked to here on this site, they seem to feel as though there's no better tune you can put on one of these trucks than the 5-Star tune.

 

Why is it they are the referred tunes? 5 star the best their is? Lack of other options?

 

Lots of options but lots of reasons for 5 star. They have a great product, great customer service and many satisfied people on this forum, myself included.

Based on that I would never choose another brand.

 

I have a tune from JDM Engineering, along with a Roush CAI and Roush exhaust.

The tune not only increased HP and torque, but my MPG increased by 1.5 after the install.

JDM Engineering is one of the premier Mustang and F 150 tuners in the country.

Ford Raptor-Mustang-Shelby GT500-F-150 Performance Parts & Tuning-JDM Engineering

 

I have custom tunes from 5 Star Tuning that I purchased through Stage 3 Motorsports. I also have an Airaid intake tube, AFE drop in synthetic air filter, and MBRP single 3'' cat back exhaust. I primarily run my 87 octane performance/tow tune as my daily driver. It gives great drivability and I don't have to switch back when I tow my travel trailer and allows me to tow up to its rated GCWR. Mileage and performance increases are substantial and make the truck more fun to drive.

 

I somewhat recently put a kn air intake, a Diablosport i2 tune, and a Flowmaster American thunder exhaust on my 2013 5.0 that has the towing package. Now that I have settled down some on the throttle do to the power increase I can finally speak somewhat to economy increases. With the 87 octane tune from the tuner I get about 16 to 16.5 in town and about 17 doing 80 to 90 down the interstate,versus before where I was pretty constantly getting 15. As for what is making the most difference on the milage I would say that it is mostly due to the tuner imo.

 

I recently had my 5 Star tunes updated to their latest versions with Traction Control delete. I put in the 87 Performance tune just before a recent trip. I averaged 18.5 mpg on that tank of gas. That was with mixed driving of highway speeds at ~ 75 mph and some city. I generally average 16-17 mpg city. I am looking forward to trying out the Performance/Tow tune on my next camping trip. I can definitely tell a difference with the new updates; especially in the shifting. Anyone purchasing their tunes should be getting the latest versions.

 

i run SCT. someone i know is a licensed dealer out of his shop and hes done the tuning on my truck. i have a 14' f150 5.0 xlt on 6" 17x9 wheels and 35/1250s w/ 456 gears f/r. i only use 89oct' for my tunes and have 2 performance 93oct' tunes. my standard daily use 89 with the above (along w/ CAI bigger TB and spacer and a catback exhaust) is getting me about 16.5 mpg in town (55 and under mph) and roughly 16.5-18mpg on hwy *over 55 under 75mph) im hoping to have a complete exhaust built (headers and back) out of 409 or slightly higher grade stainless. putting mustang intake cams in.

and of course later down the the road possibly lose all my mpg and add a pro charger or a twin charger setup

 

the good thing about the tunes is they can be downloaded and emailed

 

I use a SCTX4 tuner loaded with 87, 89 Economy, 87,89,91 performance/tow, all from 5*. I also have an MPT 93 Race tune.
I've never bothered with either of the Economy tunes. Each of the 5* p/t tunes made a nice difference. Smooth, not harsh shifting, and didn't really see any change from stock mileage. Woke up this little engine to the point it's fun to drive.
Now, the MPT 93 Race tune REALLY woke it up! It has a very nice feature, by pressing the tow/haul mode switch, it reverts back to a milder positive shifting, and closer to stock shift pattern.
If you use E85 on this tune, watch out, you could really get yourself in trouble.
I have a Borla SType exhaust, and an AiRaid intake, neither of which give you anything more than some nice sounds. With the tunes, it's still debatable.
With my 315/70/17 BFG KO2s, and a 3:55 gear, with the MPT tune, it will bark the tires slightly shifting into 3rd, if you really get on it.
Mileage is down to 13.5 with E85 and the MPT tune. On gas it's around 17-17.5 at 73mph+/-.
When you order your tunes, 5* and MPT ask specifics about your truck, size tires, any mods, etc.. The MPTtune got my speedo corrected without any screwing around. The 5* tunes when I run those, I had to play with different settings. Don't go by what the tire companies say about RPM at certain speeds. Best bet is to use a GPS and adjust the rpms as needed until you get at least close, 1 or 2mph is pretty good.