Ok, I have used 2001 5.4 EX. I had no money at the time of purchase for the PSD bit need the room for our four kids...

Question does the 5 star tune really help the poor performance for towing. Currently towing a 4700 lb trailer dry weight - 5900 loaded and looking to upgrade to 5900 lb dry - 7100 loaded travel trailer.

Only performance upgrades have been KN filter and Magnaflow muffler, everything is stock with 103k miles on the rig.


Revo
Suggestions?

 

Well, the heavy Ex with a 5.4 isn't ever going to be a spectacular tow rig, as you know..... But the tunes will help improve towing some due to the much improved trans shift strategy, any improvements to actual engine performance are secondary to the trans changes in my opinion. I wont tow with my V-10 EX without the tunes, in my situation the change is remarkable.
Don't expect a tune to deliver earth shattering performance, it won't. But tunes can be an important part of a plan to build a better tow rig, they were for me.
What configuration is your EX? RWD or 4X4?
What gear ratio does it have?
What tire size are you running?
What is the typical terrain that you tow over like, mostly flat, hills or mountains?
How fast do you typically tow?

 

@Stewart_H Can you move some of the Revo posts to it's own thread please.

@Revo K&N filter is not a good modification, OEM paper filter has superior filtration.

 

Following forum etiquette, please don't hijack someone else's thread where they are asking for help for their rig.

It's always better to start your own thread for your problems, questions, or info gathering, and not derail another persons thread where they are asking for their own purposes.

I've cut your posts and moved them to a thread to get you better coverage for your question. Don't be a stranger! I see you registered in 2017, join in the gabfest!!

Stewart

 

Tunes are a last resort, the 5.4 needs all the gearing help it can get. A 5.4 with less than 4.30 gears is pointless especially when towing.

 

I have an XLT 4 x 4, 5.4 gas hog
I'm not sure on the gears it is stock, but how do I find out not listed on the door jamb?
I'm running stock tires 265/70R16
I live in Portland Oregon; beach is 2 hours West, Mount Hood is 2 hours to the East, and the high desert is 4-6 hours away.. I have options Either way I go I'm going to have hills to climb.
I like to push the speed limit a little when I'm not towing. However, our speed limits are 55 on the highways, and 65 on the Interstates and I'm ok with hitting those numbers. (I'm traveling with 4 kids after performing a 60 work week, no need to push it)

 

I would agree the gearing is lacking in the Super Duty in general. It seem that the Super Duties need another gear for higher speeds, and a few have sizes on the low end.

I have barrowed from family a Ford Super Duty 2001, 7.3 and towed a 34 foot Fifth Wheel to Idaho and back, it was constantly shifting gears. When I saw a hill I would take the overdrive off and hit the throttle Unlike my 5.4 LOL.

 

Sorry for the Hijacking. Thank you for moving my post.

Revo

 

You don't have a number or letter or combination of the two under the "Axle" section on the door jamb sticker to show the gear ratio? You can figure it out by counting how many revolutions the driveshaft needs to turn to turn the rear tire one full revolution when up on jackstands, go slow and pay attentention to that last partial turn. I think that some 5.4s came with 4.10 gears in the 4X4s, but 3.73 may still be possible. Changing both front and rear gears is expensive but going to a numerically higher ratio WILL improve your towing performance. Good custom tunes will help some but deeper gears will be game changer for towing. I have towed a 9,500lbs TH with 3.73, 4.80 and 4.39 effective ratios. The deeper the gear, the better it pulled, but it did see a loss of about 2 MPG unloaded with the 4.80 ratio, with the 4.39 ratio it gets better towing mileage than stock and still sees within 1 MPG of when all stock unloaded.

 

Ok, totally missed it. My axel code is C2 = Limited slip 4.10 gears. Next time I have it up in the air I will confirm.

Happy Father's day everyone. We have the EX loaded, no trailer and headed to Mount Hood for some high lake fishing and Kayaking.


RevoUSA