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tommykelly's avatar
tommykelly
Explorer
Apr 22, 2016

5 star tuning

Any comments on the 5 star tuner on the E450 chassis with the v10 and 5R110 (Torque Shift) 5 speed transmission....pros and cons ..thanks..

10 Replies

  • I have read about the paddle shifters for the new ford transmissions. Only thing is they hook up to the OBD port and stay hooked up. Ok if you dont run a scan gauge or anything. I drove a school bus conversion with them (chebby) and they seemed to work. Just dont like losing the OBD port continuously. SUpposedly they make the transmission more controllable and allow for manual shifting for ALL the gears not just the 1-4 and then the other hidden ones. Might be something to look into? I think they are from BP diesel?
  • Best performance mod you can do for a Ford motorhome, especially the 5 speed 3 valve V-10, I found there was performance increase in the lower RPM,s and it shifts so much better now, no more screaming high RPM's in the mountains/hills, I tow 6000lbs with my setup and would not have done it with out 5 star tuning..
  • I have a '12 winnebago and added the 5 star. To me it was very good improvement. Mileage well it stays around 8-9. But performance and engine control is so much better. Does not wind up to 4-5K like it did stock and maintains the power better when going up hills etc. It will still drop to low mph on hard pulls such as wolf creek and a couple of others, in denver it held up so-so to the floor and 35 mph maybe 45. No more more high rpms when pushing into the passing gear zone. Kinda hard to really describe, but yes I recommend the thing.
  • thanks for the info..in 2003 I do think it is a 4R100...so maybe it will help my 5R110.

    I have seen a number of reviews on the later model F53 Class A fords but they have the 3 valve engine
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    pauldub wrote:
    I have one that I've used for the last 4K miles on my '03 Ford E-450. The transmission behaviour is much improved and when using cruise control, it no longer shifts down when it sees the first hint of an incline. Now it will go over most freeway overcrossings without down shifting.

    Am I correct in that your 2003 E450 has the 4R100 transmission?
    That downshifting behaviour! Can't stand it! It'll run over a dime in the road. A nickel and it'll downshift.
  • I have one that I've used for the last 4K miles on my '03 Ford E-450. The transmission behaviour is much improved and when using cruise control, it no longer shifts down when it sees the first hint of an incline. Now it will go over most freeway overcrossings without down shifting. There's really not a noticable change to engine performance or fuel consumption. They will also tweak it for your personal preferences to some degree. In my case, I had them tweak it so that it won't shift into high gear until about 40 mph. I think they are able to improve the throttle feel on later model year Fords. If you're expecting significant engine performance enhancement, you'll probably be disappointed but if the way your tranny behaves is driving you nuts, you'll probably be happy with it. If you're happy with the initial tune they send you, then you're done. If you want them to tweak it, they'll email you a new tune within a day then you load the emailed tune into the tuner and then install the new tune in your vehicle.
  • information...did loading tune change transmission shift schedules, change engine performance any transmission / engine problems ..or failures..and overall thoughts after purchasing and loading 5 Star...good/or bad..