5 star tuners experience.

Question

I have a 2010 F150 max tow with a 5.4 litre motor.
I have spoken to the guys at 5 star to ask about their ford custom tunes.
I am not drinking the kool aid here about increased MPG I think any increase there would be a pleasant reward but not spending the money for better mileage.
Where I would like increased performance is in the area of hilly and mnt. driving. Shift point changes, and a little extra HP and torque.
I know that the HP and TQ improvements will be seen in the upper area of the rpms so I am thinking this is in that hilly Mtn. terrain that I am speaking of and there might be some benefit.
One of the tunes 5 star spoke about is in making the engine work better with the tow/haul mode.
I have heard that 5 star has a good reputation with fords.
I tow at 60-62 mph so not looking to be 1st up the hill just want the most pleasant ride with my 2010 f150.

mabynack · Answer

I used a Hypermax Econ tuner on my Ford Diesel and it made a very noticeable difference.  I picked up 2-3 mpg towing and not towing and I could definitely feel the additional torque and response when driving, even in town.  The results with a gas engine won't be nearly as noticeable in my opinion.

hank85713 · Answer

I have a 5 star tune on the RV (v10) and it did civilize the engine to a large degree. Many say let the engine rev to 4-5000 its good for it but no I want something that I can control and the tuner did help. It will still sometimes go to the high rpms but not like it used to. Fuel mileage seems to have improved by about 1 mpg overall. Trans shift are much better controlled also.

My son had a tuner on his 04 5.4 and all it did was allow it to drink more gas so he got rid of it and that engine is prety strong on its own. Cant speak to the newer ones. But yes 5 star has a good rep (look at the FTE V10 site), and yes I do endorse the product at least the rv based one.

fla-gypsy · Answer

If you are doing it strictly to change shift points it may help but that would be the only reason for doing it IMO. You will have to weigh the cost vs benefit.

dodge_guy · Answer

I have the 5 star tune in my X and I can tell you that it is the way it should've been done from ford! I too wanted it for the change in shift programming. Very glad I did. It woke up the X big time. And to top it off I gained almost .5mpg because the motor stays in it's powerband.

And yes 5Star has a great reputation with Ford gas motors. Both V-10 and V-8.

Don't hesitate, I wish I would've do it when I first bought my X.

tcp · Answer

I am running a 5star 87 octane performance/tow tune on my 2009 f150 5.4 6speed for about a year now using an SCT tuner to load the tune.  The engine is more responsive and the transmission shifting is miles ahead of the stock setup.  Talk to Mike there and don't hesitate.  You'll appreciated the difference.

Forum Discussion

5 star tuners experience.

About RV Tips & Tricks

Related Content

5 star tuners

5 Star Tuner for V-10 Ford

Diesel Tuner

Flashpaq Tuner

Starcraft Travel Star Restoration