2012 F150 EB Max Tow Supercrew. Got around 5,000 miles towing, 16k total on the odometer. Figure it's broke-in and duty-tested.Pulling a 2013 Jayco Whitehawk. 32' 7200-7700lbs.I want to see a bit more power and maybe a bit better MPG's. Looking hard at a SCT Livewire with custom 5-Star 89/91 towing tunes and maybe custom 87/91 Economy tunes when not towing."Performance" isn't the goal here as much as having more low-end grunt to avoid downshifting and make the towing experience easier while maybe picking up a tiny bit of fuel economy.Looked at cold air intakes, bigger intercoolers, downpipes, charge pipe, and hot-side intercooler tubes but didn't order anything yet.Also read about changing spark plugs to the Motorcraft SP-534 parts that come in 2013-14 EB's instead of the SP-528 that shipped in 2011-early 2013's.Anyone here have personal experience with towing with a tuned Ecoboost? MPG? Good/bad stories? Tried something that worked really well or no difference at all?Not very interested in cat-back exhaust systems. Droning at 2150RPM for 600 miles isn't fun.Read into 170° thermostats, but the side effects of increased fuel dilution in the oil and more condensation in the crankcase just don't seem worth it.If you're going to tell me that i'm going to void my warranty, blow up the motor, or cause the earth to spin backwards, don't bother replying. :)

I haven't read any feedback from owners who have tuned theirs, but I did watch a video where hypertech got some impressive gains out of an EcoBoost F150 with their tuning.LINKY to dyno chartVIDEO

Have you run 91 octane gas towing compared to 87 octane? It says in the manual that if you are towing heavy, you will see some performance gains by running 91..I'm still a towing virgin with my Eco, but that will change in a couple of weeks.. :)My trailer is only #5000 fully loaded, so not too worried about it's performance on 87, but would like to hear if running 91 makes any difference.I don't expect any better mpgs towing. Once you get in them turbos, all bets are off and 10 mpg is probably all it's going to give. ;)Anyway, I'm on a F150 board a lot and they don't seem to be talking much about tunes/performance mods on the Eco. (F150online) They have them of course, but just not much talk about them?? Good luck!Mitch

There's a bunch of guys over on f150ecoboostonline.net forums that are towing tuned. Might be worth giving it a shot and then following up over here if you find some out. It does seem like the SCT 5-Star tune is very popular. I know their shop truck which has a ton of mile towing is what they have been testing their tow tunes on. Supposedly lower temp's, better mileage / shift points etc. That and 50hp and 100tq through out the power band.

Thanks. Will check out f150ecoboost.net.F150online had not much on towing. Got the impression it's a younger/more sport-minded crowd.

Keith, shoot Mike over at 5 Star an email. He's very responsive and can give you a lot of good info. He is the only one that I would trust with tuning if I still had a gas engine. His tunes do wonders for the V10.

Anyone towing with a tuned/modified Ecoboost? | Good Sam Community

Tystevens
Explorer
May 12, 2014
93Cobra2771 wrote:
Tystevens wrote:
Anyway, I'd be worried about something similar on the EB -- the engine block might be able to handle it, but what about the rest of the components that are running the extra power?

Actually, the trans is supposedly good up to around 800ft# torque or so. I've only seen one trans let go on the f150forums, and supposedly it was a manufacturing defect. Plenty of leaky pump seals though.

It's the same trans as the mustang, with an extra clutch pack, from what I understand.

Well, driving around is one thing; towing near the max ratings is another. Flashes of increased power for a 12 second 1/4 mile at a time is different from running 6-700 lbs of torque for minutes at a time heading up a grade.

Which is why they actually derate engines all the time for heavier applications. For example, a stock Duramax or Cummins in a 3/4 or 1 ton puts out more power than the version they put in the 4500-6500 trucks. Why? Because they know you're going to be running at WOT a lot more often in the mid-sized due to the weight and therefore putting a lot more strain on the drivetrain.

I just know that in the diesel world, people were cooking their transmissions towing with a tune.

Mine will stay stock! ;)
brulaz
Explorer
May 09, 2014
goducks10 wrote:
I think I'd just get the 6.2. 46 more HP and 14lbs more TQ. Just put your foot in it.

But that extra torque is up around 4000rpm.

Down where I drive, the Ecoboost has more torque than the 6.2L.

And you can't get the 6.2L in the 2015 models anyway.
goducks10
Explorer
May 09, 2014
Fordlover wrote:
goducks10 wrote:
I think I'd just get the 6.2. 46 more HP and 14lbs more TQ. Just put your foot in it.

and your wallet in it.. the 6.2 is another ~2,000 grand option... Ouch.

How much more for the tuner and everything else? Plus the warranty will/could be affected by the tuner. By the time you spend $6-700 on a tuner it's only $13-1400 more. Not much on a $45-50,000 truck.
ib516
Explorer II
May 09, 2014
larry barnhart wrote:
ib516 I plan on leaving mine bone stock comment. You are sounding old like me but good plan and enjoy the new different truck.

chevman

:B Yes, maybe I'm getting old Larry. :)

The main reason is to maintain my warranty. It just isn't very tempting to me with the gas engine and the minuscule improvements that might be available. The 5.9L Cummins was a very good candidate for aftermarket tuning -- I could add over 150hp/350tq at the rear tires in 5 minutes of tuning. THAT was tempting.

However, I'd be lucky to get 10-15 hp extra out of the big Hemi with a tuner. Not worth risking my warranty for.
Fordlover
Explorer
May 09, 2014
goducks10 wrote:
I think I'd just get the 6.2. 46 more HP and 14lbs more TQ. Just put your foot in it.

and your wallet in it.. the 6.2 is another ~2,000 grand option... Ouch.
goducks10
Explorer
May 09, 2014
I think I'd just get the 6.2. 46 more HP and 14lbs more TQ. Just put your foot in it.
93Cobra2771
Explorer
May 09, 2014
Tystevens wrote:
Anyway, I'd be worried about something similar on the EB -- the engine block might be able to handle it, but what about the rest of the components that are running the extra power?

Actually, the trans is supposedly good up to around 800ft# torque or so. I've only seen one trans let go on the f150forums, and supposedly it was a manufacturing defect. Plenty of leaky pump seals though.

It's the same trans as the mustang, with an extra clutch pack, from what I understand.

Been more holed blocks than trans. And not many of them. There are significant gains to be had from tuning due to the torque reduction strategy ford employs (boost drops between shifts, very conservative timing, drive by wire throttle reduction, etc). Not unusual to see 50+hp and 75+ft# with even mild tunes. Supposedly the driveability is greatly improved, specifically in the shifting strategies.

With that being said, I'm untuned.
larry_barnhart
Explorer
May 09, 2014
ib516 I plan on leaving mine bone stock comment. You are sounding old like me but good plan and enjoy the new different truck.

chevman
ib516
Explorer II
May 09, 2014
pappcam wrote:
Tuning a gas engined 1/2 ton seems like a waste of time and money. Diesels seem to benefit from tunes much easier and readily than gas engines.

Some people have too much time, too much money and not enough common sense.

Actually, because the EcoBoost is very similar in the way it works (direct injection, turbocharged) to a diesel that runs on unleaded, it gets some pretty good gains when tuned.

Traditional gassers (like yours and mine) are likely to gain very little power when tuned, and, because they aren't direct injected, premium fuel would be required for any noticeable power improvement. I plan on leaving mine bone stock.
ib516
Explorer II
May 09, 2014
I tuned both my 5.9L Cummins engines when I had them.

Why? because I needed more power? Nope. Because I could.

And I enjoyed the heck out of them. They would flat out scoot when turned up - fun to drive!