F150 Ecoboost Stock Versus Tuned
As an owner of an Ecoboost that was tuned by Mike over at 5 Star, I can tell you his tunes are legit. They don't just add power, but the shift and torque converter improvements completely change the...
Forum Discussion
Lantley wrote:ShinerBock wrote:AlmostAnOldGuy wrote:
What motivated the tune? Can I ask you to contrast your before and after tune experience? I ask because I have thought the performance of the engine to be very good pulling 8k. In tow haul mode thought the upshifts and downshifts were well timed.
Thanks,
Stu
I have custom tuned everyone of my vehicles for the past 15-20 years. Some I did myself and some I have purchased through tuners like 5 Star. Before that I was swapping cam, heads, headers, and anything else I could to make the vehicle unique to my liking. I don't like driving generic vehicles meant for everyone. I like driving vehicles that are specific to my preferences and shift when I want them to, lock up instantly with firm shifts instead of buttery smooth shifts that creates more trans wear, and so on. It is just my thing.
It is not just about adding power, and many who have never driven a custom tuned truck will never understand. Just a fair warning, once you do, then you will never want to go back to driving a generic vanilla tune from the factory.
I had a tuned 7.3 PSD. That tune really woke up the 7.3 engine. However the modern diesels have ample power for heavy towing and practical use. The only reason to tune now is for racing,otherwise there is ample power for typical real world use, including heavy towing.
I would have to disagree and so would many of my friends and family including my father in law who just traded in his old custom tuned 2003 F350 6.0L for a 2018 F350 6.7L. The custom tune he had altered his boost levels at lower rpms to generate a lot more torque/horsepower at lower rpms. I have to constantly hear how he wishes he still had the low end power of his 6.0L in his new truck and he doesn't want to tune it until it is out of warranty.
He also hates the shifting of his new truck because it shifts too early. I had the same issue with my 2014 2500 CTD, and the custom trans tune made a world of difference. I also had my custom tuner do some other things that bugged me about the truck like leave my fog lights on with my high beams, keep my exhaust brake on in the last position I had it in when I turned off the truck, and a few other things non performance related that I wanted.
