ALLKHEINZ

Have a 13 5.0 but local dealer that i got it off is gonna give me a smoking hot deal to get out of my current 2 year lease on my 5.0 after only 14mths and into a brand new fx4 eco...I was excited to here how alot of people like the eco's over the 5.0's for performance so Ive opted to go with the eco this time....Ill be using the truck as a daily driver to work and also to tow my Shelby to and from the track about once a mth....was wondering if there are any perfomance tuner and tune packages that anyone could reccommend...I was thinking about just the tuner loaded with canned tunes for towing with 87 octane and then another 93 tune for non towing performance spirited driving or just to step on it on occaision and suprise a few people....saw that stage 3 motorsports offers a phase 1 kit with afe cold air intake, choice of canned tunes and a down pipe....would that be the best route to go? im looking for suggestions..would the cai and down pipe be required or could i just get a preloaded sctx4 with someones canned tunes on it....im not looking for anything crazy...wondering what gains could be expected from a simple canned tune...how much more could i expect if i added a cai and down pipe to the canned tune....any help as to where to buy a package and best price would be great...probably getting the new truck tommorrow or friday so im pretty excited...

Firedaniel

Congrats! I just did the exact same thing 2 weeks ago. From what I have read the 5star tune has the best tow tune. Might want to try towing stock. I hooked up a 7500lb RV and was surprised how well it towed compared to the 5.0. Good luck with it

vozaday

They also sell just the programmer with tunes from 5*. But look at full race freakoboost and see where they made their major gains. They hit 522wtq. Nothing to shy away from.

But definitely get the warranty if you go through Stage 3/5*, for the just in case factor.

Edit: BTW I really enjoy my 5* 91 performance/tow tune. Want to try the 93p/t

SkiSmuggs

Both 5-Star and Southern Speed Inc have tow tunes that are great daily drivers. The problem with the SCT canned tunes is that they don't improve the shifting. Every thing I have read says you can save your money on a CAI as there is no real gain. A good tune will give you 90% of all you can get out of the EcoBoost and it takes thousands more to get the other 10%.

phantomblackgto

I agree with others on the CAI. For a matter of fact, I have a brand new, still in the box Airaid CAI with both a dry and oiled filter that I would be willing to sell.

brucesears

The CAI doesn't do much, I'm on my third one since getting this truck. About all they really add is noise.

JasonNez

^ the power gains is only on paper. Nothing you're going to feel. You usually need a 10% + gain to notice much.

ALLKHEINZ

looks like the cai isnt gonna be of any use for what im looking for....does not going with a cai mean that getting the down pipe is also not needed? id be more hten happy to just get an sct handheld with some cutom tunes loaded on them other then those offered by sct...id like the better shift points the firmer shifts, the better tow tune and the speed limiter delete option....so any links to who i can get this cutom tuned sctx4 from? i found stage3motorsports...are they exclusive for 5* tunes or is there a direct 5* website....im open to any suggestions, not stuck on any one tuner or canned tune just like some feedback on where the best and most reliable tune can be had so i dont have to worry about blowing stuff up. also truck has 40 miles on it now how long should i let the engine break in before going to aftermarket tune?

brucesears

They SCT canned tunes do give a usable gain over the stock tune, but I can't tell the shifting improved any. I use SSI tunes for towing and daily driving, the latest versions have fantastic trans shifting and the power is out of this world.

phantomblackgto

Down pipe will get you some gains, but tune is the way to go. Several good ones out there. Stage 3/5* is the only one that offers a warranty. 5* does have it's own website. However, and I'm not necessarily complaining about it because I totally understand they are standing behind their tunes with a warranty, if you go Stage 3/5* warranty tunes, the canned SCT tunes and changing any other options are locked out. Speed limiter is set to 100. They program tire size for you (and mine is right on the mark with 33's). I'm completely happy with my Stage 3/5* warrantied tunes.