marinemike0931

So... the drama and smack talk that goes down between "fan boys" of tuners and as of recent the tuners themselves, I think it's time to un-cloud the waters for everyone (especially people who are looking to buy their first/only tune). My goal here is to state factual information and avoid opinions, smack talk, and personal experiences with different companies. I frankly don't need to know that tuner "x" couldn't get the tune right for you because he was able to do it for his other customers. I've develope a scoring format... here's the thing, if all you've had is 1 tuner don't get involved because you don't have anything to compare it to (we don't need a bunch of 10s because its better than stock)! Some scoring categories are a matter of personal preference, those should be obvious to those in the market for a tune. I think these are the top ten things people look for in a tune, whether its for towing, economy, or performance

Truck (year, make, model, gear ratio):
Company Name:
File Used (I.e. 91perf, 87tow):
Device used (I.e. MyCal, VividLinq, SCT X3):

Funtionality and ease of use for the device (updates, bluetooth connections, Data logging):
Post Sale Customer Support:
Daily driveability (shifts/throttle resonse):
Performance driveability (shifts/throttle response):
MPG (actual, not 1-10):
Tow performance:
Best 1/4 Mile time:
Best 0-60:
Hp/tq numbers:
Overall satisfaction with the tune:

Use this format and try to be unbias. Rate from 1-10 (except for MPG, 1/4 mile, 0-60, and hp/tq). Try to use comparison from like weather conditions.

Joewee3.5

Sounds like alot of work lol. Would be nice to look at but its gonna be tough for everyone to take the time to do this. Plus, there's still too much that could be biased. All of the hard data bought be great

CoreyMS

I had thought about doing this at one time, I've had a lot of tunes. But I couldn't do all that info on most of them.

SkiSmuggs

This could be tough as I don't necessarily remember everything about both sets of tunes, but I think I would have to put it together offline and paste it in. I just tried the Socal 91 Level 5 with the MattH shift strategy and was looking for a place to do a review, so this might be it. I will check back later, got 3 acres to mow.
I do think we need a SoCal thread to answer questions, share opinions, experiences and news about the SoCal tunes.

setxathlete14

2013 F-150 Fx2 Screw 3.55
SoCal Tuning
93 5H custom
SCT X3

100% User friendly and easy.
Post Sale customer support: 110% Satisfaction.
Daily Drivability: 8 out of 10, once the tune settles and learns driving patterns
Performance Drivability: 10 out of 10
MPG: City-18/19 Highway-23/24
Tow Performance: 8 out of 10... pulling my 18' boat
Best 1/4 Mile time: 13.72 @98mph. Stock tune only
Best 0-60: N/A
HP-TQ: 383rwhp and 443rwtq on dynojet
Overall Satisfaction with tune: couldn't be better.

All numbers tested and ran in august in texas heat and 85+ humidity. Expect gerastic (sp) lol changes in cooler weather

13'TwinScrew

I just caught up on all of the drama, WOW!!!

I'll work on getting some numbers to what I can. My evaluation between my Unleashed and SoCal tunes.

Socal--Lvl 5 is a powerhouse from bottom to top. It's all power, all the time. To some that will be good to other's it may not be. The tq converter lock-up is pretty awesome. Throttle response is amazing. This will be updated probably even more positively once Shawn tweaks my datalogs. Shawn's tune produces unbelievable power from start to finish.

Performance: 10
Drive ability:8 (the shift strategy overall is pretty good but at times isn't predictable)
FUN FACTOR----12 on a 10 point scale.
Customer Service: 8 on email....10 via phone.

Unleashed 93P is a smooth linear pulling WOT tune. Noticeable down low partial throttle response but at about 1/4 of what SoCal produces. Torrie's shift strategies to me are SPOT ON.

Performance: 8.5
Drive ability: 10 it's
FUN FACTOR: 8
Customer Service: 9.5 on email....never tried via telephone.

Overall preference---Just depends on the day...they are completely different animals. Think of SoCal like a caged beast...it takes all of your work to keep it in check, it is always on GO. Unleashed is a wild pet...you can domesticate it, but at heart it's still a performance tune. You have to get into the throttle to respect it.

Quality tuners and very good tunes. Shawn is freaking hilarious on the phone, so he gets a 10 for that, too....LMAO.

marinemike0931

Guys lets not make this JUST about SoCal... you know what'll happen! This is what I'm looking for↓
I've decided that safety should be added, so if you have data logged and got some alarming numbers (like knock or misfires) please add them to the bottom of each tunes ratings!
Truck (year, make, model, gear ratio): 2012 F150 SCrew, FX4, .373 gears

Company Name: Superchips
File Used (I.e. 91perf, 87tow): 91 Perf
Device used (I.e. MyCal, VividLinq, SCT X3): Vivid Linq

Funtionality and ease of use for the device (updates, bluetooth connections, Data logging): 5 (BT is hard to connect and updates give you problems)
Post Sale Customer Support: 6 (hard to get a hold of, fixes are slow)
Daily driveability (shifts/throttle resonse): 8 (smooth but slow response)
Performance driveability (shifts/throttle response): 7 (again smooth but LONG shifts with no firmness, very consistent though)
MPG (actual, not 1-10): 16.5 (70# tires, stock tune was 15.5)
Tow performance: N/A (never towed with it)
Best 1/4 Mile time: N/A (haven't made it the the track
Best 0-60: 6.0 (in the winter, 6.2 now for comparison purposes)
Hp/tq numbers: N/A haven't dyno'ed
Overall satisfaction with the tune: 8 (great tune for an otherwise stock truck, but couldn't be expanded for other mods)

Company Name: Unleashed
File Used (I.e. 91perf, 87tow): 93 perf
Device used (I.e. MyCal, VividLinq, SCT X3): SCTx3

Funtionality and ease of use for the device (updates, bluetooth connections, Data logging): 8 (does everything you need, don't get the gauge read out, but I can use the vivid linq)
Post Sale Customer Support: 7 (quick responses, but short and concise. I like details and explanations)
Daily driveability (shifts/throttle resonse): 6 (rough idle, power spikes, and harsh downshifts when stopping)
Performance driveability (shifts/throttle response): 8 (shifts are very firm and throttle response is good, runs out of power at high RPMs)
MPG (actual, not 1-10): 15.5 (same as stock with these tires)
Tow performance: N/A (haven't towed with it)
Best 1/4 Mile time: N/A (no track time)
Best 0-60: 5.7 (6.0 in current weather for comparison purposes)
Hp/tq numbers: N/A haven't dyno'ed
Overall satisfaction with the tune: 6 (preferred my superchips tune)

Company Name: SoCal
File Used (I.e. 91perf, 87tow): 93L5H
Device used (I.e. MyCal, VividLinq, SCT X3): SCTx3

Funtionality and ease of use for the device (updates, bluetooth connections, Data logging): 8 (see above)
Post Sale Customer Support: 10 (answers phone or calls back promptly, emails changes quickly, and has no set hours of operation)
Daily driveability (shifts/throttle resonse): 8 (great response, shifts need work but that changes based on preference, and can be adjusted easily)
Performance driveability (shifts/throttle response): 10 (based on what I've used, there may be something faster but I don't have it, shifts fast firm and smooth, power through the whole RPM range)
MPG (actual, not 1-10): 14.3 (heavy on fuel but worth it to me)
Tow performance: N/A haven't towed with it
Best 1/4 Mile time: N/A no track time
Best 0-60: 5.6 (in current weather, can't wait for fall/winter)
Hp/tq numbers: N/A haven't dyno'ed
Overall satisfaction with the tune: 9 (it does what I want it to do, improved shifting while daily driving would make it a 10)

SkiSmuggs

I have had two tuners and can't really give numbers as I don't race or dyno. But I will take a whack at it.
I have a 2011 XLT Ecoboost with Max Tow (3.73 gears and 18" wheels). I tow a 9500 lb fifth wheel so my interest was the power to pull mountain while towing and a good driving experience and decent fuel mileage as I have a 70 mile daily commute.
I had the LMS MyCal for just over a year and mostly just used the 87 or 89 tow tunes.
The MyCal was easy to use as it mostly just loaded tunes, but it also could be used to show which tune was currently loaded and could show the strategy code and software ID. Another plus is that it fits nicely in the console for travel.
I drove with the cruise control as much as possible and became adept using CC to hypermile a little by disengaging it part way up hills or lowering the settings when approaching traffic, speed zones, etc. I have no complaint about towing with the 87 tow tune as it gave a modest increase in power without sacrificing fuel mileage. I always tow with premium and gave the 89 tow tune a try with another increase in power with as good or slightly better fuel mileage. I even tried the 91 tow tune once and it was awesome launching from a stop, but I worried about its safety pulling long mountain grades so I only towed with it once, but it towed really well. It wasn't until I was in a few driving (no CC) situations like preparing to pass a dawdler with only short passing opportunities that I started becoming dissatisfied with the LMS tunes as it would first bog as I pushed down on the gas at 45 or 50, then slam into 2nd, peak out and finally hit 3rd before it actually accelerated. This was a real drive ability issue. They were good from a stop, but not from cruise. I was never aware until recently that LMS was a "custom" tuner. My impression was that "custom" meant which ever 4 tunes you wanted. LMS did make a good response by getting the MyCal from holding only 2 tunes (stock and LMS) to holding 5 (stock and 4 LMS).
My 2nd tuner is an SCT. It is somewhat less user friendly than the MyCal, but much more versatile as it can be used to log data as well as load tunes and display strategy. You can also save a copy of your stock tune to a computer as back up. I actually liked the canned 87 and 91 tunes because the driveability, while not perfect was better than stock and LMS, plus Full Race recommends the canned SCT tunes as a good starting point. It didn't have quite the wow of LMS but the improved driveability was nice. I never really had a good tow with the SCT 87 as my spark plugs started crapping the bed on a tow trip and I reverted to stock until I got the plugs replaced.
Finally, I got the SoCal 87 and 91 Level 5, and 87 BandC tunes. The experience was amazing and a bit scary just with the 87 L5. Throttle response was very twitchy and took getting used to. Full throttle was amazing and no flat spots from either a stop or at cruise. I dropped back to the milder 87 BandC (B and C) for my daily driver as I was more comfortable with slightly less throttle response. Fuel mileage was slightly better than stock. It is a very strong and responsive tune. Customer service has been impeccable, so much so that when I asked for an 87 tow tune, I also got a 91 tow tune to help with that big boy. That tune is also strong and responsive but much more of a stock feel to throttle input, but without the lag or flat spots. Perfect. In additional, I received the 87 and 91 Level 5s with the MattH shift strategy. I've only tried the 91 L5 MattH for a day, but it is great at light throttle with slightly higher shift points than stock. I made a 110 mile round trip to Costco over two lane country roads with max speeds of 50 (I rounded up some). I reset the lie-o-meter as I left the driveway and it read 23.5 when I pulled into the parking lot. Wow, but altitude changes must have been evah it its favor. Maybe, but not by much as it read 22.7 when I reached my driveway, so the MattH strategy is a winner. 21.5 is more usual for that trip.
Sorry this isn't in the requested format, but it is what it is.

marinemike0931

I'd like to see some fair VERY unbiased comparisons between SoCal and Livernois. Multiple tunes from both if anyone has done SoCalV5, and V5H along with the top 2-3 tunes from Livernois, I personally want the best... and while Shawn is VERY cocky (confident, my wife tells me its the same thing) and can be pretty immature and unprofessional (honestly), I can't hold it against his work! The tunes are awesome and I don't know what's been said by the other side but I feel like he can get pretty out of control, like the guy at the bar who wants to fight everyone after a few drinks, its embarrassing to be associated with, like "I don't know that guy". Let's see how these tunes REALLY stack up against each other without all the BS!

P.s. hope I didn't offend anyone (especially shawn, that's just how I feel about it)

marinemike0931

Put N/A for anything you don't know or haven't done

You can copy and paste this ↓ put in your scores and a brief desciption as to why it scored what it did (you can put more than one file/tuner on the same post, so they can be compared to one another)

Truck (year, model, gear ratio):
Company Name:
File Used (I.e. 91perf, 87tow):
Device used (I.e. MyCal, VividLinq, SCT X3):

1. Funtionality and ease of use for the device (updates, bluetooth connections, Data logging, use after tuning such as gauges):

2. Post Sale Customer Support (availability, response, actions):

3. Daily driveability (shifts/throttle resonse/smoothness):

4. Performance driveability (shifts/throttle response/smoothness):

5. MPG (actual, not 1-10, note aftermarket tire size/weight):

6. Tow performance:

7.Best 1/4 Mile time:

8. Best 0-60:

9. Hp/tq numbers:

10. Concerns (data log #s, roughness):

11. Overall satisfaction with the tune: