dodahman

Howdy,
First time posting here, but loving the information on the boards.

I recently sold my VW and am picking up a 2013 FX4 ecoboost 3.5 Thursday. I've been doing a lot of research on here about all kinds of topics, but one in particular, is jacking up the HP through various methods. I've read all about SCT and the "others", 5star vs. MPT, on and on, as you know.

My question though is not so much "which tune should I get?" as much as it is "which of these two methods is empirically superior in performance while also getting a relative idea of difference in performance compared against difference in cost.

The title gives away what I'm about to ask, but here's the basic question with some brief background:

I'm considering an MPT custom tune with 3 different tunes since they offer this in a package type of deal and I want different tunes for different purposes. Also, the cost is right as compared to my alternative.

I've also read up on custom tuner shops. One name in particular that came up was Kurgan, on the south east. I've read awesome stuff and I've read....not so awesome stuff about different people's experience with this route. Which is another deterrent, but also a draw. The cost is higher, a little below $2k. Which if I were comparing apples to apples, would be a no brainer. But that brings me to my question...

For those who have past experience with SCT or 5 star or the like, and maybe also have experience driving a vehicle that has been tuned by a custom tuner, is there a real difference? If so, by what amount? Meaning, when you felt the difference (if you did), when you think back, did it feel like a $1200 difference? Can you expect equivalent HP gains between these two methods, and if so, what makes the major difference between the two methods?

A lot more questions, but I've already written far past the point most people will read. So I'll leave it there.

Looking forward to posting a follow along in member builds soon. Big plans in store.

Here's the bolt I'll be ridin':




2013 FX4 3.5L V6 ecoboost
3.55 GR
39K miles

dodahman

Also,
Worth noting: I'll be towing about 7,000 pounds daily for about 3 months this year.

I'm looking for some serious HP gains for fun, but also need to be able to run an 87/tow type tune when the time comes. So Tune would need to require some kind of back and forth option. Not sure if that rules the Kurgan option out?

white_dc

iTrader: (12)

For $2k that Kurgan tune better be a full custom Dyno tune. Even then they would most likely using an SCT device to tune the truck.

I would take a look at Unleashed or MPT before I dropped $2k for a tune. Most custom dyno tunes are $500-$600 plus the cost of the tuning device.

dodahman

Is a custom Dyno tune really worth the difference in cost?

white_dc

iTrader: (12)

Honestly, unless you have gone to bigger turbos, intercooler, etc I would just have a custom tune emailed. Unleashed offers the SCT x4 with custom Tunes for right at $450 and you have the option of data logging your runs for them to fine tune it.

Search the 09-14 section and read the reviews. MPT, Unleashed, and 5 star have been widely discussed around here and have lots of feedback.

dodahman

Thanks for the feedback!