silver_pilate

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered a SCT X3 tuner from 5 Star Tuning for my 2011 5.0L. I selected the 87 and 91 octane performance/tow tunes as well as the 87 economy tune. The tunes should be fairly easy to write as it's all stock, but Mike will email updated/tweaked tunes if you do add modifcations later on.

I'm looking forward the most to some improved throttle response as well as improved transmission and torque converter strategies. The way the tranny shifts on its own when stock is pretty annoying, and the drive-by-wire delay when you press the pedal down is getting old. I'll probably have it next week, so I'll let you know how it goes once it's here.

This will be one of the only "performance" upgrades to the truck I make apart from perhaps an exhaust sytem once we get a few more on the market. Aside from that, I have the Bakflip G2 and a Bedrug mat, and I'm happy as a peach.

--nathan

Bob_Mac

I'm puzzled....coming from a 2009 4.6L 3V F150 (having all the issues you complain about) I find my 2011 5.0L running great in all areas, instant throttle response, smooth trans shifting and I have no drive-by-wire delay.

silver_pilate

The tranny does indeed shift smoothly (apart from the clunkiness of the torque converter locking/unlocking at strange times), and that is part of the problem, at least to me. There is a lot of slip built in which tends to increase tranny temp and eat up more fuel. The tranny also has a tendancy to delay downshifts, forcing you to really goose it if you need a burst of acceleration.

As for the throttle delay, it's primarily in the lower rpms, especially in second gear that I notice it the most.

I've heard good things about the performance tune, so I'm looking forward to try it out. Sure, these are nit-picky things as the 2011 is a great truck from the factory, but I think it could be even better.

--nathan

dejong1

Will this tuner also disable traction control?

Fasttimez

What are the performance gains with this ? Just curious...I've read that tuners only add something like 20hp and like 25tq at the wheels. Just wondering what they told you about the numbers ? I'm trying to decide if I should get one.

Bob_Mac

Agreed...need to know more.

silver_pilate

Here's a copy of some dyno runs using stock, 87, and 93 octane performance/tow tunes I took from their site:



There's more information and some more dyno graphs on their website:

http://www.5startuning.com/page80/page80.html

My understanding is that they have a dyno in-house they used for these runs.

I'm honestly not expecting monster hp gains or anything like that. I'm really mainly looking forward to better and more common-sense shifting as well as a little better response from the engine.

We'll see how it goes! One plus of the X3 is that it serves as a code reader for all Ford vehicles and can also be used to program other Ford vehicles besides the F150. I guess if the tune turns out to be a complete flop, at least I have a (very expensive) code reader .

Dejong, I didn't seen anything about traction control in the specs, but you can just reach up and turn it off on the dash yourself....

--nathan

Galoot

I've been thinking of doing the same on my limited with the 6.2. I hate the delayed throttle response. Can't wait to see what you think

dcta2008

I have a 5.0 and am interested in tunes also. I know this has been discussed but will a tune void the warranty? I understand that "Moss Act" deal but does that apply to messing with the computer?

otto457

Talk to your local dealer. It is always a good idea to set the truck back to stock when taking it in for service. Programmers don't leave a signature footprint, but it will reset the ECU when reprogramming. If set back to stock, the dealer can see that it has been reflashed, but by who they cannot tell. It all depends on the dealer's views on programmers, whether the user makes it obvious that it was tuned, and if the problem was a direct cause of the programmer.