I'll be calling Mike tomorrow to get his advice on which unit to go with- either the Xcal2 or Livewire! Y'all have been a great help and I sure appreciate it!

Nick

 

Tell us how it works out for ya.

 

I would go with Troyer If I was going custom. How is it "custom to your truck" if he never see's the truck?

 

He may (may being the key word) never see your truck, but when you order an Xcal and custom tunes from him he emails you some pretty extensive data sheets for information about your truck. He then takes your inputs about your modifications (i.e suspension, intake, exhaust), vehicle maintenance and other things and designs a custom tune for your truck based on those inputs. When you order the Edge you're simply ordering a product made for any Ford F150 on the road that basically assumes you have a stock truck.

After you load the tunes you can do some datalogging and send that information back to him and then he tweaks the tunes, if necessary. Most of the guys who have ordered tunes from him that I have spoken to said the tunes were pretty much spot on the first time, no adjusting needed. Also Troyer Performance host dyno days where you can bring your truck in, get it dyno'd and he'ill make any necessary adjustments right there. So to say he "never" sees your truck is simply not totally true. He may not see it before he builds your tunes, but my 1st paragraph explains why his tunes are still not "canned" as with the Edge.

I'm not saying the Edge is a bad product, I have no first hand experience with it. Alot of guys I have spoken to who have the Edge are perfectly happy with their choice and for a time I thought the Edge was all I really needed. When Edge increased their price though to match that of an Xcal II and Troyer custom tunes it was a no brainer what was the best deal for the money.

With the Xcal II and custom tunes I get tunes designed specifically for my truck based on my inputs to the tuner. I get the opportunity to do datalogging and have the tuner make any necessary adjustments to the tunes. I get these for the same exact price as the Edge. Why would I go with something that's built for everyone who has the same factory stock F150 (doesn't account for any modifications), vice going with someone who specializes in custom tunes for our trucks and builds me a tune for MY truck?

I get the opportunity to visit the tuner and have him make any necessary adjustments to my tunes. I may have to pay a little extra for this service if I decided to do it, but it's not even an option with the Edge. On a different F150 mesasge board there have been several members that have said that they went to Troyer Performance with an Edge in their truck and left with the Xcal & custom tunes.

 

Well Said.. Very Well said.

 

I'm a newbie too so i don't know if what I have to say matters much, but I'm in the market for a programmer too and and I pretty much agree with what everyone has to say on the subject. I think the biggest difference between the Xcal and the Livewire, besides the price, is the Livewire is the Xcal's version of the Edge Evolution. You get an onboard read-out of gauges on a display monitor which mounts to your windsheild. I may go for the Livewire since I have a stock XL F150 and the only thing I have for gauges is a speedo and dummie gauges for temp,oil pressure and so on. I've been doing some research on this and I'm leaning towards the Xcal or Livewire instead of the Edge because it just sounds like a better way to go. I'm like you in the fact I'd like to save some money and get more bang for the buck, but not if it means screwing up my truck. I've read alot of good things about the Edge from others on other forums as well as this one, but have'nt heard anything bad about the Xcal. Livewire is relatively new so I may end up a guinnea pig as far as getting one of those. Welcome to the site, it is definitly a good place for all us F150 owners to share thoughts. Good job to the site creator.

 

Mitch - I don't think you can go wrong going with either the Xcal II or Livewire because both come with custom tunes and to me that is the key. I don't really like the size of the livewire nor do I care about it's guages so that was my reason for going Xcal over livewire. Let us know which way you ultimately decide going and if you go livewire I'll be looking forward to your review.

 

Thanks wxmcpo, I'll be sure to sure reveiw it if and when I get it, though it may be awhile since they (the Xcal ll and Livewire) are pretty expensive.

 

Hey I sent ya an email with a little tip.