Diary of a 5.0L Tune Whore
07-17-2013, 09:16 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Diary of a 5.0L Tune *****
Before I start my review of the tunes I have had, I would like to say that I have not been paid by any of the tuners I will mention in this post. This is an unbiased review of my experience with the tunes I have purchased and installed on my truck. I have a built RAM 2500 Cummins with over 600RWHP, so this isnt my 1st rodeo. I will try to post as much information as possible so that new people coming onto the forum know what they can expect from these tuners. Lastly, I hope that I do not offend any of the tuners, they all do excellent for work. So lets get started.
1st Tuner: JLP (Johnny Lightning Performance)
http://www.jlpracing.com/
Tune cost: $175.00 + $75.00 for each additional tune
Milage: 5,800
I purchased 2 tunes from JLP on 03/2013, a 91 Octane Race tune and a 91 Octane Street/Daily Driver tune.
The 1st tune I loaded up was the race tune, my initial reaction was how much more pep there was on the bottom end of the truck, the tires would spin pretty easily as the throttle was a bit touchy. This tune was NOT for a daily driver tune, with light throttle 1st to 2nd gear needed 2500 RPM to shift, and same went for 2nd to 3rd gear. When it did shift, the shift was fairly firm. Anything over 30% throttle or so and the shift was brutal, felt the the transmission was going to break because the jerk was hard. The power with the race tune was pretty good, at WOT, 1st to 2nd gear was good, but my 2nd to 3rd gear was amazing, JLP really woke up that shift.
The 2nd tune I loaded up after realizing the Race tune wasnt for daily driving was the Street/Daily Driver tune. This tune again, had a lot of bottom end, and the throttle was a bit touchy too, not as bad as the race tune, but pretty touchy. I was a bit disappointed with this tune though, with very light throttle, the truck required 2300 RPM to shift from 1st to 2nd gear as well as from 2nd to 3rd RPM and the shift was very firm, not as firm as the race tune, but still pretty firm. The power with this tune was very good as well, I was able to edge out victories over a 2011 Crew Cab 6.2L Sierra with an EFI Live tune, and a 2008 Extended Cab 6.0L Silverado with an EFI Live tune on the same night, back to back.
My MPG ended up going down about 4MPG because the tunes shifted WAY too late. I invite anyone reading this, to go out next time on their truck and manual shift your truck for the 1st to gears at 2500 RPM and see how you feel about a daily driver shifting like that. Its not pleasant.
After reading on here about the Boss 302 intake swap, I decided I wanted to get it, I contacted Johnny himself from JLP and he said that I would not see any gains from it, that it wasnt practical for these trucks. Not one to be told I couldnt do it, I set off in search of a tuner who was open minded about the Boss 302 Manifold which lead to my next tuner.
2nd Tuner: MPT (More Power Tuning)
http://www.morepowertuning.com/
Tune cost: $75.00 + $35.00 (optional: rush my tune)
Milage: 8,000
I purchased 1 tune from MPT on 05-2013, a 91 octane Performance (Race) tune, AND I added the Boss 302 intake manifold.
My initial reaction from the tune was that the tune ran smoother. One thing that I give MPT a lot of credit for is their special feature on their tune. The Performance (Race) tune shifts very late keeping the RPMs in the power band. The special feature that this tune had was that when you push the Tow/Haul button, the shifts turn into more of a regular/economy tune, so that the truck shifts closer to how it was when it was stock. Now, the tune shifted at 2100 RPM or so at daily driving speeds, so this made for a better drivability than JLPs tune. As far as power goes, this tune felt more powerful than JLP’s tune, but part of that I feel should be credited to the Boss 302 Intake Manifold, as that was added after the JLP tune. The truck on the stock 18s would spin 1st and 2nd gear leaving 2 tire marks on the road and would chirp 3rd gear, it was quick. At the track, the truck was fast enough to beat a 2012 Challenger R/T to the end of the track.
My MPG ended up going down about 1.5-2MPG simply because again, the truck shifted very high when daily driving, I realize I had the special feature to make it shift as a daily driver, but I would hope in and forget to turn it on every single time. I felt as if my truck had more power to be had, my 1-2 shift was very strong with this tune, but my 2-3 shift felt sluggish, like it lost a little bit of power as opposed to my JLP tune. I asked if I could send them Data Logs to which they said the tune was pretty much on point, there was nothing more that could be gained from the truck. Once again I set off to find a tuner who was open to data logging my truck, because as we all know, not all vehicles are the same.
3rd and current tuner: AED (Advanced Engine Development)
http://www.advancedenginedevelopment.com/
Tune cost: $250.00 (cover Data logging and 1st retune is free)
Milage: 13,500
I purchased 1 tune from AED on 07-2013, a 91 octane Performance tune
My initial reaction to the tune was that the tune had not loaded correctly, the truck drove like stock, the shifts were at 1600 +/- RPM even at around 30% throttle. I was mistaken when I put the pedal to the floor, the truck pulled very hard. My 1-2 shift jerked me pretty good, and my 2-3 shift kept pulling even harder! The truck gave me that wow factor that I got from my initial JLP Race tune. I gained about 1 MPG from this tune. When I initially contact AED, Shaun advised me that I would not need different tunes for my truck, that I would not have a special feature because he said he retains the factory settings in case I want to use my tow/haul button for towing, he assured me that my truck would drive just like stock, I was skeptical at 1st, but he was right, his tune was amazing. Lastly Shaun told me he requires data logging for his tunes, that was what I had been looking for the whole time! We ended up doing 3 different data logs to make sure everything was running good. Once I sent him the log, he would send me the updated tune within 6 hours which is pretty awesome. This tune feels the strongest of the 3, its drives amazing, no jerks when shifting unless at WOT which is expected on a race/performance tune. Truly outstanding work from AED!
MPT has good customer service also but the lack of wanting to do a data log for me was a bit of a letdown, I realize that $75 tune may not be worth it to do the data log, but at least offer the service.
JLP, I realize they are a true Race oriented company, so their tunes will more than likely be geared that way. The girls that answer his phones are great to deal with, Brittany is the one that I liked to deal with the most, she knows her stuff and if she can’t answer a question, she does her best to put Johnny on the phone.
Overall I feel that Shaun at AED gave me the best customer service hands down. His tune outperforms the other 2 in daily driving and performance without a doubt. I will give him my business in the future and without a doubt I recommend him to everyone here.
I hope that I did not offend anyone with my review, again everything that I said is 1st hand experience and not made up. Thanks for taking the time to read this entry.
1st Tuner: JLP (Johnny Lightning Performance)
http://www.jlpracing.com/
Tune cost: $175.00 + $75.00 for each additional tune
Milage: 5,800
I purchased 2 tunes from JLP on 03/2013, a 91 Octane Race tune and a 91 Octane Street/Daily Driver tune.
The 1st tune I loaded up was the race tune, my initial reaction was how much more pep there was on the bottom end of the truck, the tires would spin pretty easily as the throttle was a bit touchy. This tune was NOT for a daily driver tune, with light throttle 1st to 2nd gear needed 2500 RPM to shift, and same went for 2nd to 3rd gear. When it did shift, the shift was fairly firm. Anything over 30% throttle or so and the shift was brutal, felt the the transmission was going to break because the jerk was hard. The power with the race tune was pretty good, at WOT, 1st to 2nd gear was good, but my 2nd to 3rd gear was amazing, JLP really woke up that shift.
The 2nd tune I loaded up after realizing the Race tune wasnt for daily driving was the Street/Daily Driver tune. This tune again, had a lot of bottom end, and the throttle was a bit touchy too, not as bad as the race tune, but pretty touchy. I was a bit disappointed with this tune though, with very light throttle, the truck required 2300 RPM to shift from 1st to 2nd gear as well as from 2nd to 3rd RPM and the shift was very firm, not as firm as the race tune, but still pretty firm. The power with this tune was very good as well, I was able to edge out victories over a 2011 Crew Cab 6.2L Sierra with an EFI Live tune, and a 2008 Extended Cab 6.0L Silverado with an EFI Live tune on the same night, back to back.
My MPG ended up going down about 4MPG because the tunes shifted WAY too late. I invite anyone reading this, to go out next time on their truck and manual shift your truck for the 1st to gears at 2500 RPM and see how you feel about a daily driver shifting like that. Its not pleasant.
After reading on here about the Boss 302 intake swap, I decided I wanted to get it, I contacted Johnny himself from JLP and he said that I would not see any gains from it, that it wasnt practical for these trucks. Not one to be told I couldnt do it, I set off in search of a tuner who was open minded about the Boss 302 Manifold which lead to my next tuner.
2nd Tuner: MPT (More Power Tuning)
http://www.morepowertuning.com/
Tune cost: $75.00 + $35.00 (optional: rush my tune)
Milage: 8,000
I purchased 1 tune from MPT on 05-2013, a 91 octane Performance (Race) tune, AND I added the Boss 302 intake manifold.
My initial reaction from the tune was that the tune ran smoother. One thing that I give MPT a lot of credit for is their special feature on their tune. The Performance (Race) tune shifts very late keeping the RPMs in the power band. The special feature that this tune had was that when you push the Tow/Haul button, the shifts turn into more of a regular/economy tune, so that the truck shifts closer to how it was when it was stock. Now, the tune shifted at 2100 RPM or so at daily driving speeds, so this made for a better drivability than JLPs tune. As far as power goes, this tune felt more powerful than JLP’s tune, but part of that I feel should be credited to the Boss 302 Intake Manifold, as that was added after the JLP tune. The truck on the stock 18s would spin 1st and 2nd gear leaving 2 tire marks on the road and would chirp 3rd gear, it was quick. At the track, the truck was fast enough to beat a 2012 Challenger R/T to the end of the track.
My MPG ended up going down about 1.5-2MPG simply because again, the truck shifted very high when daily driving, I realize I had the special feature to make it shift as a daily driver, but I would hope in and forget to turn it on every single time. I felt as if my truck had more power to be had, my 1-2 shift was very strong with this tune, but my 2-3 shift felt sluggish, like it lost a little bit of power as opposed to my JLP tune. I asked if I could send them Data Logs to which they said the tune was pretty much on point, there was nothing more that could be gained from the truck. Once again I set off to find a tuner who was open to data logging my truck, because as we all know, not all vehicles are the same.
3rd and current tuner: AED (Advanced Engine Development)
http://www.advancedenginedevelopment.com/
Tune cost: $250.00 (cover Data logging and 1st retune is free)
Milage: 13,500
I purchased 1 tune from AED on 07-2013, a 91 octane Performance tune
My initial reaction to the tune was that the tune had not loaded correctly, the truck drove like stock, the shifts were at 1600 +/- RPM even at around 30% throttle. I was mistaken when I put the pedal to the floor, the truck pulled very hard. My 1-2 shift jerked me pretty good, and my 2-3 shift kept pulling even harder! The truck gave me that wow factor that I got from my initial JLP Race tune. I gained about 1 MPG from this tune. When I initially contact AED, Shaun advised me that I would not need different tunes for my truck, that I would not have a special feature because he said he retains the factory settings in case I want to use my tow/haul button for towing, he assured me that my truck would drive just like stock, I was skeptical at 1st, but he was right, his tune was amazing. Lastly Shaun told me he requires data logging for his tunes, that was what I had been looking for the whole time! We ended up doing 3 different data logs to make sure everything was running good. Once I sent him the log, he would send me the updated tune within 6 hours which is pretty awesome. This tune feels the strongest of the 3, its drives amazing, no jerks when shifting unless at WOT which is expected on a race/performance tune. Truly outstanding work from AED!
MPT has good customer service also but the lack of wanting to do a data log for me was a bit of a letdown, I realize that $75 tune may not be worth it to do the data log, but at least offer the service.
JLP, I realize they are a true Race oriented company, so their tunes will more than likely be geared that way. The girls that answer his phones are great to deal with, Brittany is the one that I liked to deal with the most, she knows her stuff and if she can’t answer a question, she does her best to put Johnny on the phone.
Overall I feel that Shaun at AED gave me the best customer service hands down. His tune outperforms the other 2 in daily driving and performance without a doubt. I will give him my business in the future and without a doubt I recommend him to everyone here.
I hope that I did not offend anyone with my review, again everything that I said is 1st hand experience and not made up. Thanks for taking the time to read this entry.
The following 9 users liked this post by Crysis:
Billr (07-17-2013),
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hardhat (07-19-2013),
hodown (07-18-2013),
mechanicboy (07-17-2013),
and 4 others liked this post.
07-17-2013, 09:56 PM
#2
Senior Member
I've heard great things about AED and they are only two hours from me. I too and tired of boxed tunes being called "custom". I'm so glad that they have stock like drivability at light throttle. If(probably when) I tune my supercharged 5.0 I'll use them. You can trust that I will be honest in my review of the supercharger and tune because I'm very picky.
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Crysis (07-17-2013)
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Crysis (07-18-2013)
07-18-2013, 01:14 AM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
No, I listed the milage to show that they were on there for more than just 1 or 2 days. The 1st 2 were on for a little over 2 months each
07-18-2013, 09:22 PM
#6
Senior Member
Awesome write up!
I have also tuned my truck like a wh*re.
So far I have put 5stars 87eco,87perf,93perf,93race. And have liked them all equally.
Each one does exactly what they are named. 2nd-3rd are all a little less aggressive than 1st-2nd. Pretty good customer service.
I wanted to try MPT because of a strong recommendation. I bought 93 performance, with street tune transmission shifts. Felt just a strong as 5stars.
Ran the following in the 1/4 mile the same night. With 20-30mins of sitting.
Truck specs- 2013 RCSB 5.0 3.55 Gears FX20" wheels(slowed me down)
Stock with FX20" wheels ran- 14.649@96.50 2.339-60'
5*-93race-14.157@97.91 2.210-60'
5*-93Perf-14.433@97.33 2.364-60'
MPT-93Perf-14.444@97.05 2.344-60'
I have also tuned my truck like a wh*re.
So far I have put 5stars 87eco,87perf,93perf,93race. And have liked them all equally.
Each one does exactly what they are named. 2nd-3rd are all a little less aggressive than 1st-2nd. Pretty good customer service.
I wanted to try MPT because of a strong recommendation. I bought 93 performance, with street tune transmission shifts. Felt just a strong as 5stars.
Ran the following in the 1/4 mile the same night. With 20-30mins of sitting.
Truck specs- 2013 RCSB 5.0 3.55 Gears FX20" wheels(slowed me down)
Stock with FX20" wheels ran- 14.649@96.50 2.339-60'
5*-93race-14.157@97.91 2.210-60'
5*-93Perf-14.433@97.33 2.364-60'
MPT-93Perf-14.444@97.05 2.344-60'
07-19-2013, 08:11 PM
#7
Awesome write up!
I have also tuned my truck like a wh*re.
So far I have put 5stars 87eco,87perf,93perf,93race. And have liked them all equally.
Each one does exactly what they are named. 2nd-3rd are all a little less aggressive than 1st-2nd. Pretty good customer service.
I wanted to try MPT because of a strong recommendation. I bought 93 performance, with street tune transmission shifts. Felt just a strong as 5stars.
Ran the following in the 1/4 mile the same night. With 20-30mins of sitting.
Truck specs- 2013 RCSB 5.0 3.55 Gears FX20" wheels(slowed me down)
Stock with FX20" wheels ran- 14.649@96.50 2.339-60'
5*-93race-14.157@97.91 2.210-60'
5*-93Perf-14.433@97.33 2.364-60'
MPT-93Perf-14.444@97.05 2.344-60'
I have also tuned my truck like a wh*re.
So far I have put 5stars 87eco,87perf,93perf,93race. And have liked them all equally.
Each one does exactly what they are named. 2nd-3rd are all a little less aggressive than 1st-2nd. Pretty good customer service.
I wanted to try MPT because of a strong recommendation. I bought 93 performance, with street tune transmission shifts. Felt just a strong as 5stars.
Ran the following in the 1/4 mile the same night. With 20-30mins of sitting.
Truck specs- 2013 RCSB 5.0 3.55 Gears FX20" wheels(slowed me down)
Stock with FX20" wheels ran- 14.649@96.50 2.339-60'
5*-93race-14.157@97.91 2.210-60'
5*-93Perf-14.433@97.33 2.364-60'
MPT-93Perf-14.444@97.05 2.344-60'
Glad you like the tunes. We pride ourselves on our no hassle customer service. If you need anything else, give us a call or shoot us an email at any time!
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Crysis (07-21-2013)
07-21-2013, 10:55 PM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
07-21-2013, 11:05 PM
#10
Senior Member