Who has bought a tuner ??

[WildBill]

With all the discussion on tuners, I'd like to find out who has bought one and installed it on their car. What was Your seat of the pants feeling, ease of installation, did You think it was worth the cost, what other mods have You done. There's been a heated discussion between makers of tuners, but little input from people who have them.

Sponsored

 

[mbreinin]

I bought an SCT tuner from Torrie at Unleashed Tuning 2 days after I bought the car. I am experienced with these types of tuners, so installation was simple as was datalogging. The car drives so much better it has to be experienced to understand. The stock tune was pretty abysmal, if you ask me. Now, the car runs like it should. I also have an Airaid I will install tonight and an O/R downpipe is next.

Mike

 

[Anthony]

Who has been in the ecoboost game the longest? Across all platforms? Is actually developing engine hard parts? That's who you should buy from.

 

[OVRKILL]

I went with COBB. More power than I'll ever use, map switching is really neat, and yes, it's easy to install. I just averaged 33mpg on a trip to Phoenix with some city driving. AMA?

 

[dragonacc]

Who has been in the ecoboost game the longest? Across all platforms? Is actually developing engine hard parts? That's who you should buy from.

So I guess that means people should only buy Corn Flakes because they've been in the cereal game way longer than Wheaties...

 

[Mikeiscoo2]

So I guess that means people should only buy Corn Flakes because they've been in the cereal game way longer than Wheaties...

lmfao dude you nailed it on the head. what a stupid thing for him to say..

 

[PewterCam]

Who has been in the ecoboost game the longest? Across all platforms? Is actually developing engine hard parts? That's who you should buy from.

Well Ford has been in the Ecoboost game the longest so you will be buying nothing aftermarket I guess.

 

[d1ez3]

I went with COBB. More power than I'll ever use, map switching is really neat, and yes, it's easy to install. I just averaged 33mpg on a trip to Phoenix with some city driving. AMA?

So there has been a noticeable change in performance for you?
Do you need to keep the AccessPort plugged in at all times and turn it off each time you turn off your car?
Can you change the tune to stock levels while driving normally for better reliability on the engine and turbo?
Do you still have your warranty, or is this unknown if it is detectable if your car is brought to the dealer with an issue.

 

[ThatsMrGimp2U]

I bought an SCT tuner from Torrie at Unleashed Tuning 2 days after I bought the car. I am experienced with these types of tuners, so installation was simple as was datalogging. The car drives so much better it has to be experienced to understand. The stock tune was pretty abysmal, if you ask me. Now, the car runs like it should. I also have an Airaid I will install tonight and an O/R downpipe is next.

Mike

+1

I have been through 3 tuners across different platforms since I have been messing with cars. The guy who tuned my mazdaspeed (Dustin at Perm tuning) was proficient with the Cobb AP and access tuner software. Dustin is a great guy. Kept me informed on everything he was tweaking when I sent him datalogs (and you can do that from the ap). I waited a month on a waiting list, and it took about 3 days in between me sending him logs and him getting back with me. Cobb really does have some advantages over the competition (hardware wise). Good data logging from the device, the v3 looks really good, and if you were so inclined, the tools are out there to where you can tune your car yourself. (I tried, many headaches, lol). When you buy an ap, you need to find a tuner as well that can continue tweaking your maps as you perform upgrades, and the loaded tunes they come with are extremely conservative. In my experience, you would need to buy the ap device (i think 500) then pay a tuner 200 for an e tuning session. Someone correct me if I am wrong here. So its the most expensive option out there.

I bought a SCT X3 for my Taurus SHO through Torrie. The x3 feels like a complete pile compared to the cobb unit, but it did the trick (I traded up from the x3 to the x4 through torrie). Torrie prefers you use a computer when you do your data logs (apparently it reads more accurately). Not a big deal but it is a bit of a hassle. Now this is where Torrie stands above the rest; As soon as I took delivery of the first tuner that I bought through him, and got him a data log, I had my first CUSTOM map less than two hours after sending the data logs. And this was around 10 at night... Torrie is always working it seems, and is trusted with MUCH more expensive cars than the mustang. In the SHO world, he has the fastest tune only car on 93 going 12.7. Again, the big thing with him is the custom tuning. You pay 400 for the tuner and it comes with custom tuning support as long as you own the vehicle. the only things im pretty sure this doesn't cover is huge upgrades like a turbo swap or something. I am not overly fond of the SCT devices but at the end of the day all they really are is a middle man between your tuner and your car.

Go Unleashed and don't look back man, you won't regret it.

P.S. The SHO is an ecoboost car if you were not aware. He also is pretty popular with the Focus ST crowd.

 

[Herr_Poopschitz]

More power than I'll ever use

Huh? What? I think I heard you correctly, but can't fathom the concept personally...especially out of just a tune on this engine.

Next thing we'll hear is you don't like baseball, apple pie, or puppies. Silly commie.

 

[OVRKILL]

So there has been a noticeable change in performance for you?
Do you need to keep the AccessPort plugged in at all times and turn it off each time you turn off your car?
Can you change the tune to stock levels while driving normally for better reliability on the engine and turbo?
Do you still have your warranty, or is this unknown if it is detectable if your car is brought to the dealer with an issue.

Yes, the car pulls harder and seems more eager to get off the line. Torque for days. I'm sure part of this feeling is throttle mapping. In the more aggressive maps the car is almost twitchy at low speeds.

You do not need to leave the AP plugged in. Map switching and everything else are preserved.

Map #4 is closest to stock but still has a decent bump on torque. You just hold down cruise cancel and use cruise +/- to select a number on the tach for your map, at any time. I usually drive in economy mode (map 5) which is very low boost, but also a bit leaner than stock. AFR hovers around 14 rather than 13.6.

There is a flash counter on the ECM that can expose your tinkering. The Magnusson-Moss act in the US means that warranty is only void if the mod caused the issue. A hot spot causing a hole in your piston probably wont be covered. A dead brake light will.

Huh? What? I think I heard you correctly, but can't fathom the concept personally...especially out of just a tune on this engine.

Next thing we'll hear is you don't like baseball, apple pie, or puppies. Silly commie.

I do like puppies. Coming from a '91 Land Cruiser on tires the height of an average toddler, a radio flyer with a leaf blower on the back feels fast to me.

Ok.. so I may be thinking about an intercooler..

 

[Tamadrummer88]

Who has been in the ecoboost game the longest? Across all platforms? Is actually developing engine hard parts? That's who you should buy from.

+1.

 

[mbreinin]

Torrie has tuned the EcoBoost platform since it was introduced. He is very knowledgeable. His customer support is unparalleled. He reminds me of Shaun from AED, who tuned my Coyote. That is what I look for in a tuner.

Mike

 

[ThatsMrGimp2U]

Torrie has tuned the EcoBoost platform since it was introduced. He is very knowledgeable. His customer support is unparalleled. He reminds me of Shaun from AED, who tuned my Coyote. That is what I look for in a tuner.

Mike

And he just announced his downpipe coming out soon.... :cheers:

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

If you really want to buy a tuner, I hear Saleen's available.

Sponsored