Thoughts on custom tunes

[BlackStallion18]

I'm seriously considering getting a tune for my 2018 GT, is it worth voiding the warranty?

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[Bikeman315]

I'm seriously considering getting a tune for my 2018 GT, is it worth voiding the warranty?

First question. Do you have $5k to replace your motor? If yes, continue, if not stop. Second question. Are you willing to pay for a new motor if you had too? If yes, continue, if not stop. Last question. Are you will to incur the hassle of dealing with a blown motor that is not under warranty? If yes, go for it, if not stop.

Now the likelihood of a blown motor is slim if you go with a trusted tuner. It’s all up to your level of risk aversion. Only you can answer that.

 

[Kermitz]

A Ford dealership can refuse to warranty repairs if they feel that your modifications caused the failure.
That being said, I think you'll be fine if you get a tune from AED, Lund or PBD. They're all very reliable tunes on an NA car.

 

[OU81]

IMO on a car that is already a high 11 through low 12 sec car as it sits, no. If it were any slower, yes. I have tuned everything I have had including our family 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 but the newest round of sports cars are pretty impressive from the factory. At what point do you say they just arent really worth digging into & it is already fast enough. For myself personally who has always modded cars/trucks to run 11's this car is already there(depending on the weather lol). I myself have never cared to run any quicker than that so for me is it worth possibly being out close to 10 grand to replace a blown motor in an already fast car, no. The price of the new motors is way up there & I am sure it will come down in time just like everything else. Now alot will tell you yea go ahead & tune it but like said above, do you have the money in savings that your WILLING to just "throw away" like that over wanting to go faster. Yea having a high 10 sec through mid 11 sec street car would be fun though. 20 yr old me would have said screw the warranty in a heart beat with more ego & pride than I could fit inside the car but now I am starting to think a little clearer. Lol

 

[CrashOverride]

I agree with everyone else, however with the exception that a lot of it depends on the tune. How far do you want to ride on the cutting edge? Increase spark until knock, and then back off one degree? Or five? I think too many people buy into "My tuner made xxx RWHP" or I went tens with JoeBlowTuning. And the sad thing is that making big power is the easiest part of tuning. Making more power, but safely, and having good drivability - now that's real tuning.

To be honest, the Ford Racing Power Pack tunes are quite aggressive and make great power with great drivabiliy for the 15-17 crowd. I don't know if something like that is in the works for 18+ but if you wanted to play by the rules and keep your warranty, that would be the way to go (Should it ever come out).

 

[brucelinc]

If you get a tune from a reputable tuner, it is HIGHLY unlikely that the tune would cause any sort of failure.

 

[Bikeman315]

If you get a tune from a reputable tuner, it is HIGHLY unlikely that the tune would cause any sort of failure.

Agree 100%.......but it's not just the tune. If for some reason there is a weakness in the engine that is exacerbated by the tune the OP would be on the hook for a new engine. A warranty is insurance. It's there just in case.

 

[Rjames18]

IMO on a car that is already a high 11 through low 12 sec car as it sits, no. If it were any slower, yes. I have tuned everything I have had including our family 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 but the newest round of sports cars are pretty impressive from the factory. At what point do you say they just arent really worth digging into & it is already fast enough. For myself personally who has always modded cars/trucks to run 11's this car is already there(depending on the weather lol). I myself have never cared to run any quicker than that so for me is it worth possibly being out close to 10 grand to replace a blown motor in an already fast car, no. The price of the new motors is way up there & I am sure it will come down in time just like everything else. Now alot will tell you yea go ahead & tune it but like said above, do you have the money in savings that your WILLING to just "throw away" like that over wanting to go faster. Yea having a high 10 sec through mid 11 sec street car would be fun though. 20 yr old me would have said screw the warranty in a heart beat with more ego & pride than I could fit inside the car but now I am starting to think a little clearer. Lol

I'm running low 8's and it's not fast enough for me

 

[brucelinc]

Agree 100%.......but it's not just the tune. If for some reason there is a weakness in the engine that is exacerbated by the tune the OP would be on the hook for a new engine. A warranty is insurance. It's there just in case.

I think it is a good idea to put a few miles on a car prior to tuning. I had mine at the dragstrip stock with 600 miles on it and ran it about 5000 miles before tuning. By then, I was pretty confident that it was going to be fine. I have had tunes in every car I have owned since 2010 and never had a warranty claim denied. Never had an engine issue, either. Drag raced them all.

 

[Goterr0r]

Yes, A tune is worth it for sure. Its not just the power, but the shift characteristics if your an A10. If you have e85 stations near you go the e85r or flex tune and you won't regret it. I've been tuned by Lund since a little under 5000 miles on the car. When i don't run e85 the car feels like a turd (even though its not) due to how quick the power ramps on e85. By far the best mod for the 18's for cost per smile.

 

[ttbestas]

guys do you know if any of reputable tuner leaves tune unlocked? leaving the possibility for customer do the changes?

 

[Andy13186]

100% worth it even if you have no mods and even if its just a 93 tune. Reason is deletion of torque management and raising the rev limiter lets you do some insane stuff lol

 

[Kermitz]

guys do you know if any of reputable tuner leaves tune unlocked? leaving the possibility for customer do the changes?

Not going to happen.
Each tuner's tune is proprietary and stays locked so that it can't be copied or stolen.
They also don't want the user to make changes that might do damage to the vehicle a d the user blaming the tuner's tune.
All reputable tuner's can work with the user to make needed or requested changes within reason.

 

[Stephen@lethal]

if you are worried about it voiding the warranty, I would suggest against it. The dealership will find anything they can to deny you a warranty on powertrain. However, if you're ok voiding the powertrain warranty, I would highly suggest a tune from PBD or Lund Racing. They offer amazing support and will get a great bit of power out of your car. Hit me up if you want to discuss what a tune can do for you!

 

[brucelinc]

if you are worried about it voiding the warranty, I would suggest against it. The dealership will find anything they can to deny you a warranty on powertrain.

I have found the absolute opposite to be true. A good dealer will do everything they can to take care of a good customer. Obviously, it there is an unusual catastrophic failure, Ford may ask the dealer to do some investigation and that could result in a repair not being covered. When discussing mods with the service manager at my dealership, he said "I don't pay my techs to find reasons not to do warranty work or to piss off customers."

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