Mileage before modding?

[2015Etrac]

I know some people begin adding tunes, intakes, and headers to their car right away, but at what mileage should I assume the engine is OK enough that I can potentially void the warranty without risking replacing an engine out of pocket? Right now I'm at 9200 miles or so, and I would like to get a tune and GT350 intake manifold, but at the same time I'm not sure if it's worth risking the warranty over those mods. So basically would the performance gains from a GT350 intake and tune be noticeable enough to risk losing warranty coverage over? Luckily it does seem like the Gen 2 engines hold up well, at least I haven't heard about too many issues with them.

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[BmacIL]

I didn't tune till 45k miles, and didn't do my manifold till after 60k. It's enough that an early, quality-related failure was completely ruled out. That, coupled with multiple UOAs along the way gave me the confidence to tune without issue. No regrets here. That said...drive that thing more!

 

[Zelek]

I tuned at 4,000 miles. N/A tunes from someone reputable are fine. I wanted to give the engine a good break-in to make sure there were no early warranty issues and I've been fine since. 8400 miles now.

 

[2015Etrac]

I didn't tune till 45k miles, and didn't do my manifold till after 60k. It's enough that an early, quality-related failure was completely ruled out. That, coupled with multiple UOAs along the way gave me the confidence to tune without issue. No regrets here. That said...drive that thing more!

Haha Yeah I need to start putting some more miles on it. I hear the tune makes a big difference with the 6r80 which is one of the reasons I want to get one. One good thing about trying to keep the powertrain warranty is that I've been able to focus on suspension, brakes, wheels, and some appearance mods which have big a big difference in the way the car drives and looks. Do you know anyone that runs a 6R80 for autocross? If so, how do they handle? I'm thinking paddle shifters might be the way to go for that.

 

[2015Etrac]

I tuned at 4,000 miles. N/A tunes from someone reputable are fine. I wanted to give the engine a good break-in to make sure there were no early warranty issues and I've been fine since. 8400 miles now.

Thanks. I'll probably go for a Lund tune and Nguage eventually. I'll probably give the car a few more miles and maybe an autocross event or two and then go from there, but so far the engine and transmission have been perfect.

 

[Timeless]

A lot might depend on your relationship with the dealer or even the dealer in general. Some are more mod friendly than others.

For me I PLAN on giving it a year and doing something next Black Friday...however the E85 is SOOOO tempting.

 

[BmacIL]

Haha Yeah I need to start putting some more miles on it. I hear the tune makes a big difference with the 6r80 which is one of the reasons I want to get one. One good thing about trying to keep the powertrain warranty is that I've been able to focus on suspension, brakes, wheels, and some appearance mods which have big a big difference in the way the car drives and looks. Do you know anyone that runs a 6R80 for autocross? If so, how do they handle? I'm thinking paddle shifters might be the way to go for that.

I know one person that autocrosses with the 6R80. He leaves it in S mode and uses the paddles. That said, autocross is usually 2nd gear the entire course.

 

[Zelek]

I would say majority of these tunes aren't very aggressive from the big vendors. They have them all dialed in with these different bolt on mods from headers to intakes. The only way you're going to get an extremely aggressive tune is through data logging and multiple updates. The tunes are a little more aggressive than the Ford Power Packs as those are very conservative tunes. I would say the tunes move from "very safe" (stock tune) to "moderate" in regards to safety of running the tune. Unless you have other engine issues, I highly suggest any one of the big vendor tunes. They really wake up your engine and help you get the most out of the car without being dangerous.

As with any tune though, watch your numbers. Make sure you're not running too lean or too rich for the best efficiency.

 

[BmacIL]

One of the reasons I went with AED was Shaun's attention to detail. He has no interest in putting you in a spot with risk. Obviously you're taking on some by adding power and revving higher, but at no point will he let the tune be the cause of an issue.

 

[2015Etrac]

Thanks for the replies. If you guys were going to run a tune but not rev the car out past 7300rpm or so, would you get a GT350 or 18' manifold? I was leaning towards the GT350, but if I'm not seeing the high GT350 rpm's, I'm not sure it's worth it. I do know they give the GT350 manifold with the Power Pack 3 and put them on the new Bullitt's to increase power, so I guess there is some added benefit, even if you're not seeing 8,000 rpm's.

 

[Zelek]

Thanks for the replies. If you guys were going to run a tune but not rev the car out past 7300rpm or so, would you get a GT350 or 18' manifold? I was leaning towards the GT350, but if I'm not seeing the high GT350 rpm's, I'm not sure it's worth it. I do know they give the GT350 manifold with the Power Pack 3 and put them on the new Bullitt's to increase power, so I guess there is some added benefit, even if you're not seeing 8,000 rpm's.

Stay stock unless you want to bump up the limiter from having the 18 manifold. It shines up top but not down low. The Coyote is a revver so many people love it. I don't find myself bouncing off the rev limiter very often at all so I'm good with the stock manifold until I see reason to dump it in the future from forced induction. The GT350 manifold is pricey compared to the bargain of the 18 manifold. The IMRC part is tricky and that's honestly why I've held off since I didn't want to lose power down low.

 

[Bluemustang]

On a 2016? I wouldn't worry. The Gen II Coyotes are stout. I've been tuned since 10,000 miles. Flashed my car many times - Bama, Lund.. Few different CAIs I've tried. 93 tune. Flex Fuel tune. New intake and injectors, no problem there. Engine runs like a top.

Only thing I need is a catch can.

I would highly recommend a tune and a GT350 intake. Seems like that's what you want - going to all GT350R like suspension and all that. If you want a GT350 manifold on the cheap, get a 2018 intake manifold instead.
But the quality of the GT350 intake is certainly there and will let you go get power up to 8,000 RPM. Revs all day.

*Just don't bang off the limiter at 8,000 RPM. Either shift at 7500-7800 or have them up your rev limiter beyong 8,000 or have them turn the rev limiter off. Don't want to be hitting the rev limiter at 8k and blow your motor.

Back to the GT350 intake - I think you will find - it will change the car. It will make the powerband much smoother. Even if you lose a little bit of torque it should make it easier to drive and make it more fun for what your goal is. I noticed this with my recent 2018 intake swap. I had my suspicions and it turned out to be true.

When you actually want to go FAST. 2018 intake, GT350, or Cobra Jet. Don't listen to these F150 guys talking peak torque numbers. When you actually want to go fast, the power under the curve at high RPM, all three of those intakes will blow the stock intake away. The F150 intake nosedives even more at high RPM. That GT350 intake will make your car faster.

 

[ahl395]

I waited 2-3k miles to open up my motor and upgrade OPG, supercharged around 6k.

It's all personal preference. Any mods can void your warranty. Personally I figured any major issues should show themselves by then so I took the chance.

 

[Bluemustang]

Thanks for the replies. If you guys were going to run a tune but not rev the car out past 7300rpm or so, would you get a GT350 or 18' manifold? I was leaning towards the GT350, but if I'm not seeing the high GT350 rpm's, I'm not sure it's worth it. I do know they give the GT350 manifold with the Power Pack 3 and put them on the new Bullitt's to increase power, so I guess there is some added benefit, even if you're not seeing 8,000 rpm's.

Honestly if you're not going to rev past 7300rpm, you should just stay stock manifold, or 2018 intake manifold (preferably ported) is what I suggest.

Do not worry about revving to 7500-7700 RPM. This motor can definitely handle it. IMO the 2018 intake manifold is the goldilocks manifold for retaining as much torque as possible and maximizing the high RPM power within the limits of this engine. It is very similar performance to the GT350 manifold. It just doesn't hold peak power quite as far to 8,000 RPM. It also doesn't lose as much lower end torque.

 

[Weasel1]

About 50 and I did a cat back exhaust, about 200 it got a VMP tune

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