Engine "Tuners" - school me...

Tim

Tim

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There's another thread right now about Ranger's being super tuned to improve performance.

Somebody give me the $0.05 lesson on what these over-the-counter tuners are meant for and how they get deployed.

My interest would be in switching between an oveall fuel economy optimized setup and then changing things up as necessary for towing, off-road, etc. I'm NOT looking to pull the space shuttle or drag race your souped up Accord.

I drive a '13 F150 with the 5.0 flex fuel V8.
 
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Simple term. Overide the epa choking "corks" that have been programmed to manage the drivetrain.

Change the fuel injection timing and adv or retard ignition timing to achieve desired outputs of more torque and hp or fuel economy. And transmission shift point get altered
 
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dman24 said:
Do the tuners effect long term durability or reliability generally speaking.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. When done within the drivetrains true ability, not a problem at all. When done at the extreme end, generally its the drivers abuse that kills it.
 
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Mike Overlay said:
Simple term. Overide the epa choking "corks" that have been programmed to manage the drivetrain.

Change the fuel injection timing and adv or retard ignition timing to achieve desired outputs of more torque and hp or fuel economy. And transmission shift point get altered
Click to expand...


Are they basically plug-and-play? or do you need an engineering degree to make use of them?

About 573 years ago, I was a lowly E5 turning wrenches on bull dozers and pickups for the Navy. I haven't had my hands dirty since. Could I pick up one of these things, press a button that says "get me better fuel economy" and make it work?
 
They are typically plug and play. Most folks are buying the "tune" from a tuning company, and then uploading the complete tune as opposed to adjusting individual parameters on their own. The hardware and software will cost in the neighborhood of $500. You can purchase multiple tunes on one device, and upload the one of your choosing.

Keep in mind, naturally aspirated gassers usually will not respond as well to tuning as diesels, or gassers with forced induction.

The guys that did the Ranger, offer this for your 5.0: https://5startuning.com/product/2011-2014-f150-5-0l-sct-x4-with-choice-of-5-star-custom-tunes-7015/
 
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Yes, plug and plays are available. Yes they will give you slight gains. Not real sure of the ROI. The best bang for your buck is to find a tuning shop with a dyno. Cost more up front but the gains are far greater.
 
Yes you need to interface the vehicle to the software and that module lets your PC connect to the car network.
Scan for OBD codes and so much more. Diagnostics come a long way since the old OBD system when you had to
count the volt meter swings to determine the error codes circa 1980's.
 
Do not expect big changes without additional upgrades. On some models they will do great like on oil burners but on yours I wouldn't expect more than 20hp max gain without additional parts and work. Maybe 2mpg if you are lucky.
 
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Turbo gasoline/Diesel engine: big gains to be made.

Naturally aspirated engine: gains not worth the money spent unless you’ve done other mods requiring a retune. I don’t mean an air filter and exhaust, I’m talking about cam/head work.

Manufacturers can tell if you’ve flashed the computer, even if you reflash to stock before going in for service. They probably won’t look unless you have catastrophic engine failure like burning a hole through a piston, and maybe not even then, but there is a risk.




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