Ford Performance Tuner

[Gumbo]

If you're looking to get real increases from a downpipe you'll want the tune to account for it. The FP tuner does not have that capability.

A downpipe without a tune is really a waste of money. And it CAN be dangerous.

This is why I love this forum. Thank You. Curious, would the air intake also be a waste of money?

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[D Fresh]

Not as easy to get a tune for a downpipe these days either with the EPA crackdown... I see plenty of people putting defoulers on their downpipe to avoid a code, but as you said it can be dangerous for the engine to not be properly tuned for it.

Custom tune local is fairly easy to find depending on your locality. Big national companies are mostly not touching catless though. I'm thinking there's at least one, maybe two remote tuners that will support a catted downpipe.

This is why I love this forum. Thank You. Curious, would the air intake also be a waste of money?

If you want very slight gains in performance that won't be noticeable by the seat of your pants, and more noise, nope.

 

[D Fresh]

Here ya go brother fresh.....

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/tuned-ranger.5106/#post-81186

That truck is not operating on a factory tune. And while it has stock internals, the engine is FAR from stock. A quote from the owner...

E85 is on board. A couple of vendors have reached out to put their stuff on this truck so we will have real life results shortly. Track time on Friday night!!

If you think 350 whp on a Ranger with only a HPFP and e85 on a FACTORY TUNE is possible you should stop posting advice here and stick to embarrassing yourself with the frat boys on College Ave.

 

[txquailguy]

That truck is not operating on a factory tune. And while it has stock internals, the engine is FAR from stock. A quote from the owner...



If you think 350 whp on a Ranger with only a HPFP and e85 on a FACTORY TUNE is possible you should stop posting advice here and stick to embarrassing yourself with the frat boys on College Ave.

LOL....aren't you a sweetie!
Spoken like a true Coloradan.....
Oh, btw Dougie.....go Troll someone else sweetheart....you seem to like that kind of thing.....

 

[ControlNode]

I did the FP tune a while back. For me it the 93 requirement was a non-issue since I ran 93 all the time so that I didn't have to worry about planning the fuel time around when I planned to tow. And if a friend called needed a car towed, I didn't want to have to stress over it if I had just filled the tank with <91, so my truck as run 93 since day one every day.

I like the tune, the updates to the transmission logic helps the truck feel a little better too.

 

[txquailguy]

Thanks, for the advice. I'll admit, I'm not an engine performance guy. I was just going by the mod suggestions on Tuningpro.co They suggest that if you get a Performance Tune like the dealer did for me that the other three mods would take stress off the performance tune or at least that's the way I read it. I am definitely not looking to get more aggressive on the tune. Wonder if you would mind looking at the article I was reading and what your thoughts are on what they say.

https://tuningpro.co/best-2-3l-ford-ranger-performance-mods/

Thanks for asking for my opinion....I also am not some mechanic type that knows everything and obviously my shortcomings are pointed out in here all the time....lol (I could give a rats arse.) I'm a biologist with an aircraft mechanic background.....lol. Anyway, I agree with the article and have had the same ideas as you on making more power but here are the issues. BTW, my truck has almost 98K miles on it and I've been running the Livernois 91-93 octane high performance, hard-shift tune that they offer for right at 68K of those miles. I installed a cat-back Gibson performance exhaust, a TurboSmart BOV, a aFe Power Scoop connected to the factory airbox and a K&N filter. I have since removed the K&N and gone back to a Motorcraft paper filter. (Don't think the K&N oiled filter is good for the turbo). That's all I've done.....no engine mods or anything else mechanical or electronic for performance. I have an extended warranty to 125K so it would be silly to void that by installing mods that Ford would probably automatically say "Forget it" if something goes wrong. They can still say that just for running a aftermarket tune unless it's theirs and they install it. To say that I have been hard on my engine and tranny running around out there would be an understatement! How does she run now after all the abuse you might ask? Like a CHAMP! Absolutely no issues but.....

Hear is where I stand now.....Being on the forum gives us somewhat of an advantage on knowing what's going on with the other Ranger trucks out in the world, and any problems they might have on a grand scale. So we've seen that downpipes and some other mods can cause low end issues in the 2.3. Also, as of late, we are seeing a lot of issues with our 10R80 transmissions. That is what has me spooked at this point. So much that I just flashed to my high performance soft-shift tune to ease up some on the bump in the shift. It really shifts so smooth with that tune but it's not as hot (fast) as the hard-shift tune. Livernois provides us with 5 tunes when we buy into their programming. Anyway, without getting too wordy here....you really don't need any of these mods to create power with the Ranger. Honestly, I don't think the ECU can use any extra air flow unless you have a custom tune written and flashed based on a dyno run. These off-the-shelf programming options are very stable vs a custom setup, especially a warrantied vehicle. I don't think the Ford Performance Tune offers the most power so if you are interested in making more HP I would consider another off-the-shelf tune that has a higher programming output than the Ford tune......To finish, man, my Ranger makes plenty enough power just the way I'm setup.
All this is just my insignificant opinion!

 

[D Fresh]

LOL....aren't you a sweetie!
Spoken like a true Coloradan.....
Oh, btw Dougie.....go Troll someone else sweetheart....you seem to like that kind of thing.....

Not trolling at all. Why are you so sensitive? Just correcting your misinformation. It's rather reckless to be throwing out advice on things you don't know about.

If some guy who knows even less than you goes out and follows your advice are you going to pay for any damages to their truck?

Also, as of late, we are seeing a lot of issues with our 10R80 transmissions. That is what has me spooked at this point. So much that I just flashed to my high performance soft-shift tune to ease up some on the bump in the shift. It really shifts so smooth with that tune but it's not as hot (fast) as the hard-shift tune.

FYI a hard shift is better for transmission longevity than a soft shift. It's the slipping that provides premature wear.

Also, don't buy into the FUD.

 

[Lateknightucd]

I’m planning to go with the Ford tune but does anyone know if I need to have Ford install it to keep it under warranty? Seems pretty plug and play and honestly silly to pay for the install at the dealer (or by any SAE mechanic) but I’m old enough that warranty coverage is worthwhile.

 

[Wytchdctr]

I’m planning to go with the Ford tune but does anyone know if I need to have Ford install it to keep it under warranty? Seems pretty plug and play and honestly silly to pay for the install at the dealer (or by any SAE mechanic) but I’m old enough that warranty coverage is worthwhile.

If you don't use a dealer or get a receipt that shows it was done by an ASE mechanic - that 36k coverage is up to.. "did the tune cause the issue". IMO the Ford and most of the other canned tunes are not going to push this engine to failure before 36k unless you rolled the dice and lost.. getting a Ranger built on a Monday after a holiday where the guy and robot were both hung over when casting your crank or installing a main bearing, etc.

 

[John Earley]

Yeah, I’ve been running 94 in it since day one. $2.18/L.

Lol
That’s over $8 a gallon!
My god you Chinadians are being screwed

 

[Amsoil guy]

Lol
That’s over $8 a gallon!
My god you Chinadians are being screwed

Lol, we totally are. At one point it was up at $2.60. I live 15 minutes from the border. When it was at that price I would just skip across and fill up. Save myself about $40 a tank after they change. Meanwhile the Petroleum companies are making record profits. Lol

 

[ControlNode]

I’m planning to go with the Ford tune but does anyone know if I need to have Ford install it to keep it under warranty? Seems pretty plug and play and honestly silly to pay for the install at the dealer (or by any SAE mechanic) but I’m old enough that warranty coverage is worthwhile.

It depends, but safer to have them do it if there is any concern about needing a warranty. I prepped (Installed software on my laptop, updated the tuner, connected to truck to read vin, connected to laptop again to download the tune onto it) the tuner for dealer to final steps of flashing the tune and brought it in for the tune and filter. They didn't even charge me, but I have the receipt for them installing it. For me it was really important that it was installed by the dealer as my truck has a lifetime powertrain warranty and I've gotten confirmation that having Ford install the tune that I bought from Ford will not affect that lifetime warranty at all.

 

[Lateknightucd]

It depends, but safer to have them do it if there is any concern about needing a warranty. I prepped (Installed software on my laptop, updated the tuner, connected to truck to read vin, connected to laptop again to download the tune onto it) the tuner for dealer to final steps of flashing the tune and brought it in for the tune and filter. They didn't even charge me, but I have the receipt for them installing it. For me it was really important that it was installed by the dealer as my truck has a lifetime powertrain warranty and I've gotten confirmation that having Ford install the tune that I bought from Ford will not affect that lifetime warranty at all.

That’s exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[txquailguy]

Not trolling at all. Why are you so sensitive? Just correcting your misinformation. It's rather reckless to be throwing out advice on things you don't know about.

If some guy who knows even less than you goes out and follows your advice are you going to pay for any damages to their truck?

FYI a hard shift is better for transmission longevity than a soft shift. It's the slipping that provides premature wear.

Also, don't buy into the FUD.

I can't afford to pay for the damages to my truck with this inflation going on.....lol.

I understand about the soft shift programming. Thing is I can feel a bit of a bump at times with the hard shift tuning which concerned me with all the transmission talk. Sid started getting a bump before his tranny died. I've had one for many, many miles (every so often) so I decided to try the soft shift. I'm not feeling any bump now and the shift is not sloppy at all. As far as advice to others....the dude was wanting to install a downpipe on (I think) a warrantied truck....so heck why not try some E85 power? Also, if anyone takes vehicle mod advice from a biologist.....well I don't know man.....that sounds sketchy.

 

[Fitzmotor]

Just to clarify, the Ford tune is a aftermarket tune and Ford stated that if they feel the tune caused any failure, no coverage.

I fell for it as well, I thought it was perfect, Ford tune, warranty stays in effect, no, only until 36/36 after that we are at the mercy of Ford possibly denying the claim.

Whatever you do, do not uninstall any tune before going in for service, the first thing they look at is key counts, if it's only been started a handful of times since a file change they void the powertrain warranty, I watched them check 3-4 diesels in for engine problems and void the warranty on the spot.

A call to Ford Racing will clear things right up if you happen to question what I say.

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