Issues with 5-Star tune

[Psykostevo]

T

That's my biggest problems with these "tuners". It sounds like it's a bunch of guys with some laptops just changing some parameters and hoping it'll work. There isn't any durability testing done to them at all. An OEM tune is tested for 150k miles of harsh durability which I doubt that these aftermarket tuners have the ability to do.

That’s why I tune my own. But then again, ive got the experience. But you can’t replace Daily driving a car to dial it in compared to just having a customers car for a few hours or even days.

I can tell you that the 2019+ has very different value and tables compared to the earlier Ecoboost ECUs. What worked on the Mustangs May not work the same on the Ranger. Plus, we have to account for higher load demand being heavier and also doing truck duties.

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[kieefer]

I have a question that’s been bouncing around in my head.
Can putting the Ranger on a dyno and tuning it while on the dyno achieve the best results IF you’re looking for a basic tune to smooth out fuel mapping and shift parameters?

 

[doug910]

I have a question that’s been bouncing around in my head.
Can putting the Ranger on a dyno and tuning it while on the dyno achieve the best results IF you’re looking for a basic tune to smooth out fuel mapping and shift parameters?

Nope, not a chance. OEM's have a whole TEAM of calibrators with prototypes to work out their tunes. And each calibrator has a small set of parameters that they EACH work on over a period of a year in all sorts of operating conditions. And even then, the tunes aren't perfect as compromises have to be made. I don't understand how a guy with a laptop can think he can do a better job in a matter of hours and just email a file over.

The caveat is if you are experienced with these kinds of things, there's nothing holding you back from dialing in your own tune for your unique daily driving needs, as @Psykostevo mentioned.

 

[Psykostevo]

I have a question that’s been bouncing around in my head.
Can putting the Ranger on a dyno and tuning it while on the dyno achieve the best results IF you’re looking for a basic tune to smooth out fuel mapping and shift parameters?

You don’t need a dyno to tune the fueling on this truck. It has a built in Wideband gauge, so you can dial this in on the street with just the tuning software if you want.

 

[Msfitoy]

Why would you run 85 octane with a tune when Ford even recommends 91? I would think when you’re pushing the engine a little more with a tune you would definitely want to run 91...

Ford's documentation for fuel recommendation says "regular 87 octane"...
https://media.ford.com/content/dam/...a/US/product/2019/ranger/19RAN_Tech_Specs.pdf

 

[Gizmokid2005]

Ford's documentation for fuel recommendation says "regular 87 octane"...
https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North America/US/product/2019/ranger/19RAN_Tech_Specs.pdf

That's also wrong. Look in your manual. "Recommend octane rating" is 87, however...

 

[Andy]

If anyone has issues with a tune from 5-Star I recommend reaching out to Aaron. He as really helped me out with getting tunes sorted out and sent in a quick manner. Really impressed with the turnaround in customer service. I appreciate them trying to make things right for me, it goes a long ways seeing this kinda behavior. Thanks guys!

 

[Fordguy24]

If anyone has issues with a tune from 5-Star I recommend reaching out to Aaron. He as really helped me out with getting tunes sorted out and sent in a quick manner. Really impressed with the turnaround in customer service. I appreciate them trying to make things right for me, it goes a long ways seeing this kinda behavior. Thanks guys!

Same here I agree with Andy they really stepped up to the plate and did whatever I asked them to make it right.

 

[Sabasigh]

Any update on the 5 star's Tunes' performance & MPG?

 

[HoosierT]

I just got my revised tune and it’s muuuch better. No more bad smell and the truck just feels a little smoother in operation.

 

[Allen_rubin]

I just got my revised tune and it’s muuuch better. No more bad smell and the truck just feels a little smoother in operation.

My trucks been good with my tune as well, never had the smell. Sometimes when trucks cold it shifts a little harder but that’s about it

 

[Sabasigh]

I asked for a revised 93 tune to smooth out the downshifting. They turned it around pretty quick and i finally got it loaded today.

Seems to have smoothed out that harsh downshifting, unless i put it into S mode and then its super rough.

But normal driving it seems better though. Only put bout 40 miles on it so more to come. Lol, somehow they managed to package 2nd gear in that tune which seems pretty peppy.

 

[Allen_rubin]

I asked for a revised 93 tune to smooth out the downshifting. They turned it around pretty quick and i finally got it loaded today.

Seems to have smoothed out that harsh downshifting, unless i put it into S mode and then its super rough.

But normal driving it seems better though. Only put bout 40 miles on it so more to come. Lol, somehow they managed to package 2nd gear in that tune which seems pretty peppy.

That’s good to know, mine hasn’t been too bad. I think the more people ask for revisions and changes, I think they adjust all that for the newer customer tunes beforehand now. I’ve had mine for about a month now and everything everyone has posted about that was fixed mine already had been done

 

[austinb324]

Just updating the thread since i've neglected the forums so far this year.

I'll second all the comments about Aaron from 5 Star being very helpful. I've gone back and forth with him many times now and he always replies very quickly. Any initial complaints about customer service were definitely outliers as these guys have more than stepped up to the plate in this regard. The latest tunes sent to me (end of December) had the shifting issues pretty much resolved completely to my personal satisfaction. Unfortunately, they were unable to get rid of the fuel smell & very poor fuel economy. It seems that something in my truck is slightly different than the rest of you guys. They did however offer to let me bring my truck by their shop for diagnostic. I was and am inclined to take them up on this offer but have not been able to find the time to get to Florence yet this year. I've just been running stock since the end of December.

 

[Sabasigh]

I posted in another thread i had to go back to stock. Trans shifting got progressively worse. Super harsh shifts and going from Reverse to Drive would be a super brutal clunk.

Really miss the power though. I may reach back out to them.

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