Ford Tune + ESP + Towing

[ScooterPunk13]

I recently purchased a 2019 FX4 with 24K miles on it and still about 6 months of warranty left. I have been considering a ESP plan just due to the unknown use and/or abuse the truck previously went through. I have also started towing a 20ft Travel Trailer (4500lbs ish loaded) behind it and am considering getting a Tune as I've read that it makes a difference when towing. so the quesetions I have are as follows

• Will the Ford Tune void the ESP plan? I know it's OK on the factory warranty, but I thought I had read it will void the ESP (cant since find that thread).
• Does the tune really make a difference in performance and towing? Like a real measurable difference, not like the "Dude, I just dropping in a KN filter and it's like a whole new truck" kind of thing. LOL
• ESP or Tune if it's one or the other? I dont usually do extended warranty stuff, but some of the things I've read about the AC unit going and other odds and ends tell me a $1500 investment now beats a $3k repair bill down the road.

Thanks in advance for the thoughts, experiences and options!

Sponsored

 

[Jmarler]

If you're getting the ford performance tune, probably not going to make a difference on towing since they optimized it for performance and towing. A livernois towing tune would give you the better towing performance. As for the warranty, sounds like they would have to prove the tune caused the damage. Here's some details on the towing tune I got from livernois, I was asking them if it was necessary to flash between the towing tune and performance if I ever needed to something for a small amount of time. Just keep in mind this livernois and not the ford performance.


The towing tune is able to handle max payload like the factory tune would since we leave more of the factory safeties in place such as the catalyst temperature protection for example. When towing very heavy loads or in more strenuous situations like 70-80+ MPH on the freeway for hours at a time or steep hills for example, it really puts these smaller 4 cylinder turbo engines to work and the turbos create a lot more heat when compared to just cruising around town at low speeds.

On the factory tune and towing tunes the truck senses the catalytic converter temps rising and once it reaches a specific range the truck will adjust fuel / timing / boost etc to cool down the cat to prevent melting them down. The downside to cat over temp type of protection these ecoboost vehicles have is that the vehicle loses a noticeable amount of power since it's trying to cool down the cat and protect itself during more extreme situations like max towing, long periods of high speed towing large loads etc. So the performance tunes have adjustments in those areas along with many other things like shift points, firmness, torque management etc. to wake the truck up and maintain peak performance and fuel mileage as well but are things that could lead to issues when towing thousands of pounds and things of that nature. So its tough to put a set number of pounds since it can really vary depending on the conditions, how long you are towing, what speed you're running the truck at those times etc. If you are going to pick up a some sheets of plywood 10-15 minutes down the street at Lowes and zip back home , no big deal you can run the performance tune in my opinion without the truck breaking a sweat. Now if you plan to tow a camper on a road trip, definitely suggest to swap over to the towing tune.

 

[Jmarler]

In my opinion I would just keep stock unless it's not being smooth. After what livernois said, it would seem the ford performance version takes away from some of towing variables just enough to make it work.

If it's not smooth I would go with livernois towing tune. A lot of positive feedback on here.

 

[Frenchy]

I recently purchased a 2019 FX4 with 24K miles on it and still about 6 months of warranty left. I have been considering a ESP plan just due to the unknown use and/or abuse the truck previously went through. I have also started towing a 20ft Travel Trailer (4500lbs ish loaded) behind it and am considering getting a Tune as I've read that it makes a difference when towing. so the quesetions I have are as follows

• Will the Ford Tune void the ESP plan? I know it's OK on the factory warranty, but I thought I had read it will void the ESP (cant since find that thread).
• Does the tune really make a difference in performance and towing? Like a real measurable difference, not like the "Dude, I just dropping in a KN filter and it's like a whole new truck" kind of thing. LOL
• ESP or Tune if it's one or the other? I dont usually do extended warranty stuff, but some of the things I've read about the AC unit going and other odds and ends tell me a $1500 investment now beats a $3k repair bill down the road.

Thanks in advance for the thoughts, experiences and options!

So I can't speak much for ESP since it is the Aftermarket extended warranty backed by Ford. Is it possible they will not cover anything if the vehicle is tuned?(even if it is the Ford Performance tune?) I honestly have no idea. What you need to do is find the contract that would be offered by them and read the fine print.

How good is the warranty? For the most part pretty good. The only question is how often will it be used? With each vehicle it is a gamble with the extended warranty since you never know if and when things will fail.

Will the tune make a difference? Indeed it will and its up to you on weither or not you do it.

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

Get the Livernois tow tune, forget about the FP tune. It is worth it

Get the ESP, and if any issues, return the truck to stock tune before taking it in

Sponsored