Issues with 5-Star tune

[CoastieN70]

I really only bought the tune to add smiles per gallon. The truck drives fine from the factory but the power I get with a tune on this thing makes it alot more fun to drive. However, all the detractors mentioned here negate the positive aspects of the tune for me.

My past experience with tuning (APR tune on a 2.0T (Gas) VW) was that I could gain 90 lbft of tq and maintain/exceed factory fuel economy. Really, other than potential longevity issues of the power/drive train, I noticed no negatives to my APR tune.



What tune did you go with and what is your experience?

LIVERNOIS. Great Tune and Great People to work with. I run the 91-93 Octane performance tune and get as advertised from the Factory gas mileage when I keep my foot under control...

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[Caluke]

@austinb324 I also have the SCT BDX and 5-Star tunes. You are not the only one with these issues. My truck threw the P0068 as well, I was climbing a grade part throttle. My biggest problem with the tune was the harsh downshifting though. Every time I would come to a stop it would bang down into first gear. I am not impressed with the 5-Star tunes at all. I am currently running the SCT tune and am happy with the transmission shifting and power. No check engine lights either. I think 5-Star is a sponsoring vendor on this site, haven’t heard anything from them in this thread yet. I would not recommend their tunes. Seem to have a common problem for several of us.

 

[bb1001]

Is anyone planning on doing an Intercooler upgrade to go with their tune?

 

[Andy]

Is anyone planning on doing an Intercooler upgrade to go with their tune?

Yeah but not right now.

 

[Hack_Actual]

Based on these reviews and the other thread they haven’t reaponded too, I’d say that 5-Star is an unwise choice.

 

[austinb324]

I am loading up the SCT tune now as recommended by @Fordguy24 and @Caluke. Will be interesting to compare. I really just want a conservative boost in power and that's it.

LIVERNOIS. Great Tune and Great People to work with. I run the 91-93 Octane performance tune and get as advertised from the Factory gas mileage when I keep my foot under control...

Glad to hear you've had a good experience with LIVERNOIS so far. Im probably not going to come out of pocket again for another tune any time soon but I hope others continue to have great results like yourself.

 

[doug910]

OP, I think you should just cut your losses and go back to stock. The ONLY tune I would trust is one from Ford Performance and Ford Performance only. In the aftermarket, there are better brands than others, and One-Star Tuning is definitely at the bottom. I don't think they just have the resources and experience to make smart tuning choices. I watched TFL's video on the 5-Star Tuning Ranger, and they just didn't quite seem to have the most "wholistic" approach - completely subjective, I know, but I'm not changing anything on my powertrain if I get any hint of a bad feeling.

Lack of customer service is also appalling. If they aren't even willing to listen to their customers so that they can LEARN how to tune a vehicle, their tunes will never be good. I refuse to be the guinea pigs to these tuning companies and will only trust something from the OEM.

There was another Ford engineer here somewhere that was explaining why engineers leave some "power on the table", and it all has to do with preventing pre-ignition. The OEM has to make sure the engine will never experience pre-ignition in any environment. Any monkey with a computer can increase fuel and boost, but only the OEM can engineer, evaluate, and verify an engine to last 150k+ miles.

 

[THLONE]

OP, I think you should just cut your losses and go back to stock. The ONLY tune I would trust is one from Ford Performance and Ford Performance only. In the aftermarket, there are better brands than others, and One-Star Tuning is definitely at the bottom. I don't think they just have the resources and experience to make smart tuning choices. I watched TFL's video on the 5-Star Tuning Ranger, and they just didn't quite seem to have the most "wholistic" approach - completely subjective, I know, but I'm not changing anything on my powertrain if I get any hint of a bad feeling.

Lack of customer service is also appalling. If they aren't even willing to listen to their customers so that they can LEARN how to tune a vehicle, their tunes will never be good. I refuse to be the guinea pigs to these tuning companies and will only trust something from the OEM.

There was another Ford engineer here somewhere that was explaining why engineers leave some "power on the table", and it all has to do with preventing pre-ignition. The OEM has to make sure the engine will never experience pre-ignition in any environment. Any monkey with a computer can increase fuel and boost, but only the OEM can engineer, evaluate, and verify an engine to last 150k+ miles.

AND the auto trans will be affected by these shadetree tuners. SO, you are risking the reliability of the whole drivetrain for a few more horsepower. YOU have to pay to play.

 

[5startuning]

Interesting, I could’ve swore I read that 91 and up was recommended.

Ford recommends 91 or higher (or premium fuel) for towing or for added performance.

 

[5startuning]

I actually have tried both the lone ranger and 87 daily from 5 star and would have to agree about a large change in fuel economy and also have noticed that it will not hit 10th gear unless u let off a cruise at highway and get back into it. I have yet to contact 5 star to see if they can correct. I have since switched to the sct 87 tune and seem to be getting better fuel economy and like the shifting better so far. I would recommend trying that tune.

Chad, email me your serial or purchase order number and I will get this corrected for you. Email is [email protected].

 

[Caluke]

@5startuning Why don’t you read the whole thread and fix you P0068 and rough downshifting we are all experiencing. Your tune is horrible as of now.

 

[5startuning]

@5startuning Why don’t you read the whole thread and fix you P0068 and rough downshifting we are all experiencing. Your tune is horrible as of now.

Hi Lucas,

My name is Aaron, I am taking over our account for this forum and will do everything I can to address all of these issues to the best of our abilities.

You and anyone else are more than welcome to email me at [email protected], and you can reach me direct by giving us a call. extension 104

I am not one of the calibrators here, but I am the guy that can make sure we address these issues. The P0068 code has been addressed and fixed, it was an issue for some time and has since been corrected. This is my personal first time on this forum so I ask for patience and that you guys bare with us. We are more than happy to get these issues/concerns sorted and addressed.

I also have obligations to assist customers on all platforms (social media, our email, phone calls), so if my response is not immediate, that will be why. What is your serial number for your device? We can start there.

 

[5startuning]

I am loading up the SCT tune now as recommended by @Fordguy24 and @Caluke. Will be interesting to compare. I really just want a conservative boost in power and that's it.



Glad to hear you've had a good experience with LIVERNOIS so far. Im probably not going to come out of pocket again for another tune any time soon but I hope others continue to have great results like yourself.

Hello Austin,

What is the serial number for your tuner, and are you still experiencing the same issues highlighted in the OP? Either reply here with the serial or shoot an email to [email protected]. Also available to chat over the phone if you prefer.

A lot of us stay tied up on phones and in emails all day every day. So It is a bit alarming to read some customers are not getting the same experience with customer service that I know we give to those we get on the phone with. We stay committed to ensuring our customers have the best tuning and customer service experience possible.

 

[Fordguy24]

Hi Lucas,

My name is Aaron, I am taking over our account for this forum and will do everything I can to address all of these issues to the best of our abilities.

You and anyone else are more than welcome to email me at [email protected], and you can reach me direct at 843-536-1244 extension 104.

I am not one of the calibrators here, but I am the guy that can make sure we address these issues. The P0068 code has been addressed and fixed, it was an issue for some time and has since been corrected. This is my personal first time on this forum so I ask for patience and that you guys bare with us. We are more than happy to get these issues/concerns sorted and addressed.

I also have obligations to assist customers on all platforms (social media, our email, phone calls), so if my response is not immediate, that will be why. What is your serial number for your device? We can start there.

I just emailed Chris from previous post. So should.i email u now or can u intercept?

 

[5startuning]

I will side with the OP that 5-star is downright the worst in customer relations. I’ve spent months now trying to get a tune adjusted. I’ll call, talk to the guy in “sales” (about as helpful as a lemon aid stand attendant.) who says he will tell the calibrator and have them email me a tune. A few days later I’ll get an email with no notes or information just an email and a link to the new tune.

Biggest issue I’ve had is the clunky shifting, especially from 3-1 upon slowing down. I’ve gone so far as to ask them to just use the factory transmission strategy because it at least it is smooth and efficient. So far I only have one tune that works okay.

Another issue I’ve noticed is their tunes are seemingly very far off from target octane. I believe they don’t actually tune for different octanes but simply scale back timing and boost to a guessed target.

For example, their adaptive tune (one would assume could meet their marketing claim of adaptation to fuel) would encounter knock under moderate load on 91 octane (-8 degrees of timing would be pulled because of the knock). I have datalogs to prove the incidents and have sent them with no intelligent response from 5-star. This was a constant issue and never would “adapt” every single day it would knock under the same conditions. Factory tune never experienced knock under the same conditions and was consistently faster. The ONLY way I found to satisfy any 5-star tune was to run 112 octane race gas in the tank undiluted. It was then apparent they don’t know how to tune for variations in customers environment and only test at their near sea level location.

They haven’t tried to ever look into the issue and would rather send you a tune with the knock tables so sensitive that the ecu will pull timing at any condition rather than do their job and solve a problem they have.

1-star tuning.

Hi Andy,

Please reply with your serial number or you can email me direct at [email protected]. I am one of the "sales" guys and will make sure your issues are addressed to the best of our abilities. Very sorry this has been your experience, but we are more than happy to get things corrected for you.

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