Livernois Tuning released

[peterson1604]

Just be glad you didn't have to deal with Fedex in MI... I sent in my tuner to get it reflashed under my VIN, and the damn thing was stuck on a trailer at the distribution center that delivers to LMS for over 2 weeks!

Fed Ex is the worst! I cringe anytime I orders something and they use Fed Ex.

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[quangdog]

I received my tune files a couple of days ago. I loaded the soft shift performance tune on first, and I have to say that I was a bit ... underwhelmed.

So I've been driving with the soft shift tune installed for 2 full days. My impressions of it have not changed - it's definitely got more power / pull than stock, but not really a massive, jaw-dropping change.

HOWEVER: Today at lunch I decided to swap over to the straight 91-93 performance tune. I drove very gently for the first about 3 miles to let the truck warm up and to get to a road with a speed limit of 55. My first WOT pull after turning onto that road *WAS* a massive, jaw-dropping change from stock, and the truck leaped from about 15 mph to 55 in what felt like the blink of an eye. Holy crap, this truck is truly a beast! The shifting at full throttle will definitely snap your neck back, and had I started from a full stop I'm pretty sure it'd chirp into second and maybe third. To me, there is a bigger difference between the soft shift performance tune and the straight performance tune than there was between stock and soft shift. Keep in mind this is all just my impressions - I don't have a single shred of empirical data to quantify exactly what is changing and by how much. If you are are light on the throttle, the performance tune shifting is quite gentle - feels the same as stock to me. The shifts just get much, MUCH snappier when you put your foot down.

I emailed them a question asking if the soft shift runs the same horsepower or if it's tuned down a bit, I'll post as soon as I hear back. No doubt she's much, much quicker off the line and for passing it really gets up and goes!

I'd be really interested to hear the response about the differences between soft shift and regular performance tune. The regular performance tune definitely feels to me like they have turned everything up to 11, not just the shifts.

On a side note: I emailed them asking about if they have any documentation for the live data / logging on the tuner. Mostly I want to just better understand what each of the PIDs there mean (some are pretty gibberish / acronyms that I don't know) and understand why some of them don't show any value at all or a value which never changes. I'll report back if they can provide any documentation.

 

[jss81258]

Just curious, were you in "D" or "S". There is a difference........

So I've been driving with the soft shift tune installed for 2 full days. My impressions of it have not changed - it's definitely got more power / pull than stock, but not really a massive, jaw-dropping change.

HOWEVER: Today at lunch I decided to swap over to the straight 91-93 performance tune. I drove very gently for the first about 3 miles to let the truck warm up and to get to a road with a speed limit of 55. My first WOT pull after turning onto that road *WAS* a massive, jaw-dropping change from stock, and the truck leaped from about 15 mph to 55 in what felt like the blink of an eye. Holy crap, this truck is truly a beast! The shifting at full throttle will definitely snap your neck back, and had I started from a full stop I'm pretty sure it'd chirp into second and maybe third. To me, there is a bigger difference between the soft shift performance tune and the straight performance tune than there was between stock and soft shift. Keep in mind this is all just my impressions - I don't have a single shred of empirical data to quantify exactly what is changing and by how much. If you are are light on the throttle, the performance tune shifting is quite gentle - feels the same as stock to me. The shifts just get much, MUCH snappier when you put your foot down.




I'd be really interested to hear the response about the differences between soft shift and regular performance tune. The regular performance tune definitely feels to me like they have turned everything up to 11, not just the shifts.

On a side note: I emailed them asking about if they have any documentation for the live data / logging on the tuner. Mostly I want to just better understand what each of the PIDs there mean (some are pretty gibberish / acronyms that I don't know) and understand why some of them don't show any value at all or a value which never changes. I'll report back if they can provide any documentation.

 

[Jerry Caldwell]

So I've been driving with the soft shift tune installed for 2 full days. My impressions of it have not changed - it's definitely got more power / pull than stock, but not really a massive, jaw-dropping change.

HOWEVER: Today at lunch I decided to swap over to the straight 91-93 performance tune. I drove very gently for the first about 3 miles to let the truck warm up and to get to a road with a speed limit of 55. My first WOT pull after turning onto that road *WAS* a massive, jaw-dropping change from stock, and the truck leaped from about 15 mph to 55 in what felt like the blink of an eye. Holy crap, this truck is truly a beast! The shifting at full throttle will definitely snap your neck back, and had I started from a full stop I'm pretty sure it'd chirp into second and maybe third. To me, there is a bigger difference between the soft shift performance tune and the straight performance tune than there was between stock and soft shift. Keep in mind this is all just my impressions - I don't have a single shred of empirical data to quantify exactly what is changing and by how much. If you are are light on the throttle, the performance tune shifting is quite gentle - feels the same as stock to me. The shifts just get much, MUCH snappier when you put your foot down.




I'd be really interested to hear the response about the differences between soft shift and regular performance tune. The regular performance tune definitely feels to me like they have turned everything up to 11, not just the shifts.

On a side note: I emailed them asking about if they have any documentation for the live data / logging on the tuner. Mostly I want to just better understand what each of the PIDs there mean (some are pretty gibberish / acronyms that I don't know) and understand why some of them don't show any value at all or a value which never changes. I'll report back if they can provide any documentation.

I haven’t noticed any difference in performance between the hard and soft shift tunes, except the truck is much smoother when driving in traffic and around town with the soft shift. The thing I didn’t like about the hard shift was the use of second gear when slowly pulling away from a stop. The soft shift is more or exactly like stock where second gear is skipped most of the time.

 

[AzScorpion]

I haven’t noticed any difference in performance between the hard and soft shift tunes, except the truck is much smoother when driving in traffic and around town with the soft shift. The thing I didn’t like about the hard shift was the use of second gear when slowly pulling away from a stop. The soft shift is more or exactly like stock where second gear is skipped most of the time.

I'm still waiting for my box but when you request your tunes can you have them both sent so you can go between them and see which one you like? I thought I read that you could but want to make sure so when I finally get it I can have everything ready.

 

[quangdog]

Just curious, were you in "D" or "S". There is a difference........

I tried it a fair bit in both. Sport mode feels mostly like it allows it to rev higher in each gear, and it holds the revs up higher for a bit longer after you get off the skinny pedal. Hard to say for sure if it feels like there is more torque in S or not.

 

[quangdog]

I haven’t noticed any difference in performance between the hard and soft shift tunes, except the truck is much smoother when driving in traffic and around town with the soft shift. The thing I didn’t like about the hard shift was the use of second gear when slowly pulling away from a stop. The soft shift is more or exactly like stock where second gear is skipped most of the time.

Today (the first day I've had the regular performance tune loaded) it has been skipping second pretty regularly, when I'm light on the throttle. Pulling away from a traffic light behind other cars, for instance, it skips from 1-3, but does not skip any others. Give it more than a feather touch on the throttle though, and it definitely does not skip 2. And you feel every shift. I'm going to leave it in the performance tune for a couple of days, then go back to the soft shift to see if it feels like there is actually less power, or if the difference really is just the shifting. Then I'll put it back to stock for a day or 2 ... which I suspect will be an eye-opener for me.

 

[quangdog]

I'm still waiting for my box but when you request your tunes can you have them both sent so you can go between them and see which one you like? I thought I read that you could but want to make sure so when I finally get it I can have everything ready.

Yes, they'll send you whatever tunes you ask for all at once. I received a tow, 91-93 performance, 91-93 performance soft shift, 85-87 performance, and 85-87 soft shift. The tuner gets all the tunes they send as well as your original stock tune stored on it, and you can swap between them whenever you like. Just plug in the tuner and follow the instructions.

The initial backup of your stock tune will take around 10 minutes, as it has to read something like 91 blocks from the vehicle. Some blocks just take a few seconds, others take a lot longer. When you receive your tunes, it only writes a few blocks when you install a tune (I think maybe 11 blocks? Maybe 13?) so that only takes like a minute or 2.

Keep in mind that any time you change your tune it'll forget the shifting programming for the transmission, and the first little bit you drive it the shifting will be either rough or wonky until the computer re-learns. In my experience, the re-learn is very fast... a few sort of stiff shifts the first time it runs through the gears, then normal thereafter.

 

[Jerry Caldwell]

Today (the first day I've had the regular performance tune loaded) it has been skipping second pretty regularly, when I'm light on the throttle. Pulling away from a traffic light behind other cars, for instance, it skips from 1-3, but does not skip any others. Give it more than a feather touch on the throttle though, and it definitely does not skip 2. And you feel every shift. I'm going to leave it in the performance tune for a couple of days, then go back to the soft shift to see if it feels like there is actually less power, or if the difference really is just the shifting. Then I'll put it back to stock for a day or 2 ... which I suspect will be an eye-opener for me.

Yea, I had to return mine to stock for a couple of weeks and the stock tune really blows, especially when towing. Their tow tune is awesome.

 

[AzScorpion]

Yes, they'll send you whatever tunes you ask for all at once. I received a tow, 91-93 performance, 91-93 performance soft shift, 85-87 performance, and 85-87 soft shift. The tuner gets all the tunes they send as well as your original stock tune stored on it, and you can swap between them whenever you like. Just plug in the tuner and follow the instructions.

The initial backup of your stock tune will take around 10 minutes, as it has to read something like 91 blocks from the vehicle. Some blocks just take a few seconds, others take a lot longer. When you receive your tunes, it only writes a few blocks when you install a tune (I think maybe 11 blocks? Maybe 13?) so that only takes like a minute or 2.

Keep in mind that any time you change your tune it'll forget the shifting programming for the transmission, and the first little bit you drive it the shifting will be either rough or wonky until the computer re-learns. In my experience, the re-learn is very fast... a few sort of stiff shifts the first time it runs through the gears, then normal thereafter.

Thanks! I think I'll get the same ones you have minus the tow as I have no need for it.

 

[jss81258]

I don't think there's a power difference, but there is a shift firmness difference. In "D", the shifts are more firm than stock although it's really hard to tell under light throttle. WOT just goes. In "S", the first to second shift usually results in wheel spin. If I'm turning and accelerating but not WOT, it usually slips the inside tire.

Seat of the pants is subjective but if you truly notice a difference, then the difference is most likely significant. I can say that I installed bolt-ons (long tubes, CAI, etc) and a tune on my car, and some $2500 later, couldn't tell a difference. With the box stock Ranger and tune, I can tell a difference and a lot more cost effective than the car.

Just one person's opinion, and you know what that's worth.

I tried it a fair bit in both. Sport mode feels mostly like it allows it to rev higher in each gear, and it holds the revs up higher for a bit longer after you get off the skinny pedal. Hard to say for sure if it feels like there is more torque in S or not.

 

[FoD]

I didn't run across this yet, but how does this effect smog checks (if at all) in the commie-mune kalifornia?

 

[CO2Ranger]

I didn't run across this yet, but how does this effect smog checks (if at all) in the commie-mune kalifornia?

They aren't CARB certified and others have stated they won't ship to California.

Given all the emissions gear on the truck, I'd guess it passes even with the tune but CARB certs are expensive. If you flash back to stock for a test you'd pass anyway, right?

 

[FoD]

They aren't CARB certified and others have stated they won't ship to California.

Given all the emissions gear on the truck, I'd guess it passes even with the tune but CARB certs are expensive. If you flash back to stock for a test you'd pass anyway, right?

That was my take away...

 

[DMVRanger]

After about a months worth of research I decided to go with Livernois based on many of the high praise of customer service with these guys. Let me tell ya. I bought the tuner Monday on a whim. It got here 3 days later and after a 45 minute phone call I can confidently say the customer service is included in their price. I’m pretty sure it was Robby from this forum but he helped walk me through the windows 8 driver process which was a life saver. Planning on getting my stock file out to them today and ideally I’ll be driving my performance tune just in time for my birthday Tuesday!

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