Looking for advice on which tune to go with for smooth power delivery

[oarsirhc]

Hello all! As some of you may have seen in the other thread, my Ranger is currently at the dealership getting the transmission warrantied. During this down time I thought, why not look into tuning choices? It's something I've been contemplating but want to pull the trigger on soon. I'm between the (probably) most common 3 tuners; Livernoise, Ford Performance or Unleashed. I'm not looking for big power, but rather smooth shifting power. The wife doesn't mind a more powerful truck, but she's not a fan of clunky or hard shifting. Can anyone advise which tuner is best to go with for a nice noticeable bump in power but also a smooth shifting experience? I don't mind running it on 93, but I do have 91 readily available if that's a possible option. Thank you!

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[DukeCanBuildit]

Sorry about your transmission woes.

I see a Livernois tune in your future. It seems to be the most flexible tune out there and I’m sure those who currently use it, will give you their take on it.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

No advice on a tune as I am stock. But I do have a new updated transmission (07/24) and it’s incredibly smooth even in cold weather. If they do replace yours with a new transmission I suggest putting some miles on it before doing a tune. If you want some extra power then get a tune but if your transmission is replaced then I don’t think you’ll have to worry about shift quality.

 

[Superspirit]

I'M going to recommend Torrie@ unleashed. I think he's the best especially for Trans tuning. I have a ford performance (livernois) tune in my mustang and it's okay but the unleashed tune in my ranger is awesome! Feels like it has a much bigger engine with the torque that Torrie pulls out of them. My other vehicle's are a 19 Mustang GT and a 12 grandsport corvette. And I never feel like I've gone underpowered switching back to the truck from either of those. YMMV

 

[oarsirhc]

No advice on a tune as I am stock. But I do have a new updated transmission (07/24) and it’s incredibly smooth even in cold weather. If they do replace yours with a new transmission I suggest putting some miles on it before doing a tune. If you want some extra power then get a tune but if your transmission is replaced then I don’t think you’ll have to worry about shift quality.

Thank you for the advice! How many miles do you think is a good break in before tuning?

 

[oarsirhc]

I'M going to recommend Torrie@ unleashed. I think he's the best especially for Trans tuning. I have a ford performance (livernois) tune in my mustang and it's okay but the unleashed tune in my ranger is awesome! Feels like it has a much bigger engine with the torque that Torrie pulls out of them. My other vehicle's are a 19 Mustang GT and a 12 grandsport corvette. And I never feel like I've gone underpowered switching back to the truck from either of those. YMMV

Appreciate that! From what I read Torrie frequents the boards, or at least used to. Do they offer a 91 octane tune? Or any specific tune you recommend of their choices?

 

[Frenchy]

I went with Livernoise myself. I ran the Performance Tune and the Tow Tune on the truck I had. Personally I liked the Tow Tune better. Why? Because the Tune focused more on Efficiency over Max Power. Yes the power went up, but not crazy. Also I was still able to run a range from 87 to 93 octane without switching tunes.

Hope that is helpful input

 

[Superspirit]

Appreciate that! From what I read Torrie frequents the boards, or at least used to. Do they offer a 91 octane tune? Or any specific tune you recommend of their choices?

Yes, here in NM 91 is the best we get. That's what Torrie tuned my truck for.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

Thank you for the advice! How many miles do you think is a good break in before tuning?

Probably a few hundred miles or so. Enough so you get a feel for how it performs stock and you can then decide what you would want in a tune. I personally use tow haul all the time because I like how it drives. But even in normal Drive it shifts great.

 

[RedlandRanger]

I've been very happy with my Livernoise tune. I run the performance non soft shift tune most of the time (unless I need to tow, in which case I switch back to the tow tune). I opted for the non soft shift to try and be a bit easier on the trans - some of the shifts are pretty firm - it feels like I put a shift kit in it. The soft shift tune doesn't do that.

 

[LB'sTremor]

I've been very happy with my Livernoise tune. I run the performance non soft shift tune most of the time (unless I need to tow, in which case I switch back to the tow tune). I opted for the non soft shift to try and be a bit easier on the trans - some of the shifts are pretty firm - it feels like I put a shift kit in it. The soft shift tune doesn't do that.

Same, I like a little tug on my shifts vs a slushbox

LB

 

[Doc]

Unleashed ..

 

[OCL]

I went with the Livernois Performance Tune on my '21 Tremor. Our Rangers come with a very neutered programming for the motor and especially the transmission. I could no longer stand the gear skipping and general lazy demeanor of the transmission in Normal mode. It's got 10 damn gears! Use all of them! Damn Ford! That plus the Start-Stop. This is a very high performance motor being held back by bits of 0's and 1's. The Livernois Performance Tune for 91 octane finally unleashed the beast that I always knew was there.

So much more responsive and always ready to accelerate in the right gear all the time.
Engine never lugs. Ever. It's like being in Sport Mode without being too over eager in Sport Mode.
Mid-Range power galore. Uphill in any of the top gears, no problem. Highway passing power in top gear much stronger than before. Finally, top end acceleration all the way to the next shift. Stock motor's power delivery flattened out above 5k RPM. Not any more. Be careful the truck will get to 100+ much sooner. Truck with fat all terrain tires shouldn't be going this fast! LOL!
No more Start Stop either.
Now I have to really hold back on the throttle because my truck feels like a beast in waiting. It feels like the tune knocked off 2 seconds from the 0-60 mph time. Probably only 1.5 seconds but it feels like more. For $600 (2026 prices), you just can't beat that bang for buck of an additional over 50 rear wheel horsepower at peak. Turbo's rock. If I were you, I'd add the Roush or S&B CAI before you get the tune. Then tell Livernois Motorsports you have that on the truck when you request your tune.

 

[twk]

Following.

I've had two mustangs tuned. One was a '95 and I think it needed a chip swap? The other was a 2009.
My '17 already has plenty of power, and it's stick so that part is up to me.
Strange enough that when I bought my Ranger, a tune never crossed my mind, until lately. I blame everyone here for this expense. Damn you guys! Thank you.

 

[oarsirhc]

I went with the Livernois Performance Tune on my '21 Tremor. Our Rangers come with a very neutered programming for the motor and especially the transmission. I could no longer stand the gear skipping and general lazy demeanor of the transmission in Normal mode. It's got 10 damn gears! Use all of them! Damn Ford! That plus the Start-Stop. This is a very high performance motor being held back by bits of 0's and 1's. The Livernois Performance Tune for 91 octane finally unleashed the beast that I always knew was there.

So much more responsive and always ready to accelerate in the right gear all the time.
Engine never lugs. Ever. It's like being in Sport Mode without being too over eager in Sport Mode.
Mid-Range power galore. Uphill in any of the top gears, no problem. Highway passing power in top gear much stronger than before. Finally, top end acceleration all the way to the next shift. Stock motor's power delivery flattened out above 5k RPM. Not any more. Be careful the truck will get to 100+ much sooner. Truck with fat all terrain tires shouldn't be going this fast! LOL!
No more Start Stop either.
Now I have to really hold back on the throttle because my truck feels like a beast in waiting. It feels like the tune knocked off 2 seconds from the 0-60 mph time. Probably only 1.5 seconds but it feels like more. For $600 (2026 prices), you just can't beat that bang for buck of an additional over 50 rear wheel horsepower at peak. Turbo's rock. If I were you, I'd add the Roush or S&B CAI before you get the tune. Then tell Livernois Motorsports you have that on the truck when you request your tune.

Reading this got me HYPED! What kind of performance gains do you see with a cold air intake vs without?

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