Gearhead Tune Review

The first step in tuning a gen 2 raptor is to own the truck.

MGD said:

How many miles does it take for a tune to learn, and style in? In my experience, you really need to go 1k miles on each tune to get a really great comparison. This probably has more impact on this truck with the 10spd.

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You do own one - just waiting for your impartial review of this tune.

5 star told me 250 miles and were not all highway miles. Lot of stopping and taking off. The mpt tune I just installed they didn’t mention anything about this to me though. It’s working just fine so far.

---------- Post added at 12:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:50 AM ----------

Yea don’t rush it, everyone rather get the info about it once you are sure and ran awhile. It’s easy to say u like something and then week later realize something u don’t like about it.

---------- Post added at 12:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 AM ----------

Hey Guy, this tune you are trying is suppose to be like 107 more hp correct? That’s the biggest gain I’ve seen in any tunes on market I believe, not sure if it’s gonna be enough to swap from mpt to it though. But if you like it more I’m definitely gonna consider it. I thought my 5 star tune was good till I followed advice and changed and I’m glad I did.

So let’s review.

This has been a difficult evaluation for me.
I have two Gearhead tunes. One is a stock pedal tune and the other is referred to as a juiced pedal.

I flashed the stock pedal tune first and within an hour flashed to the juiced pedal. Going back to a stock pedal is about as boring as it sounds.

The juiced pedal tune was then put through the paces. 200 miles of highway driving, local driving, and city traffic were tested along with some light off-road.

The truck was filled up with Shell 93 prior to any testing.

The juiced pedal is an improvement over stock, but it is not nearly as aggressive as MPT. The truck is more easily controlled for gentle acceleration with this pedal setup, but it’s not lazy as is the stock pedal.

The transmission is what I would describe as being a refined stock experience. The shifts are smooth and there is a fair amount of slip between gears. Think Cadillac whereas MPT is more like a mustang. There is no erratic shifting and the logic for downshifts and cruising is mildly altered from the factory.

The power delivery is increased over stock. It pulls less than MPT, however, and my 0-60 Time dropped by 0.2-0.3 on successive timed runs. It’s not a slouch though, and I would say the power produced is similar to my 5 Star 93 Octane City Tune, but with much better transmission behavior and no wrenches, bugs or glitches. The power seems to roll off in the upper RPM range, Moreso than MPT or 5 Star.

The Verdict...

It’s a quality tune and Lars from Gearhead is knowledgeable, friendly, and not afraid to answer questions about what he does. He never claimed to make the most powerful tune on the planet. What he claimed to have made is a tune that is as friendly to own as a stock truck, without a need to reflash for differing octanes or towing a trailer. His philosophy is similar to that of Livernois or Whipple. He is going to sell you a tune that you’ll still be running 150k miles from now, with a trailer in tow.

When I compare this tune to MPT, which for me is the gold standard, I find it to be so different that the conparison is almost invalid. It really is an apples to oranges comparison in the way the two tunes are designed.

The MPT tune is much more thrilling and gives your truck a sports car feel. It’s faster and shifts more deliberately and has a more aggressive shift algorithm.

The Gearhead tune is the perfect “touring” tune for taking a long trip with the family. Your passengers will appreciate the smooth shifting, the gentle downshifts, and the smooth power delivery. You won’t have to worry about where you gas up, and if you’re towing your boat to your favorite campsite, that too won’t be an issue.

If I was forced to pick just one tune to own, it would still be the 93 octane MPT PRX for the reasons listed above. My truck is not my daily driver, and when I drive it, I want the fastest wildest ride I can have. Fortunately, though, I don’t have to pick just one.

I hope that helps those who are on the fence. If you want the fastest tune, MPT still reigns supreme. If you want a milder, daily-driver worthy tune... absolutely give Gearhead a second look.

So... which do you think is the safest tune for people that want to go another 40k-50k miles and not blow engine/transmission?

Fair question.

I don’t have any data to say that the MPT tune is more or less harmful than any other tune.

However, I think realistically the MPT tune is pushing the stock turbos to their limit. There are different theories on what makes a transmission last, but certainly MPT pops through the gears quite a bit faster than Gearhead.

I can’t prove it, but I think you’d have to assume that for the average person, over time, the Gearhead tune is going to put less stress on the moving parts. How that contributes to wear over time, we will all need to find out.

MGD said:

So... which do you think is the safest tune for people that want to go another 40k-50k miles and not blow engine/transmission?

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Thanks.

Ok, based on your review of MPT and Gearhead it makes me happy to know I went with Whipple Stage 1. Seems like it is right in the middle between the two.

I want to add that while the tune is more mild than MPT... you could also call it more civilized. The torque curve on these trucks, especially with a tune... is pretty brutal and the power comes on pretty hard and fast.

Lars does a good job of making a tune that anyone would feel comfortable driving.

It’s a Great tune and has to be put up there with the best of them. I plan to use it for trips, towing, touring... you will have Happy passengers.

I’ll be honest I was very skeptical at first... but Lars knows what he’s doing. As long as you understand what you are buying.... you’re getting a great deal and will be happy with the
Tune.

MPT and Gearhead. Two great tunes for different purposes.

Guy said:

I want to add that while the tune is more mild than MPT... you could also call it more civilized. The torque curve on these trucks, especially with a tune... is pretty brutal and the power comes on pretty hard and fast.

Lars does a good job of making a tune that anyone would feel comfortable driving.

It’s a Great tune and has to be put up there with the best of them. I plan to use it for trips, towing, touring... you will have Happy passengers.

I’ll be honest I was very skeptical at first... but Lars knows what he’s doing. As long as you understand what you are buying.... you’re getting a great deal and will be happy with the
Tune.

MPT and Gearhead. Two great tunes for different purposes.

Click to expand...

Yep, one makes less power than the other.

Just get MPT to do a PRX and a Tow tune. The tow tune is probably the same as the Lars Ulrich/Gearhead tune..

Guy: For transparency purposes, have you been comped the Gearhead tune? Or do you just like buying and trying tunes for fun?