Mods, Mods, Mods....and Questions, Questions, Questions

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sixshooter_45

2019 Ruby Red Metallic SC, 3.5 L Twin Turbos.
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Because of the warranty implications. Tunes on an engine will almost invalidate any claim that's engine related. It's a HUGE gamble. As far as to benefits...I have a tune and have since de installed it. I'm not that impressed. It certainly makes a noticeable difference but not so much so that I just have to have it. The truck is plenty powerful without the tune and because most people drive their truck daily on the street the loss in fuel mileage isn't worth it. Some people need every last ounce of HP/TQ they can get but for me 450/510 is plenty plus not having to worry about the extra stress on engine and drive train parts that weren't designed for the extra HP and the warranty concerns. I'm just saying make sure that it important to you and make sure you don't care about warranty claims being denied before going down the tune path.

I could be wrong but it sounds as though you may not have had one of the better tunes that are available for this truck.

I only mention this because you stated you weren't that impressed with the extra power and the loss of mpg, however, quite a few folks have mentioned that they love the extra power and are getting better mpg, if they keep their foot out of it, and are very impressed with that particular tune/tuner.

I agree about the warranty issue which is why I haven't jumped onto the tune scene yet as I have a 125,000/8 year ESP warranty and should down the road I need it I'd be screwed which could end up being very costly.
 

Badgertits

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I could be wrong but it sounds as though you may not have had one of the better tunes that are available for this truck.

I only mention this because you stated you weren't that impressed with the extra power and the loss of mpg, however, quite a few folks have mentioned that they love the extra power and are getting better mpg, if they keep their foot out of it, and are very impressed with that particular tune/tuner.

I agree about the warranty issue which is why I haven't jumped onto the tune scene yet as I have a 125,000/8 year ESP warranty and should down the road I need it I'd be screwed which could end up being very costly.
I’m tuned AND I have a warranty AND I’ve had warranty work done.

Go stock before bringing in. This topic has been beat to death- bottom line, discounting/downplaying what tune does to transform this truck is flat out LYING or ignorance. So it should be called out, period. A tune alone on these vehicles is more potent a performance mod then intake/headers/cam/tune on a 5.0 mustang

nuff said
 

pbtjrlmrt

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I could be wrong but it sounds as though you may not have had one of the better tunes that are available for this truck.

I only mention this because you stated you weren't that impressed with the extra power and the loss of mpg, however, quite a few folks have mentioned that they love the extra power and are getting better mpg, if they keep their foot out of it, and are very impressed with that particular tune/tuner.

I agree about the warranty issue which is why I haven't jumped onto the tune scene yet as I have a 125,000/8 year ESP warranty and should down the road I need it I'd be screwed which could end up being very costly.

I used 5star tuning. It's a great tune. No issues. I'm just super impressed with the stock HP/TQ and place no value on the increase. Fun at times sure but day to day it's just not valuable to me and I don't need to worry about the warranty issue.
 

Badgertits

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I used 5star tuning. It's a great tune. No issues. I'm just super impressed with the stock HP/TQ and place no value on the increase. Fun at times sure but day to day it's just not valuable to me and I don't need to worry about the warranty issue.

ummmm, i smell trolling. If you are soooo concerned about warranty issues, & you “had” a 5 star tune, if it’s the same truck- why exactly take it off now eh? Your entire concern is based around the scenario that a dealer will go to the trouble of digging through your ECM files after a (more than likely) common driveline-related warranty issues comes up.

If you have a gen 2 raptor, & if you you had it tuned, & if your concern is warranty conflict....whether it was on yesterday or 4 months ago If you have a warranty issue & ecm is checked you’re screwed.

Do you not follow this logic? Your responses are suspect.
 

Troutrad

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ummmm, i smell trolling. If you are soooo concerned about warranty issues, & you “had” a 5 star tune, if it’s the same truck- why exactly take it off now eh? Your entire concern is based around the scenario that a dealer will go to the trouble of digging through your ECM files after a (more than likely) common driveline-related warranty issues comes up.

If you have a gen 2 raptor, & if you you had it tuned, & if your concern is warranty conflict....whether it was on yesterday or 4 months ago If you have a warranty issue & ecm is checked you’re screwed.

Do you not follow this logic? Your responses are suspect.

Possibly on a previous or 2nd vehicle...giving em the benefit of the doubt....
 

pbtjrlmrt

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ummmm, i smell trolling. If you are soooo concerned about warranty issues, & you “had” a 5 star tune, if it’s the same truck- why exactly take it off now eh? Your entire concern is based around the scenario that a dealer will go to the trouble of digging through your ECM files after a (more than likely) common driveline-related warranty issues comes up.

If you have a gen 2 raptor, & if you you had it tuned, & if your concern is warranty conflict....whether it was on yesterday or 4 months ago If you have a warranty issue & ecm is checked you’re screwed.

Do you not follow this logic? Your responses are suspect.

Please read and pay attention. I like the tune but I place no value on the increase. That's my subjective opinion. Not worrying about the warranty is a distant second place concern. It's fun having a little more HP/TQ but the stock Raptor is powerful enough...for me.... so I removed it. To each his own but off road the power isn't useful and on road I just don't drive with my foot in it enough to justify it. ALL tunes..no matter where from...place additional stresses on engine and drive train components...comes with the territory...The trade off...for me...isn't worth it. 5star does a great job. The tune is awesome...I just don't care about the additional power over stock. I just don't care about the additional power over stock....and one more time for the feeble minded...I just don't care about the extra power over stock. Hope this clears it up...If not...well I tried. I run my truck about 80% daily driver and 20% overlanding/off roading/dunes. Since removing the tune...after initially noticing some power reduction...I haven't missed it at all. Others that are squeezing every last bit of performance from the engine may feel differently.
 

Ducc

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I’d mostly agree except on the tune front, in fact I don’t even consider someone really “living that raptor life” w/o running a performance tune lol!! Seriously, a good pet of the reason I left GM V8s for this Raptor was for the sheer ease of tunability & upgraded power for under $1k - shit, you can’t even start building big power on V8 trucks before you drop $2k+ on a set of headers & mids!!!

I would say absolutely get a tune, but just do your research, & go w/ a company w/ years of experience tuning Fords, FI platforms, & especially tuning automatic trannies. I’ll leave it at that.

don’t get a tune - eh? +70-100whp for $550-$750? It’s basically the best bang for buck mod you can do, period.

I'm with you here, Badger. I didn't start loving my Raptor until after getting it goosetuned and flashing the Cobb TCM. And for me, it's the overall improvement in drivability. From being able to turn off the awful ASS to the truck no longer skip shifting. The noticeable increase in hp/tq on tap is just icing on the cake. The Raptor should feel like this off the showroom floor. I was not willing to wait 3 years or 36K miles to experience it. If the absolute worst thing that happens to me in <insert any year> is I nuke my truck, then it's a hell of a blessed year. Mod at your own risk OP, but I'm not looking back.
 

Badgertits

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Please read and pay attention. I like the tune but I place no value on the increase. That's my subjective opinion. Not worrying about the warranty is a distant second place concern. It's fun having a little more HP/TQ but the stock Raptor is powerful enough...for me.... so I removed it. To each his own but off road the power isn't useful and on road I just don't drive with my foot in it enough to justify it. ALL tunes..no matter where from...place additional stresses on engine and drive train components...comes with the territory...The trade off...for me...isn't worth it. 5star does a great job. The tune is awesome...I just don't care about the additional power over stock. I just don't care about the additional power over stock....and one more time for the feeble minded...I just don't care about the extra power over stock. Hope this clears it up...If not...well I tried. I run my truck about 80% daily driver and 20% overlanding/off roading/dunes. Since removing the tune...after initially noticing some power reduction...I haven't missed it at all. Others that are squeezing every last bit of performance from the engine may feel differently.

5 star must be a ****** tune then, or more specifically, they don’t tune the tranny well. Even without a power increase, I’d still opt for my Gearhead tune simply for the vastly improved shifting feel & driveability. I think a GH trans tune REDUCES wear & tear over the stock trans tune, @ least when it comes to my personal driving habits. I get no more clunks or harsh banging shifts. I no longer immediately put the truck in Sport mode & 4A every time I get in it like I did when stock.

if you didn’t want more power then why did you try a tune to begin with? I’m not trying to bust balls here- I’m legit mystified how anyone who has experienced the difference in overall driving feel between stock & a solid engine/Trans tune could possibly prefer the stock setup over aftermarket tune. The only conclusion I can come to is 5Star sucks I suppose.

FWIW In the diesel world there are guys who get a trans tune ONLY from gearhead.

This is seriously the first instance I’ve seen in all the time I’ve spent researching this platform
Where anyone has stated what you’re telling us. On the other hand I’ve seen countless posts where people are like, “so, I went back to stock tune for first time in like a year to bring truck in for warranty repairs, DAMN I forgot how much the stock tune/programming SUCKS” or something of that nature.

So- my conclusion would be- take 5 Star off the list of preferred tuners I suppose lol
 

Jurasick

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I have 5star and absolutely love it. Trans tune is smooth as well. They have worked with me after every mod and updated my tune accordingly and quickly. I wouldn’t say that 5star is not a good tune by any means. If used them on my past two trucks as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Troutrad

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Multiple posts on the 5 star tune have discussed their HP/Torque claims are not reproducible on the Dyno. Not a huge surprise since they make the biggest claims. I’m not saying it isn’t a good tune (might even be a great tune); I am suggesting they have a reputation for making claims that aren’t backed up in testing. There’s a pretty detailed discussion on this in another thread.
 
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