2015 Ford E450 Class C 5 Star Tune

[530ktm]

Originally Posted by SarahW

Well, you know how it goes. We always THINK we want something until we get it. We talk about a diesel (probably Discovery), but can't justify spending the $$ for something to sit in a storage facility 90% of the time. Then we go shop the dealerships, and come home thinking we'll stick with what we've got.

So hopefully the 5 Star tune will smooth out the high-revs in our V10.

I will be interested to hear the results. I know what you mean about the high revs but I have learned to just not use cruise control while around inclines. Seems to be more manageable just using your foot and seeing the terrain ahead.

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by 530ktm

I will be interested to hear the results. I know what you mean about the high revs but I have learned to just not use cruise control while around inclines. Seems to be more manageable just using your foot and seeing the terrain ahead.

I'm anxious to see the results, too. My hubby does most of the driving and he has learned to manage the shifts quite well, though there are times when you just hafta let 'er scream. (Rocky Mountains last year) He gave up on cruise control a long time ago.

[grumpy0374]

Don't knock it until you've tried it. I have the 5 Star Tune and have taken two trips since the install, and it works as 5 Star claims.
I believe those who are not satisified were expecting great gains in hp and their rigs to preform like a hot rod. That's not the case.
There is a slight hp gain, and it is apparent while acclerating, like an on ramp to an xway. lot smoother and a bit quicker.
Big gain is with the tranny. No more screaming downshifts from overdrive to third gear. No more watching the tach go from 2200-2400 rpm to 3500-3700 rpm. It now downshifts to fourth gear, and then if needed shifts to third. On many xway inclines it never even shifted to third, stayed in fourth, and yes, with the cruise on.
And, when in third, almost as soon as you crest the hill or incline, it shifts very quickly and smoothly back to od, where before it would take an xtra 100 yards or so before it shifted.
It's not going to give you better milage (unless you consider the fuel saved by the engine not having to rev when it goes from od to 3rd) but milage was never my concern. Saving ware n tare on the engine and tranny is.
It is also smoother and quieter just running down the highway.
Void the warranty...possibly, but I keep the tuner in my rig and in 10 minutes I can reverse the tune and reinstall the factory set up. Besides, my Lexi will be out of warranty end of this year.
So, if your satisified with what you have, fine, I'm not suggesting you get something you feel you don't need.
For those of you on the fence thinking about getting it, I am a satisified customer, and would get it again.
Grumpy

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by grumpy0374

Don't knock it until you've tried it. I have the 5 Star Tune and have taken two trips since the install, and it works as 5 Star claims.
I believe those who are not satisified were expecting great gains in hp and their rigs to preform like a hot rod. That's not the case.
There is a slight hp gain, and it is apparent while acclerating, like an on ramp to an xway. lot smoother and a bit quicker.
Big gain is with the tranny. No more screaming downshifts from overdrive to third gear. No more watching the tach go from 2200-2400 rpm to 3500-3700 rpm. It now downshifts to fourth gear, and then if needed shifts to third. On many xway inclines it never even shifted to third, stayed in fourth, and yes, with the cruise on.
And, when in third, almost as soon as you crest the hill or incline, it shifts very quickly and smoothly back to od, where before it would take an xtra 100 yards or so before it shifted.
It's not going to give you better milage (unless you consider the fuel saved by the engine not having to rev when it goes from od to 3rd) but milage was never my concern. Saving ware n tare on the engine and tranny is.
It is also smoother and quieter just running down the highway.
Void the warranty...possibly, but I keep the tuner in my rig and in 10 minutes I can reverse the tune and reinstall the factory set up. Besides, my Lexi will be out of warranty end of this year.
So, if your satisified with what you have, fine, I'm not suggesting you get something you feel you don't need.
For those of you on the fence thinking about getting it, I am a satisified customer, and would get it again.
Grumpy

thanks for your report and opinion

[peterson]

Originally Posted by SarahW

We don't have the E450, but we did just order the 5 Star tune for our Bounder. We are hoping for a smoother shift pattern and less of the over-revving on small hills, etc. Time will tell whether it's a good thing or snake oil.

I'll get flamed for this, but...

SNAKE OIL! Those that bought in certainly don't want to hear it. If a tune could make more horsepower, and horsepower sells engines, then wouldn't the manufacturer create such a tune? If a tune means better gas mileage then wouldn't the manufacturer use a better tune to meet EPA requirements?

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by grumpy0374

Don't knock it until you've tried it. I have the 5 Star Tune and have taken two trips since the install, and it works as 5 Star claims.
I believe those who are not satisified were expecting great gains in hp and their rigs to preform like a hot rod. That's not the case.
There is a slight hp gain, and it is apparent while acclerating, like an on ramp to an xway. lot smoother and a bit quicker.
Big gain is with the tranny. No more screaming downshifts from overdrive to third gear. No more watching the tach go from 2200-2400 rpm to 3500-3700 rpm. It now downshifts to fourth gear, and then if needed shifts to third. On many xway inclines it never even shifted to third, stayed in fourth, and yes, with the cruise on.
And, when in third, almost as soon as you crest the hill or incline, it shifts very quickly and smoothly back to od, where before it would take an xtra 100 yards or so before it shifted.
It's not going to give you better milage (unless you consider the fuel saved by the engine not having to rev when it goes from od to 3rd) but milage was never my concern. Saving ware n tare on the engine and tranny is.
It is also smoother and quieter just running down the highway.
Void the warranty...possibly, but I keep the tuner in my rig and in 10 minutes I can reverse the tune and reinstall the factory set up. Besides, my Lexi will be out of warranty end of this year.
So, if your satisified with what you have, fine, I'm not suggesting you get something you feel you don't need.
For those of you on the fence thinking about getting it, I am a satisified customer, and would get it again.
Grumpy

Sounds great to us. We're not expecting any mileage improvements nor "race car" performance. Just looking forward to smoother, quieter drives in hilly terrain.

And here's the thing about the warranty... pfffffffffffffffffffffft. We had a coolant leak a few weeks ago and tried to find ANY FORD DEALER IN HOUSTON TEXAS to look at it. NONE would. N O N E. We called Ford, we called every dealer within 50 miles. NOPE. That stupid "warranty" is worthless if you can't even get into a damn dealer. So we bought a pressure tester and found a lose hose clamp, then fixed it ourselves.

Our tune will be here tomorrow...woot!

[grumpy0374]

peterson, trust me, it's not snake oil. Better gas milage wasen't a claim. Making more hp does take more fuel. However, the hp gain is slight, Big gain is the tranny shift points.
The auto makers have a fine line when they design factory tunes, which are for the general public, who want good gas milage. Factory tunes the ecm for that, and in general run engines lean, thus good milage. But the same ecu can be programed to deliver more fuel to take advantage of the air from the intake, thus richer, thus more hp, but milage goes down.
Example, my previous 2007 Mustang GT, factory rated at 305 hp, stock. On a dyno it pulled 227 hp at the rear wheels. Got a "tune" usint the same SCT tuner that 5 Star uses (but tuned/programed by a Mustang Preformance Co). Installed it, and with no other modifications, using the same 87 octane fuel, same dyno, got 256 hp at the rear wheels.
It is not "snake oil".
I could ask you if you have done any mod's to your rig, like trac bar, better shocks, dampers, ect., and if you did, why?
To make your rig "better than what the factory turned out".
Again, your choice, your opinion, but if you haven't tried it you have nothing to base your "opinion" on.
Grumpy

[grumpy0374]

Sarah, jsut be aware that after the tune is loaded to your ecm it may take several engine run cycles till it works properly. The ecm will continue to "learn" and will apply the tune as you continue to drive. A run cycle is just driving as you normally would. On my Lexi I noticed an immediate improvement over the stock shift points, and over several trips it has smoothed out to the point that my rig has gotten "easy" to drive. Hard to explain but it's very noticible, on the good side.
Grumpy

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by peterson

I'll get flamed for this, but...

SNAKE OIL! Those that bought in certainly don't want to hear it. If a tune could make more horsepower, and horsepower sells engines, then wouldn't the manufacturer create such a tune? If a tune means better gas mileage then wouldn't the manufacturer use a better tune to meet EPA requirements?

wouldn't that be nice...in 2006 ford made the bad shifting trans

for 2016 they have made an attempt to fix it...

[grumpy0374]

The manufacturer's "tune" their ecm's for the "masses". They could program them pretty much any way they want, but for the most part are very conservative. Companies like 5 Star take the ecm's and program them for the 5% of owners who want more, while still keeping the vehicles reliable and still meeting epa.
I'm sure 5 Star could develope a tune that would increase hp by 10 to 15%, but would require a higher 89 octane fuel, which costs more, and get worse milage then we get now. Would you pay for a tune that in addition to its cost, will cost more to fill up and more often? Probably not.
That's probably why they concentrated on the tranny shifting rather than making more hp.
Grumpy

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by grumpy0374

Sarah, jsut be aware that after the tune is loaded to your ecm it may take several engine run cycles till it works properly. The ecm will continue to "learn" and will apply the tune as you continue to drive. A run cycle is just driving as you normally would. On my Lexi I noticed an immediate improvement over the stock shift points, and over several trips it has smoothed out to the point that my rig has gotten "easy" to drive. Hard to explain but it's very noticible, on the good side.
Grumpy

Thanks, Grumpy! I have been following the other 5 Star threads so I had already heard this.

I also notice that the naysayers criticizing the tune are always people who don't have it.

[grumpy0374]

Of course!!! Those are the ones that know the most about it. The less one knows about something, the more of an "expert" he becomes.
Grumpy

[gmasters]

we picked up two new cars the same day a couple months ago , but when shopping for a a replacement for our 1997 bounder we just keep smiling and drive what we love. Kind of hard when you already know all the faults.. almost like a marriage

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by gmasters

we picked up two new cars the same day a couple months ago , but when shopping for a a replacement for our 1997 bounder we just keep smiling and drive what we love. Kind of hard when you already know all the faults.. almost like a marriage

Ain't it the truth?? We talk about trading but have yet to see anything we want more than what we already have. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't!!