I did recommend Brad tune it the first time around... Once he's done, you should dyno the ST for fun because they are serious torque monsters when properly tuned.
If you don't crack 400 after the downpipes, time to part it out and get that Aston Martin.
You did and I should have listened.
Gather around....it is story time.
I did my research. There is a guy here in Phoenix that documents everything that he does with his ST and he has the Ford Performance Calibration. He gave a good review, and since he was having no issues with our craptastic 91 octane, and he said installation was a breeze. I thought since it was a daily, and I had only heard good things and it was going to save me money I pulled the trigger. I confirmed on the website my laptop was compatible and low and behold it was.
I paid $450 for the tuning software and colder plugs. I wasn't worried about real time data and data logging. The ST is my daily and I didn't want to deal with those aspects because 85% of the miles on this car are highway miles.
The Calibration package arrived on a Saturday. I confirmed my computer was compatible with Ford's Software again and started the process. I the swapped the plugs out. I loaded the software and started the process of the loading the Calibration. During the process it failed, and bricked the car. I could not recover the stock tune, and the car was a paperweight.
I had it towed to Bell Ford on Wednesday four days later after "working" with a Ford Performance Rep that could not understand why this happened. Bell Ford talked with Ford Performance and the tech re-flashed the stock tune. I then in front of the tech with FP on the phone, tried to load FP Calibration. It once again failed and bricked the car for a second time. I had the tech re-flash the car back to stock, and sent the reports to FP. Bell Ford charged me $159.99 for the re-flash.
So running tally......$450 Calibration + $159.99 re-flash = $609.99
After a couple days Ford Performance got back to me and told me the lead programmer said it was my computer that was the problem. So I went to Fry's Electronics and bought a lap top that was compatible with what the programmer told me. This would also allow me to use this laptop for tuning purposes for future builds including data logging the SHO (which my old lap top has zero issues with). So literally all in one. $499 dollars later. With the new laptop, and a new "Calibration Key" from FP, I went back to Bell Ford and I loaded Calibration finally. I did it at Bell Ford just in case it bricked again. They know me now, and they had zero issues helping me. The Calibration worked damn good as well. I was happy. However, I noticed that the car would bury the boost gauge sometimes at 25 psi, and that got me wondering.
So running tally.....$450.00 Calibration + $159.99 reflash + 550.99 new "tuning laptop" = $1160.98 running tally.
After chatting with Brad and having him review the Ford Calibration logs, he voiced some concerns. I took those and filed them in the back of my head. Once the heat showed up here in Phoenix, I started getting uneasy about the big boost, heat, and crappy 91 octane. Brad and I discussed that I could run my ST on Flex Fuel and straight E85 with no fuel system mods to the ST. I decided to jump ship. He told me to send him the strategy. I did and he said it was not valid for my ST. He explained the FP Calibration changes the strategy and that I would have to re-flash it back to stock using the FP software. I did, and it bricked for a third time. This happened on a Saturday afternoon.
Long story short, it was towed once again to a new Ford Dealership. Bell Ford (never again) told me it would take them 10 days to do a re-flash. I told to the service manager, who literally sat next to me in the service bay of the tech working on my car for the first re-flash. She said, she might be able to squeeze me in, on Thursday...5 days later. I lol'd and basically told them to.....well you know. I called Camelback Ford at 2 pm on a Saturday (they close at 4 pm). I explained to the service manager what happened and he needless to say was disappointed in FP and Bell Ford. He told me, if I could get the car to them before 4:30 pm (he was going to stay late) and he would personally re-flash the car and bill FP directly.
I called a tow company and got the car to them at 3:30 pm. I showed him my invoices, and emails and he apologized for something he had zero doings about. I showed him what was going on with my car and PF's software and he confirmed the car was bricked. He then re-flashed my car back to stock. There was no talk of a bill, the man shook my hand and said if you need anything let me know directly. Awesome. Everything was wrapped up by 4:15 pm.
Camelback Ford is now my choice dealership. My ST will gets it's recall work there (don't get me started about that) and if I buy another Ford I will look their first.
So $1160.98 for a Calibration to be loaded, car bricked three times, and two tows to the dealership.....
Yeah I should have worked with Brad first. For the money and time wasted on the ST Calibration, I could have bought a xdi HPFP for the SHO....
