Improve performance but not jeopardize warranty...

[marius883]

Hello guys, so I bought a 2010 SHO just a few days ago, and the car is certified pre owned through ford.

So I want to get some more performance out of the car, but without too many hardware mods (at least while I have warranty).

What can I do without voiding the warranty?
I know I can get a tune from livernois and just flash it back to stock if I gotta take it to the dealership, but could I run a tune like that without changing anything else on the car?

Will a K&N drop in filter be a good idea? And will it void my warranty?

Thanks

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Awesome post! Don't worry you are not the only one with questions like this.

Our tuning is 110% safe to run on your DD! If you have to make a trip to the dealer for an oil change or any other type of service just plug your MyCal back in and select the stock tune file. That simple!

You want to be mindful of the oiled filters out there. You do not want to introduce any foreign media into your intake manifold. We recommend using a premium dry filter in place of an oiled piece. There are several options out there if you do not want to swap over to a traditional cold air intake.

As for warranty voidance...we have yet to have one happen to a client. We have also yet to have our tuning fail a vehicle. I know that your SHO is your baby...but I have had our most aggressive tuning on my car since I got her at 17 miles...I am a tick over 17k!

 

[BamSHO]

Been running Livernois tune for 1. 5 years and 23,000 miles. No issues at all. For warranty work, it also helps to have a good relationship with the service manager too. Its helps, the dealer I go to, is cool about the car being tuned.

 

[marius883]

Awesome post! Don't worry you are not the only one with questions like this.

Our tuning is 110% safe to run on your DD! If you have to make a trip to the dealer for an oil change or any other type of service just plug your MyCal back in and select the stock tune file. That simple!

You want to be mindful of the oiled filters out there. You do not want to introduce any foreign media into your intake manifold. We recommend using a premium dry filter in place of an oiled piece. There are several options out there if you do not want to swap over to a traditional cold air intake.

As for warranty voidance...we have yet to have one happen to a client. We have also yet to have our tuning fail a vehicle. I know that your SHO is your baby...but I have had our most aggressive tuning on my car since I got her at 17 miles...I am a tick over 17k!

Thank you for the detailed reply, now I feel a little more safe about getting a tune. So the K&N filters gave oil on them? My car has a tick over 70k miles, and I just got the service history sent over from the dealer where I bought it. The dealership put new plugs in as well as changed all the fluids and did a "tune up". When I got the car it felt a little sluggish, but as soon as I filled it up with 93 octane, she's been running great! I will have to start saving for a livernois tune!

 

[SHOdded]

There are a few brands of "dry" filters such as AEM's DryFlow. I believe Green Filters also may have a product that will fit. Oiled won't hurt, it's just that you have to take care when cleaning and REOILING the filter. Besides, you should think about cleaning the MAP sensors regularly anyway with MAF or electronics cleaner for top performance, regardless of filter.

 

[marius883]

I ordered an AEM filter from Amazon, I'll try it out. 30 something bucks

 

[SHOdded]

Should improve the sound at mid-heavy throttle at least, looking forward to your review.

 

[marius883]

Should improve the sound at mid-heavy throttle at least, looking forward to your review.

I will be sure to report back, see if I notice any difference. I also ordered some black trim restorer, I'll report on that as well, the plastic trim on my roof is super faded, as well as the plastic piece the wipers sit on. I might even try it on the lower grille which is also faded.

Edit: ok so last night I was surfing the web, and I ended up ordering a tune from unleashed
I figured I'd go with them, since I got the tuner, thermostat and 3 bar map sensor. And the total was less than just a tune from livernois...

 

[1250night]

I have a Livernois tune in my 2015 PP. And had one in my 2014 SEL. You get what you pay for. Cheap isn't always the best idea.

 

[SHOdded]

Edit: ok so last night I was surfing the web, and I ended up ordering a tune from unleashed

Adding gobs of fun is one of the main driving forces of life Make sure you datalog a few "untuned" runs first to get a baseline and have Torrie review them. Then, it's time to Unleash the terror on the world!

 

[marius883]

I will be sure to report back, see if I notice any difference. I also ordered some black trim restorer, I'll report on that as well, the plastic trim on my roof is super faded, as well as the plastic piece the wipers sit on. I might even try it on the lower grille which is also faded.

I have a Livernois tune in my 2015 PP. And had one in my 2014 SEL. You get what you pay for. Cheap isn't always the best idea.

After doing a little research, I decided to with livernois instead, also because I don't like the thought of having do to data logging. And it seems like they are squeezing just a tad bit more out of it..

 

[SHOdded]

Is the "knock" issue you were experiencing resolved then, Marius? Be sure to give your SHO a fresh start with new spark plugs also.

 

[marius883]

Is the "knock" issue you were experiencing resolved then, Marius? Be sure to give your SHO a fresh start with new spark plugs also.

The car is at the dealership right now, getting the rear sunshade replaced as well as fixing a rattle from the rear deck. I told them about the knocking, but haven't heard if they've found anything yet.
When I bought the car last week, they had just put new spark plugs in, as well as change oil and transmission oil. Do I still need new plugs?
I'm not very savvy with mechanics, I've never installed plugs before, and I don't really have he tools for the job.
Will I still be ok? I ordered the tune from livernois, as well as their even flow thermostat and the 3 bar map sensor.

 

[SHOdded]

The plugs will need to be at least checked for correct gap (0.030), it's possible that is the gap from factory, but hard to know without checking. You can use a feeler gauge to measure the gap or ask the mechanics that did the work what gap they are set to (just say you are checking it is in compliance with the specs in the owner's manual). It is not too difficult a DIY job, with basic tools needed:

http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,1980.0.html

Even if you got pre-gapped plugs from LME, they still would have to be installed.

Depending on your location, a fellow EB owner-member may even be able to assist. Anybody's that done top end 60K work on a prev Gen SHO can too.

 

[marius883]

The plugs will need to be at least checked for correct gap (0.030), it's possible that is the gap from factory, but hard to know without checking. You can use a feeler gauge to measure the gap or ask the mechanics that did the work what gap they are set to (just say you are checking it is in compliance with the specs in the owner's manual). It is not too difficult a DIY job, with basic tools needed:

http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,1980.0.html

Even if you got pre-gapped plugs from LME, they still would have to be installed.

Depending on your location, a fellow EB owner-member may even be able to assist. Anybody's that done top end 60K work on a prev Gen SHO can too.

I don't even know what gap means, I'll have to read up on that stuff, if someone could help I'd appreciate that, I'm in Orlando. What will happen if I don't change the plugs? The car won't run good?

Since I already have he car at the stealership, could I aka them to check the plugs for me?

 

[SHOdded]

Good reading here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Gap-a-Spark-Plug

The larger the gap, the leaner the burn (to oversimplify). OEM gap spec will be larger than tuned gap spec. You always want to err on the slightly rich side in a tuned engine rather than lean, to minimize risk of misfire and spark blowout.

Yep, good time to have them verify the plug gaps, don't know if they will charge extra to pull/re-install them though ...

 

[marius883]

Good reading here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Gap-a-Spark-Plug

The larger the gap, the leaner the burn (to oversimplify). OEM gap spec will be larger than tuned gap spec. You always want to err on the slightly rich side in a tuned engine rather than lean, to minimize risk of misfire and spark blowout.

Yep, good time to have them verify the plug gaps, don't know if they will charge extra to pull/re-install them though ...

Thank you, now I kind of have a better understanding of how it works! They wanted 170$ just to check the plugs lol.... Not gonna happen!

 

[marius883]

Update: dealership agreed to check the plugs for me, turns out they had not even been replaced, so they went ahead an replaced them for me. I made sure to tell them to double check that they were gapped at 0.30, and the mechanic said the already came like that...

I'm also going to order my livernois tune this week, but I have some questions? Can I buy just the tune and the 3Bar? I live in Florida, will my car overheat if I just leave the stock thermostat? I am not familiar with engines and mechanics much, so the less mechanical stuff I have to do the better. Basically I just want to know if it's safe to run my car with the stock thermostat and still run the 4+ tune on my car along with the 3bar map?

 

[sticks1680]

Update: dealership agreed to check the plugs for me, turns out they had not even been replaced, so they went ahead an replaced them for me. I made sure to tell them to double check that they were gapped at 0.30, and the mechanic said the already came like that...

I'm also going to order my livernois tune this week, but I have some questions? Can I buy just the tune and the 3Bar? I live in Florida, will my car overheat if I just leave the stock thermostat? I am not familiar with engines and mechanics much, so the less mechanical stuff I have to do the better. Basically I just want to know if it's safe to run my car with the stock thermostat and still run the 4+ tune on my car along with the 3bar map?

At this point. 2 things. Factory plugs arent gapped to 30. Usually. Unless ordered. 2nd, i wouldn't trust these guys anymore. You paid for a service. Was told it was done. Oops, sorry. We lied! Suspect. Very suspect. Hood thing you called em on it.

Pohnz-1

 

[Showpiece]

Awesome post! Don't worry you are not the only one with questions like this.

Our tuning is 110% safe to run on your DD! If you have to make a trip to the dealer for an oil change or any other type of service just plug your MyCal back in and select the stock tune file. That simple!

You want to be mindful of the oiled filters out there. You do not want to introduce any foreign media into your intake manifold. We recommend using a premium dry filter in place of an oiled piece. There are several options out there if you do not want to swap over to a traditional cold air intake.

As for warranty voidance...we have yet to have one happen to a client. We have also yet to have our tuning fail a vehicle. I know that your SHO is your baby...but I have had our most aggressive tuning on my car since I got her at 17 miles...I am a tick over 17k!

Question, I noticed that LMS sells an intake for the SHO. Is the filter non oiled?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk