List form of must haves for tuning

[AllSH0]

I’m new to the SHO scene folks and I’m sure it’s here 5000x. However, I just want someone to point out the parts I need to say, get 100HP more out of the car. Tune, programmer, who to get it from, catted pipes or catless or any exhaust options. My 2015 is bone stock and I want it better. If someone could assist I’d really appreciate it.

 

[76FoMoCo]

what fuels do you have available? 93, e85? A SCT device is the most common and a good 93 tune will get you close to 75 whp and about 100 fbtq. this is just with a tune a 3 bar map and some plugs, Most sell it in a kit with the T stat. Gear head, Ortiz, unleashed, brew city boost are a few common names. XDI-35 or 60 HPFP will be your next big move to help get more fuel along with e30 (blend of e85 and 93 ) will be your next big power gains.

 

[AllSH0]

what fuels do you have available? 93, e85? A SCT device is the most common and a good 93 tune will get you close to 75 whp and about 100 fbtq. this is just with a tune a 3 bar map and some plugs, Most sell it in a kit with the T stat. Gear head, Ortiz, unleashed, brew city boost are a few common names. XDI-35 or 60 HPFP will be your next big move to help get more fuel along with e30 (blend of e85 and 93 ) will be your next big power gains.

89-94 octane is the norm, but 94 it’s the available at every station my only fear is tuning it and not being able to find the correct octane. Im up in Canada so a little diff here

 

[76FoMoCo]

89-94 octane is the norm, but 94 it’s the available at every station my only fear is tuning it and not being able to find the correct octane. Im up in Canada so a little diff here

I use the livewire TS+. you can still run 91 with the 93 tune just stay out of the long hard pulls. Or get a 91 and 93 tune and change it on the spot after a fill takes 4 minutes. I have a 93 tune and E30 tune if I'm on a road trip and can not get e85 I just load the 93 tune.

 

[AllSH0]

I use the livewire TS+. you can still run 91 with the 93 tune just stay out of the long hard pulls. Or get a 91 and 93 tune and change it on the spot after a fill takes 4 minutes. I have a 93 tune and E30 tune if I'm on a road trip and can not get e85 I just load the 93 tune.

Okay perfect now is this stuff I can install myself ?? I’m pretty mechanically inclined just wondering what order things need to be bought/installed. I’d say 70hp is plenty of extra for me I don’t think I need to get into more then that. It should do.

I guess I’m just curious which tune is the best bang for your buck or which package is. And what will give me the least amount of issues

 

[ridered74]

Get a gearhead auto octane tune then you don't have to worry about 91 or 93...then find an e85 station and try an e30 tune. You won't want to go back to 93 octane after trying e30.

 

[AllSH0]

Get a gearhead auto octane tune then you don't have to worry about 91 or 93...then find an e85 station and try an e30 tune. You won't want to go back to 93 octane after trying e30.

I’ve never even heard of E30 before that must be an American thing I assume. Should I just buy the whole power package from gearhead ?? And do I need to do the down pipes ??

 

[ridered74]

I’ve never even heard of E30 before that must be an American thing I assume. Should I just buy the whole power package from gearhead ?? And do I need to do the down pipes ??

Ya it's an american thing, basically super cheap race gas. I wouldn't say you NEED downpipes, but they'll help your turbos spool quicker and give a little power boost. For cost and effort to install tho, it's minimal reward for effort.

 

[76FoMoCo]

I’ve never even heard of E30 before that must be an American thing I assume. Should I just buy the whole power package from gearhead ?? And do I need to do the down pipes ??

Buy a 93 power pack and go from there. This is needed for anything past anyway. After that the price per hp goes up a lot.

 

[JHV]

The Gear Head Auto octane tune works great. It must be paired with a 3 bar map sensor and plugs to work properly. ( your car wont run if you leave in the 1 bar factory sensor)
It compensates well when lower octane is used. Also a Cold air intake is a must! AF Dynamic makes a great cold air intake. https://www.ebay.com/itm/324043804338?hash=item4b72840eb2:g:KLMAAOSwU91aei6G $179.00 All Aluminum. I have used it in my 2014 SHO as well as 2015 & 2016 MKS ecoboost 3.5L V6 turbo cars

 

[skyshadow07]

^ I would wager that intake is less effective than stock. I am not trying to steal the tread or soap box, I just know the stock is well built and channels cool air from the front of the car. That looks like it does not. If my car had not already came with a Roush intake, I would not have upgraded, aside from a higher flowing K&N.

 

[76FoMoCo]

The stock intake with a k and n is better than the others until you go with the epp.

 

[Honz24]

Yea a cold air intake is def not a must

 

[skyshadow07]

epp is a upgrade from stock. But the advantage, waste gate duty cycle reduction, is only an issue down the tuning road. You would need to do many other mods before concerning yourself with WG duty cycle. If you're making a 'tuning must have' list for our cars, I don't believe any modified intake is a must have.

 

[BweegN]

If you have basic hand tools then you'll be fine doing everything "above the wheels" of the car. The engine bay is PACKED so, as soon as you venture into down pipes or EPP kit, you're headed for head aches and an upgrade of your socket set. Just something to think about; It's not impossible, just a pain in the @SS for us common folk.
I'll second everything others have said based on my own experience. Do the power pack and see how you like it; It's easy and your seat dyno will definitely see the difference. Tune, Drop in filter, thermostat, plugs, 3bar map.
After that the most common exhaust for us I believe is Corsa. I have it on my SHO and the quality is great. When you're ready to move on and do some swearing, you can hit the down pipes. I'm not sure if the EPP pipe kit will give you any advantages with the mod list above but I'm sure someone will come along and help out.
Also, I think a common safety upgrade for our direct injected cars is getting an oil catch can installed. I chose the UPR kit.

 

[76FoMoCo]

One reason to go with the epp hot pipes is on a tune you run more boost. The plastic sock pipes tend to crack or leak under the higher pressure.

 

[JamesV1]

Is there a big drop between 93 and 91 octane? Is the thermostat a requirement as well or more of an option?

 

[BweegN]

Is there a big drop between 93 and 91 octane? Is the thermostat a requirement as well or more of an option?

I can't answer the octane results very well. Generally when people speak of 91 or 90, they are speaking of non-ethanol but things are kind odd over my way anyway (we have 87e10, 89e10, and then 90e0(only at some pumps) or 93e10).
Theoretically, octane is king and that will result in less chance of detonation and I'm guessing the only way to figure it out is to run the two and run logs or feel it out.
Regarding 91e0 vs 93e10: The ethanol should help the engine to run cleaner and cooler but less efficient in terms of mpg. I THINK. Mind you this may be insignificant.

Here is a great post with real world results from @Bluezone on the thermostat.
https://shoforum.com/threads/bluezones-build.142826/post-1575908
Simply put, with a colder running car you have colder temps which means you can run harder (which a tune does). I would assume this to be rock solid truth when running a turbo/intercooled vehicle.
Especially for the cost, I would opt to run the thermostat. Kind of the same rule for the plugs, really.

 

[JamesV1]

I guess I'll do it too, just not a fan of cooling system work.

What about tuners? I xcal or livewire? I do like the potential of logging my 0-60 and seeing boost levels but not sure how accurate either are?

 

[FiveLeeter918]

I guess I'll do it too, just not a fan of cooling system work.

What about tuners? I xcal or livewire? I do like the potential of logging my 0-60 and seeing boost levels but not sure how accurate either are?

The differences in SCT handhelds is really all user preference. The tuning aspect is the same, the BDX offers cloud functionality while the X4 and the Livewire TS+ both require a computer to download/upload tunes and datalogs. The Livewire TS+ offers a touch screen and a better display for real time performance gauge displays, where X4 has buttons and uses a dynamic Excel style layout for data viewing. The Livewire TS+ also offers "track apps" that can give you estimates for hp/tq and a decent performance timing system for getting a close guesstimate on 1/4 mile times, etc.

As for the thermostat, our personal recommendation is to do it, and it does allow for coolant to start flowing through the turbos quicker, which helps to keep them cooler for longer, leading to a more consistent and repeatable performance.

This is our Ecoboost Starter Pack, which is a great way to start out your performance journey and includes the common maintenance upgrades you'll need along with your choice of handheld and our custom tunes. We also offer variable octane tunes, which are included with our performance tuning support during the month of March. Normally they are a $50 upcharge as part of our Level 2 support.

Ecoboost Starter Pack | 2010+ Taurus SHO/Flex/Explorer/MKS

Maximize your Performance and Fuel Economy with a Custom Tune from Ortiz Performance! Our custom tunes offer the performance and reliability you expect from a performance vehicle with datalogged verification and revisions to ensure that your car is operating optimally. Power gains of up to 80 hp...

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