question about unleashed tune

[danny mage]

so i just got my 13 tuned from unleashed! love it so far, the question i have is how much of a difference is adding an intake, thermostat, map sensor, and gaped spark plugs going to add?

 

[SHOnUup4]

Plugs should be good

Intake = sound, no performance "proof" on any of them yet...mdesign has one I have high hopes for (#'s coming soon)

Tstat will help keep the temps down a bit...helps on the big end so the car doesn't pull timing

3 bar map seems to give the tuner better control over the boost...tenth to 3 tenths in the 1/4 mile it's good for

Rich

 

[SHOdded]

Plugs are a MUST for tuned engines. Torrie (Unleashed) likes them gapped at 0.028, LME at 0.030. If your tune is not "maxed out", you can probably run 0.030 with no issues. If you do encounter issues, re-gap to 0.028 first.

Colder TStat allows you to run a more powerful tune, as it keeps detonation out of the combustion chamber thanks to lower temps/more cooling. Expect the fans will come on sooner and run longer (which may actually improve their life expectancy). NEEDS TO BE TURNED ON BY THE TUNER to be an effective mod.

Intake --- as above; Airaid MAY give increased performance if properly sealed to the hood to prevent heat soak.
3 Bar MAP --- as above; located on top/middle of intake manifold. The one on the air intake is already 3 Bar.

If you have a tune-friendly dealer, no issues, otherwise, expect to return tune to stock/2 bar MAP before servicing. This is to prevent any issues with the dealer reflashing the PCM strategy and you having to deal with the resulting mess. If the PCM strategy (always check with the tuning device before re-loading tune) has changed, get your tune updated by the tuner, then load the updated tune.

 

[SHOnUup4]

Shodded, the 4.2 (13+) came with correct plugs, just not gapped correctly for tune?

TIA, not much skin in the game for these as I have a 4.1, but it'd be nice to know so I can pass the wisdom on to others.

Rich

 

[SHOdded]

That is correct, the '13+ came with the newer SP534 (CYFS-12-YT3) plugs, still gapped the same (I think 0.033-0.037 range) from factory. I say this with a caveat, because the owner's manual may have the SP528 (CYFS-12-Y3) listed as replacement plugs. Currently, on Ford's site, the SP528 is listed for the naturally aspirated 3.5L engine.

So far, haven't heard of insulator cracking issues like with the '10-'12 SP528's. I don't know if the SP528 is still in production.