Tuner recommendations new member

[_JT_]

Hello Everyone.

New member here I recently picked up a 2017 sho, finally traded in my bow tie for the blue oval. I've already installed a Roush CAI and want to know if a tune from unleashed or LMS would be worth it since I plan on leaving the stock 2 bar map, thermostat and DP's in place for the time being to avoid any potential dealership related headaches. I enjoy the car but have a few complaints I am hoping a tune could solve. Getting what I would describe as a lunge or **** when I have the car in sport mode when I'm off the brakes and just beginning to press the accelerator pedal and what seems like horrible shift points.

Thanks in advance for any advice and recommendations.

 

[krewat]

Do the "horrible shift points" include shifting to 2nd before you think it should? My 2016 does this (2013 did not). It has gotten better over time for some reason.

In Sport mode, everything is "lungy" - if you have the PP, stop completely, with your foot on the brake, and hold down the traction control button for 5+ seconds until you see "Advanced Track Off" on the display (or whatever it says, not sure right now). See if that helps that weird feeling. It does with mine.

 

[OgreSmash]

u wont be able to tune without the 3 bar from what I hear. its very easy to replace. takes like 2 minutes to swap.

 

[krewat]

u wont be able to tune without the 3 bar from what I hear. its very easy to replace. takes like 2 minutes to swap.

Oh, you can tune without it - if you're pushing the boost levels, you'll need it though.

 

[_JT_]

Since I'm on the fence about LMS or unleashed what type of tune and improvements would I be looking at with just the CAI and 91 octane? Not necessarily looking for a performance tune so much as an optimized tune if that makes since.

 

[_JT_]

I should clarify. I'm not looking to take it to the strip and race it. Mainly want to wake it up and enjoy the more spirited driving without sacrificing the longevity till the power train warranty isn't an issue.

 

[ridered74]

Definitely tune it and definitely get the 3 bar. I can't say for sure it will solve/correct your issues, but it makes such a huge difference in the car I can't imagine driving mine stock. I've used LMS and Unleashed.

Everybody knocks the LMS tuner as basic and this and that, but I had my tune loaded and working 10 minutes after I received the file from them. The SCT device has incorrect instructions on it, mine took three days to get the tune loaded, multiple phone calls to SCT and time wasted on an issue that I know others have had but somehow SCT still didn't know the fix for. Figured it out on my own and got it working, but it left a really bad taste in my mouth.

0-60 my car with the LMS tune is a tenth of a second faster consistently than my unleashed tune. Unleashed is faster 0-100 by a couple tenths, but I have not found many instances in real life where I need to get from 0-100, so I stick with the LMS tune for daily driving.

 

[limited02]

LMS here and I would do the 3-bar swap. It is VERY simple and quick to do.

 

[krewat]

Does the LMS tuner let you do data logging? SCT X-series does, but then, an OBD-II dongle and Torque and you can data log all you want anyway.

And that was not my experience with SCT when I screwed up my tuner myself. I updated the firmware, so it could datalog my 2013 SHO, even though I got it from 5-star for my 2001 F250 V10. I bricked it - SCT worked with me, even though it was a few years old and bought used from 5-star, and they remoted into my laptop and got it fixed for me. That took about 1 hour from first call to fixed unit. That was back in 2013 though, and customer service has a habit of changing from time to time

 

[brucelinc]

I agree with others...definitely get a tune. An SHO without a tune is just a very nice Taurus. With a tune, it becomes so much more.

As for LMS vs Unleashed, the biggest difference is that LMS will provide you with a plug and play tune that is safe and adds tons more driving enjoyment with literally no effort from you. Unleashed, on the other hand, provides a basic mild tune from which you datalog and obtain revisions until it is optimized or until you are satisfied. That obviously requires a bit more effort from you and the datalogging on the street could lead to issues with speeding tickets unless you have a good safe road in which to do it. The datalogging typically requires some WOT pulls so there is a bit more wear & tear on the car than just the LMS plug/play system.

 

[_JT_]

Well my posts have to be approved still so there is some time lapse in here lol, but as I mentioned above I'm not looking to take it to the strip and race or even squeeze every last bit of horsepower of it. Mainly want to wake it up without sacrificing the longevity or add unnecessary maintenance to it till the power train warranty is up. So LMS sounds like the way I will go. I definitely feel the car needs a tune. What could I expect from an optimized 91 octane tune if I installed the 3bar and 170 thermostat?

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Hey i see you are interested in our tune and possibly a 3bar map sensor! If you would like some more information feel free to give me a call and we can discuss everything whenever you are ready! 313-561-5500 extension 104, my name is Cody

 

[moonie]

I'm on my second SHO, first was a 2011 and it was nice, base model, good power, great daily driver. The second (2016) is a serious step up, all options except the massaging seats (not PP, opted for adaptive cruise instead), tuned since about 1K miles, has 16K now, put the Livernois Hurricane package on it, CAI, tune, 3BAR and T-STAT. The difference is amazing. Best bang for the buck IMHO. The only reason I didn't tune the 2011 is I planned on getting a newer one that was loaded and I knew the tuner for the 2011 wouldn't work on the 2013+ models. Seriously, call Livernois above.

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Glad you loved the product! I actually had a 2015 taurus sho myself up until monday night, so i also have some personal experience with this specific vehicle and with some of the products we offer for the SHO. We appreciate all the support!

 

[ridered74]

Does the LMS tuner let you do data logging? SCT X-series does, but then, an OBD-II dongle and Torque and you can data log all you want anyway.

And that was not my experience with SCT when I screwed up my tuner myself. I updated the firmware, so it could datalog my 2013 SHO, even though I got it from 5-star for my 2001 F250 V10. I bricked it - SCT worked with me, even though it was a few years old and bought used from 5-star, and they remoted into my laptop and got it fixed for me. That took about 1 hour from first call to fixed unit. That was back in 2013 though, and customer service has a habit of changing from time to time

You can not use their tuner to datalog, but you can load their tune and then datalog with an SCT tuner if you have one.

It's been a long time since I have loaded my 91 octane tune, but it's not a huge dropoff from the 93. You'd probably see a half to 3/4 second improvement in your 0-60 time over stock.

 

[brucelinc]

Yes, at least half to 3/4 second quicker. Also much more positive transmission behavior and even a bit better fuel economy when driven reasonably.

 

[_JT_]

Well in speaking with one of my co workers I mentioned I wanted to get my sho tuned and he told me about his focus RS tune from Torrie and got me in contact with some local SHO and EB guys. Long story short after talking with them and seeing first hand what each tune looks like I'm back to square one both companies seem to have a great product and tune. Working where I do I can pick up the 3 bar, thermostat and plugs cheaper than any place selling them online so it is just coming down to a coin flip I suppose at this point on which tune I go with.

 

[SHOdded]

The basic difference always has been the COTS software that Livernois sells vs. the tune & test & tune ... that you do with say an SCT device. ALSO, a nice advantage of a Livernois tune is that it does not push the powertrain as hard to achieve similar performance, if that is of importance to you. And they will make small mods here & there to the basic tune if you make the request and they deem it safe.

 

[brucelinc]

While the end result may be similar, how you get there is much different. If you go with Torrie, do not underestimate the need for datalogging and all that requires.

 

[_JT_]

The basic difference always has been the COTS software that Livernois sells vs. the tune & test & tune ... that you do with say an SCT device. ALSO, a nice advantage of a Livernois tune is that it does not push the powertrain as hard to achieve similar performance, if that is of importance to you. And they will make small mods here & there to the basic tune if you make the request and they deem it safe.

Being new to all things in the EB universe, how is LMS achieving basically the same results without pushing the powertrain as hard?