Need some opinions on Burger Tuning JB4 vs Racechip GTS

[Oli G]

I'm considering one of these 2 piggyback modules for my truck. I DO NOT want to tune it, I want to have the ability to take the module off and switch it to another vehicle down the road since I keep my trucks 1-2 years only (you get top dollars when you export a lightly used truck from Canada to the USA with the exchange rate so that's why I change often). Plus I don't want any warranty problems in case something bad happens.

I know that Racechip has a good reputation with many car owners on many forums from various brands, and I have personal experience with the JB4 on an Audi A4 and a Civic Si (friends' cars). The JB4 has always provided good results with very minimal risk but according to my local tuning shop the JB4 might not be the best choice for the Ecoboost engine for whatever reason and that the Racechip GTS might be a better choice.

Both companies claim a 40-50hp gain with pump gas, I have no desire for more power and I can't run ethanol anyways since it's not available where I live.

So, with that being said, does anyone have experience with either or both modules in the Explorer ST ?

Thanks for your help !

 

[TMac]

Forget the Racechip- it's snake oil. I doesn't look like the JB4 supports the ST platform, but you wouldn't be able to move it to any other vehicle other than another ST or explorer with the same electrical connectors even were it available. The JB4 at least can do something- it's basically a piggy back that modifies the signal from various sensors to the ECU to "fool" it into seeing (for example) less boost than is actually being produced. It's how we modified cars in the 80s and 90s before the ability to modify the maps directly. I used all kinds of different units back then: FCDs, VPCs, Profec, E-Manage etc. All are band aids, and can have unintended consequences. The extremely complex setup (look it up on-line) of Ford's speed-density system for the ST is probably why you don't see a JB4 for our vehicle. Since you "have no desire for more power" and "can't run ethanol anyways" why would you even bother?

 

[bluesnake01]

^ Agreed, not looking for power, why even bother with a piggyback?

Even with the JB4, Ford can still find out if they really wanted to and can deny your warranty. Some BMW owners had their car flagged even with the piggyback removed.

I had a JB4 on my 335i, i never had any big issues but need to remember, Terry actually owned an N54 as well. There was a ton of data log run by him from his car and the fact that he was going against Shiv with Procede as well.

 

[Cdubya]

I never really liked the JB4 on my N55 BMW. Ghost codes periodically. Power delivery wasn't smooth. If I still had it, would have gotten a flash tune.

Tuning for the Explorer is more than just power. The trans tuning really improves the driveability, especially day to day--but a must when adding power. And no auto-start/stop!

 

[V8bait]

Nobody should be using a piggyback on this platform with such solid hptuners support. There's about 1000 reasons not to. Terry has kept his jb4 relevant in the bmw scene due to his following and single turbos only, and ironically they all still use a flash in the background. But really, don't do it, do it right or don't do it at all man.

 

[twin001]

My opinion is simple, No and No.

 

[Oli G]

Forget the Racechip- it's snake oil. I doesn't look like the JB4 supports the ST platform, but you wouldn't be able to move it to any other vehicle other than another ST or explorer with the same electrical connectors even were it available. The JB4 at least can do something- it's basically a piggy back that modifies the signal from various sensors to the ECU to "fool" it into seeing (for example) less boost than is actually being produced. It's how we modified cars in the 80s and 90s before the ability to modify the maps directly. I used all kinds of different units back then: FCDs, VPCs, Profec, E-Manage etc. All are band aids, and can have unintended consequences. The extremely complex setup (look it up on-line) of Ford's speed-density system for the ST is probably why you don't see a JB4 for our vehicle. Since you "have no desire for more power" and "can't run ethanol anyways" why would you even bother?

I do want more power but I have no desire for more power than the extra 40-50hp. Burger Tuning customer service confirmed that the JB4 used for the F150 and older Explorer ST Ecoboost engines also fits the 3.0 Ecoboost of the ST (Rev 2 harness in my case).

 

[Oli G]

Nobody should be using a piggyback on this platform with such solid hptuners support. There's about 1000 reasons not to. Terry has kept his jb4 relevant in the bmw scene due to his following and single turbos only, and ironically they all still use a flash in the background. But really, don't do it, do it right or don't do it at all man.

So you guys' advice is to go with a tune no matter what ? I know a few guys that run Livernois tunes in their trucks (F150) and they swear by Livernois, so I guess that would be my best option ? I know that ship their module to Canada without any problems...

 

[twin001]

I do want more power but I have no desire for more power than the extra 40-50hp. Burger Tuning customer service confirmed that the JB4 used for the F150 and older Explorer ST Ecoboost engines also fits the 3.0 Ecoboost of the ST (Rev 2 harness in my case).

surely they have dyno results to back up their claims...........

It's your money. Spend it however you want.

there are plenty of threads and comments on this forum and other sites (youtube)for ZFG, PBD, Gearhead, and Livernois. Maybe a few others as well. My advice is to stick with one of those.

 

[TMac]

So you guys' advice is to go with a tune no matter what ? I know a few guys that run Livernois tunes in their trucks (F150) and they swear by Livernois, so I guess that would be my best option ? I know that ship their module to Canada without any problems...

Livernois has a good reputation. Some of the other tuners can do more, but they're custom tunes and require a bit more back and forth work. For what you're looking for, I'd recommend Livernois. Don't go the piggy-back route.

 

[Blown F-150]

I have nothing against Livernois, but if that’s your choice, my understanding is that you will be limited to only their tunes. You never know what you may not like about the tune and what they could address.

If you looked at the RTD or RTD+ from HPT you can get tunes from folks like ZFG, PBD and BoostKing, maybe even Gearhead, but I haven’t asked him.

If you looked at the SCT devices like the X4 or BDX, you can get tunes from Gearhead, Unleashed and BoostKing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Oli G]

So for a bit more kick (40-50hp), smooth transmission programming (or no trans tune at all), keeping my factory driving modes, which one should I get then ?

 

[twin001]

So for a bit more kick (40-50hp), smooth transmission programming (or no trans tune at all), keeping my factory driving modes, which one should I get then ?

This is how you start a war as everyone seems to back the tune they currently run. Search through this sub-forum. There are a number of tuners with real world data posted here. ZFG, Palm Beach Dyno, Livernois (LMS), Gearhead, and a few others.

I will say that I currently have the LMS Stage 4 tune. Easy to load, great communication with LMS, and incredible power from it. Drawbacks are it is a canned tune meaning no adjustments or fine-tuning based on modifications that I currently have or will get in the future, and the severely limited data logging features. This is why I am going with ZFG (just as soon as I can reflash the stock tune and send the file in). You may not want to log data, so this may not be an issue for you.

 

[Blown F-150]

So for a bit more kick (40-50hp), smooth transmission programming (or no trans tune at all), keeping my factory driving modes, which one should I get then ?

As noted above, you will get different answers. What you're asking for however, is exactly what I got with my 91 BoostKing tune. Based on Dragy times, I estimate 50-60whp increase.

 

[bluesnake01]

It's your money OP, you can do as you please. Just most people here and in other forums mainly prefer a proper tune from PBD or ZFG.

If simplicity is your thing and are set for a piggyback tune, then by all means go for it. If it works perfectly fine for you, then even better for you.

 

[Oli G]

Gentlemen, after reading all your comments I've finally decided to go with a real tune. My local speed shop recommends the SCT X4 Tuner. On the SCT website, the listed gains seem very high for the pre-loaded tunes, which makes me wonder if they're real... About 10% HP with 87 octane and 20 % with 93 octane, so I figure that with 91 octane it might be around 15-17%... Your opinion again please ? Thank you !

 

[Blown F-150]

As far as I know, the preloaded tune only works with the 2020's. If they are the numbers from the 2020 tune, they are legit. The calibrator that built that tune is now independent of SCT and can make you a custom tune if you like. Search for BoostKing Tuning. Great guy and tunes my truck and ST.

 

[Oli G]

This is how you start a war as everyone seems to back the tune they currently run. Search through this sub-forum. There are a number of tuners with real world data posted here. ZFG, Palm Beach Dyno, Livernois (LMS), Gearhead, and a few others.

I will say that I currently have the LMS Stage 4 tune. Easy to load, great communication with LMS, and incredible power from it. Drawbacks are it is a canned tune meaning no adjustments or fine-tuning based on modifications that I currently have or will get in the future, and the severely limited data logging features. This is why I am going with ZFG (just as soon as I can reflash the stock tune and send the file in). You may not want to log data, so this may not be an issue for you.

Please see my post above about SCT X4, would you trust their claim ?

 

[twin001]

The SCT X4 is simply the tool, not the tune. If you are buying an SCT X4 that is pre-loaded with a tune I would suggest finding out who provided the tune and what has been changed. Are they revising the transmission shifting?

If you are looking for a "set it and forget about it" type of tune then I would suggest looking into Livernois. If you want to be able to revise your tune and/or log data then I would suggest getting an HP Tuners MPVI2+ and using a reputable tuner like ZFG. I've also heard great things about Gearhead, so check them out.

This is just some advice from a random person on the internet though. Read, research, do your due diligence. Search this forum, the FB pages, YouTube, and/or Reddit. Plenty of information out there.