SCT tuner

I had a couple of 5.6's on my old phone so all I had on my new one was this one, which came back invalid due to being ever so slightly downhill.
Mine would not launch worth a damn with the stock tune.

I asked this on another topic but don’t think anyone responded. How much do you warm up your vehicle or let it cool down before doing a run?


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I like to see full operating temp before doing and hits. Cooling it down between passes is one thing...hammering on an ice cold engine is not good though.

Cool, thanks. Good to know. I always let it warmup but wasn’t sure how warm.


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I do my hits at operating temperature with this vehicle-I've done most of my timed runs immediately after it has been driven-not just idled. With the micro stock intercooler, it will likely heatsoak from sitting still for any length of time.

The 4.67 was after about 20 minutes of driving.

I'm just here for the comments!!

Not sure why someone is getting nasty with this guy who just wanted to see what a mild tune would do on a dyno
I use an E30 5 star tune in our 2020 ST.
The trans was reprogrammed along with the engine & I am very happy with the performance
I have never measured 0-60 times or anything else for that matter
Just know it is very fast & I love it
Now I am sure someone is going to call me dumb or pitch a fit also.
That serves absolutely no purpose except to irritate many of the followers of this post
I am a 75 year old retired automotive fuel systems engineer
Have used many dyno's over the years to qualify parts & verify emission results with a bag test
They always have been & will continue to be very useful
Look forward to seeing your dyno results

It threw me off for a bit but it’s all good. It might be next year before I can get this thing strapped down. Covids reeking havoc and we’re coming into an major maintenance outage at the plant.

I’ll definitely get this thing on the Dyno and measured up. As soon as I do, I’ll post the results so people can make an informed decision about how to spend their money.

With that said, the SCT tuner cost me $360.00.
It feels great, the wife loves it, I love it. It’s money well spent.

Tezz500, I know it's been a while but can you provide an update on the SCT tuner ? Truck still running good ? Any dyno numbers or 1/4 mile slips ? My local speed shop recommends this tuner but I'm looking for more real world feedback because I pull the trigger... Thanks !

I'm sure the info has been updated elsewhere on this forum, but there is some pretty stale info in this thread. SCT parred up the tables for the 10speeds across F150's, Explorers, Aviators, Mustangs, etc. the middle of last year. There really is not any appreciable difference in how this platform and other Ford's can be tuned with SCT or HPT. As a consumer there are pros and cons to both and as a calibrator there are pros and cons to both. Specific to this platform, there are great calibrators for either and most of the calibrators that tune on SCT also do so on HPT, however not all will work with the MPVI2 or the new MPVI2+. I would be very curious to see some dyno results on the SCT canned tune. HPT has a great logging suite, however they are missing some great data points like min/max on channels. SCT devices are great to use if you don't want to have to have a laptop to load tunes and/or log. I personally have a MPVI2 and a couple X4's and play with the tuning software for both.
Anybody saying that one platform is "far superior" over the other, is just passing on the bias of their tuner for the most part. Keep in mind the "cost of admission" for calibrators is lower and easier on HP Tuners, than SCT. SCT still uses a archaic methods for locking the tuning software and tunes. I know lot's of folks that had issues with SCT devices, but also know a lot of folks that now have paperweights because they bought a nGauge.
Either way, we are all headed the route of "canned tunes" once all the calibrators start providing EO certified tunes. It's going to suck so I hope it is a long way away.

I'm still new to the tuning game tbh. I purchased a 93 octane "custom tune" from JDM Engineering in New Jersey using a SCT X4 device. I basically paid for the custom tune that they preloaded and shipped it to me. I popped the device into my cars port and loaded it. The guys at JDM Engineering said they worked on the ST Explorer and found a great custom tune. I dont do data logging or even use the device for anything since loading it. I was told gains were around 60whp and 90ft lb torque. I have never used a draggy or dyno just roll with what they gave me. I have had the tune for maybe 4 or 5 months now. Noticed great gains from stock all around. I am getting a bit confused though with all the back and forth. I reached out to ZFG for a quote and gain approximation and they said around 75whp (torque wasn't mentioned)

Just to add...Is it worth going with a ZFG tune for the extra 15whp? I'm more concerned aboutwhat I read in terms of transmission issues using SCT devices. I honestly only know what I read on here because the info seems great but sometimes too much info can make it confusing.

A few things here:

1. 15 HP is peak HP gain. The more important value is "area under the curve". Overlay the stock vs. tuned charts. You may have >15hp gains throughout the powerband, but max HP is +15. This goes for torque as well.

2. Everything I've researched says ZFG's transmission tuning is second to none. This is where the SCT is limited.

Old info there on SCT. Transmission tuning on SCT is no longer limited vs HPT.


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There REALLY is no delta in tuning capabilities between SCT and HPT from a tuning software standpoint, but you get more than just a few HP with a custom tune. Custom Calibrators like ZFG can dial in a number of things to your preference that you just may not like to begin with like shift points, shift firmness, tip in sensitivity etc. It will take some datalogging to get there though. Logging is pretty easy and worthwhile.

With the device that you already have though, you can order just a tune from GearHead, Unleashed or BooskKing (there may be others) and get a custom tune and use your device. Good news though, if you do go with a HPT option, you can sell the X4 pretty easily.

Thanks for the feedback. I paid roughly $700 I believe for the device and tune. I was told the tune was done on Normal mode but I could drive in any other mode but the best performance would be in normal mode. I find it much faster than stock but the gear change from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd is really hard when in normal mode. It shoots you forward when the gears change. On sport mode its smooth shifting all the way through. I dont want to spend another 700-800 on a completely new tune but if it's going to impact transmission it might be worth it. Does anyone have any experience with JDM Engineering Inc?

https://www.teamjdm.com/

Check them out and let me know what you guys think. They specialize in Ford.

I've personally never worked with JDM for any tuning, so can't comment. maybe other have. Did they leave any of the tune options open on the device, so you can add/remove shift firmness or anything? I may have missed it, but have you given them a call?

The biggest changes between the modes are throttle tip in and Shift strategies, so if they only made adjustments to the tables for normal mode, it would explain what you are experiencing.

Other option is your tuner should have a canned tune on it (you may have to use the device updater tool to get it). Usually they leave a lot of options to change on the canned tune like shift firmness. You could always try to load it and see if you like it. It's a free option.

The only reason I am asking about “options” that may be on their tune, is when I export a tune, I have the option of providing changes that can be made using the tuner. These options do vary based on model/year, however there is usually something.

It just may get you in a happier spot and be easy to do.



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Don't run canned SCT tune.
Hit up GearHead, very well known in Ecoboost comunity and he uses SCT.

Went through the entire post. Was there a post or did I miss the post that compared stock vs tuned baseline?? Curious what you found.