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Ford Performance Tune
- Thread starter ZookaRoo
- Start date
My advice is move out of California and then second to that, what I was under the impression of was that the explorer’s advertised 400 hp was based off premium fuel, but that it did not necessarily require premium fuel, but that the FP tube does require premium fuel to hit advertised FP tune numbers, but not sure how it will react to regular fuel. Basically I accepted that the car would take premium fuel when I bought it, based off it requiring premium to achieve 400hp. If your main concern is paying less at the fuel pump then why drop the money on a tune in the first place? Very few cars run at over 400hp happily on 87 octane that I’m aware of.
Just so you understand - running anything except the highest octane fuel you can buy, in a turbo vehicle, is stupid.
"grades of gas don't matter!" is the cry of a naturally-aspirated car owner that does not have ignition timing/compression that takes advantage of, or needs high octane fuel.
What do I mean? Here's the long and short:
- High octane fuel helps suppress the conditions for pre-detonation of fuel, or "knock" (A turbo engine piston can be obliterated by knock instantly).
- This "knock" condition is more prevalent with hot air, which turbos produce (even Intercoolers produce 'hot' air, just cooler than from the turbo itself).
- The "knock" condition is also more prevalent when the air/fuel mixture is more lean
- Advanced timing, high boost (higher=hotter air), etc factor into your knock equation.
To counter the possibility of destroying your engine, there is a "knock" sensor which basically detects when you are experiencing pre-detonation, not before it. So what happens when the sensor fires? Your engine is actively de-tuned to relieve the stress on the motor.
I'll say that last part again: Your engine performance instantly decreases to safeguard the engine.
That's right, the factory tune, and any other, takes an instant nosedive when "low-grade" fuel/environmental conditions cause your engine to imperceptibly knock.
The short version:
If you run a turbo vehicle with an ECU, no matter what tune - even stock, always run the highest octane fuel you can buy.
As a bonus, when your vehicle is running at peak performance, when you are not jumping all over it, you can increase gas mileage (a little bit) - that's because with better fuel, you can run more lean without knocking. (A good tune does this even more, and even the Ford Performance tune does it, which is why it requires high octane fuel)
"grades of gas don't matter!" is the cry of a naturally-aspirated car owner that does not have ignition timing/compression that takes advantage of, or needs high octane fuel.
What do I mean? Here's the long and short:
- High octane fuel helps suppress the conditions for pre-detonation of fuel, or "knock" (A turbo engine piston can be obliterated by knock instantly).
- This "knock" condition is more prevalent with hot air, which turbos produce (even Intercoolers produce 'hot' air, just cooler than from the turbo itself).
- The "knock" condition is also more prevalent when the air/fuel mixture is more lean
- Advanced timing, high boost (higher=hotter air), etc factor into your knock equation.
To counter the possibility of destroying your engine, there is a "knock" sensor which basically detects when you are experiencing pre-detonation, not before it. So what happens when the sensor fires? Your engine is actively de-tuned to relieve the stress on the motor.
I'll say that last part again: Your engine performance instantly decreases to safeguard the engine.
That's right, the factory tune, and any other, takes an instant nosedive when "low-grade" fuel/environmental conditions cause your engine to imperceptibly knock.
The short version:
If you run a turbo vehicle with an ECU, no matter what tune - even stock, always run the highest octane fuel you can buy.
As a bonus, when your vehicle is running at peak performance, when you are not jumping all over it, you can increase gas mileage (a little bit) - that's because with better fuel, you can run more lean without knocking. (A good tune does this even more, and even the Ford Performance tune does it, which is why it requires high octane fuel)
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Great to see the overwhelmingly positive feedback on the FP tune!
Dropping over 1/2 second from acceleration times while retaining the factory 3/36 warranty if installed by the dealer or a Ford approved mechanic is what separates this tune from all the other warranty busting tunes.
Thanks Ford.
Dropping over 1/2 second from acceleration times while retaining the factory 3/36 warranty if installed by the dealer or a Ford approved mechanic is what separates this tune from all the other warranty busting tunes.
Thanks Ford.
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Same experience here! The dealer did the install and the camera recall at the same time. No charge! The ST definitely feels like it pulls much harder in Sport made and shifts much smoother than before. Ill be going on a long trip here soon and will check the mileage difference. Happy with the Ford Performance Tune so far!!
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New guy here. Read the entire thread the last few days. WHEW, lot of pissing matches interspersed with good feedback.
I have some experience with bolt on mods but ECU changes and internal mods have always made me nervous. It seems a tune is the easy button to more power with these ST's though, so looking to be a big boy with this one.
Lot of reading to do before making a decision. Thank you to those of you who have contributed to this thread over the years. Had to block that fireman guy a few dozen pages ago for being an unbearable troll.
I have some experience with bolt on mods but ECU changes and internal mods have always made me nervous. It seems a tune is the easy button to more power with these ST's though, so looking to be a big boy with this one.
Lot of reading to do before making a decision. Thank you to those of you who have contributed to this thread over the years. Had to block that fireman guy a few dozen pages ago for being an unbearable troll.
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Quick question for those that have had this tune for awhile. If I take the ST in for any sort of work and it requires a reprogramming of a module or if they replace a module(can be anything that needs reprogramming), I'm assuming I would need to re-flash the tune on the vehicle, or am I mistaken? Thanks
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My 2020 ST started knocking 2 days ago on morning cold start.
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