5 Star Tuning...my 2 cents

[stevek]

Got a chance to try it out. Was easy to install. Cost $429.
Left home 4200 elev.
Trip to Sea Level and back home via mountains but a different route.
Mountain passes at 4300 and 5000 elev.
So this was a good test drive.
I would say 50/50 driving. 50% in mountains. 50% on flat.

Right form the start, you can tell more power.
Different engine/ exhaust sound too
More pulling power @ lower RPM w/o shifting in a lower gear.
More "zip", when accelerating from Zero.
Performance was so much noticeable, MH was like a little "hot rod" and "speeding" was a problem for me and taking corners too fast and keeping speed limit.

Better Gas Mileage.

Total trip was 669 miles / 63.86 gallons = 10.48 mpg.
I normally get a little over 10.
The dash electronic fuel gauge read 10.6 to 10.7 to 10,8.

Like I said.... just my 2 cents..

[jeffcarp]

I completely agree with you. We have the exact same coach that you do and I can tell you that the tune was the single best investment I have ever made on this coach. The impact to the driving experience is noticeable and very positive. For driving in any condition other than flat plains, the tune is just incredible.

[Tahoe]

I have a question. Does this require using a higher octane fuel when installed?

[jeffcarp]

No, it does not.

[stevek]

I Have the "87 octane RV Daily Tow".
When talking to the salesman, this is by far the most popular package. Like 80-90% purchase this, as I recall.
They offer various packages. Best to call them.

If you go to irv2 forum and search for the "5 star tuning group buy", much more info.

I just got back from another trip.
Most all mountain driving.
Down to 600 elev. Highest 5300 elev.
190 miles. One fill up. I drove real "hard", just to test. 19 gal at fill up. I filled it myself and toped off real good.

Only thing I am not sure about is "smog test". Luckily I am in a county with no annual/ biannual smog test.

[grross]

May 2016 Motorhome magazine has an article on the 5 Star Tuning of the ford V-10.

[bigdipper]

I do not want to start a debate here, but FOMOCO does know about their vehicle and it's design. Think about cooling and lubricating systems for engine, transmission, even rear axle design. Also think about catalyst system design and how that can fail beyond just not meeting emission limits. You might also wonder why fleet operators using the V 10 are not flocking to use systems which improve power, mileage or both. Finally, if you have a V 10 built from about mid 2010 to mid 2012, take a look at TSB 13-09-03 (which I hope is correct number). Your chances of not paying big-time if your engine comes up with a problem under that TSB are going to be a whole lot less with the Ford dealer. Maybe you don't care whether you have a 400,000 mile engine or one with considerably less life expectancy but prospects of something breaking prematurely are most definitely increased.

Again, let's not start an argument, but feel free to PM me and I can say more to explain and justify the above.

Ralph

[jleebailey]

Looked up that TSB and came up with a Mustang lower control arm problem.

[stevek]

Thanks Ralph. Good points and something for me to think about.
I guess only time will tell if I have any problems.
Not sure if I am really interested on the possible limitation on the max highway mileage I can get on my BF.
I am 70 years old.
And like I said before, not sure how it would effect the smog test?
If I have any problems in the future, I will let you all know.

[jeffcarp]

There definitely are risks with any modification like this. I did wait until my factory warranty was up before I applied the modification since Ford could walk away from the factory warranty once they see the modification registered in the computer.

I would just say from my experience so far that the engine is working less hard than before the modification. Specifically, when climbing even fairly trivial climbs the factory configuration would downshift very quickly sending the RPM's roaring for most of the climb. The tuning company says this is because Ford doesn't use one of the gears in the gearbox in the default configuration. After the tune the RPM's stay down compared to before in every scenario and I hardly ever get the 5000+ RPM roar except in very limited circumstances.

The explanation provided by the tuning company for Ford not using all of the gears is that Ford can't control what their cutaway chassis is used for and therefore they have to seek a compromise configuration that works across all potential uses of the chassis. The tuning company says that once you restrict your focus to a specific chassis usage then there is optimization that can be achieved beyond the conservative settings.

As with anything I think the best thing that you can do is just educate yourself about the options, be fully aware of the risks and then decide what you should do. In my opinion a very well-respected independent mechanic that works on Ford's is the best source to help you with a decision like this.