Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

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Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

April 26, 2016, 10:36:21 am

Yahoo Message Number: 160091

I thought this article in the May issue of MotorHome magazine was interesting. Not being a techie, it would be interesting to get some opinions from the mechanical experts on this forum. Does this programming make sense for our V-10s? Maybe not? Is it worth the money?

5 Star Tuning Talk - MotorHome Magazine May 2016 - 5 Star Tuning

Chris

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #1 – April 26, 2016, 11:02:52 am

Yahoo Message Number: 160094

Interesting information; I'm leery of products reviewed and "endorsed" by trade publications, and I'm very skeptical about possible snake oil and/or pretty much anything that costs me $500 - $600, no matter what it promises. So I, too, would be eager to hear the opinions of the board's Ford engine gurus about the potential efficacy of this "programmer/tuner"!

Joan

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #2 – April 26, 2016, 11:08:19 am

Yahoo Message Number: 160095

The article shows dyno results and acceleration gains, which are not significant real-world results for most users. What would be more useful would be maximum speeds up a steep grade, towing, with the 2V engine.

Steve

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #3 – April 26, 2016, 11:18:24 am

Yahoo Message Number: 160097

The fourth paragraph is telling, that Ford restrains power output for fuel economy and overall engine durability. ergo a boost in power output means a shorter engine life. How much? I have no idea.

We had our rig being checked by a Ford dealer and they found what they thought was an engine tuner. It was a Scan Gauge. They unplugged it and re-flashed the computer. I then had to talk them out of charging me for that service.

Anything in that magazine is an ad in the guise of a review.

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #4 – April 26, 2016, 11:27:01 am

Yahoo Message Number: 160099

This question was discussed at length on the iRV2 forum at http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/should-i-just-get-the-five-star-tune-and-get-it-over-with-135325.html . Class A RV owners on that forum report improved shifting patterns uphill and downhill with an increase in torque and HP. The 5 Star website has several dyno charts, which are small and difficult for me to read.

According to 5-Star Tuning in an email to me "the X4 that is priced at $479.99+shipping would be your best bet. It is pre-loaded with the tune that you will need for your rig. The forum discount is $449.99+shipping."

Further explanation of this product is http://5startuning.com/product/ford-6-8l-v10-rv-motor-home-only-x4-power-flash-device/ .

I posted a similar question as Chris on the iRV2 Class C forum and didn't receive very many Class C owner reports or reviews, but was pointed to the Class A gasser discussion. So at the end of the day, I'm finding this product interesting, but I'm not sure if it is $449.99 interesting.

Ed & Margee '09 MB

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #5 – April 26, 2016, 11:52:57 am

Yahoo Message Number: 160101

Well all this shows is how incompetent most dealership services are. Yet we are almost locked into them with all the proprietary electronics they have forced on us.

Sent from Garry's iPhone

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #6 – April 26, 2016, 12:00:31 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160102

In a class A I owned with the 8.1 gm I had a dyno shop work it over and it increased average. Fuel mileage a about 2 mpg and helped the shift points for drive ability. It was totaled at 28 k miles so I don't know what the effect on engine life would be but I suspect it would have been better. The cost was 220.00 I think. It wasn't really done on a dyno but on the roads over carrying terrain as the motor home wouldn't fit on his dyno.

Sent from Garry's iPhone

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #7 – April 26, 2016, 12:49:25 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160105

"Anything in [Motorhome] magazine is an ad in the guise of a review."

Agreed! I wouldn't trust anything I read there.

Andy Baird

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #8 – April 26, 2016, 12:57:16 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160106

"We had our rig being checked by a Ford dealer and they found what they thought was an engine tuner. It was a Scan Gauge. They unplugged it and re-flashed the computer."

Funny! I had a similar experience at a Subaru dealership in Prescott, AZ. I had asked them to fix an intermittent problem with the airbag system--one that was very obviously caused by a faulty passenger-seat sensor. They not only didn't fix the problem; they threw up their hands and blamed it on my ScanGauge OBD II reader!

What made this especially hilarious was that despite pointing the finger at the ScanGauge, they didn't bother to spend the ten seconds needed to unplug it and retest with it disconnected... which would have immediately shown (as I subsequently proved myself) that the ScanGauge had absolutely nothing to do with the air bag problem.

Andy Baird

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #9 – April 26, 2016, 01:30:50 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160107

I sometimes wonder where these folks get their training. I took our 2013 Honda Accord into the Honda dealer (also in Prescott, AZ) complaining about the climate controlled A/C blowing hot and cold in a cycle. The service writer told me that's how A/C works. The compressor cycles on and off. I told her that no, climate controlled A/C maintains temperature by moving the blend door in the air handler. The compressor is normally on all the time. She disagreed, and I still have the on/off A/C. She has since been promoted to service manager, so my chance of ever getting this fixed is slim at best.

And I didn't even have a ScanGauge reader installed. :-)

Dick

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #10 – April 26, 2016, 03:39:08 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160108

Why just reprogram for more power and stress the engine. Put more power in. How about a Milodon Hemi or a Chevy big block LS6. No half measures with those boys. You will have 500 unblown hp at your command. Be the first on your block.

If you only need a temp boost consider Nitro fuel. If you drive at night the flames will draw the attention of teen boys.

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #11 – April 26, 2016, 03:54:31 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160109

Just passing along this information:

According to this post on irv1.com, 5Star Tuning offered a "group price" deal on the tuner a year ago. There are 12 pages in the thread; I didn't read them, but maybe there are reports from those who bought the product on how well it worked for them. (Note the mention of the tuner being "one of the Best Performance add-ons for Motorhomes by MotorHome magazine in 2012, 2013, and 2014.")

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f256/5-star-tuning-group-buy-244384.html

As always, YMMV. (Don't know if the product claims to improve mileage! :-0 )

Joan

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #12 – April 26, 2016, 05:24:37 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160110

[quote] (Don't know if the product claims to improve mileage![/quote]

I read those 12 pages and some RV owners reported a slight decrease of .25 mpg and some reported over 1.0 mpg increase. I thought 5 Star claims their tunes improve mpg.

Ed & Margee '09 MB

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #13 – April 26, 2016, 06:19:14 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160111

The article did not claim to improve mileage. It was reported that mileage during the test actually dropped 6.75 to 6.50 mpg.

Chris

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #14 – April 26, 2016, 07:09:37 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160113

I've read many of the iRV2 threads on the 5star tune products. The chief complaint the tune supposedly fixes is the two-gear downshift of the transmission (e.g., from fifth to third) when the coach hits a moderate grade at highway speeds. According to many of the folks who have one, the tune changes the shift to a single downshift, under most circumstances, and thus reduces the noise coming from the engine which would otherwise run at a higher RPM.

A few 5star users report a feeling of more power/acceleration, but most everyone agrees there's no significant improvement in mileage.

5star seems to offer a group buy on iRV2 about twice a year. They extended the March group buy until last Friday, 4/22. The discount seems to be about $50, which for their most popular product places the cost at $430 plus shipping.

There seem to be enough V-10 coach drivers who don't like the shift pattern and/or the extra noise it causes to keep the product selling. I haven't had enough time with our new, non-LD coach to experience either symptom. The 1997/8 mid-bath we had definitely made conversation more difficult when it downshifted. For some, perhaps many, though, the symptoms may not be worth the money that 5star asks for the product.

Mark

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #15 – April 27, 2016, 10:54:47 am

Yahoo Message Number: 160122

Engine programmers have been around for many years, the most well know is the Banks Systems.
Five Star is just another company building a device to rework the Factory programming.

It is well know that power is left behind by Ford. Why, well, the V-10 is a truck engine to begin with.
Truck engines are tuned to run at full load for long periods of the time, something most car engines are never subjected to. The effect of long, full throttle operation is the buildup of heat in the cylinder and valve areas.
Truck engineers cope with the heat by reducing total power output and by adjusting the mixture to keep it from going lean, which leads to try high combustion temps and possible burnt valves and/or pistons..

Yes, more power is waiting for you, along with a whole list of potential problems down the line. Anytime modifications are done to produce more power, one must accept that wear will probably increase too.
There is no free lunch.
Notice that no one makes any predictions of longer engine life using these devices.

Why don't I have a hopped up engine? More power is always a good thing but it also increases fuel consumption, wear and the possibility of going faster than what is prudent. I cannot imagine having more power and not using it often.
While upgrades do go a little slower, in the big scheme of things, a few extra minutes doesn't add up to much if it means using more fuel and wearing things out quicker. I'm retired, I don't care if a drive take a little longer.

I imagine that Ford's engineers have better ideas and incentives to make their motorhome engines last longer than most of the aftermarket companies, which only care about the total horsepower numbers.

Larry

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #16 – April 27, 2016, 01:30:16 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160124

"I'm retired..."

----

You are? I must have missed that!

Joan

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #17 – April 27, 2016, 02:48:14 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160126

Hello Larry. I'm appreciative of your thoughtful review of the 5 Star Tuning device. Your insights have helped me to make a decision about it. We'll remain tuneless!

Ed & Margee '09 MB

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #18 – April 27, 2016, 04:30:22 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160131

Here is I would recommend first, instead of a Five Star Tune.

1. Make sure your engine is running in tip-top shape. I use AutoEnginuity diagnostic software. If you don't know anything about using diagnostic software, or want to learn how to diagnose your engine, go here. He is a great teacher. Begin with Fuel Trims.

2. Next, install headers. Make sure the remainder of the exhaust system flows well. You may need a less restrictive muffler.

3. At this point, you may decide to add a cold air intake system. There are pros and cons on doing this, do your research.

If you want more juice, then think about the tune. Keep in mind the tune re-writes the fuel tables in the computer to burn more fuel. Instead of running around 14.5 parts of air to one part of fuel stock, the tune increases fuel to air ratio to 12.5 to one. You have to get the power from somewhere, and it's just more fuel burn.

My 97 V10 runs with headers and a cold air intake. The increase in power and torque by jumping to a tune would not be worth it for me for that amount of money. I figure my V10 is up to where the 3V V10s are now. I just finished a fine tooth check of my V10, replacing aging sensors, etc, and now it runs better than ever, more so than what a tune would accomplish. So, start at #1 and go from there if you wish.

Chuck Myers 97RB Skye @Bear Creek Lake Park CO

Re: Programming the Ford V-10 Computer

Reply #19 – April 28, 2016, 04:21:36 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 160156

Thanks for your clear and simple answers to many questions I've had about the power add-ons, and the probable consequences of making changes to the engine.

Barry "O" Ruby Red - 06MB

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