Before anyone says anything... YES I did search this topic first! And am now more confused than before. I know everyone on here swears by getting a tune for the car, except for a few.
Here's the deal: my car is a daily driver, in town approx. 12 miles every other day, rarely hwy miles. I put 87 octane in it, and get 17-22 mpg. It is an automatic. I put the car in Drive(w/overdrive button on) and leave it there. I do not drive in 1st, then 2nd, then 3rd, to D. I do not race the car, and don't drive it roughly (but don't drive like a granny either) Even on the hwy, manually shifting (basically playing around), I have never had the RPM's up over 4500. I live in a dust bowl, where we get frequent sand storms and dust storms. Crap, just the car sitting in the garage after a bath, within an hour you can see a layer of dust on it when the wind isn't blowing!
Now, here's my questions: The only issue I have with my car is the occasional throttle lag. About once a month, I do the "press the pedal to the floor" trick to reset the adjustments. It seems to work, but is a very short lived cure. Due to my driving habits, above, is a tune really worth it for me since I am not manually shifting the automatic? With a tune, can I still just put the car in D and go, or does that pretty much defeat the whole purpose? Also, due to the dust / sand issues here, how hazardous on the engine would that be with a CAI cloth type filter? I read that the shifts are harder w/ a tune. My car seems to shift nicely as it is, what type of difference will the tune actually make? Does the difference of hard shifts and shift points cause any premature wear on the tranny? Will a tune effect my gas mileage? I am not a rocket scientist, so do not want to start playing with setting parameters, etc... I have seen some on the board who have had problems from the tunes too and don't want to end up in that boat either.
Priced a setup (tuner, tunes and CAI) for around the $550-600 range. I really don't want to spend that much money on it if it really won't be that much difference or benefit to me because of my driving habits.
The fact that you manually shift doesn't actually make that much difference. Turning Overdrive off actually just kicks your RPM's up and hence, uses more gas. Quick shifting is actually better for the transmission in the long-run, I guess you could manually shift on a regular basis, but there's not really any reason to. With a tune, you'll have optimized shifting point timing, so it can shift very efficiently. Most companies also make a "performance tune" for 87 octane that will increase the efficiency of the engine for highway driving. You can also up the number if you use premium gas, and it causes less cylinder banging in the future of the car. An aftermarket intake that's geared towards performance will probably get dirtier faster, (and so will the Mass Airflow Sensor) so it's your decision on whether or not that's worth it for you.
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True duals with H-Pipe and GT mufflers, C&L Intake, Bama 93 Race, 25% Tint
Posts: 151
Joined: 8/27/2007 From: Stroudsburg, PA Status: offline
It sounds like you drive the car along the lines that Ford tuned it for originaly. If the throttle lag is really bothering you look into getting a tune customized to your driving style. maybe a combo of elimated lag, added mileage and mildy firmed up shifting. An out of the box tune might be self customizable enough for you needs, and if not you can always buy custom tunes later. Talk to any of the big three you see recomended for their prof opinions.
I use SCT Xcal2 and BAMA 91 octane tune without a CAI ( I use Stock air box ). The car runs strong. No more throtle lag. The auto transmission shift smoothly, not rough. It costs around $ 379 for tuner and 3 tune files. You can read at bamachips website.
< Message edited by tientran -- 4/28/2008 8:04:01 AM >
I daily drive with a 93 octane VMP tune. When I really hammer it, the transmission shifts very hard, near readline, but when I take off normal, the transmission seems to shift much softer, and at typical rpms. Throttle lag is completely eliminated. It almost seems like the tune is there when you need it. What I mean is, when you're driving casually, the car acts tame. When you floor it-- then it gets an attitude! The tune doesn't effect my gas mileage in a "normal" driving mode.
If you're in a very dusty area, I'd recommend an actual K & N filter, since it can be cleaned and re-oiled. Most of the intakes come with a cheaper "imitation K & N filter". I'm not even sure if they can be cleaned in the same manner as the K & N.
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