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Old 08-04-2017, 12:04 PM   #1
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Five star tune

Is it worth the $500 to add Five Star tunning to 2008 Georgetown with a V10 Triton engine ? Is it a simple process to reprogram the engine? Thanks for your comment.
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Old 08-04-2017, 12:30 PM   #2
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Banks also has one.
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Old 08-04-2017, 04:40 PM   #3
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I threw away over a thousand dollars on a tuner, KN air filter and larger exhaust piping on a F350 diesel a few years ago. Was is slightly more powerful? Yup but only slightly. Did I get my money's worth. Nope. JMHOP.
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Old 08-04-2017, 06:23 PM   #4
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Five star tune

I purchased the five star tune for my 2013 378 with the five speed transmission. In my opinion the tune was money well spent. Prior to tune 4th gear was mostly ignored when downshifting from fifth on slight inclines. The tune took care of this which is a big improvement for me. Also notice with the tune much better shifting through all gears from a complete stop. Before the tune seemed to stay in second and third gear way too long before upshifting. The tune corrected this also. I have noticed little or no improvement in fuel economy however much more pleasant driving experience from my point of view. Would I do it again if I had it to do over again? Without a doubt, yes I would. Is the tune easy to install? Yes very easy. You simply plug a cartridge into your scanner plug and follow simple instuctions supplied. The cartridge saves your stock tune and installs the new one. You can revert back to the stock tune if at anytime you may choose to do so. I've had mine for a little better than two years now with no problems.
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Old 08-04-2017, 08:19 PM   #5
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Completely agree with wvphil. Have 2013 351ds. Have driven up and down the eastern seaboard with and without. No going back to stock tune. After the wife fell on her back when cruise control dropped two gears to third I had my clearance. I got the additional display screen and it was well worth it. Have had the tuner for a year and a half and I would do it again.
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Old 08-04-2017, 09:24 PM   #6
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5Star tunes is the best custom tuning you can get for the Triton V-8 and V-10 engines. They made my 02 V-10 and 4speed auto perform like a different truck. The biggest change is the shift strategy. Factory programming leaves it lazy. For me I picked up .5 mpg towing.

Worth every penny. And easy to install/program!
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Old 08-04-2017, 10:10 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by BillMFl View Post
I threw away over a thousand dollars on a tuner, KN air filter and larger exhaust piping on a F350 diesel a few years ago. Was is slightly more powerful? Yup but only slightly. Did I get my money's worth. Nope. JMHOP.
I did the same on my 2000 F350 super cab,7.3 diesel in 2004 - did not use K&N though. Variable tuner with 5 different tunes - I use the +60hp one usually, also did 4 inch MBRP SS exhaust. Will I ever recover the cost - no. But I went from about 14.5mpg to between 18.5 and 19mpg hwy and the truck is much more driveable. I've put well over 100k miles on it since doing it.
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Old 08-05-2017, 06:12 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wvphil View Post
I purchased the five star tune for my 2013 378 with the five speed transmission. In my opinion the tune was money well spent. Prior to tune 4th gear was mostly ignored when downshifting from fifth on slight inclines. The tune took care of this which is a big improvement for me. Also notice with the tune much better shifting through all gears from a complete stop. Before the tune seemed to stay in second and third gear way too long before upshifting. The tune corrected this also. I have noticed little or no improvement in fuel economy however much more pleasant driving experience from my point of view. Would I do it again if I had it to do over again? Without a doubt, yes I would. Is the tune easy to install? Yes very easy. You simply plug a cartridge into your scanner plug and follow simple instuctions supplied. The cartridge saves your stock tune and installs the new one. You can revert back to the stock tune if at anytime you may choose to do so. I've had mine for a little better than two years now with no problems.
Thanks for the detail on the 5 Star tuner -- been wondering about that ever since we bought the 2016 GT a couple of weeks ago. Taking it on the road for the first time next week.

On the 5 Star -- you commented on: 1. the ease of instillation, 2.the reversibility of the modification, and 3. the efficacy of the system -- all of these very important.

If you don't mind two other questions? what is the cost and would it void the FoMoCo powertrain warranty? I also carry Good Sam extended warranty plan I wounder what they would do? Guess I'll ask them.
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Old 08-06-2017, 12:13 PM   #9
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5 star tune

I just purchased and applied the base "tune" to my 2017 270S with a V10. No more engine governor at 74mph. It was a real safety issue in the mountains.

An expensive fix to what Ford should have done, but refuses to. The dealer applied the latest upgrade before I did my 5 star tune and it fixed the shift points, but not the 74 limit.
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Old 08-06-2017, 02:57 PM   #10
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I just purchased and applied the base "tune" to my 2017 270S with a V10. No more engine governor at 74mph......
Does the tune up with 5-Star void the Ford power train warranty?
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Old 08-06-2017, 03:14 PM   #11
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In short... it can.
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Old 08-08-2017, 09:21 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Fargo444 View Post
Does the tune up with 5-Star void the Ford power train warranty?
For any vehicle that you program with a new tune, always carry the handheld with you.

This way if it EVER has to go to the dealer ALWAYS reflash it back to the stock program.

This will eliminate any detection. Plus, if you don't return it to stock and it goes to the dealer they may (without ever asking you) reflash it to the latest stock dealer configuration. If they do that, you will lose your tune and the only resolution is paying the custom tuner again.
Hope this helps.
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Old 08-08-2017, 10:04 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by 05CrewDually View Post
For any vehicle that you program with a new tune, always carry the handheld with you.

This way if it EVER has to go to the dealer ALWAYS reflash it back to the stock program.

This will eliminate any detection. Plus, if you don't return it to stock and it goes to the dealer they may (without ever asking you) reflash it to the latest stock dealer configuration. If they do that, you will lose your tune and the only resolution is paying the custom tuner again.
Hope this helps.
I spoke with my Ford/GM/Honda service manager about this specific question. Even if returned to stock, they can tell. However, unless there is a warranty issue directly related to the ECU or the tune's impact causing a problem, everything should be OK. But DEFINATELY return to stock before going to any dealer for any reason - they appear to always do a software check/update when vehicles are brought in now - even for an oil change. The only reason I have for a dealer visit is a warranty issue. I personally do all of my vehicle servicing.
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Old 08-08-2017, 06:00 PM   #14
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Real question to ask yourself if you are worried about your warranty voiding and the tune affecting your engine and transmission is: how long do you think that 5 start and companies like it would stay in business if there was widespread problems with their tunes. Think about how more often people post complaints on these sites than positive reviews. I personally have not seen any and bad publicity would kill those companies. Just food for thought.
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Old 08-08-2017, 07:57 PM   #15
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5 star offers many systems for many vehicles doing many different types, .... I agree they would probably not last if there were significant problems or warranty issues.

Many 3rd parties and OEMs (BTW in full disclosure, I have my own OEM business) would not exist if they produced defective products. Instead they add value to what many large scale manufacturers omit or think of greed to warrant a better product. They usually fill this niche easily and with much added value. Consider I spent way too much to just enable the raising of an unwarranted governor parameter.
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Old 08-08-2017, 08:14 PM   #16
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I asked 5 Star what a tune would do for my '05 E350 V10. They told me 30 more horses and a like number for torque. Seems the biggest advantage is shifting. I have no complaints about the way my Torqshift shifts so I passed.
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Old 08-09-2017, 07:08 AM   #17
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Had 5Star on my 01 F350/V-10. What a difference it made...........have not yet got one for my 08 F250.
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Old 08-09-2017, 09:36 AM   #18
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Had 5Star on my 01 F350/V-10. What a difference it made...........have not yet got one for my 08 F250.
What kind of difference?
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