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Old 09-02-2019, 05:12 PM   #1
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V10 Tuneup

Anyone used Brazels tune for Ford V10? it is $$$ just want find out if worth the money. Suppose to increase horsepower, torque and less shifting.
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Old 09-02-2019, 07:21 PM   #2
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The only thing i can say is to go with a tune from 5 star. They are very reputable and no one has ever had a complaint from them.
I can’t say anything about anyone else!
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Old 09-02-2019, 07:39 PM   #3
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Had a Five Star a few years back. Recently got the Brazel’s tune. Nothing negative to say about either company, but Brazel’s had fantastic customer support and made a slight reprogramming at my request. No extra charge.
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Old 09-05-2019, 04:14 PM   #4
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Question on the Five Star could you tell about the cost,how much it inprove your coach,did it get better MPG,did the cost pay for itself down the road, many would like to hear about people who had this done to the coach.
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Old 09-05-2019, 06:35 PM   #5
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After reading about voided warranty on stage3motorsprts website. I decided not to move forward with tune. only have 3000 miles, bought new this past February, don't want to take chance of void engine warranty. If had more miles or past warranty, I would consider tune.
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Old 09-05-2019, 06:50 PM   #6
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Personally, I would never do a tune. When I used to work for GM, was able to talk to the ECM group working on one of the V8 engine ECM development at one of the proving grounds. They said that there is no way the engine tuner people know what they do since they are the designers of the vehicle. They do many thousands of hours of testing to come up with the proper programming. They do look at what the tuner people do and say that many of them do things that would normally throw the engine into fail safe mode and or do things that will cause components to fail early like cat converters.
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Old 09-05-2019, 10:48 PM   #7
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Personally, I would never do a tune. When I used to work for GM, was able to talk to the ECM group working on one of the V8 engine ECM development at one of the proving grounds. They said that there is no way the engine tuner people know what they do since they are the designers of the vehicle. They do many thousands of hours of testing to come up with the proper programming. They do look at what the tuner people do and say that many of them do things that would normally throw the engine into fail safe mode and or do things that will cause components to fail early like cat converters.
Well they are engineers so there`s that!

Having driven my V-10 Excursion I can tell you that how Ford programmed the transmission was terrible! After my 5star tune it made driving it and towing with it amazing. the Ford programming made the truck feel like mush. Not to mention the way Fords cruise control operates. I`ll take a quality tune over an engineers tune designed for....what I don't know? any day. And to add, the throttle lag in the drive by wire system is atrocious! I looked at it on my new to me 12 F53 MH. when you are at full throttle (100%) the actual throttle opening is only about 80%, which is crazy when you want full throttle ie more power.

Next spring I will be getting a 5 star tune.
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Old 09-06-2019, 01:03 AM   #8
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Having driven my V-10 Excursion I can tell you that how Ford programmed the transmission was terrible!
Not surprised. The Ford Excursion was an after thought of a vehicle. Brought out quickly to try and outsell the Suburban and failed miserably.
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Old 09-06-2019, 06:06 AM   #9
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Dodge Guy,
I am not an engineer just going by what the seller of tune states on their website. Why would they say that if not factual? Would only hurt their sales. Good, luck with your tune.
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Old 09-06-2019, 06:54 AM   #10
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Dodge Guy,
I am not an engineer just going by what the seller of tune states on their website. Why would they say that if not factual? Would only hurt their sales. Good, luck with your tune.
Because they have to let you know that if you change the tune in the pcm the manuf may not cover a failure if it's still under warranty. Fact is a tune on a gas truck is minimal and is more for towing than anything else. If it adds 20HP at wide open throttle your lucky, hardly enough to damage anything. All tuners will tell you that.
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Old 09-06-2019, 06:56 AM   #11
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Not surprised. The Ford Excursion was an after thought of a vehicle. Brought out quickly to try and outsell the Suburban and failed miserably.
Yep it failed because of how it was marketed. They tried to market it to the soccer moms. Which is why it failed. If they would've marketed it for what it was capeable of it would've continued on. It is one of the best HD suv's made. Just needs a bit of changes.
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Old 09-06-2019, 07:03 AM   #12
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Dodge Guy,
I am not an engineer just going by what the seller of tune states on their website. Why would they say that if not factual? Would only hurt their sales. Good, luck with your tune.
Know a few people that went to K&N filters because of the "Claims" made by the company. Most have gone back to stock filters due to troubles they were having that were directly related to the filter. Lots of companies make "Claims" that their product will do this and that, but sometimes it doesn't always live up to expectations.
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Old 09-06-2019, 07:53 AM   #13
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Good info over on the thorforums site on the v10.

FACTS about Ford V10 Engine Characteristics and 5 Star Tuning... - Thor Forums
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Old 09-06-2019, 11:41 AM   #14
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One of which was the poorly designed transmission that would fail at 70k miles. The main nail in it's coffin was overall 8mpg when gas was $5/ gallon in 2005.
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Yep it failed because of how it was marketed. They tried to market it to the soccer moms. Which is why it failed. If they would've marketed it for what it was capeable of it would've continued on. It is one of the best HD suv's made. Just needs a bit of changes.
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Old 09-06-2019, 02:44 PM   #15
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I also ran a K&N CAI on my X for 75k miles with no issues. As well as having the same trans for 102k miles, still fine when I sold it. And that V-10 and trans was pushed hard in the mountains! 4K+ RPM and never once complained.

Yes there are stories of problems with aftermarket products, but they are usually from people that shouldn’t have them in the first place!
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Old 09-06-2019, 02:48 PM   #16
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Whoever wrote that up knows absolutely nothing about the Triton V-10. Seeing as how his username is GMtech, that should be a red flag right there! Everything that was said (minus the more power at WOT) is false! It’s actually so bad I won’t even attempt to disprove it because they did it themselves!
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Old 09-07-2019, 08:09 AM   #17
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I have had five star on two rv's. Personally I did not notice a lot more power from the engine as much as the change in transmission shifting patterns. A lot less downshifting on hills. Mileage improvement is hard to say as I normally tow vehicles and get poor mileage anyway. the cost is around 500.00
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Old 09-08-2019, 07:03 AM   #18
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I have had five star on two rv's. Personally I did not notice a lot more power from the engine as much as the change in transmission shifting patterns. A lot less downshifting on hills. Mileage improvement is hard to say as I normally tow vehicles and get poor mileage anyway. the cost is around 500.00
Yep, that's the biggest best improvement. Makes it a completely different RV to drive. Along with getting 1-1 throttle response. You can feel how you don't get full throttle when you floor it. Can't wait to get one again for my class A V-10!
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Old 01-03-2020, 12:43 PM   #19
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I have questions, not a reply. I am a man who uses logic, common sense and experience in my decision making, as best that I can. In regards to the Ford 6.8L V10 engine used on many different type of Ford trucks. Each different application, may have different RPM LIMITATIONS, based on how the truck was designed for varying torque and hauling characteristics. ALL 6.8L do not have the same HP, nor the same RPM Set points or Torque requirements. There is not simply (1) 6.8L V10 ENGINE, so it is difficult to do any comparisons on after market tuning systems.

My 2017 Class C Forest River Sunseeker, 24 ft. does run well, and yes, on big hills, mountains, it will down shift, and yes I wish id could run up the hill in 5th. gear, rather than coming down from 6 to 5, to 4 ect, but it is what it is. I and you can buy an RV with a monster engine that will cost much more and run better up hills with less downshifts. E-450 Chassis V10's are rated at 305 hp, and 420 lbs of torque at rpms of about 4250 max. If you have the computer re-programmed, I do not know what if any harm will occur, but logically, the people who designed this arrangement at FORD should know what is best, and your warranty will be violated if these parameters are changed. So, I wish to know your facts about this subject as I wish to learn more, especially from the management from companies such as 5 Star and other companies that sell a re-tune, increased Horsepower and Torque plus faster RPM changes than Ford allows. Please chime in, but facts, not opinions.
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Old 01-03-2020, 02:40 PM   #20
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5 star tune only way to go!

Like the majority on the forum, I rarely post any more. I'll make an exception here. The 5 star tune is one of the best items I have ever purchased for my RV next to LED lights! All of the items mentioned here so far are open to interpretation and fact checking, but the one and only reason I purchased the 5 star tune is I WAS LIED to by FR, GT, Dealers, and FORD. I no longer have an unrealistic cap on my top speed. The ecm with its governor nearly had me in an accident with a dump truck going downhill when it limited my gas (without my permission). $500 is expensive, but what is your life worth? No I don't drive at 80+, but I no longer need parents telling me how to drive or what is appropriate or safe. All of us are adults now, do what is best and safe for your abilities and conditions.

BTW, before ford lied to me, the ford dealer did an ecm update. It was an improvement over the one that the rv came with re shift points, ...., but the 5 star when I reprogrammed the ecm was slightly even better! Again my only reason for purchase was to remove the governor!

BTW, newbies, most of what you get here is opinion and games to play like many forums. Very little raw data without a lot of criticism from my observations. I'm sure some will reply to this - take notice - If nothing good to say - doesn't apply - hence my lack of assistance anymore. Also big brother does watch what is posted. They used to hide, but you'll be able to know who they are over time. Safe travels!
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