I got more behind the wheel time trying out various tuning companies on my stock 2018 Expedition. I've wasted money and time so that my fellow forum members don't have to. I made a few threads before but want to give some updates. Since the last thread, I have gotten pretty nerdy with datalogging all of my tunes through VCM Scanner, creating my own gauges and monitoring tons of PIDs. Even messing around with my own tunes. So here we go:
5 Star: This will anger some, but overrated! They are safe and feel juicy at part throttle around town, but WOT leaves a lot to be desired, and they could improve their trans tuning when not towing. They are a huge company with good marketing, but if you branch out to the "less popular" companies you can find better tuning. They were the first tune company I ever tried because of how popular they are.
MPT: Solid! Nothing bad to say about them at all. Customer service is the best out of everyone. Overall solid tunes. Good trans tuning especially in sport mode. I like how they support SCT and HP Tuners. Get their PRX if you want to go fast! Mike is one of the most experienced Ecoboost tuners out there.
ZFG Racing: Recommendation of Lokiwolf. I like how Adam reviews all your logs and builds the tune off of your logs. I am still working with him getting my vehicle dialed in. Currently on revision 4. ZFG tunes drive great with solid trans programming. I'd say ZFG is tied with Gearhead for first place with trans tuning. He seems to be the most popular in the Explorer ST world.
Gearhead: Matt updated his 2nd gen Ecoboost w/10 speed tunes in September 2023. I have the tow and the performance files. The tunes are set up the same and drive the same with the same transmission settings, but tow safe tune has boost limited to keep temps happy. This morning, in VCM Scanner, I logged a 5.1 second 0-60 running the tow safe tune with a boosted launch. I run 93 octane fuel. Boost settled around 13 PSI. Inferred turbo speeds never exceeded 155,000 RPM, well below the 220,000 limit that these turbos have, and even lower than I see with stock tuning. With stock intercooler, intake temps only went up 10 degrees during the run. AFR settled around .79 lambda at WOT. No knock. Blown away with how it pulls with low boost. Everyone else is pushing turbos north of 17 PSI to pull this hard. The transmission is snappy and in the right place at all times. The torque convertor locks up fast and snappy. Hard to explain how good the trans is. All I can say is it's the best. No one is more picky than me. PIDs show that Matt is making the safest performance tune out there. I wish he supported HP Tuners, but I keep my SCT tuner just for his tunes!
So there it be! Go get you a Gearhead tune!
5 Star: This will anger some, but overrated! They are safe and feel juicy at part throttle around town, but WOT leaves a lot to be desired, and they could improve their trans tuning when not towing. They are a huge company with good marketing, but if you branch out to the "less popular" companies you can find better tuning. They were the first tune company I ever tried because of how popular they are.
MPT: Solid! Nothing bad to say about them at all. Customer service is the best out of everyone. Overall solid tunes. Good trans tuning especially in sport mode. I like how they support SCT and HP Tuners. Get their PRX if you want to go fast! Mike is one of the most experienced Ecoboost tuners out there.
ZFG Racing: Recommendation of Lokiwolf. I like how Adam reviews all your logs and builds the tune off of your logs. I am still working with him getting my vehicle dialed in. Currently on revision 4. ZFG tunes drive great with solid trans programming. I'd say ZFG is tied with Gearhead for first place with trans tuning. He seems to be the most popular in the Explorer ST world.
Gearhead: Matt updated his 2nd gen Ecoboost w/10 speed tunes in September 2023. I have the tow and the performance files. The tunes are set up the same and drive the same with the same transmission settings, but tow safe tune has boost limited to keep temps happy. This morning, in VCM Scanner, I logged a 5.1 second 0-60 running the tow safe tune with a boosted launch. I run 93 octane fuel. Boost settled around 13 PSI. Inferred turbo speeds never exceeded 155,000 RPM, well below the 220,000 limit that these turbos have, and even lower than I see with stock tuning. With stock intercooler, intake temps only went up 10 degrees during the run. AFR settled around .79 lambda at WOT. No knock. Blown away with how it pulls with low boost. Everyone else is pushing turbos north of 17 PSI to pull this hard. The transmission is snappy and in the right place at all times. The torque convertor locks up fast and snappy. Hard to explain how good the trans is. All I can say is it's the best. No one is more picky than me. PIDs show that Matt is making the safest performance tune out there. I wish he supported HP Tuners, but I keep my SCT tuner just for his tunes!
So there it be! Go get you a Gearhead tune!