Dyno power gains w/ stock SHO and LMS Stage 4

My F-150 was tuned, and had long tubes, exhaust, and intake. The O2 sensors were not tucked behind the heat shield, and the headers burned them out. Ford WARRANTIED both sides, but only one time each. I had to pay for the third one. The tech told me he adjusted the heat shield the third time, and it didn't happen again. So it all depends on the dealer, your relationship with the dealer, and what is broke. It was clear the aftermarket headers caused the O2's to burn out, yet they took care of them, but there was a limit to there generosity. I even took the truck in when there was hesitation pulling away from a stop. I slightly bent the drive shaft doing a little off roading, they warrantied that as well.


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Although we all should try to fight at first...
I agree, if you take the chance, you have to be ready to possibly pay the price.
Risk vs reward..
And let's all plan on no issues...


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Another good idea is to take the time to find a dealer you like and build a relationship.  If you give them business via service etc. they should want to work with you.  The "smarter" dealers like repeat customers and people referring business back to them.  JMO.  Good luck everyone.
 
This was my selling dealer... Unfortunately, my first experience with them, and since I haven't had any real other issues with my Flex in 67K, I had no relationship... Still, when there are engine issues, Ford gets involved.  Dealer can handle little things... if Ford doesn't get involved.

When I purchased the vehicle... there was a bubble in the paint at the fender point above the pass side headlight.  Wanted it touched up... Ford got involved via pictures etc... BFD... and they wanted to re-paint fender and blend into hood... I cut it off with a razor blade and touched it up... Ford and other MFG's are now BIG BROTHER...

Just wait till MFG, GOVT. and Insurance Co.s monitor all our driving...  My guess... less than 10 years away.  Some of it is already happening...
 
EB you are right, and it is started.  My auto ins co is State Farm... we stayed because we've used the agent for about 25 years and we have a relationship that helps. When I picked up my SHO in Sept I called to put it on and as the secretary was trying to get me discounts she asked if I had Sync/MFT... I told her yes, they gave me a discount for it. BUT....

I got an email from State Farm demanding that I run a vehicle health report about 3 days later.  I did run it because they would take away the discount if I didn't.  I was also advised that my ins premium "might change" if my mileage was more or less than the 12K/yr estimate I gave them.  With nav, phone, GPS, cell triangulation, and the info gathering that goes into the black box scary potential exists. 

Clearly State Farm has access to the vehicle health report and who knows what else in the on-board computer.  I have complained formally to Ford... like it would do any good.  As I said in another post, "Yes Virginia, there is a big brother."  :Owned:
 
The dealers really don't care what you do to your car, but in order cover it under warranty the have to get Ford to approve it. So if you come in with a miss and they find out you have bad plug, coil pack or injector. Ford will warranty no question asked, however if your miss is melted hole in the piston, Ford will ask questions and possibly send someone to investigate the came.
All car have hereditary problems and I am sure Ford is very much aware of what failures normally arise in all there cars. Another words your not the 1st to have this problem, but if by chance you are the fella dragging his trans behind him. Ford will investigate. I work for Ford and warranties are a huge expense, and I know at my plant where the mustang and fusion are built they review every single warranty claim.
 
Fast SHO said:
I wonder how the car will handle the stage IV+ and blasting down the autobahn consistently at 120mph?

:)
Click to expand...
It's not the Autobahn but in Sept coming back  from LMS (FOR TUNING MY METH) dragging a loaded trailer with my race tires and things up and down Tenn's mountain roads 85mph to 90mph(Posted speed 75/80mph) car ran GREAT. I have 58k mil on my car and been running the base tune (345hp) (stock 297hp) from about 1500 mi no problem at all. METH tune in Sept. for about 2kmi (405hp/417t) love it!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU8rfm6OHbQ
 
EcoBrick Bob said:
vernonator said:
BiGMaC said:
you guys are just trying to get me to void my powertrain warranty...  :blowup:
Click to expand...

Adding a Tune DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY VOID YOUR WARRANTY!!!!!!!!!! If you have a failure the dealer needs to show that the TUNE caused and/or contributed to it. Read the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act - link provided below. NOW you may have to fight a dealer/manufacturer decision BUT a tune does not void your warranty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson%E2%80%93Moss_Warranty_Act
Click to expand...

That has been said over and over on every board I have been on in the past 6 years.  However, when your vehicle is in pieces and Ford says "NO"  please explain how one is supposed to fight them...  How many years and how much money are you willing to pay to prove you are right???  Ford has spelled it out very completely and simply in several of their bulletins to dealers on what is considered things that void the warranty. Aftermarket tunes is one of those items.

This is not just my opinion... it has happened to me... $8,400... (Ford  Re-MFG long block plus installation at Ford dlr)  In summary:  "IF YOU PLAY... BE READY TO PAY..."
Click to expand...
Your issue was admittedly caused by you. It wasn't like you just had a tune on the car and it blew up, correct?
 
crash712us said:
The dealers really don't care what you do to your car, but in order cover it under warranty the have to get Ford to approve it. So if you come in with a miss and they find out you have bad plug, coil pack or injector. Ford will warranty no question asked, however if your miss is melted hole in the piston, Ford will ask questions and possibly send someone to investigate the came.
All car have hereditary problems and I am sure Ford is very much aware of what failures normally arise in all there cars. Another words your not the 1st to have this problem, but if by chance you are the fella dragging his trans behind him. Ford will investigate. I work for Ford and warranties are a huge expense, and I know at my plant where the mustang and fusion are built they review every single warranty claim.
Click to expand...

True, but the Magnuson act stops frivolent voiding of warranty... It's only when a significant issue arises... It likely won't keep me from modding... I'll just accumulate a rainy day fund.
 
What Ford needs to do is offer performance upgrades (ala SRT) that don't void the warranty. If I had the option to have "approved" mods performed at the dship it would be a no brainer for me. I'd happily pay top dollar to keep my warranty intact. I'd be fine with paying a higher warranty deductible too.

The other option would be for them to form partnerships with "approved" tuners such as Livernois who they apparently work very closely with already. I'm pretty sure Livernois knows the design limits of these cars and does everything they can to make safe reliable upgrades. Ford knows this but they want to have it both ways. They want the collective knowledge the aftermarket provides (hence their participation in SEMA with dollar cars provided) and at the same time being able to screw people out of their warranties.

What Ford should take from this, the billions of dollars spent in the aftermarket is that manufacturers aren't building the cars we want, we are just settling for what we can get. Their processes are broken and outdated. Start offering more options, encourage folks to order cars the way they want them so dealerships can stop having to carry millions of dollars in inventory that Ford has to heavily discount at the end of each model year.(which in turn murders our resale value)

They could have built a SHO that trounced anything south of 100K, and to be fair they come close in many metrics but with every Ford i have owned (Which has been quite a few) I always end up with the feeling that someone decided "it's good enough". If manufacturers built what their customers wanted the aftermarket wouldn't exist.
 
If they did all that our cars would cost as much as a 335i.

Anyways, what sort of gains are people seeing with downpipes and just a tune?
 
My car is bone stock right now, I have 4dr's boost actuated cutout and PPE catted downpipes on the way. i have an awd dyno available so i'm going to have them install everything and do the following dyno runs.

Stock
Stock + downpipes
Stock + downpipes + cutout active

For shits and giggles I may throw on the K&N typhoon on at the end so hopefully we can end this CAI debate once and for all.
 
Hello all. I'm new SHO owner as of 11/25. I would like to do some performance upgrades but a little confused. If I do the livernois tunes, do I have to to have upgraded exhaust and cold air induction? Either way, what will the gains/losses be.

Thanks to OP of this post as I wanted to see actual hp gains from the LMS tune. Now maybe someone can post actual torque gains as well. From the graph, looks like torque wasn't changed much which is where the true power lies.
 
I gained 45 WHP and 68 WTQ with just the LMS Stage 4+ and a K&N panel.  The bottom curve is stock, middle curve is Stage4 and top is Stage 4+. 
08-05-2013105000PM_zps2d3c472a.jpg
 
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