How does a tuner work?
06-14-2009, 05:08 PM
#11
6th Gear Member
If you're THAT worried about gas mileage, then why are you spending $600-$700 for a CAI & tune? Just put the cash towards gas. Besides, a CAI & tune combo i s a performance mod; not an economy mod. You can get an 87 custom tune that out performs the stock 87 tune if you're THAT concerned about money.
Typically, a CAI & tune combo will net you from 15-25 or more RWHP. The tune is roughly 80% of the gain. Some here claim a minor (maybe 1-2) MPG increase but I truly doubt there's a difference. Regardless, you'll be hammering it a bit more once you feel the difference.
There are quite a few parameters that the user cannot adjust and a couple that we can. It's really the programmer that writes the tune that does the "magic". Brenspeed, Bama and few others are very popular here.
Typically, a CAI & tune combo will net you from 15-25 or more RWHP. The tune is roughly 80% of the gain. Some here claim a minor (maybe 1-2) MPG increase but I truly doubt there's a difference. Regardless, you'll be hammering it a bit more once you feel the difference.
There are quite a few parameters that the user cannot adjust and a couple that we can. It's really the programmer that writes the tune that does the "magic". Brenspeed, Bama and few others are very popular here.
06-14-2009, 05:14 PM
#12
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Posts: 743
I guess I still will get the mod, it's just I didn't realize it would require you to switch to premium. I thought it would still take unleaded, and from the advertising, somehow improve the mileage...oh well, can't have your cake and eat it too.
06-14-2009, 05:25 PM
#13
6th Gear Member
You're really missing something here... ALL street fuel is unleaded, whether it's 87 (regular), 89/91 (midgrades), or 93 (premium). As I stated earlier, you CAN get a custom 87 tune along with 2 additional octane tunes of your choice if you don't want to run anything higher than 87.
06-14-2009, 05:25 PM
#14
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Near Wash. DC Posts: 13,541
Posts: 2,497
How does a tuner work? Very well.
The mustang is calibrated to work in ALASKA and meet EPA specs, if you live in Texas, you're wasting fuel economy and power on the safety margin necessary to perform in extreme environments and produce the minimum pollution.
Also the higher octane you pick as a tune the more money you save (as of now) when fuel hits 2,50 a gallon the price of octane booster in high octane gas compared to the price of gasoline itself favors the higher octane for being economical.
for example, you'll get 13 mpg on 87 and 14 mpg on 93 but the 87 will cost 2.50 and the 93 will cost 2.70. you do the math. Those mpg increases are verified numbers reported by at least dozens of forum members.
The CAI adds 5 horsepower the Tune adds 20. You'll see maybe a 2% improvement in fuel economy across the board with a tune due to better tuning and another 2% with a CAI mostly due to the parasitic loss of sucking the air into the engine.
The 2010 mustang for example has a ford racing cold air intake and a performance tune with on the same engine and weighs damn more than the current mustang but gets 1 mph more both in the city and highway.
Assuming fuel is $2.50 minimum and $3 average over the next 5 years and you use 93 octane instead of 87 and that you don't drive more aggressively which won't happen because the throttle response is much greater, it would take you 5 years to pay off the CAI.
Assuming gas is $2.50 maximum over the next 5 years and you use 87 octane and don't drive more aggressively it would take 6 years to pay off your CAI.
You will constantly floor it with the tune, i've had one on my v6 convertible for 3 years and still do even though I don't drive fast, you're going to see a loss in MPG if anything outside of highway driving.
The mustang is calibrated to work in ALASKA and meet EPA specs, if you live in Texas, you're wasting fuel economy and power on the safety margin necessary to perform in extreme environments and produce the minimum pollution.
Also the higher octane you pick as a tune the more money you save (as of now) when fuel hits 2,50 a gallon the price of octane booster in high octane gas compared to the price of gasoline itself favors the higher octane for being economical.
for example, you'll get 13 mpg on 87 and 14 mpg on 93 but the 87 will cost 2.50 and the 93 will cost 2.70. you do the math. Those mpg increases are verified numbers reported by at least dozens of forum members.
The CAI adds 5 horsepower the Tune adds 20. You'll see maybe a 2% improvement in fuel economy across the board with a tune due to better tuning and another 2% with a CAI mostly due to the parasitic loss of sucking the air into the engine.
The 2010 mustang for example has a ford racing cold air intake and a performance tune with on the same engine and weighs damn more than the current mustang but gets 1 mph more both in the city and highway.
Assuming fuel is $2.50 minimum and $3 average over the next 5 years and you use 93 octane instead of 87 and that you don't drive more aggressively which won't happen because the throttle response is much greater, it would take you 5 years to pay off the CAI.
Assuming gas is $2.50 maximum over the next 5 years and you use 87 octane and don't drive more aggressively it would take 6 years to pay off your CAI.
You will constantly floor it with the tune, i've had one on my v6 convertible for 3 years and still do even though I don't drive fast, you're going to see a loss in MPG if anything outside of highway driving.
Last edited by Legion5; 06-14-2009 at 05:30 PM.
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