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Livernois Tuned an Explorer Sport!

LarryKona

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I have a truck on order that should be in next week and have been waiting for Livernois to release their tune and got an email today saying the tuners are shipping. I've had other Livernois modified vehicles in the past and they've all been great, but they really know what they're doing with the EB's. They have a 12 second Flex, F150, and low 12-sec SHO.

Here is the message I got:

"If you are receiving this email, you showed interest in tuning for the 2013 Explorer Sport. Today, we officially released our tuning device and custom tune.

Initial dyno results showed impressive gains in horsepower & torque, however we expect greater gains with further tuning & data logging.

The new MyCalibr8or device by AIW is available exclusively from Livernois Motorsports for your 2013 Explorer Sport EcoBoost.


Features:

  • Custom tuning via Livernois Motorsports
  • Increased horsepower & torque
  • Dyno proven air/fuel adjustments
  • Transmission modifications with reduced torque management and modified shift points/firmness
  • Enhanced throttle response
  • Available for multiple fuel octane levels
  • Removed top speed limiter
  • Read/Clear (DTC) Codes




Order yours here!"

I can't wait!!! :D

LK
 



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I have a truck on order that should be in next week and have been waiting for Livernois to release their tune and got an email today saying the tuners are shipping. I've had other Livernois modified vehicles in the past and they've all been great, but they really know what they're doing with the EB's. They have a 12 second Flex, F150, and low 12-sec SHO.

Here is the message I got:

"If you are receiving this email, you showed interest in tuning for the 2013 Explorer Sport. Today, we officially released our tuning device and custom tune.

Initial dyno results showed impressive gains in horsepower & torque, however we expect greater gains with further tuning & data logging.

The new MyCalibr8or device by AIW is available exclusively from Livernois Motorsports for your 2013 Explorer Sport EcoBoost.


LK
Welcome to the Forum LarryKona.:wavey:
Congrats on getting a new Explorer Sport. Have you looked into what effect, if any, your tuning plan will have on the vehicle's warranty?

Peter
 






I have a truck on order that should be in next week and have been waiting for Livernois to release their tune and got an email today saying the tuners are shipping. I've had other Livernois modified vehicles in the past and they've all been great, but they really know what they're doing with the EB's. They have a 12 second Flex, F150, and low 12-sec SHO.

Here is the message I got:

"If you are receiving this email, you showed interest in tuning for the 2013 Explorer Sport. Today, we officially released our tuning device and custom tune.

Initial dyno results showed impressive gains in horsepower & torque, however we expect greater gains with further tuning & data logging.

The new MyCalibr8or device by AIW is available exclusively from Livernois Motorsports for your 2013 Explorer Sport EcoBoost.


Features:

  • Custom tuning via Livernois Motorsports
  • Increased horsepower & torque
  • Dyno proven air/fuel adjustments
  • Transmission modifications with reduced torque management and modified shift points/firmness
  • Enhanced throttle response
  • Available for multiple fuel octane levels
  • Removed top speed limiter
  • Read/Clear (DTC) Codes


MMjSPV_FOOU

Order yours here!"

I can't wait!!! :D

LK

I have to ask--what is the speed limiter from the factory, and what will the "new" top speed come in at?

I have tried to find the factory settings, but haven't been able to. For the Cayenne there is no speed limiter, however there is a warning sticker with the all-season tires to not exceed 150 mph:burnout:
 






They flash the dyno in the video but it's too small to read, and I don't see it posted on their site. 75whp is great, but they don't mention what the peak gains are (from the quick dyno flash it looks like they are minimal). They also do a 0-60 run and then don't post what the time was.

Can anyone get us more info from Livernois on the flash of a bone stock Sport?
 






A customer emailed me and sent me the link to this thread, so I wanted to come answer your questions.

I have to ask--what is the speed limiter from the factory, and what will the "new" top speed come in at?

I have tried to find the factory settings, but haven't been able to. For the Cayenne there is no speed limiter, however there is a warning sticker with the all-season tires to not exceed 150 mph:burnout:

I'll have to check with our tuner to see what the factory speed limiter is set at.

They flash the dyno in the video but it's too small to read, and I don't see it posted on their site. 75whp is great, but they don't mention what the peak gains are (from the quick dyno flash it looks like they are minimal). They also do a 0-60 run and then don't post what the time was.

Can anyone get us more info from Livernois on the flash of a bone stock Sport?

Peak HP gains weren't huge, but peak TQ gains were very good. Our 2013 SHO showed the same type of gains and was a full second quicker in the 1/4 mile. Stock numbers were 303 WHP / 308 WTQ. Tune numbers were 314 WHP / 386 WTQ.

We do plan on getting an Explorer for a shop vehicle and will continue to work on calibration. As updates are made, they are free of charge to customers who have our tuner. These updates are made simply via the internet.

-Rick
 






A customer emailed me and sent me the link to this thread, so I wanted to come answer your questions.



I'll have to check with our tuner to see what the factory speed limiter is set at.



Peak HP gains weren't huge, but peak TQ gains were very good. Our 2013 SHO showed the same type of gains and was a full second quicker in the 1/4 mile. Stock numbers were 303 WHP / 308 WTQ. Tune numbers were 314 WHP / 386 WTQ.

We do plan on getting an Explorer for a shop vehicle and will continue to work on calibration. As updates are made, they are free of charge to customers who have our tuner. These updates are made simply via the internet.

-Rick

Thanks for the update Rick!
What were the stock 0-60 and tuned 0-60 times you guys recorded?
 






A customer emailed me and sent me the link to this thread, so I wanted to come answer your questions.



I'll have to check with our tuner to see what the factory speed limiter is set at.



Peak HP gains weren't huge, but peak TQ gains were very good. Our 2013 SHO showed the same type of gains and was a full second quicker in the 1/4 mile. Stock numbers were 303 WHP / 308 WTQ. Tune numbers were 314 WHP / 386 WTQ.

We do plan on getting an Explorer for a shop vehicle and will continue to work on calibration. As updates are made, they are free of charge to customers who have our tuner. These updates are made simply via the internet.

-Rick

I would be interested if I knew it wasn't going to impact my warranty.
 






I would be interested if I knew it wasn't going to impact my warranty.

Your impact on warranty would depend on two things. First can they prove you had an aftermarket tune. Second can they prove that the problem you are making the warranty claim for was caused by the aftermarket tune.

For instance, if the vehicle is equipped with a rev limiter, and a tune removes a rev limiter, and you blow your engine up from over revving, then it's safe to say the engine will not be covered under warranty.

There is a lot of grey area. If Ford detects a tune (which I'm not sure that they can easily if you return the tune to stock before taking it in for maintenance) they will automatically deny any warranty for engine related drivetrain concerns. This isn't to say that you couldn't take them to court if you had proof the problem you are claiming was not caused by a tune, but you also would have to prove that the problem couldn't have been caused by a tune.

If you are concerned about warranty, then you likely aren't a good candidate for a custom tune anyway. The saying goes in modding.. be prepared to "pay to play". If you want to pay for more power, you also need to be willing to pay for damage any modifications may cause because of it.
 






Well that answers that.
 






Your impact on warranty would depend on two things. First can they prove you had an aftermarket tune. Second can they prove that the problem you are making the warranty claim for was caused by the aftermarket tune.

For instance, if the vehicle is equipped with a rev limiter, and a tune removes a rev limiter, and you blow your engine up from over revving, then it's safe to say the engine will not be covered under warranty.

There is a lot of grey area. If Ford detects a tune (which I'm not sure that they can easily if you return the tune to stock before taking it in for maintenance) they will automatically deny any warranty for engine related drivetrain concerns. This isn't to say that you couldn't take them to court if you had proof the problem you are claiming was not caused by a tune, but you also would have to prove that the problem couldn't have been caused by a tune.

If you are concerned about warranty, then you likely aren't a good candidate for a custom tune anyway. The saying goes in modding.. be prepared to "pay to play". If you want to pay for more power, you also need to be willing to pay for damage any modifications may cause because of it.

Yes, they can tell if it was tuned and even returned to stock. There is a "telltale" that gets tripped as soon as you reflash the PCM with a non stock tune. Problem is, no tuner knows exactly what or how it gets tripped. It's when certain parameters don't add up.

However, I have pretty good faith in Livernois tunes and wouldn't really worry about blowing up your vehicle. They have tuned hundreds of Ecoboost vehicles and know them really well.
 






Yes, they can tell if it was tuned and even returned to stock. There is a "telltale" that gets tripped as soon as you reflash the PCM with a non stock tune. Problem is, no tuner knows exactly what or how it gets tripped. It's when certain parameters don't add up.

However, I have pretty good faith in Livernois tunes and wouldn't really worry about blowing up your vehicle. They have tuned hundreds of Ecoboost vehicles and know them really well.

Please cite a reference to this information. There is great debate about whether they can tell, including Ford Mechanics saying that at the dealership level they have no tools that could prove it had been flashed. The only thing they had was the time from a code that occurs when the battery is disconnected. That's not to say that Ford doesn't have tools in the engineering department that could provide more information, but that would require yanking the ECU/ECM and sending it in.
 






They flash the dyno in the video but it's too small to read, and I don't see it posted on their site. 75whp is great, but they don't mention what the peak gains are (from the quick dyno flash it looks like they are minimal). They also do a 0-60 run and then don't post what the time was.

Can anyone get us more info from Livernois on the flash of a bone stock Sport?

To be able to read the numbers, open the video on the YouTube site, put it in 1080 resolution, full screen it and pausing at the proper moment will let you see the dyno chart with perfect clarity. Skip to time index 1:11 if you are impatient :)
 






Please cite a reference to this information. There is great debate about whether they can tell, including Ford Mechanics saying that at the dealership level they have no tools that could prove it had been flashed. The only thing they had was the time from a code that occurs when the battery is disconnected. That's not to say that Ford doesn't have tools in the engineering department that could provide more information, but that would require yanking the ECU/ECM and sending it in.

Riley is spot on.
This debate has been going on since well before LMS ever tune the the first EB engine.

Bottom line is;
if Ford has to replace an engine or other large drive train component , they will send it to Dearborn for tear down and determine exactly what went wrong with all the telltales at their disposal
( well beyond any PCM codes ). Once they establish "root cause" they can/will sue you for restitution in the unlikely event the dealer or anyone else in the decision chain missed something and inadvertently mis-honored a warranty claim.

As 13sport said be prepared to "pay to play"
 






Please cite a reference to this information. There is great debate about whether they can tell, including Ford Mechanics saying that at the dealership level they have no tools that could prove it had been flashed. The only thing they had was the time from a code that occurs when the battery is disconnected. That's not to say that Ford doesn't have tools in the engineering department that could provide more information, but that would require yanking the ECU/ECM and sending it in.


You're right, the dealers do not have the tools to actually see it. They are instructed to record any DTC's and freeze frame data. TSB 11-7-7 outlines the process. It is really no big deal to have the PCM sent in for further analysis. I really wish I could give you a reference for my information but lets just say it comes directly from the source.
 






Please cite a reference to this information. There is great debate about whether they can tell, including Ford Mechanics saying that at the dealership level they have no tools that could prove it had been flashed. The only thing they had was the time from a code that occurs when the battery is disconnected. That's not to say that Ford doesn't have tools in the engineering department that could provide more information, but that would require yanking the ECU/ECM and sending it in.

Yes Ford can tell if it was tuned. The dealership has no way of knowing. It requires the dealer to plug into the vehicles computers and upload info to Ford. This is not a common occurrence and this is where the grey area comes in. You better believe that if you blow a motor, Ford will require the dealership to upload the info and you will be up sh!ts creek. It does not require sending in any ECU to Ford. Even when uploaded, the dealer still can't tell, it is 1 sided.. meaning only Ford can see it.

Yes there is a lot of "my cousin said this" and "my friend said that". I am relaying info from a Master Ford Diesel Mechanic who worked for a Ford dealership for many years. He now works for my brother in law fixing his Ford fleet full time and works on my vehicles too.

All the dealer can see is codes from CELs etc.

I've had my powerstroke chipped for almost 100,000 miles. If it is from a reputable tuner, I'd feel very comfortable with tuning the Ex.

Also, on a side note, Ford will charge the dealer 10x the cost of the repair bill if they find out the dealer is performing repairs that shouldn't be covered under warranty. This is causing more and more dealers to not even want to touch vehicles that are modified in this way in the chance of getting caught or a warranty claim being rejected by Ford.
 






Riley is spot on. Once they establish "root cause" they can/will sue you for restitution in the unlikely event the dealer or anyone else in the decision chain missed something and inadvertently mis-honored a warranty claim.

As 13sport said be prepared to "pay to play"

They will not sue the vehicle owner, they will go after the dealership like I just posted above this one for 10x the cost of the repair.
 






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