To tune or not to tune…

[Twiigg]

Really want to (aftermarket) tune my RR, but haven’t yet done so due to potential ramifications (My truck is only 2 months old with 1500 miles on it). I found this article from Ford Authority interesting and plan to either use the Ford Performance tune or do nothing for now… like many other decisions in life, it ultimately is a gamble that some win and some lose. https://fordauthority.com/2025/10/f...hlid=ee4fc4e942e503a50de91fea5c30d7a7edd45185

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[DutchRanger]

Do you feel like you need more power, if yes, tune it.

 

[GLW]

Do you feel like you need more power, if yes, tune it.

I didn’t feel I needed more power but I did want better shifting and increased MPG. I got one of them and very happy.

 

[superj]

The procal also worked very well for shifting on my stx ranger, and of course more hp is always fun

 

[JimG]

I tuned mine with ProCal before I even brought it home. I love horsepower, the other benefits are just added benifits. If you do a ProCal tune and have your Ford dealer install the tune, make sure they register it in you name.
PS. Go for the HP, you won’t regret it.

 

[Arsenall11]

Tuned here, don’t jump on it a ton but when I do it goes! Shifting is smoother and I’m averaging 18.2 in the Seattle area, if you drive in Seattle you know lots of slow driving!

 

[SBB]

Here's mine.
Ford tune w/93 Exxon.

 

[ChuckyB24]

AS I learned from years owning turbocharged Audi cars, the advantages of tuning were endless. So, I had the dealer install the ProCal software after driving in stock mode for about 3 months. The change in performance versus stock was remarkable and the cost-per-horsepower/torque pickup was too attractive to pass up. I haven't seen any improvement in MPG versus stock, but then I live in the Phoenix area where we all commute at 75-80mph... I would definitely do it again.

 

[Mikein the burg]

With the Official Ford tune, do you need to switch from Regular Gas to Premium?

 

[SubZombie]

With the Official Ford tune, do you need to switch from Regular Gas to Premium?

Yes, you have to use premium with the Ford tune. The stock tune adapts to 87 or 91/93 and adjusts timing as needed which is good for versatility but limits power. Using regular gas with the Ford tune will cause significant damage to the engine over time.

You should fill up a couple times with Premium before you even install the Ford tune (or any tune designed for premium gas).

That said a nice thing about having the Procal tuner is that it is super quick and easy to reload the stock tune if needed.

 

[Viporpa]

Yes , 91 minimum octane.

 

[coded4ss]

So how does your warranty work with this? I heard even if the dealer does the tune your powertrain warranty gets cut in half?

 

[donkey]

So how does your warranty work with this? I heard even if the dealer does the tune your powertrain warranty gets cut in half?

3/36K miles only now.

If you buy an extended warranty and you have an issue during the time of your extended warranty, it will be up to the dealer to decide whether or not the tune caused that part to fail.

If you get ALL your stuff done by the dealer, bought the truck there, never changed tire sizes, bought their maintenance plan, etc - then they will probably honor your extended warranty with the tune.

For me - tune is not worth it. 7K / 125K mile premium care is worth more than a slightly faster and better shifting truck.

 

[SubZombie]

3/36K miles only now.

If you buy an extended warranty and you have an issue during the time of your extended warranty, it will be up to the dealer to decide whether or not the tune caused that part to fail.

If you get ALL your stuff done by the dealer, bought the truck there, never changed tire sizes, bought their maintenance plan, etc - then they will probably honor your extended warranty with the tune.

For me - tune is not worth it. 7K / 125K mile premium care is worth more than a slightly faster and better shifting truck.

I'm not going to explain in detail how the warranty works because it's been done so many times but your understanding of it is incorrect. The 5 year 60k powertrain warranty is absolutely still active even with the tune. I have it. I've used it. I spoke directly with Ford and dealers about it and confirmed it. The 3/36 is additional coverage, not in place of. It literally says that in the material it comes with. I know a lot of people like to think everyone is conspiring against them but

 

[donkey]

I'm not going to explain in detail how the warranty works because it's been done so many times but your understanding of it is incorrect. The 5 year 60k powertrain warranty is absolutely still active even with the tune. I have it. I've used it. I spoke directly with Ford and dealers about it and confirmed it. The 3/36 is additional coverage, not in place of. It literally says that in the material it comes with. I know a lot of people like to think everyone is conspiring against them but

Call your dealer and have them put in writing that the tune will not deny coverage of your 7yr/125k (or whatever warranty) if a valve drops out - They can not write that and will not. I called over a dozen dealers with the same question of “Will this Ford Performance tune effect my extended warranty,” and nobody could write “No, the tune will not effect your extended warranty” due to the tune being able to cause damage. However every single dealership expressed if you get all your service work done here, pay for the recommended services / extras, etc., they likely will NOT deny your claim because you have trusted them with your vehicle.

The Ford Performance tune comes with a Ford Performance Warranty, good for 3yrs/36k miles since the original date of the vehicle purchase. This warranty covers all items affected by the tune.

If a failure occurs AFTER 36,000 miles and Ford determines it was caused by the tune, it will NOT be covered under the factory powertrain warranty. This includes up to your 5yr/60K. And it is very easy to blame the tune (even though its Ford Performance).

This is the caveat - you should have a very good relationship with your dealer to have your truck covered. You can’t expect to get a tune, drive the piss out of it, a valve drops at 60k miles and you say its under warranty…they’ll say the tune and lack of maintenance caused the valve to drop and could have been caught by reoccurring dealer maintenance.

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