Another Happy Tune Customer

[jonroe]

Lidio,

I just installed your performance tune with the XCal2 I bought from you last Friday. What a relief! I actually enjoy the transmission performance for the first time. It makes a world of difference around town and I still have the 3.55 rear. I ordered the XCal2 on Friday, received it Tuesday, and installed the tune today. Excellent service and an excellent product. One question: The torque converter lockup now comes in at about 63mph but only if you are in 4th gear (O/D), right? It appears to simply stay unlocked if I'm in 3rd gear (O/D off) above 63mph, right? That makes sense. The transmission now acts like a 5speed auto where it really goes 1-2-3-4-lock. Makes much more sense than lockups in 2nd and 3rd gear at low speeds. And, I can feel the nice firm shifts each time. Again, what a relief. I've been meaning to do this for months now.

((P.S. the XCal2 was a BDay present from my wife)) :banana::banana2:

Jon

[MENINBLK]

((P.S. the XCal2 was a BDay present from my wife)) :banana::banana2:

Jon


Sure it was... Sure it was... :shake:

[Bluerauder]

Lidio,

I just installed your performance tune with the XCal2 I bought from you last Friday.

Jon
Congrats, Jon. :up:

[jonroe]

Yes!! It was! She's great. My passions are cars and guitars. She has bought me guitars before on my BDay. This time a little something for the MM. Jon


Sure it was... Sure it was... :shake:

[1stMerc]

Lidio,


((P.S. the XCal2 was a BDay present from my wife)) :banana::banana2:

Jon
Better not let her get away. Truly, your better half.
Are you still running the stock muffs or made the switch?

[jonroe]

Better not let her get away. Truly, your better half.
Are you still running the stock muffs or made the switch? Still have the stock exhaust. I talked to my exhaust guy last week and we're looking at replacing the stock muffs with Borlas plus getting the Megs delete tips. I have to buy those from Wes yet.

Jon

[Lidio]

Lidio,

I just installed your performance tune with the XCal2 I bought from you last Friday. What a relief! I actually enjoy the transmission performance for the first time. It makes a world of difference around town and I still have the 3.55 rear. I ordered the XCal2 on Friday, received it Tuesday, and installed the tune today. Excellent service and an excellent product. One question: The torque converter lockup now comes in at about 63mph but only if you are in 4th gear (O/D), right? It appears to simply stay unlocked if I'm in 3rd gear (O/D off) above 63mph, right? That makes sense. The transmission now acts like a 5speed auto where it really goes 1-2-3-4-lock. Makes much more sense than lockups in 2nd and 3rd gear at low speeds. And, I can feel the nice firm shifts each time. Again, what a relief. I've been meaning to do this for months now.

((P.S. the XCal2 was a BDay present from my wife)) :banana::banana2:

Jon

Yes, Lock up only works in 4th gear now at about 63 mph. It will not lock under any other conditions in any other gear. This has proven to be the best feeling time to lock it, especially if you only have 3.55 or lower like most automatic Mustangs had.

Not locking as early as the stock tune does has proven to be very popular amongst the MM crowd and was liked years ago when I started to do it with Mustangs and Trucks with lock-up converters. With today’s OEM trans coolers, there’s no problem with stock and even slightly looser converters running around town unlocked all the time. The one and only compromise is usually a small hit in MPG’s. Although the substantially better performance seems to heavily out way the slight loss in MPG’s around town.


Enjoy the tune and have fun.

[jonroe]

Congrats, Jon. :up:
Thanks, Charlie!

[jonroe]

Yes, Lock up only works in 4th gear now at about 63 mph. It will not lock under any other conditions in any other gear. This has proven to be the best feeling time to lock it, especially if you only have 3.55 or lower like most automatic Mustangs had.

Not locking as early as the stock tune does has proven to be very popular amongst the MM crowd and was liked years ago when I started to do it with Mustangs and Trucks with lock-up converters. With today’s OEM trans coolers, there’s no problem with stock and even slightly looser converters running around town unlocked all the time. The one and only compromise is usually a small hit in MPG’s. Although the substantially better performance seems to heavily out way the slight loss in MPG’s around town.


Enjoy the tune and have fun.
I was very pleased with the no lock except in 4th. That's exactly what I want. The small loss in MPG is not a problem even at these terrible gas prices. Having the RPMs between 1500 - 2000 around town is much more responsive that down around 1000 before. Great job!

Jon

[MarauderMark]

Congrats, Jon. :up:
Now thats a Marauder!:burn: Congrats:2thumbs:

[Ozz]

So the city mileage goes down a little but the highway mileage stays about the same?

[jonroe]

Yes, there should be no difference in highway mileage, based on the transmission program because the highway cruising is still 4th gear with lock-up. However, Lidio's other performance improvements could affect highway mileage - I don't know. Jon

[seabreeze]

I spoke with Lidio last Thursday, and had an Xcal 1 on Friday, and downloaded Saturday...What a RELIEF! Your description perfectly echoes my experience. Thanks for putting it into words.

I will add one slight point, I REALLY appreciate eliminating that flat lag spot between 45 and 50 mph under light acceleration. That bugged me so much with the stock program, and it is GONE. Thanks, Lidio!

Can't wait for the 4.10s, and to give the torque curve a quicker onset.

[Eric91Z]

I do a lot of driving on highway roads where I run right around 60mph or so in a 55mph zone. If I went with this tune does that mean I would not be in lockup when I am in 4th gear (O/D), but under 63mph?

Just curious.

[Rkammer]

I do a lot of driving on highway roads where I run right around 60mph or so in a 55mph zone. If I went with this tune does that mean I would not be in lockup when I am in 4th gear (O/D), but under 63mph?

Just curious.That's correct. You will not be locked up. You can probably talk to Lidio and ask him to set your lock up at about 59 MPH so you'll benefit from a bit of increased mileage. Or, you could tweak it youirself if you can get Lidio to send you your tune file (.xtr format). SCT offers a free download of their Extreme Tune program which allows the user to tweak shift points (and a few other parameters) to ones hearts content. I've been tweaking mine for the past month or so and decided on a 4th gear lock up point of about 52 MPH because I cruise at that speed in 45 MPH zones a lot in my home town. I also have 4.10 gears:)

[juno]

Yeah, I would be interested in reducing the lock-up myself as I drive 10 miles each way a day in a 45 zone. (traffic is usually 50-55).

[jonroe]

Lidio,

I started this thread soon after I installed your tune. I've had it for almost a month now and a question has come up. Until now I have had very little opportunity to push the engine real hard with the new tune. In the last week or so I've noticed some pinging when pushing about 7/8 throttle - not WOT. Should I be seeing this? It makes me concerned. I have only been using 93 labeled octane gas. I'm using your 93 octane tune. You also provided a 91 octane tune which I haven't tried yet. Should I be concerned? Is the timing too advanced with this tune? I expected to not see any pinging except possibly under full WOT - but even then it's not safe.

Thanks.

Jon Roe

[Daily 03]

Lidio installed his tune in my car the first of August and I am very pleased with the way the car performs. Last year in September, I had the car on a Dyno before anything was done and again yesterday with Lidio's tune. It gained 10 HP and 10 torque. Also the A/F ratio was right on.
Lidio installed 4.10 gears in my car also in August. With these 2 mods what a remarkable difference they made in this car. Thanks Lidio.

Dale

[Lidio]

Lidio,

I started this thread soon after I installed your tune. I've had it for almost a month now and a question has come up. Until now I have had very little opportunity to push the engine real hard with the new tune. In the last week or so I've noticed some pinging when pushing about 7/8 throttle - not WOT. Should I be seeing this? It makes me concerned. I have only been using 93 labeled octane gas. I'm using your 93 octane tune. You also provided a 91 octane tune which I haven't tried yet. Should I be concerned? Is the timing too advanced with this tune? I expected to not see any pinging except possibly under full WOT - but even then it's not safe.

Thanks.

Jon Roe

All of the performance tunes I’ve developed for the MM’s that are N/A and supercharged were done using local premium fuels which are 93 octane. I’ve found in the last few years that at least during the warmer months here in Michigan we seem to get a very good quality and true 93 octane. All the tunes for the MM’s that I do for N/A purposes never "knock" locally and seem to do well in many other parts of the country too.

There are a few complaints here and there that my tune dose rattle a little at WOT or near WOT. For this I usually include, or at a request include a 91 octane or poorer fuel tune.

I’ve had a lot of MM’s and other Ford’s come to me from long distances and arrive at my shop with a good chunk of fuel left in the tank that they got where they’re from…. And had detonation occur with tunes that I know don’t rattle here ever. And then we’d run off to a local B.P. station, top it off with my locally avaible 93 octane and literally hear the spark knock go away with in a ½ mile or so from the gas station. I’ve tried to back off the timing a little bit on the master tune that I’ve developed for distribution, but for the most part I didn’t want to sacrifice performance and throttle response. Try the 91 tune and see what you think of how it feels and if the spark knock goes away. If it dose, that’s all you can do is run that tune until you want to try some other fuels

[Eric91Z]

All of the performance tunes I’ve developed for the MM’s that are N/A and supercharged were done using local premium fuels which are 93 octane. I’ve found in the last few years that at least during the warmer months here in Michigan we seem to get a very good quality and true 93 octane. All the tunes for the MM’s that I do for N/A purposes never "knock" locally and seem to do well in many other parts of the country too.

There are a few complaints here and there that my tune dose rattle a little at WOT or near WOT. For this I usually include, or at a request include a 91 octane or poorer fuel tune.

I’ve had a lot of MM’s and other Ford’s come to me from long distances and arrive at my shop with a good chunk of fuel left in the tank that they got where they’re from…. And had detonation occur with tunes that I know don’t rattle here ever. And then we’d run off to a local B.P. station, top it off with my locally avaible 93 octane and literally hear the spark knock go away with in a ½ mile or so from the gas station. I’ve tried to back off the timing a little bit on the master tune that I’ve developed for distribution, but for the most part I didn’t want to sacrifice performance and throttle response. Try the 91 tune and see what you think of how it feels and if the spark knock goes away. If it dose, that’s all you can do is run that tune until you want to try some other fuels


I assume this mean that when I call to order an XCal2 from you for my N/A Marauder, that I can get the tune based on the best octane gas we have here in Iowa? We have a choice of 93 octane with ethanol, 92 octane without (BP), or 91 octane with or without ethanol. I am thinking I will plan on just going with a tune for 91 octane, run the 92 BP when I can, and make it safe in case I ever run in to a time that I can't get to a BP with the "good" 92.

[Sully008]

I assume this mean that when I call to order an XCal2 from you for my N/A Marauder, that I can get the tune based on the best octane gas we have here in Iowa? We have a choice of 93 octane with ethanol, 92 octane without (BP), or 91 octane with or without ethanol. I am thinking I will plan on just going with a tune for 91 octane, run the 92 BP when I can, and make it safe in case I ever run in to a time that I can't get to a BP with the "good" 92.
Lidio did 2 tunes for my MM. One for 91 and one for 93 octane (which was a nice surprise). The highest octane in my area is 91, but I'm running the 93 tune without any pinging, even at WOT. Give Lidio a call and he'll ask all the right questions to give you the best tune for your MM. I'm a happy customer.:beer:

[Lidio]

I assume this mean that when I call to order an XCal2 from you for my N/A Marauder, that I can get the tune based on the best octane gas we have here in Iowa? We have a choice of 93 octane with ethanol, 92 octane without (BP), or 91 octane with or without ethanol. I am thinking I will plan on just going with a tune for 91 octane, run the 92 BP when I can, and make it safe in case I ever run in to a time that I can't get to a BP with the "good" 92.


Usually the 91 octane tune I offer does the trick every where, especially if 91 octane is all you can get. Make sure you tell us that when ordering, I dont always include that unless you ask.

Thanks

[jonroe]

All the tunes for the MM’s that I do for N/A purposes never "knock" locally and seem to do well in many other parts of the country too.

There are a few complaints here and there that my tune dose rattle a little at WOT or near WOT. For this I usually include, or at a request include a 91 octane or poorer fuel tune.

I’ve tried to back off the timing a little bit on the master tune that I’ve developed for distribution, but for the most part I didn’t want to sacrifice performance and throttle response. Try the 91 tune and see what you think of how it feels and if the spark knock goes away. If it does, that’s all you can do is run that tune until you want to try some other fuels
Lidio,

Thank you for the in depth response. With the hurricane fuel supply problems lately, there could be a problem with the last couple of batches of fuel that I received. Maybe it really wasn't 93. I don't know. What I will do is try the 93 tune just a little longer to see if there was a fuel problem that gets resolved. If not, then I will load the 91 tune. There is NO WAY I'm giving up your drivability advantages! But I do want to be safe from knock. How much performance will I give up with the 91 octane tune? In any event I will get back to this forum on the resolution of my problem. Thanks.

Jon

[jonroe]

Well, I let that knocking tank full get burned up then filled with a fresh new tank of Sunoco 93 "between hurricanes". Still have that tank in. I pushed it hard a few times on this tank including one or two WOTs and have NOT detected any knocking. I'm still on the 93 octane tune. I'll fill one more new tank and try again. Looks like I had a batch or two of faulty (non 93 octane) gas. I hope that's it.

Funny how difficult it is to push the MM hard in urban situations because the sucker gains speed so fast so have to let off before WOT or just at WOT. Even in stock trim the MM is still quite quick. I was testing it on a toll road where you can drop the hammer leaving the toll booth and push pretty hard before letting off but I still get to 80 pretty damn fast!

Jon

[Eric91Z]

Another happy XCal2 owner here, too. Received mine on Thursday and finally got the tune uploaded today. Put about 250 miles on the car since then today and definitely agree this is the way it should have come from the factory.

No more shifting in to 4th gear at 25mph, to more hunting for gears or soft upshifts. The WOT shifts are AWESOME and the not-WOT are perfect for daily cruising. Big test will be Monday when I drive to work to see if the TC come-on point of 60mph will be OK on the roads I drive. On the in-town and highway driving we did today, it was fine, but we will see. That might be the only thing I will think about changing. Other than that, I love what Lidio has done in this tuning.

And I am running the 93 octane tune using 93 octane with "up to 10% ethanol". So far no knocking or concerns. We will see how that goes when the "winter" gas starts rolling in around here. Then again, won't be getting on it much then anyway.

Thanks Lidio!!!

[Lidio]

Lidio,

Thank you for the in depth response. With the hurricane fuel supply problems lately, there could be a problem with the last couple of batches of fuel that I received. Maybe it really wasn't 93. I don't know. What I will do is try the 93 tune just a little longer to see if there was a fuel problem that gets resolved. If not, then I will load the 91 tune. There is NO WAY I'm giving up your drivability advantages! But I do want to be safe from knock. How much performance will I give up with the 91 octane tune? In any event I will get back to this forum on the resolution of my problem. Thanks.

Jon


Sorry for the late response.

I've never tested or dyno'd a N/A MM with any thing less then the locally available 93 octane fuels. Normally on the 91 octane tune that I do for the MM's... I simply pull a total of 3 degrees timing out at WOT or near WOT and this pretty much makes my tune work with 91 octane or 93 that isn't quite 93.

As far as a performance difference.... I'd guess about a 10-15HP loss at the flywheel, but these are the rules, if they spark knock you fix it by pulling spark.


Thanks

[Eric91Z]

I just wanted to share a little more input on the XCal2 tune. I got the stock tune with 91 and 93 octane options. I have just the JLT CAI and stock 3.55 gears. I spend a lot of time on my daily commute driving in areas that are 45-60mph. Because of this, I was concerned about the TC lockup at 63mph as I did not want to be running high revs until (or if) I ever got to that speed on parts of the commute and did not want to kill gas mileage.

I spent a lot of time driving around with the overdrive turned off thinking I could simulate what it would be like once I got the tune on there. And I was quite worried about it based on driving like that.

Well, let me tell you, that does not come close to simulating how the car actually drives with the tune. This is how it should have come from the factory to start with!!!!

The part throttle shifting is EXCELLENT, and WOT shifting is incredible. No longer does the car drive in 4th gear with TC locked (if the overdrive was left on) at 30mph. The car runs higher rpms between shifts, shifts are very positive, but not harsh under normal throttle. The car is WAY more responsive and enjoyable to drive on a daily basis now.

I put about 300 miles on it over the weekend and another 150 the last 2 days for work commute and love it. Once I hit 60mph and hold it there (or right around 60), the TC will lock and I can actually drop speed back to just below 60 and it seems to stay locked (revs stay down).

The WOT shifts will snap your neck back. First time I experienced it was on a cruise Saturday with some car friends with cars much faster than mine (Corvettes, F-Bodies, and a new LS2 GTO). I had the wife, 8 year old, and 3 1/2 month year old in the car for the cruise. I went WOT at one point and on the shift the 8 year old actually had to put the 3 1/2 month old head back (sitting in a rear facing car seat) as it pushed it forward. Also pushed the wife back in her seat. Needless to say, I watched it a little more after that...

Anyway, I can't say enough about this setup now. I am currently running the 93 octane tune and the only 93 octane we have around here has ethanol in it. Even so, I have not heard or detected any knock so far and the car is running great. And there are some user paramters that are adjustable with my setup. But currently I have no desire to change anything.

THANKS LIDIO!!!! :bows: Looking forward to doing future business with you!!! (Kooks, 4.10's, and some day a Trilogy).

[jonroe]

Lidio,

I'd like to wrap this up for me. I've now been through about 3 full tanks since I was having trouble with knock. NO problems now! I had to have gotten some mis-labeled gas during the Katrina mess. I've run it at WOT several times on the new tanks and NO problems. I'm relieved. If I get 93 octane, then this tune is perfect. I used to always get my gas at Sheetz but recently I've used Sunoco and may prefer that. Today I filled with Shell 93 at 2.99. I got Sheetz 93 yesterday in my other car for 2.79 so at least the price has dropped some.

I continue as a satisfied customer!

Thanks.

Jon

[Eric91Z]

Same here. Especially after getting to the track yesterday. She ran quite well for what she is. Also, I have been running the 93 tune since I got the XCal2 and have been running 93 octane with ethanol with no problems. I filled up with 92 BP yesterday as that was the best around, and still running the 93 tune and no detonation or knock with some WOT. Then again, it was 1/2 BP 92 octane mixed with the remaining 1/2 of 93.

Also, something I have not seen others comment on, but have read on Lidio's website is about the alternator shut off at WOT. I first noticed this on the way to work one morning when it was still dark out and the lights were on. I was WOT on an on ramp and the lights got really dim. Then I let off to cruise speed and they got brighter again. Then I remembered reading about this on his sight. Made sure all electrical items that can be turned off were off while at the track.