Zalvern Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 (edited) I was waiting for this all day! Glad to hear you like it! Can you get some videos of 0-60 or anything like that? Love the super pursuit mode video btw!!! Well that was my plan after seeing the new Star Wars movie, since I went to a late night show. Sadly icy rain has hit my area...even with AWD and Blizzak LM001 winter tires, one has to be wise when the ice is around. I'll do a rough test run when I can! With what little play I got in before the rain came in, my estimate is mid to low 4 second range. Looks like the rough shifts have settled other than 1st and 2nd gear in low speed stop-and-go traffic now. Though I think future updates will improve this further. But the best part is no more power hesitation or reaction delay, especially when Traction Control is off. Even WOT in Drive gear delivers great results, with Sport being outright sick. It's soooooo much better, and truly on the path to being a real effortless performance demand. It's a hot rod sleeper Lincoln now. Shifting speed will improve in time as Livernois continues their work. It wasn't until V11 for the Fusions did we finally get some gutless transmission shifting performance, especially with their aggressive shift strategy. This first tune is really a good start, as the first big thing is removing all that power limitation from what the car holds back in stock form. I believe this is why torque increase was low, as really we are losing a lot of reliable torque due to stock torque management systems. But the Livernois tune helped address that immensely. Brake boosting is now possible as well. Not that I will ever really do it, but the speed limiter is gone as well. Just nice having an "unlocked" vehicle again. I missed this pleasure so much. Edited December 17, 2016 by Zalvern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share Posted December 17, 2016 Sounds good. I hope the shifts smooth out as it goes through the adaptive learning process. As you said, this is just version 1 so I am sure improvements will be made. I assume you will provide Livernois some feedback. If the shifts remain too rough, they can dial back the transmission hydraulic pressure a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 (edited) Sounds good. I hope the shifts smooth out as it goes through the adaptive learning process. As you said, this is just version 1 so I am sure improvements will be made. I assume you will provide Livernois some feedback. If the shifts remain too rough, they can dial back the transmission hydraulic pressure a bit. While doing some errands today, the shifts have smoothed out very well. I'll give it two weeks of driving and will keep in touch with Livernois how things go. Future goal is to have a standard tune, and then a more aggressive shifting one for strip play, where shifting comfort isn't a concern. So far, the tune is becoming what we all hope for. I want to believe mid to low 12's should be easily achieved now. The obnoxious power hesitation is nearly unnoticeable already, which is impressive and makes throttling more precise to what you are demanding with input. Drag strip play will have to wait due to the season, but its definitely going to wow some folks as if it already didn't. Plus, it'll be better to have non-winter blend fuel. Edited December 17, 2016 by Zalvern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share Posted December 17, 2016 Excellent! I have a 3.0 Continental ordered that should arrive in the next week. It has the same engine but I am not sure if Livernois will need to get a Conti on the dyno before they offer a tune for it or not. I would want to put 1000 miles or so on mine before tuning anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 This V1 tune is pretty dang impressive. Got a good 2 hour drive and being 3 am, I had lots of highway to myself. Truly effortless performance now. If I must mention thoughts of improvements, it'll be optimizing transmission and shift speeds. Good news is no more hesitation or "power halting" till the transmission "catches up" with what stock torque management demanded. Sure, more power and torque is nice but tuned 3.0T will pretty much dust any other daily drivers out there. Especially stock tuned vehicles, little competition whatsoever. So getting the 6F55 to shine better is the longterm goal I say. brucelinc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 Any further comments now that you have had the tune for a few days? Any negative behavior? I now have my 3.0 Continental. The engine is very strong. It really jumps from a dead stop. However, the 1-2 shift is awful at wide open throttle. It feels like someone shuts off the engine during the shift. If a tune eliminates or at least reduces that, it would cut half a second off the 0-60 time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 (edited) Any further comments now that you have had the tune for a few days? Any negative behavior? I now have my 3.0 Continental. The engine is very strong. It really jumps from a dead stop. However, the 1-2 shift is awful at wide open throttle. It feels like someone shuts off the engine during the shift. If a tune eliminates or at least reduces that, it would cut half a second off the 0-60 time. Congrats on the Continental! Your 1-2 shift complaint is pretty much expect with any of these 6F55 transmission vehicles. Its done on purpose because otherwise, with fast great shifts you would be feeling all that torque energy pretty hard and worry if your transmission is breaking...but it is the nature of high performance and especially just how much power the 3.0T really can do. I did a nice long trip between Cincinnati and Marietta Georgia...plenty of time with the tune at hand. I just sent them a feedback in regards to where the transmission still needs work. The engine has plenty of power, and in fact...it is probably overpowered for the rest of the vehicle. The transmission might be Lincoln's concern as to why the ECU is so naggy on power demand, but of course they have to account for every kind of driver there is. Not everyone knows how to properly take care of a turbocharged vehicle. The tune is a major improvement. But as I mentioned before, transmission shifting still needs more optimization and improving whatever causes the Torque Management system to behave so strictly. I know of the 1-2 shift "lag and power drop" and yes, that is indeed the Torque Management and ECU safety systems at work. The stock tune is ultra conservative. The Livernois V1 tune is an improvement, allowing at least power to not be "bogged down" but still has a shift delay at times. It's feels like remnants of the stock tune still there trying to hold things back more than anything. So Lincoln wanted to "smooth the shifting experience" the best they can, but still...if someone wants comfort over performance then they do not go for a high power engine. It's just like with motor mounts: Higher performance means more vibration and sounds. In our case, its Torque "kick-back" and shifting. The 6F55 however is at its limits on how much comfort vs performance it can do, which its a durable transmission...just rough when it needs to focus on being a performer. I DO know it can shift faster, because the V11 aggressive tune I had on my Fusion was superb in fast shifting with barely any delay...may not have had high horsepower but the fast shifting was awesome. I believe Livernois will get there one day and this 6F55 will be excellent for high performance moments then. Mind you, Drive gear is still smooth for daily driving and cruising. So no worries on losing the daily driving comfort. Any torque kick back and shifting feels is just when you demand high amounts of throttle especially in Sport gear...and to me, that is fine as we are focusing more on performance which usually trades off comfort in exchange. Long story short: The 3.0T is still a bit conservative with Livernois' V1 tune when playing it for transmission performance, but they did admit to that and having to approach it carefully. The first major improvement is not having a lot of that power demand loss because the torque management system tries to keep the overall system in check. With a tune, it at least doesn't "Hold Power" then "GO!" but "starts going then sudden GO!" if that makes sense. Edited December 27, 2016 by Zalvern brucelinc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 I hope they can make the shift quality as good as they have with the 3.5 ecoboost MKS and SHOs. My MKS made a ton of power and the shifts were lightning fast and firm - without being harsh. I already have about 600 miles on my Conti from a weekend road trip but I will wait awhile before obtaining a tune. They might have an improved version based on your feedback as well as others who are running tuned 3.0 Lincolns. Doubt if there are very many yet, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 I almost feels like mine hits the rev limiter at wot before it shifts. The engine literally falls on its face, then it shifts and surges forward again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 (edited) Yeah that's pretty..normal sad to say. It is definitely not the engine, rather a load of potential is being robbed from the 3.0T. Transmission hardware limitation? I doubt it. Its all the ECU and management systems. I have experimented with various levels of transmission fluid. Half-hash, full-hash, and a pint extra (a Livernois suggestion) over hash mark readings on the transmission's fluid stick. All result in the same performance, so I just keep transmission fluid at the top hash mark line indicated as MAX when its hot and up to 185+ F degreees. But it gives me good faith knowing so much of the issues is really all due to the programming. The 3.5L has had much longer development time and availability im multiple vehicle applications. Our 3.0T is brand new, and only in two vehicles and only Lincolns...yet the engine IS an improvement over the 3.5 once it reaches equal development knowledge and stages. Honestly I'm impressed I got it tuned within its release year. I suggest just putting about 2000-5000 miles in, and do a tune up along with an oil change or so. Mine was tuned in the 7xxx range and I'm in the 9000's now, getting to 10k in miles. Edited December 27, 2016 by Zalvern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 Zalvern, it sounds like there is still some room for improvement with transmission behavior even after the tune. Would you say that it is at least improved compared to stock? Did yours improve any after you accumulated some miles? Mine shifts great in normal driving and isn't too bad even with heavier than normal throttle. However, at WOT, the engine just bogs prior to the shift, then it shifts and surges forward again. I hope the tune will improve that if not completely eliminate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 (edited) Zalvern, it sounds like there is still some room for improvement with transmission behavior even after the tune. Would you say that it is at least improved compared to stock? Did yours improve any after you accumulated some miles? Mine shifts great in normal driving and isn't too bad even with heavier than normal throttle. However, at WOT, the engine just bogs prior to the shift, then it shifts and surges forward again. I hope the tune will improve that if not completely eliminate it. WOT from stand still techniques are better after Livernois tuned but transmission shift speeds still need some improvements. It does get better with mileage. Low speed shifts may occasionally send torque feedback, and some high speed shifts may hesitate with up shifting with the computer like its still trying to decide if it should upshift or not. But the tune is much better over stock and very noticeable improvement. The whole stock tune just seemed completely "Anti-Drag Racing" built which is why Lincoln even said it isn't intended to rocket off from green lights...but now with Livernois' tune it can. I do plan to take my vehicle in to Livernois still sometime next year (when I have summer tires back on) for a dyno run and perhaps more personalized tune done in house. Very certain mine is putting down 400+ at the wheels, and excited to get it dyno graphed. Got the fluid improvements and aFe Air filter going after all. As for trans fluid, I just keep it around the half way mark when fully up to temp on the dipstick EDIT: To add some additional information, fuel quality and octane ratio does have a effect on transmission performance. Looks like due to winter blend fuel, its harder to achieve optimized fuel performance. This will result in the powertrain falling "flat on its face" when demanding high throttle inputs, as knock detection is worse. Edited January 1, 2017 by Zalvern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 Still happy with the tune? Livernois tells me that they have a tune for my Continental whenever I am ready. The weather here is ugly and I want to put a few more miles on first but I am looking forward to some reduced torque management. OMG, that engine is stout, though. I think it would beat my tuned MKS off the line and through 1st gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 (edited) Still enjoying the tune for what it brings. Can't wait till I have my Pilot Super Sports and Summer fuel back. Winter fuel is a drag, and more knock prone than ever. I use ACES IV but it works "exponentially" so when combined with winter fuel (which is worse performance), it only does so much improvement vs ideal summer fuel quality. The 3.0T is definitely more sensitive to fuel quality in determining its performance, and may attest to why the Torque Management acts up so much as well. My suggestion would be to just wait out getting a tune till we're back to Summer fuels and "proper" 93 octane that isn't "wintered" down. It makes a big difference. Edited January 11, 2017 by Zalvern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) In a reply to me on another forum, Livernois mentioned a "new surprise" regarding tuning my Continental. Not sure what that meant. Unfortunately, I lack the patience to wait for summer fuel so I will be reaching out to them soon. Granted, this is an entirely different beast than the 3.5 ecoboost but winter fuel didn't make much difference on my MKS. I would get a bit more knock retard but never more than the ecu could handle. Edited January 12, 2017 by brucelinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 (edited) The 3.0T is bogged down due to winter fuel, but a tune still will deliver, just not as strongly since fuel is absolute life force for the car as a whole. If you're ready to get tune, go for it! But I do have somewhat "good news" (Meaning Livernois did improve the shifts greatly and smoothly...if fuel quality is up to par), those power lags and shifting issues are most likely related to the fuel quality (meaning unless you invest in better fuel, just have to roll with how it performs). Even 93 octane is far from good even now. Nothing wrong with the transmission fluid or its programming...again, its the fuel quality and sad fact is us regular customers are all at the mercy of whatever really comes out at the gas pumps. I expect the same for your Continental or any 3.0T owner who thinks its falling flat at times. It's just has a bigger impact on how well a car performs in many factors. The transmission lags because if fuel isn't igniting correctly, it holds out till it does mean the ECU conditions. Tons of computer calculations being applied to manage the engine, turbochargers, and transmission that relate to how well fuel is actually igniting in the cylinders. Edited January 14, 2017 by Zalvern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 I am happy to report that with additional miles and the adaptive learning that is normal in the 6F55 transmission, my car is shifting much better now than when it had so few miles on it. The torque management is still there, of course, but it no longer feels like an invisible hand is shutting off the engine between shifts. It now shifts as quickly and firmly as my MKS did when it was stock. Livernois is working on a tune for me and I will be anxious to see how that improves things even further. I use an Aeroforce gauge to monitor several engine parameters and it has also proven to be very accurate at measuring 0-60 and quarter mile performance. I timed my 3.0 Continental 0-60 yesterday and got 4.86 seconds. That is a bit quicker than my MKS was when it was stock. Hopefully, when I get the Livernois tune and summer fuel, I will see a 4 second flat time. I will be going to the track in May and I would really like to see times similar to my tuned MKS - in the mid-high 12s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinsz Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 (edited) Wow, impressive 0-60 on the conti......and no tune yet....awesome. Can't wait for my Z to arrive so I can load a tune. After reading Zalvern's impressions on shifting, I'm hoping Livernois has improved that. Only drawback for me with the tune is cost......gonna be just shy of $1k after exchange, brokerage, and tax is applied. Livernois is terrific to deal with tho ...... All the SHO peeps were very happy with them as I was. Be sure and let us know when yours is tuned Brucelink. It's good now but after a tune it's gonna be a real beast. Thanks for all the feedback guys -- keep it coming. C. Edited February 9, 2017 by colinsz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelinc Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 I am still waiting on Livernois. They need to actually get a Continental in the shop to build the tune. They told me that they could borrow one from a local dealer but that hasn't happened yet. In the meantime, they have offered to provide me with a transmission tune. They can create that based on all of their experience with the 6F55 transmission. I don't necessarily want that without the engine tune as well. I suggested that if they couldn't get a Conti in their shop from a local source, I could probably take mine to them in late March or April. For whatever reason, they didn't even respond to that suggestion. I have also reached out to SCT about tuning support but they do not have anything yet. I will be very disappointed if I can't get a tune from someone before the tracks open in May. colinsz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinsz Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 From what I know of Livernois I'd say that they'll get a tune for u as soon as they can arrange a Conti from a local dealer. I don't blame u for waiting for the engine/tranny tune in one tune. Will be much simpler and should at least urge them to find a Conti to evaluate. :) There's still a couple months b4 the races start so don't lose hope. In any case the ride is a beast as it sits and should show some decent times in stock mode. C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 It's been awhile, but I'm pretty much waiting for the winter season to end and tracks to open back up. Once they are, I'll head back and get a very nice time slip and video clip ideally (as long my friend remembers to record this time...) I will say Livernois' tune, I was wrong about the shifts being off because of "the tune". It is the fuel quality itself which in turn makes the ECU performance unhappy at times. Also our engine mounts aren't "race" quality due to the amount of increased vibrations that would result in (it is still very decent however), so this will result in "slight" (very minor when fuel quality is optimized) delay in shifts. Once the tracks are open again, I'll be going in for some slips now that I am more than ready to see what this sleeper can do. I could do rough data but...I don't want to spoil anything right now. :) colinsz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinsz Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 sub 5 second times are certainly awesome enough (stock) ...... Anything better than that will be gravy for sure. brucelinc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalvern Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 (edited) Well thanks to this nice weather of 60 degrees, I get to enjoy the Summer Tires with Livernois' tune! While the Blizzaks LM001 are great for the winter, the grip and handling of Super Sports just mate with the tune so well. Now that i have the summer duds on, I will try 0-60 video clip along with a little "Driver's Package fun" since where I am working has a lot of good curves and turns to utilize dynamic torque vectoring well. When I got the tune, it was already winter time so this is the first I get to enjoy with good tires for road performance. Edited February 19, 2017 by Zalvern colinsz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinsz Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 ......bring on those good times ..... can't wait to hear Nice to have decent weather back again -- hope it stays and we get an early spring. C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjrocco Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Any updates on the tune? How the shifting been? Looking to purchase this tune as early as next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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