Livernois tune for 3.0TT MKZ

[Takeshi]

Hello Members,

 

I recently got a used MKZ Black Label, I was wondering what the MPG you are averaging around when driving with 91 tune or 93 tune please specific the octane and tune, thank you very much!

[Airflow]

I get 18 average on 93 tune. 

[FunktasticLucky]

19 hours ago, Takeshi said:

Hello Members,

 

I recently got a used MKZ Black Label, I was wondering what the MPG you are averaging around when driving with 91 tune or 93 tune please specific the octane and tune, thank you very much!

I don't have a tune on mine.  But I average a little over 17 in the city and 31-33 on the interstate depending on temperature and wind and such. I run 91 pure gas from the shell station down the street.

[Takeshi]

On 12/22/2018 at 5:36 PM, FunktasticLucky said:

I don't have a tune on mine.  But I average a little over 17 in the city and 31-33 on the interstate depending on temperature and wind and such. I run 91 pure gas from the shell station down the street.

Oh my god, are you running the 3.0T AWD? I average 17 in the city too and 22-23 mpg average. However on highway I am only averaging around 24-25 MPG with 91. Do you you think there could be a recall that's causing the low highway mpg?

[FunktasticLucky]

I have no idea. I bought mine brand new and I just set the cruise control and go. But yeah in the summer time driving to and from Oklahoma to Omaha I get 30+ always. Leaving Asheville, NC and driving to OK my first fill up was 37 lol. But that was a lot of down the mountain.
 

I did take her for a pretty decent break in drive after I took delivery. Drove 400 miles to my mom's and then 400 back within the first 3 days of owning it.  And I didn't beat on her for the first 3500 or so.

 

[bbf2530]

12 hours ago, Takeshi said:

Oh my god, are you running the 3.0T AWD? I average 17 in the city too and 22-23 mpg average. However on highway I am only averaging around 24-25 MPG with 91. Do you you think there could be a recall that's causing the low highway mpg?

Hi Takeshi.  Here is one person's educated opinion. First, the best advice you can follow is to take anyone and everyone's fuel mileage claims with a giant grain of salt.

Second, you can not compare to others experiences anyway. Here are just some of the reasons: Because no two people drive the same style, same roads, same weather, same fuel, use the same method of mileage calculations etc, etc. Then there are the human error and exaggeration factors. What you consider and experience as "city" and "highway" driving will not be the same as someone else's "city" and "highway" driving.  So do not compare your own fuel mileage to anyone else's.

Third, no there would not be a "recall".

All you can do is learn how to maximize your own fuel mileage.  There are some easy things, such no jack rabbit starts, don't be one of those drivers who is constantly either on the accelerator or brake, learn how to coast up to lights, stop signs etc..  Drive with the windows up at highway speeds.  Use the vent settings as much as possible...and do no use the "Auto" settings on the HVAC system unless absolutely necessary for comfort. The "Auto" setting engages the AC compressor to dehumidify the air if necessary, even when set to heat. Therefore, it uses more fuel than just using the HVAC system to vent and heat outside air, and that goes for heat or AC/cool settings.

You'll sleep easier at night if you work on improving your own MPG's without comparing it to others.

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

[Dismonkey1]

On ‎6‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 8:11 PM, darkstar said:

Im working with Torrie to get the Mkz tuned via HPtuners, I think we can make this thing fly with tunes optimized for mods like cai, fmic and downipes. 

FYI- Just loaded the Unleashed tune from Torrie (93P) yesterday using the HP MPVI2. Just off the bat, I could see that the shifts were firmer and throttle response was better. There is a noticeable power increase as well. Only problem is that the stock crap Primacy tires can't handle the upgrade for me to properly test. I almost lost control when trying to floor it from a 15 mph role. The back tires just cut loose (never happened with the stock tune). I will need to drive it some more to see how the shifting is across all parameters but at least for me, getting rid of the shift lag at lower speeds is worthwhile. Almost scared to install the intercooler later on LOL. Would be good to see some of the folks on this forum give it a shot to see what they think vs. the Livernois tune. I had Torrie's tune for my SHO and it was (imo) the best. I'm just not really a track guy, so I don't have anything to offer in terms of time slips and such.

[Zalvern]

Very nice to hear SCT finally gave some 3.0 support. Good luck to you guys! Livernois always needs a rival or else they get lazy.

If you ever want some brand new summer rubber for more fun, still got my Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and full set of winter tires + pvd onyx 2015 black label wheels! Just PM me! I will ship now (pictures in sale thread).

Even with tunes, tires are the most important mod for safety and performance!

[darkstar]

Yeah I went through about 25 revisions with Torrie and the car runs good but I started having weird shifting issues so I went back to LMS. I also ran his tune vs lms at the track and there was no improvement...

[FunktasticLucky]

The lack of data logging is my issue and the expense for livernois. I think you're the only person I have actually heard say there were issues with Torrie.  Would you mind expanding on the issues you had a little bit? I'll be pulling the trigger on a tune next spring after I get the Tracy Lewis oil can installed.

[Zalvern]

I'll give Livernois the credit thier tune works and stable. Especially since I had that flawed motor head with coolant leak while tuned. Yet suffered no serious damage even when I did drag strip runs. Just  those weird misfire moments till it was fixed. Livernois is the most conservative in tuning for the public. The aggressive competition tunes have to actually be local and show actual investment in such aspects. Or if seeking special tunes like E85/E30. I did not get to try the VP Racing 100 Octane tune.

Livernois swears against having customers data log. That Livernois have propriety software to maximize recommended limits without data logging (something I always heard them say). It gets debated a lot on other forums involving Livernois tune vs another rival. My take is: Livernois is the choice for safety and simplicity, but not the absolute optimized for best performance due to their non data logging approach.

I do try to keep an open mind because of PCM adaptive learning technology in many modern cars now. Example being: Adding 10mm increase to the throttle body allows some more top end power with the 3.0 at the cost of more fuel usage with stock tune, as it's one easy way for Ford to control fuel economy targets. It is how Ford equalize the MPG between the 2.7 and 3.0 engines, when the 3.0 definitely can make more power due to displacement alone).

Still getting Unleashed gets rival competition which is good to have so both sides may strive to improve. With choice, go with the one you feel is best. Though I am personally planning to step away from aftermarket tuning and enjoy only bolt ons for simplicity and less headache. The new things like 10 speed transmission are adaptively learning better.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Zalvern

[darkstar]

4 hours ago, FunktasticLucky said:

The lack of data logging is my issue and the expense for livernois. I think you're the only person I have actually heard say there were issues with Torrie.  Would you mind expanding on the issues you had a little bit? I'll be pulling the trigger on a tune next spring after I get the Tracy Lewis oil can installed.

Agreed and this is the reason I wanted to run either HPtuners or SCT. I thought we would be able to gain more power from what LMS left on the table, but so far that is not the case. I am not at all disappointed with Torrie. He is an incredible tuner with great customer service. After spending an additional $450,  2 months and tens of hours loading/ datalogging tunes and beating the hell out of my car the gains were nothing. Thats whats frustrating. The shifting was getting better at the end of the revisions but after running the last tune for awhile, it started to feel like something was wrong, like there was a boost leak or something robbing power. Switched back to lms tune and it went away and has been fine for over 2 months. I will probably mess with the Unleashed tune when it warms up again and see if the issues come back.  But thanks to me bugging the hell out of Torrie for 6 months and him bugging SCT and HP tuners there is now another option for the MKZ at least. 

[FunktasticLucky]

Yeah.  I  thinking of doing hp tuners as SCT has finally pissed me off. I got an email a couple months ago that said they are restricting my pro racer package access so I wont have access to all my parameters. After spending 600 dollars they can go F themselves now.

 

Let me know if Torrie can get the tune locked in better.  Out of the livernois tunes which do you prefer? The firmer shift one or the normal one?

 

[Airflow]

I have the Livernois tune and it adds a lot of power. My car would keep up with my brother’s ATS-V. I find the normal shifting tune best for everyday use. The firm shift tune is great when the transmission is warmed up, but the initial shift is rough when cold.

[Dismonkey1]

18 hours ago, darkstar said:

Agreed and this is the reason I wanted to run either HPtuners or SCT. I thought we would be able to gain more power from what LMS left on the table, but so far that is not the case. I am not at all disappointed with Torrie. He is an incredible tuner with great customer service. After spending an additional $450,  2 months and tens of hours loading/ datalogging tunes and beating the hell out of my car the gains were nothing. Thats whats frustrating. The shifting was getting better at the end of the revisions but after running the last tune for awhile, it started to feel like something was wrong, like there was a boost leak or something robbing power. Switched back to lms tune and it went away and has been fine for over 2 months. I will probably mess with the Unleashed tune when it warms up again and see if the issues come back.  But thanks to me bugging the hell out of Torrie for 6 months and him bugging SCT and HP tuners there is now another option for the MKZ at least. 

I will need to keep an eye out for any negative changes over time. I am also pretty sure that the current tune I have is a result of your efforts with Torrie so a thank you is in order. I am not much of a data logger, but their is great potential of course using the HP software and I am sure that Torrie would be more than willing to keep improving the product. Just not sure how much more either party can get out of the engine or the transmission which just isn't as smooth or advanced as some of its rivals. I have also had tunes for GM and Dodge products such as a G8 GT, a Camaro SS, Challenger RT, and an SRT8 Superbee, and you were lucky to get 20 HP and TQ. Unless you spent tons of money on downpipes, exhausts, etc- it was hard to improve with just bolt-ons. I don't believe that either LMS or Unleashed is a bad choice- to each their own, but I had the Unleashed tune on my old SHO and I was very happy with it. Customer Service is always outstanding which is also a plus. As Zalvern also commented, the competition should make both products better. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Dismonkey1

[Loki-MKZ]

On 6/25/2018 at 8:27 AM, brucelinc said:

My 3.0 Continental was tuned using an SCT X4 tuner.    I had it tuned over a year ago by AJPturbo.   bradleyfredrickfischer@yahoo.com   Brad is an SCT dealer and he asked SCT to support my car's strategy code which they promptly did.     I had originally asked Torrie but he basically told me no.   I am happy with Brad's tune.   It improved the quarter mile time by about 8 tenths and improved transmission behavior 100%.    He could tweak the tune further but I now have a Mustang that I am spending more time with than the Conti.

 

We have the same color MKZ, I also have a new Mustang I'm modifying a bit with a Steeda closed CAI/Tune, the Mustang is almost the same color, Royal Crimson.

[Loki-MKZ]

On 1/5/2019 at 6:25 AM, Airflow said:

I have the Livernois tune and it adds a lot of power. My car would keep up with my brother’s ATS-V. I find the normal shifting tune best for everyday use. The firm shift tune is great when the transmission is warmed up, but the initial shift is rough when cold.

I thought you only get one tune? 

[FunktasticLucky]

17 minutes ago, Loki-MKZ said:

I thought you only get one tune? 

I'm pretty sure you get 3 tunes.

[Loki-MKZ]

1 hour ago, FunktasticLucky said:

I'm pretty sure you get 3 tunes.

Well I'll be a monkeys uncle, now I have to call them again. I just received an email my car might be ready today so I need to order this fast.

[Airflow]

You get a 91 tune, a 93 tune, and then a 93 firm shift tune. 

[Loki-MKZ]

I just bought the tuner/tune for my MKZ, can't wait to see how it runs! 

[Dismonkey1]

Congrats- a tune will make a noticeable difference. Better get ready to invest in some new tires. The stockers won't cut it.

[Zalvern]

Even if it isn't the "fastest", the Livernois tune still should prove to be enjoyable. Plus they never charge for revisions, and specialty fuel tunes are possible though I think that still requires going in house for those.

I would stick to that Mustang more if you want to go above and beyond, as the A10 transmission just makes the 6F55 outdated in regards to performance. Best keep the MKZ on the more simple bolt-on mod side of things because of its limitations.

Edited February 7, 2019 by Zalvern

[Loki-MKZ]

15 hours ago, Dismonkey1 said:

Congrats- a tune will make a noticeable difference. Better get ready to invest in some new tires. The stockers won't cut it.

I noticed the first night that at full boost all 4 tires are straining which blew my mind. I'm looking into some better ones.

[Loki-MKZ]

9 hours ago, Zalvern said:

Even if it isn't the "fastest", the Livernois tune still should prove to be enjoyable. Plus they never charge for revisions, and specialty fuel tunes are possible though I think that still requires going in house for those.

I would stick to that Mustang more if you want to go above and beyond, as the A10 transmission just makes the 6F55 outdated in regards to performance. Best keep the MKZ on the more simple bolt-on mod side of things because of its limitations.

Oh this is all I'm doing to the Lincoln, I'm going to race it at GLD once in the Spring and that's it, daily driver with a kick. The Mustang is my performance car and will be getting all the goodies, been owning most versions of the Mustang since 1985.