anybody using one of these? I'm looking for a tune and im not sure which way to go.

I am.

Great product. What do you want to know about it?

im just wondering how much it actually helped and which part number you had. Ive been looking at them and there's two different ones. I had a check engine light coming on after i put a cobra intake on and was going to put a chip in to bypass it, but i got it fixed. But if these programers make a diffence i would still be intested in one. Where did you get yours and how many custom tunes did it come with.

I love my X cal 2. It is great. I got mine from Lonnie at blueovalchips.com.

ZWack88 like the mods on that interceptor looks good. Im also interested in that tuner what gains did u acually achieve and how much was it and were u buy?

Thanks. I don't know for you DOHC 4.6 but on my SOHC 4.6 it is suppose to be good for 15hp but I didn't get a before or after dyno cause there are none around here. http://www.blueovalchips.com/xcal2.php there is a link to it. Below are his prices. He is a really good guy I have called him and he is very nice and knows what he is talking about.
Retail Cost NA minor bolt-ons: BOC-9400-0 $400
Retail Cost Wild NA: BOC-9400-1 $450
Retail Cost Eng/Trans swap: BOC-9400-2 $450
Retail Cost Blown/NOS: BOC-9400-3 $500

Thanks. I don't know for you DOHC 4.6 but on my SOHC 4.6 it is suppose to be good for 15hp but I didn't get a before or after dyno cause there are none around here. http://www.blueovalchips.com/xcal2.php there is a link to it. Below are his prices. He is a really good guy I have called him and he is very nice and knows what he is talking about.
Retail Cost NA minor bolt-ons: BOC-9400-0 $400
Retail Cost Wild NA: BOC-9400-1 $450
Retail Cost Eng/Trans swap: BOC-9400-2 $450
Retail Cost Blown/NOS: BOC-9400-3 $500


I dont mean to pee in anyones cheerios, but that is a pretty high price for all of those! Most places sell the Xcal2 for $375 with three tunes. Those tunes can be as mild or wild as you want. Now if you make additional changes to the a car and have to change that particular tune then it costs. Three tunes on one vehicle will be just fine for when you are stock, mildly modded, and wildly modded too. I went through RWTD for my 1st Xcal2 w/ 3 custom tunes for $375. I dont reccomend RWTD though because their turnaround time is horrible. There are many different dealer/tuners out there that will be able to give you the same exact deal as RWTD but also have better customer service.

The 9400 is the regular Xcal2
The 9415SF if the Xcal2 Strategy Flasher.

They both are more or less the same thing except that the Xcal 2 SF lets you do on-device changes to the tune via accessing the .ll3 files. The regular Xcal2 handles .xtr files and .ll3 files too. As long as you have your tuner convert the .xtr file to .ll3 format you can do on-device changes to the tune with the regular Xcal2 now also.

Great information! I am looking to pick up a more indepth tuner/reader to monitor and trend diagnostics. I stuck between a PC/SCT tuner. Thanks for the real world comparisons.

I dont mean to pee in anyones cheerios, but that is a pretty high price for all of those!

I don't know squat about the xcal2 product(I have the 4way SCT switch chip), but I do know the man behind Blue Oval Chips and I'll pay a premium for his tuning knowledge against someone else's lower prices any day of the week. ;)

I don't know squat about the xcal2 product(I have the 4way SCT switch chip), but I do know the man behind Blue Oval Chips and I'll pay a premium for his tuning knowledge against someone else's lower prices any day of the week. ;)



Tuning knowledge is tuning knowledge. If you can tune a 05 Mustang then you can tune an LS and vice versa. Each do have thier own little special ways, but they are all based upon the same principles. There are many out there that are very good tuners. Once you get to a certain point as a tuner there isn't really much of a difference between em all. When I had other people make my tunes I went for a reputable shop with good customer service and decent prices. Most major SCT tuners out there can throw together a really good tune, so it really comes down to support and price for me versus the tune itself which I know will be good.

Tuning knowledge is tuning knowledge. If you can tune a 05 Mustang then you can tune an LS and vice versa. Each do have thier own little special ways, but they are all based upon the same principles. There are many out there that are very good tuners. Once you get to a certain point as a tuner there isn't really much of a difference between em all. When I had other people make my tunes I went for a reputable shop with good customer service and decent prices. Most major SCT tuners out there can throw together a really good tune, so it really comes down to support and price for me versus the tune itself which I know will be good.

That's the most arrogant statement I've heard when it comes to tuning! argue2

Let's look at it this way.

Medical knowledge is medical knowledge. If you can diagnose a monkey you can cure a human. Each do have thier own little special ways, but they are all based upon the same principles. There are many out there that are very good doctors. Once you get to a certain point as a doctor there isn't really much of a difference between em all. When I had other people make my medicine I went for a reputable clinic with good customer service and decent prices. Most major health care providers out there can throw together a really good diagnosis, so it really comes down to support and price for me versus the doctor which I know will be good.

Why don't you just go to Wal-Mart?! Whatever... :q

Sensitive today?

That's the most arrogant statement I've heard when it comes to tuning! argue2

Let's look at it this way.

Medical knowledge is medical knowledge. If you can diagnose a monkey you can cure a human. Each do have their own little special ways, but they are all based upon the same principles. There are many out there that are very good doctors. Once you get to a certain point as a doctor there isn't really much of a difference between em all. When I had other people make my medicine I went for a reputable clinic with good customer service and decent prices. Most major health care providers out there can throw together a really good diagnosis, so it really comes down to support and price for me versus the doctor which I know will be good.

Why don't you just go to Wal-Mart?! Whatever... :q


Whoa man dont flip out. I was telling the absolute truth.

If you can tune one car then you can tune another. There are slight special considerations when approaching the tuning of different cars but nevertheless the tuning principles remain the same. Meaning that just because a certain person or place tunes more of a certain vehicle than others doesnt automatically mean that they are able to make better tunes for that vehicle; especially a mildly modded one which follows more of a cookie-cutter tuning approach anyways.

I am talking about things such as spark timing, VCT, tranny commanded shifts, MAS transfer function, commanded a/f versus actual a/f, load, turning scalars on and off and things such as that.

There is nothing special about tuning a lincoln LS or MarkVIII for that matter or any other mildly modded car. I was giving extremely sound tech advice so you best check your attitude at the door.

Here's YOUR truth Jack.

I bought a chip. Advertised as the best(they all are?). Hey, I love it. The car was much better. After a couple years, I try another chip. I get better performance at the track. I'm so pleased, I ask for a custom tune on a switch chip version and get even better results. Finally, I get a dynotune and it gains almost 15 HP when I was told I MIGHT see 5 HP?!

The truth is in the dyno and at the track.

And I ain't knocking anyone or any chip! I'm just saying I found better results with MY car and you may find better results with YOUR car elsewhere. But to make a statement that all tunes and by proxy, all tuners, are the same is ludicrous!!! :mad:

Peace out. :ban

Here's YOUR truth Jack.

I bought a chip. Advertised as the best(they all are?). Hey, I love it. The car was much better. After a couple years, I try another chip. I get better performance at the track. I'm so pleased, I ask for a custom tune on a switch chip version and get even better results. Finally, I get a dynotune and it gains almost 15 HP when I was told I MIGHT see 5 HP?!

The truth is in the dyno and at the track.

And I ain't knocking anyone or any chip! I'm just saying I found better results with MY car and you may find better results with YOUR car elsewhere. But to make a statement that all tunes and by proxy, all tuners, are the same is ludicrous!!! :mad:

Peace out. :ban



Read my post again old man. I said that ONCE YOU GET TO A CERTAIN POINT is when a tune is a tune, especially in tuning a lightly modded vehicle. There are horrible tuners out there that dont know jack about tuning to save their lives. I am not referring to those idiots. I am talking about the tuners who already know what they are doing. Whether it be James @ RWTD, Jerry Wroblewski, Hermann, Doug @ bamachips, Jerry @ Sutton, Bob Kurgan or so on.

You took my post out of context and then continued to misconstrue it further. You really strike me as an uneducated brand loyal person when it comes to tuners.

Sorry bro but I have been around this in depth for a while now. I may just know a heck of a lot more than you about this. Dont get all defensive. I never meant anything directed towards you. I was giving input on how once tuners get to a certain point of understanding, that there is no longer a mere specialty of a certain car.

Tuning a Lincoln Mark VIII for power is the same as tuning a Ford F-150 for power as is tuning any other vehicle for power. EXACT same principles apply to tuning for power! How do you add power via a tune in a MarkVIII? Well you add more spark timing in certain areas of the spark table to be able to take advantage of whatever octane of fuel being ran, you lean the a/f out a little depending on what other mods they have done too. Turning off torque management(if the vehicle has it), raising rev limiters, resetting your injector multiplier and pulse widths to voltage and so on and on. Same goes for an F-150. There will be slight variations due to processor type and vehicle configuration of course, but those are minor things in the worst case scenario. Take this from someone (me) who does their own SCT tuning. I am not just blowing smoke up your azz. Now settle down there homeboy.

That's the most arrogant statement I've heard when it comes to tuning!

You can tune a fork, but can you tuna fish!:D

You can tune a fork, but can you tuna fish!:D



LOL

You can tune a fork, but can you tuna fish!:D




Mmmmmm tunafish.... I miss reeling in the yellowfins. Gosh it needs to get warmer out so I can actually motivate myself to go fishing. Too bad the biggest thing I will encounter here is maybe a big catfish.

Read my post again old man. I said that ONCE YOU GET TO A CERTAIN POINT is when a tune is a tune, especially in tuning a lightly modded vehicle. There are horrible tuners out there that dont know jack about tuning to save their lives. I am not referring to those idiots. I am talking about the tuners who already know what they are doing. Whether it be James @ RWTD, Jerry Wroblewski, Hermann, Doug @ bamachips, Jerry @ Sutton, Bob Kurgan or so on.

You took my post out of context and then continued to misconstrue it further. You really strike me as an uneducated brand loyal person when it comes to tuners.

Sorry bro but I have been around this in depth for a while now. I may just know a heck of a lot more than you about this. Dont get all defensive. I never meant anything directed towards you. I was giving input on how once tuners get to a certain point of understanding, that there is no longer a mere specialty of a certain car.

Tuning a Lincoln Mark VIII for power is the same as tuning a Ford F-150 for power as is tuning any other vehicle for power. EXACT same principles apply to tuning for power! How do you add power via a tune in a MarkVIII? Well you add more spark timing in certain areas of the spark table to be able to take advantage of whatever octane of fuel being ran, you lean the a/f out a little depending on what other mods they have done too. Turning off torque management(if the vehicle has it), raising rev limiters, resetting your injector multiplier and pulse widths to voltage and so on and on. Same goes for an F-150. There will be slight variations due to processor type and vehicle configuration of course, but those are minor things in the worst case scenario. Take this from someone (me) who does their own SCT tuning. I am not just blowing smoke up your azz. Now settle down there homeboy.

Well shoot there young 'un, next time you you come down with a hacking cough and a fever, trot your snotty arse down to the local veterinarian and save yourself a couple bucks. :p

Brand loyal?! Uneducated?! Yeah, I guess you got me there... I'm just a dumbass driller from a redneck holler in West by God Virginia and I like
Fords and Lincolns dude, wouldn't have it any other way. But it's not blind loyalty, it's trial by fire over time. Good and bad in all I guess, I just found comfort in knowing the typical shortcomings that come with familiarity over time.

Now you're trying to weasel around sayin' you didn't say this, you mean't that, yada, yada, yada...:blah: I do figure you do know more about these things being you know James @ RWTD, Jerry Wroblewski, Hermann, Doug @ bamachips, Jerry @ Sutton, Bob Kurgan or so on. I'm sure relieved to know once you get to tuning at a certain level you don't need to know squat diddly what car you're tuning!

Techology's a wonderful thing, ain't it? I should get me one of those fancy gadgets and maybe pick up a Sean Hyland book down at the Library(next Wednesday when they're open), and I can start tuning all my redneck friends' pickup trucks since they got modular engines too!! Heck all I gotta do is get close enough cause it's all just minor things anyways. Oh crap, never mind, my car's only got the stupid EEC-IV and can't take on you big dogs with the Xcal2 flasher thingie. :shifty:

Think since you do your own SCT tuning you could give a homeboy a break on a tune for my TownCar? It's got one of them OBD-II ports I hear you can just plug in and play! After all, it's pretty close to a F150, huh!?

Hells yeah. :D I found me a playmate!

Techology's a wonderful thing, ain't it? I should get me one of those fancy gadgets and maybe pick up a Sean Hyland book down at the Library(next Wednesday when they're open), and I can start tuning all my redneck friends' pickup trucks since they got modular engines too!! Heck all I gotta do is get close enough cause it's all just minor things anyways. Oh crap, never mind, my car's only got the stupid EEC-IV and can't take on you big dogs with the Xcal2 flasher thingie. :shifty:

Hells yeah. :D I found me a playmate!

They have librarys in "West by-God Virgina" ?;) I thought that all yall only had the three Rs; Readn', Riten' & Route 50.:D

They have librarys in "West by-God Virgina" ?;) I thought that all yall only had the three Rs; Readn', Riten' & Route 50.:D

Yo dog! You know Route 50! Dang!

Yeah, we got us a "part-time library". They moved in one of them trailers on wheels, down next to the VFD and jacked 'er up on blocks. Makes our property values go up, hear? The missus goes down there every other Wednesday when they open up and she gets them thar romancin' novels you know. Yeah buddy, we be dead tired come Thursaday mornin'. :D

Well shoot there young 'un, next time you you come down with a hacking cough and a fever, trot your snotty arse down to the local veterinarian and save yourself a couple bucks. :p

Could you be more of a jackass?

Brand loyal?! Uneducated?! Yeah, I guess you got me there... I'm just a dumbass driller from a redneck holler in West by God Virginia and I like
Fords and Lincolns dude, wouldn't have it any other way. But it's not blind loyalty, it's trial by fire over time. Good and bad in all I guess, I just found comfort in knowing the typical shortcomings that come with familiarity over time.

It did seem that you were being purely brand loyal to a particular tuner, which is ok until you start making it sound like they and they alone can only make the good tunes for a Lincoln.

Now you're trying to weasel around sayin' you didn't say this, you mean't that, yada, yada, yada...:blah: I do figure you do know more about these things being you know James @ RWTD, Jerry Wroblewski, Hermann, Doug @ bamachips, Jerry @ Sutton, Bob Kurgan or so on. I'm sure relieved to know once you get to tuning at a certain level you don't need to know squat diddly what car you're tuning!

Weasel around my a**. I purely restated what you mistook. Simple as that. I really dont know if they had any kind of reading classes when you were jus a youngin yourself but you may want to the cobs out of your head before trying to interpret things that I say. As for your not knowing squat diddly about the car your tuning, when did i ever say that? You sir are a moron. I rarely call people names but this one fits you perfectly. I said that the principles of tuning a vehicle for power are one and the same throughout tuning all vehicles. I cannot break it down any simpler than that unless you want me to send you a Dictionary or Thesaurus?

Techology's a wonderful thing, ain't it? I should get me one of those fancy gadgets and maybe pick up a Sean Hyland book down at the Library(next Wednesday when they're open), and I can start tuning all my redneck friends' pickup trucks since they got modular engines too!! Heck all I gotta do is get close enough cause it's all just minor things anyways. Oh crap, never mind, my car's only got the stupid EEC-IV and can't take on you big dogs with the Xcal2 flasher thingie. :shifty:

Technology is a wonderful thing. You may want to understand the particular technology your talking about before shooting your mouth off about it.

Think since you do your own SCT tuning you could give a homeboy a break on a tune for my TownCar? It's got one of them OBD-II ports I hear you can just plug in and play! After all, it's pretty close to a F150, huh!?

If I had the database for your car I could tune it as long as I knew your list of mods. Like I said before ALL vehicles that are tuned electronically are done so off the same tuning principles. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to understand my point, or are you just thick skulled?

Hells yeah. :D I found me a playmate!

You are a waste of my time. For a person of your age you sure do act like a punk kid. Keep paying for your overpriced tunes bro. Hope you like them. :D

Yo dog! You know Route 50! Dang!

Yeah, we got us a "part-time library". They moved in one of them trailers on wheels, down next to the VFD and jacked 'er up on blocks. Makes our property values go up, hear? The missus goes down there every other Wednesday when they open up and she gets them thar romancin' novels you know. Yeah buddy, we be dead tired come Thursaday mornin'. :D

Darwin should have weeded you out a long time ago. Lets just hope you were never allowed to reproduce. hehehehehehehe... :D :F

I wouldn't agree with the analogy between doctors, and Computer programers/tuners. Modifying/writing a program is completely different then diagnosing a patient. Programs have set rules they work under, once u know the rules writng or modifying a program on a Mustang, or an LS of the same year to certian specs is pretty much the same. Deciding on the specs is the only tricky part. The medical field is constantly changing, what was once good medicine is now "snake oil". A program written in the 1950's is just as good today as then (assuming the same language and compiler). I guess this is a long post just to say that comparing computer programing (in this case car tuning) and practicing medicine is apples and oranges. It's like comparing the "logic" behind political science (a soft science based in large part on spin) to that in Algebra (a hard science).

Just throw the tune out, and slap a HUGE, aluminum wing on the back. In ricer logic, that is good for at least 75 ponies; more on a front wheel drive car. LOL

Damn, Driller. that was harsh. I wouldn't agree with the analogy between doctors, and Computer programers/tuners. Modifying/writing a program is completely different then diagnosing a patient. Programs have set rules they work under, once u know the rules writng or modifying a program on a Mustang, or an LS to certian specs is pretty much the same. Deciding on the specs os the only tricky part. The medical field is constantly changing, what was once good medicine is now "snake oil". A program written in the 1950's is just as good today as then (assuming the same language). I guess this is a long post just to say that comparing computer program (in this case car tuning) and practicing medicine is apples and oranges. It's like comparing the "logic" behind political science to that in Algebra.


Bingo!

Yo dog! You know Route 50! Dang!

Yeah, we got us a "part-time library". They moved in one of them trailers on wheels, down next to the VFD and jacked 'er up on blocks. Makes our property values go up, hear? The missus goes down there every other Wednesday when they open up and she gets them thar romancin' novels you know. Yeah buddy, we be dead tired come Thursaday mornin'. :D


Good humor! I really appreciated that. I haven't been drinking at a VFW in many years.

No matter how good a tuner is, nothing beats a Dyno Tune.

And with prices being around what, 60 bucks per half hour, IMHO it's more than worth it.

No matter how good a tuner is, nothing beats a Dyno Tune.

And with prices being around what, 60 bucks per half hour, IMHO it's more than worth it.



Very correct. If your more than just slightly modded then a dynotune with an eddy current brake with wideband a/f metering or a street tune with wideband a/f metering is the best/safest way to go.

Depending on the place but I have seen most shops charge about $50-$80 for the strapping down on top of the dyno time itself. If a person can get in on a dynoday then they will be able to get a few runs in for much cheaper than normal. The only problem is that a majority of dynodays are not tuning dynodays, just measuring a/f and power. Either way it is a good time. ;)

You are a waste of my time. For a person of your age you sure do act like a punk kid. Keep paying for your overpriced tunes bro. Hope you like them. :D

What we have here is a failure to communicate! :D

All's good, I was only saying my opinion on the choice I made. All in all, SCT is the cutting edge of tuning technology for Ford products. We both chose the products we use based on information available to us from varied sources, boards like this being one of them. :)

Truthfully, I do not need to understand the technology to ascertain its value. OK, I know the concepts of A/F ratios, timing and fuel combustion. After all, I have taken a 14 year old, two ton luxury coupe to levels many would be envious of. But I employ technology and I get positive results proven at the track commensurate with the price I paid. That's all I really need to know. :cool:

I apologize if I came off like a moron. I simply feel people who have been in any field as a professional and excel at what they do deserve to reap the economic benefits that come with striving to be the best at what they do. I certainly take pride in my work as I'm sure you do yours. There are people who have been in on the ground floor in the performance tuning world and I'm glad to use their expertise they helped develop specifically for our vehicles.

It may have been a stretch on the medical part, but after all, long before computers started conrolling EFI in cars, we did have horsepower by the old fashioned way... and many still do. ;)

Darwin should have weeded you out a long time ago. Lets just hope you were never allowed to reproduce. hehehehehehehe...

Darwin has tried to weed me out son, but not before I reproduced, hehehe. Too late! I have two children who I wouldn't take a million bucks for... nor give two cents for another! :p

Good humor! I really appreciated that. I haven't been drinking at a VFW in many years.

No dog, dats VFD as in Volunteer Fire Department! :D

I bid 1.5 mil for the kids.

I bid 1.5 mil for the kids.

I dunno if I could talk the wife into that. Besides we have a lot invested in these two and would like to see how they turn out. ;)

"De women! How much for de women!"
-'Joliet' Jake Blues

"De women! How much for de women!"
-'Joliet' Jake Blues

Dang, you beat me to it

"How much for your wife, your children, sell them to me . . .hahahaha"

There I feel better.

(Driller) VFD? Ok, I could never pee high enough to be on a VFD.:p
Ya, I know, Buckeye humor.

I actually have an extra SCT Xcalibrator 2 Brand New that I got from Reinhart Automotive that I have never used (I was going to use it on 2nd Gen 2 Mark, but sold her to my cousin). I have nothing but great things to say about the tunes on the Xcalibrator. If anyone is interested, I am selling it for $325 with shipping on me. It will come with the USB cable as well and the premium fuel tune.

What we have here is a failure to communicate! :D

All's good, I was only saying my opinion on the choice I made. All in all, SCT is the cutting edge of tuning technology for Ford products. We both chose the products we use based on information available to us from varied sources, boards like this being one of them. :)

Truthfully, I do not need to understand the technology to ascertain its value. OK, I know the concepts of A/F ratios, timing and fuel combustion. After all, I have taken a 14 year old, two ton luxury coupe to levels many would be envious of. But I employ technology and I get positive results proven at the track commensurate with the price I paid. That's all I really need to know. :cool:

I apologize if I came off like a moron. I simply feel people who have been in any field as a professional and excel at what they do deserve to reap the economic benefits that come with striving to be the best at what they do. I certainly take pride in my work as I'm sure you do yours. There are people who have been in on the ground floor in the performance tuning world and I'm glad to use their expertise they helped develop specifically for our vehicles.

It may have been a stretch on the medical part, but after all, long before computers started conrolling EFI in cars, we did have horsepower by the old fashioned way... and many still do. ;)



Darwin has tried to weed me out son, but not before I reproduced, hehehe. Too late! I have two children who I wouldn't take a million bucks for... nor give two cents for another! :p


Its cool man, I just felt like I was being attacked for no good reason. I am glad we settled this without having to pull our internet schlongs out for a measuring contest. Heck, mine doesnt even extend past muh nutz! Of course when you have elephantitis of the balls that tends to happen. j/k........no....really guys.........hehe. :D

Its cool man, I just felt like I was being attacked for no good reason. I am glad we settled this without having to pull our internet schlongs out for a measuring contest.

Sometimes that's what I hate about the world wide web. It's easy for discussions to either get misjudged, misinterpreted or just plain taken the wrong way.

Had we been discussing this in person at the track or a meet somewhere, your remarks would've most likely caused my eyebrows to raise and I would've probably just said "Oh, really? I dunno." Then we would've moved on talking about somebody's CAI or another mod someone had done. :)

Sometimes that's what I hate about the world wide web. It's easy for discussions to either get misjudged, misinterpreted or just plain taken the wrong way.

Had we been discussing this in person at the track or a meet somewhere, your remarks would've most likely caused my eyebrows to raise and I would've probably just said "Oh, really? I dunno." Then we would've moved on talking about somebody's CAI or another mod someone had done. :)

I teach a leadership class for the military and miscommunication is one of the big things we talk about. In fact, I just taught that subject today along with a few others. Weird..... :eek: