myfirstlincoln
Dedicated LVC Member
Just got my X4 - going through the process of getting some tunes from Torrie.
SCT X4 has Arrived
- Thread starter myfirstlincoln
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Ranger31
LVC Member
Congrats!!!
I got mine last week. If you have any questions or encounter any issues, let me know. I ran into some slight issues with the drivers for the tuner since I have Windows 8.1 on my computer. It was an easy fix.
myfirstlincoln
Dedicated LVC Member
I tuned and the only issue I ran into was that on my first attempt to upload a tune, I got an error saying that the tune could not be uploaded because my battery power had dropped too low. The car had been sitting for a couple days so I'm assuming my battery wasn't optimal and I know they recommend putting a charger on during the tunes but I really didn't want to go buy one. I also have a feeling that this battery is close to it's last leg...
Anyway, I had to run a few places, so I drove for about an hour (which I'm assuming helped charge the battery). As soon as I got home, I turned the car off and went through the tune procedure which takes 5+ mins. I was concerned I would get the same error but this time it worked.
I have the "Performance" tune set and so far I'm happy with the throttle response and it really cleans up the shifts - quick and firm rather than slow and sloppy.
Anyway, I had to run a few places, so I drove for about an hour (which I'm assuming helped charge the battery). As soon as I got home, I turned the car off and went through the tune procedure which takes 5+ mins. I was concerned I would get the same error but this time it worked.
I have the "Performance" tune set and so far I'm happy with the throttle response and it really cleans up the shifts - quick and firm rather than slow and sloppy.
Upstairs Chris
Dedicated LVC Member
You got your tunes from Torrie right? Am I correct in assuming he labeled his tunes MPG, Performance, and Performance +2? Thats how they were when I bought from him last year. When I loaded the tuner (Xcal3) the only issue I ran into was the Performance +2 tune never showed up on the tuner when I was flashing my car. I suspected the "+" symbol wasn't supported by the display and we I relabeled the tune without the "+" Symbol it showed up fine. Who knows if that was the actual issue or what.
myfirstlincoln
Dedicated LVC Member
Yes, I received my tunes from Torrie - They were labeled "Thunderbird 3.9 Performance," Thunderbird 3.9 Aggressive," and "Thunderbird 3.9 Fuel." I have no experience with the XCAL 3, but the new XCAL 4 seems to have fewer restrictions and can pretty display pretty much anything. It's basically a cell phone screen - it even has wifi (which I used to search for updates).
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
So, any first impressions?
I also got the battery low message when I first tried uploading the tune. I know my battery is fine because the car had no issues starting when the temp was -50 with wind chill this winter on several occasions. I just drove the car around the block and turned off all the accessories on the second attempt and it worked. I went with the Performance +2 and changed my rev limit (parked) from 3000 to 4300. I agree that the shifting feels so much better now. I haven't really pushed the car since it has another bad coil.
myfirstlincoln
Dedicated LVC Member
I assume that the "Performance +2" is the same as my "Aggressive"?? I haven't really screwed around with it too much. I have all day tomorrow so I'll probably spend some time going through and looking at stuff.
Upstairs Chris
Dedicated LVC Member
Everyone on here is in agreeance that Torrie makes good tunes, yet really leaves something to be desired in terms of communicating what he does. He gave me "MPG" "Performance" and "Performance +2". I asked him what the difference was better the latter two and he simply replied "Two degrees of timing". Like that was the entire email. To me, the car runs way better on "Performance" vs "Performance +2" but as always your mileage may vary.
myfirstlincoln
Dedicated LVC Member
Just a quick update -
I've been using the "aggressive" setting for the last few weeks and when driving around town, it has cleaned up the shifts and the car doesn't seem to "search for gears" or get so confused when figuring out which gear it wants to be in. I've noticed that before the tune, if I was slowing down but then had to speed up quickly, it really seemed to struggle figuring out what to do. The tune seems to have fixed that issue (for the most part).
Although I'm using the tune that apparently provides the best performance, I haven't really noticed a decrease in gas mileage so that is a plus.
If I really get on it, the 1-2 and 2-3 shift will throw you around a bit and the 1-2 will easily chirp the tires. The first time I had to really accelerate quickly (merging form basically a dead stop - I HATE people who stop when trying to merge) the 1-2 shift scared the crap outta me. I know not everyone likes such a firm shift, but I'm pretty used to it from some previous cars so I'm not opposed.
Although somewhat pricey (400ish) I would certainly recommend it.
I've been using the "aggressive" setting for the last few weeks and when driving around town, it has cleaned up the shifts and the car doesn't seem to "search for gears" or get so confused when figuring out which gear it wants to be in. I've noticed that before the tune, if I was slowing down but then had to speed up quickly, it really seemed to struggle figuring out what to do. The tune seems to have fixed that issue (for the most part).
Although I'm using the tune that apparently provides the best performance, I haven't really noticed a decrease in gas mileage so that is a plus.
If I really get on it, the 1-2 and 2-3 shift will throw you around a bit and the 1-2 will easily chirp the tires. The first time I had to really accelerate quickly (merging form basically a dead stop - I HATE people who stop when trying to merge) the 1-2 shift scared the crap outta me. I know not everyone likes such a firm shift, but I'm pretty used to it from some previous cars so I'm not opposed.
Although somewhat pricey (400ish) I would certainly recommend it.
MaddShadez
Active LVC Member
When i had my mark VIII i did the famous J-mod so it would chirp going into second. I miss that like crazy with the LS. this is the first I've heard the tune will do that too. Have you actually tried the mpg tune? I'm curious how much better mileage it gets, maybe it would eventually pay for itself...
myfirstlincoln
Dedicated LVC Member
I have not tried the mileage tune. I've only tried "performance" and "aggressive" and didn't notice a huge difference between either.