Thoughts on modding 5.0

Was going to get CAI/tuner after dyno day But found this thread on another forum.With my luck it would happen to me.
http://mustangforums.com/forum/5-0l-v8-technical-discussions/646566-tsb-11-07-07-piston-failure.html

yea if you go over to svt performance there is a long thread all about the #8 failure.

Right now its hard to tell if its the tune or the car. AM is having some issues with their tunes. I dont think a Lund Racing tune has had an issue yet.

The one suspect is that tunes were adjusting the knock sensors to get MAXIMUM performance out of the car. JJ at Woodbine Motorsports and others don't do that in their base tunes. You get a good performance tune that doesn't compromise safety, but you don't get those sky high dyno numbers that some are posting. Both GM and Chrysler are going through the same issues with the Camaro and Challenger--folks are modding their cars and expecting the manufacturer to foot the bill when chaos erupts...

At the end of the day though Mike, it comes down to this: mod the powertrain and if something goes wrong it is likely out of your pocket. You have to pay to play, and it IS is a gamble.

True, John.
It is all pay to play and you do get what you pay for.
I am risking my car (not due to the driver) bc of the power output of the engine. I realize it and accept it. It's holding like a champ but I know I'll have to pay lots if the engine goes Buh bye.
If you are patient, you should wait until more R&D is done.
If you're not, a dyno tune is the way to go.

Mike what power levels are you at now. I wanna get a 5.0 just so I can get a ghost cam tune. Those things sound wicked

not sure going to find out at dyno day

The way I see it with my 5.0 I can wait for the tunes from BAMA and the others to get all the bugs out, before having my tuner transferred over to this one. The performance is awesome as is.

James, the BAMA tune I had with the C&L CAI was HORRIBLE on the 5.0. When I put it on the Woodbine Motorsports dyno, JJ found the air/fuel was all over the place. Fixing that really made the car feel strong without the peaks and valleys across the rpm range.

I think every tuner worth their salt knows not to screw with some parts of the tune. The early birds wanted to demonstrate maximum performance, and a few unfortunate individuals blew the motor and went to Ford expecting a new engine.

You're right: off the showroom floor these cars are wicked fast. But the tuning parameters are a bit more complicated this round, and in my opinion a custom tune is much preferred over a mail order if you want to eke out some more. Frankly, I'm on the fence regarding my BOSS intake. I don't intend to race this car this year, and the low end loss is becoming a pain in the ass since I'm not optimally geared ( I have the 3.31s). It was fine with the cold air alone though, so I might pull the BOSS intake manifold off and hold on to it in case I race the car next year or later.

Lower it, tire and wheel it, maybe exhaust it. but the stock engine/drive train is truly an engineering work of art right of the dealer lot!

I am so glad I got the 3.73's this thing is a beast! I have owned fast cars before (86 Grand National) but this is another story.

I think that the biggest problem Bama is experiencing is there was such a rush for them to get their SCT tuners out for the 3.7 and 5.0 that they didn't really have the chance to thoroughly test and troubleshoot the tunes. People blew up their engines and blame for ford for the problem. It's not Fords fault they were impatient people and power hungry! In my opinion the risk doesn't out weigh the benefits. Really, how much hp is needed to make these people happy? You'd think 412hp at the crank would do it.