AREAS WE ADDRESS
We offer 4 styles of tuning for the 2020-2022 F250- F350 7.3L V8. A quick highlight summary below of each style:
- Pedal boost +shifting Tune = retains stock engine power but has increased throttle response and optimized shifting. Run on any octane fuel. Increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Can Tow Factory weight ratings, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment.
- Daily / Tow Tune = Engine and Transmission calibration has increased HP/TQ, increased throttle response, optimized shifting, specific octane fuel used 87-93 octane, increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Can Tow Factory weight ratings, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment. Great tune for daily driving and or towing.
- Daily / Heavy Tow Tune = Engine and Transmission calibration has increased HP/TQ, increased throttle response, optimized shifting, specific octane fuel used 87-93 octane, increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Can Tow Factory weight ratings, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment. Great tune for daily driving and or towing. (Only difference between this tune and our standard Daily/Tow is the tow/haul pattern has more aggressive upshifts and downshifts.)
- Performance / All Terrain Tune = Engine and Transmission calibration has increased HP/TQ, increased throttle response, optimized shifting, will use every gear in normal mode. (no skip shifting) specific octane fuel used 87-93 octane, increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Light towing is fine with this tune, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment. Great tune for daily driving. And especially trucks with 35 inch or larger size tires. This tune also excels in any terrain on road or off road so if you have Tremor Package an excellent choice.
The F250- F350 7.3L V8 suffers from poor throttle response down low. A custom calibration will have enhanced improvements in better throttle response, step on go pedal, vehicle will respond quicker…this DBW system is a torque driven system, it works by taking a certain amount of torque via engine and wheel and applies it to what the driver foot say it needs; a better way to explain it is its a torque limiter. It only allows so much torque at a given pedal position. Stock tables are conservative and numb at best and that’s why one would feel sometimes a lag or a goofy pedal with DBW systems. For a F250- F350 7.3L V8 this is one of the most critical areas that must be addressed and modified to generate more torque /hp and throttle response. By reworking the OEM strategies makes your F250- F350 7.3L V8 come to life!
Can be increased in most RPM areas for improved Torque and HP. Running a higher Octane fuel will net more power and economy from some timing/spark advancement. However, with a F250- F350 7.3L V8 even running 87 Octane fuel can yield some respectable gains in power and torque over stock with the use of little to no additional timing advance (aka factory tables). The knock sensors and strategy we leave in place just like factory on the F250- F350 7.3L V8 are very good in that they can advance and retard timing while you drive.
The 10 speed transmission that comes standard with the 2020 F250- F350 7.3L V8 is a big improvement in driver controls over prior 6 speed transmissions. However, there are still some significant benefits to be had re-calibrating normal daily shift strategies. FACT ! Ford uses the same shift output strategy for all of these trucks no matter what final gear ratio is in the truck. So if you have a 3.55 or a 4.30 geared truck they will shift different using this strategy from Ford. We can be very specific on your vehicle. Below are some specific examples of what great calibrations can do for a vehicle.
NORMAL MODE: (For everyday on-road driving duties, normal mode is a perfect balance of excitement, comfort and convenience). We have noticed that while in normal everyday mode that the transmission will move into 8th,9th, 10th gears really quickly around town with speeds as low as 42 mph this really lugs the engine and when trying to accelerate there is a pretty good delay to either downshift or accelerate. We have corrected this by raising (slightly) these gears to eliminate the lugging or sluggishness. The Ford stock pattern is also skip shifting in normal mode most of time its 1-3 3-5 and the goofy one’s are 2-4 4-6 shifts. We have corrected this by moving some shift strategies patterns around and we are using a 1-3 3-5 skip at light throttle only (2-4 & 4-6 are eliminated in this mode) but once at wide open throttle you will use all the gears just like factory. Our calibrations will have emphasis on shifting at the right mph and rpm as to take advantage of the low torque that is available from the 7.3L V8, while maintaining great fuel economy and power to accelerate when needed.
TOW/HAUL MODE: (For improved transmission operation when towing a trailer or a heavy load. This mode moves upshifts to higher engine speeds to reduce frequency of transmission shifting. This mode also provides engine braking in all forward gears, which slows your vehicle , particularly on descending grades. The amount of downshift braking varies based on the amount you press the brake pedal.) Coasting or slowing down the downshifts don’t command soon enough to keep the RPM’s up in torque range and when back in throttle multiple downshifts may occur. so a quick downshift for braking is required for owners that are going to tow heavy. We have re-calibrated tow/haul mode strategies that enhances keeping the engine RPM’s elevated to take advantage of the torque band which will require less downshifting by optimizing gears. We have also enhanced the down shift patterns to allow better engine braking with this V8 engine. All of our calibrations have this new tow/haul strategy except performance calibrations.
DEEP SNOW / SAND MODE: Our calibrations leave this mode just like stock. We have made no adjustments here.
ECO MODE: (For efficient driving. This mode helps deliver maximum fuel efficiency and helps increase driving range.) Our calibrations leave this mode just like stock. We have made no adjustments here.
SLIPPERY MODE: (For less than ideal road conditions such as snow or ice covered roads. Use this mode for crossing terrain where loose , wet or slippery material covers a firm surface. Slipper Mode lowers throttle response and optimizes shifting for slippery conditions.) Our calibrations leave this mode just like stock. We have made no adjustments here.
ROCK CRAWL MODE (Tremor Package): (For optimum rock-climbing ability. Rock crawl mode prompts you to put your vehicle in 4×4 Low. Rock Crawl mode optimizes the throttle and transmission response to provide you additional control of your vehicle.) Our calibrations leave this mode just like stock. We have made no adjustments here.
Traction Control can be really disabled when you PUSH the T/C button after tuning. There are many benefits to having the T/C off in off road situations. Traction Control can also simply be left on as well functioning just like stock. There are normally 3 types of limiters on most vehicles that can be adjusted safely and the F250- F350 7.3L V8 is no different. RPM, MPH and transmission. Output shaft limiters are slightly increased to a safe limit in our calibrations. We also leave the Fail Safe factory limiters enabled and in place that Ford has set from the factory. So in all temperature conditions if your vehicle needs to dial back some power on its own it can. This ensures a safe calibration for the life of your vehicle.
Custom calibrations allow for many choices when it comes to tuning your vehicle. 5 Star Tuning will be offering these popular choices for the new 2020 F250- F350 7.3L V8. These enhanced calibrations are completely safe to tow/haul your vehicles manufactured recommend weight rating in any mode. Enhanced Safe Power – Great Drive Ability – Good Economy is our goals with all of our custom maps.
Calibrations will enhance some if not all of these areas depending on Map/Tune developed.
● fuel
● drive by wire
● cold/hot start idle
● idle drive
● variable cam
● shifting normal mode
● converter normal mode
● shifting Tow/Haul mode
● converter Tow/Haul mode
● timing
● cruise/speed control
● variable speed fan
● speed limiters
● tire size
● axle ratio
CALIBRATIONS that are available for the 2020 F250- F350 7.3L V8 are:
- Pedal Boost +Trans (any octane used here 85-93)
- retains stock engine power but has increased throttle response and optimized shifting. Run on any octane fuel. Increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Can Tow Factory weight ratings, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment.
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- Daily/ Tow 85 Octane
- Daily/ Tow 87 Octane
- Daily/ Tow 89 Octane
- Daily/ Tow 91 Octane
- Daily/ Tow 93 Octane
- Engine and Transmission calibration has increased HP/TQ, increased throttle response, optimized shifting, specific octane fuel used, increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Can Tow Factory weight ratings, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment. Great tune for daily driving and or towing.
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- Daily/ Heavy Tow 85 Octane
- Daily/ Heavy Tow 87 Octane
- Daily/ Heavy Tow 89 Octane
- Daily/ Heavy Tow 91 Octane
- Daily/ Heavy Tow 93 Octane
- Engine and Transmission calibration has increased HP/TQ, increased throttle response, optimized shifting, specific octane fuel used, increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Can Tow Factory weight ratings, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment. Great tune for daily driving and or towing. (Only difference between this tune and our standard Daily/Tow is the tow/haul pattern has more aggressive upshifts and downshifts.)
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- Performance / All Terrain 85 Octane
- Performance / All Terrain 87 Octane
- Performance / All Terrain 89 Octane
- Performance / All Terrain 91 Octane
- Performance / All Terrain 93 Octane
- Engine and Transmission calibration has increased HP/TQ, increased throttle response, optimized shifting using every gear in Normal mode, specific octane fuel used, increased speed limiter, Traction Control OFF, Light towing is fine with this tune, Tire Size Adjustment, TPMS adjustment. Great tune for daily driving. And especially trucks with 35 inch or larger size tires. This tune also excels in any terrain on road or off road so if you have Tremor Package an excellent choice.
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Note: Daily / Tow Tunes you can tow Fords recommended weight rating.
Performance Tunes its not recommended to tow with these.
At the time of your order if your ECU strategy code is known, we will send your tuner loaded with tunes on your selected tuner. If this information is not known at the time your order is placed you will be provided a blank tuner to acquire the needed vehicle information.
Where do I find my ECU Strategy Code?
If using an SCT or Bully Dog Device: On your device under vehicle information, you will find your ECU Strategy Code. An example of an ECU Strategy Code is PKRK0R2.
Note: If your vehicle is a 2015+ we will also need your ECU SWPN (HL3A-14C204-BPH). For diesel applications we will also need your TCU Strategy (TPCL0HH) and TCU SWPN (HL3A-14C337-HH) in addition to your ECU Strategy and ECU SWPN.
If using an HP nGauge: Plug your nGauge into the OBD2 port the vehicle you intend to tune. Use the menu on your device to select TUNING, then proceed to select the PCM type and choose READ VEHICLE. Upon selecting “read” you will see a variety of vehicle options. Select your application vehicle such as: “2020 F250- F350 7.3L V8: PCM + TCM”
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Unlock the Full Potential of Your 2020+ Ford Super Duty 7.3L V8
👉 Looking to get more out of your 7.3L gas Super Duty? Explore tuners and performance parts for the 2020 7.3L Super Duty.
The 2020 Ford Super Duty with the 7.3L “Godzilla” V8 is built for serious work—and serious performance. With its naturally aspirated pushrod design, this big-block V8 delivers rock-solid torque, reliable towing capability, and a simple, old-school feel that’s easy to maintain. But from the factory, it’s still held back by conservative tuning.
Custom tuning helps unlock the hidden potential of the 7.3L gas engine by optimizing timing, fueling, shift strategy, and throttle response. Whether you’re hauling heavy loads or just want more power and better drivability, a custom tune makes a noticeable difference in how your Super Duty performs every day.
👉 See all Super Duty 7.3L tuning options and email tunes.
Benefits of Tuning Your 7.3L V8 Super Duty:
- Gain up to 50+ horsepower and noticeable low-end torque
- Improve throttle response and acceleration
- Optimize shift points for towing or daily driving
- Enhance fuel efficiency under load
- Eliminate sluggish factory feel
At 5 Star Tuning, we specialize in custom tunes designed specifically for the 7.3L gas Super Duty platform. Whether you want max towing performance, fuel-saving options, or just a better driving experience, we’ll tailor the tune to your needs and setup.
