blackhat620
You Had to be There
Some things you may want to think about in reference to CARB. CARB has existed since 1968 and yes it is not perfect. But do to CARB and some of their regulations todays gasoline powered vehilces not only run much cleaner but also much more efficeintly resulting in not only better performance, but increased fuel economy and less manintenance. EGR systems resulted in significant MPG gains. Unleaded fuel, electronic ignition & fuel injection has resulted in making the 15-20K mileage tune-up a thing of the past. Not to mention your vehicle will now run at all altitudes without having to re-tune the engine.
Actually CA does check for A/M tuning/alteration of the computer and with Ford & Ford family vehicles since 2004 (2003 for the 6.0PSD) the enhanced OBDII has made this job very easy for CA or any state for that matter to detect when they plug in the proper computer test equipment.
As you have found out just changing the Air intake has effected your engines operation, resulting in the addition of a "custom tune" to try and help correct the problem brought about by the A/M air intake. As far as the transmission shifting firmer the heat reduction will be negligable (especially for a street driven vehicle) the TC is the main contributor of heat. The downside to shifting firmer is greater shock loads on the drivetrain resulting in increased wear. In addition, increasing the Hp output will decrease the life span of the entire drivetrain. As for the larger tires, do to the increased un-sprung weight the wheel bearings, suspension and related components will wear much more quickly, and the brake system will wear more quickly and may not provide proper stopping power in a panic situation.
Please enlighten us as to how you have come to the conclusion that your "custom tune" is "Much Safer" than the stock tune and is polluting less?
You are correct, it is Not legal to alter the computer in CA. As far as removing the custom tune and reverting back to the factory tune, resulting in the test computer & technician not being able to detect the previous change the answer is "Maybe". The reason that i cannot give you a definite yes or no answer without actually testing your particular truck, is two fold; 1)there are numerous A/M custom tuners available, they all effect the engine & computer differently and depending on the knowledge of the person who actually wrote your specific program & the sophistication of the product different results can occur. 2) CA built vehicles have a more sophisticated OEM computer program specifically so that it is easier for the emissions department to test and detect alterations to the vehicle. (Note starting with the 2005 MY FMC started producing all of their vehicles to CA specifications no matter where they were sold, and all vehicles were required to meet CA emission requirements by the Feds starting with the 2008 MY).
Unfortunately, as was stated by Polarbear in a previous post, modifying OBDII compliant vehicles is a very dicey proposition fraught with pitfalls & potential disaster. This was made exponentially more difficult with the rules effecting all 2008 MY vehicles and beyond.
Be very cautious of all claims made by A/M vendors who sell products for modern vehicles claiming increased performance and/or no detrimental side effects. Also run from the ones who claim they are protected by the Magnuson Moss Act as that seems to be one of the most mis-quoted legal documents in history.
I am not against modifying vehicles at all, far from it in fact, but just understand that any change you make has un-intended consequences. As the saying goes "caveat emptor" and "if your going to play, you've got to pay!"
The tuner I used tuned my truck for my driving style, elevation blah blah blah. The truck runs better now than it did brand new. I dont drive crazy, in fact I drive very conservatively most of the time so I am not so worried about it. I need the bigger tires for my hunting trips. After getting stuck multiple times I decided it had to be done and never look back.
