Mod questions: Appearance and performance.. Badges, ECU, suspension.

[zweber1]

Ok, so I had a few different questions about a few different topics and figured it would be easier to post them all in one place instead of posting all around the forum and waiting on responses..

 

First and foremost, I ordered new grille and tailgate billet blackout ford badges for my 14 Edge Sport, I know for the grille, the easiest way is to remove the grille to get behind the emblem and pop the clips, but as for the back, I've tried popping it out and it seems like that too is connected with some sort of clips. Do I need to remove part of the tailgate trim to remove the badge or should it just pop off and I'm not using enough force? I don't want to break or crack anything, hence my hesitation to pull any harder.

 

Second, for removing the chrome stache below the hood for wrapping, do I need to remove the headlight assembly to get the two side pieces off? I've tried to remove them and have also failed with this.

 

Third, I've been trying to decide whether or not to buy an ECU tuner but I'm having a hard time finding one that's compatible with the 14 3.7 na. Any suggestions?

 

Last, I've been thinking about lowering springs but not sure how it will affect stiffness/body roll. Has anyone lowered their edge on h&r springs, and have you noticed a significant difference in handling?

 

Any suggestions or advice would helpful, and thank you all in advance!

[zweber1]

Emblem question has been resolved, but still need help on the rest!

Edited May 26, 2017 by zweber1

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

SCT tuner, Unleashed Tuning (Torrie McPhail) should be able to tune your 3.7L. Plus Unleashed's Memorial Day Sale is ongoing ... I am sure Livernois can also tune the 3.7L.

 

Plenty of people have lowered their Edges with H&Rs (pretty much the only option available), and noted better handling without giving up much if anything in ride quality. You should definitely get an alignment after putting a few miles on to break them in. Note that since ride height IS lowered, be more careful with steep driveways & such to prevent scraping of the undersides. Thankfully no body panel to worry about with the 3.7L.

[zweber1]

SCT tuner, Unleashed Tuning (Torrie McPhail) should be able to tune your 3.7L. Plus Unleashed's Memorial Day Sale is ongoing ... I am sure Livernois can also tune the 3.7L.

 

Plenty of people have lowered their Edges with H&Rs (pretty much the only option available), and noted better handling without giving up much if anything in ride quality. You should definitely get an alignment after putting a few miles on to break them in. Note that since ride height IS lowered, be more careful with steep driveways & such to prevent scraping of the undersides. Thankfully no body panel to worry about with the 3.7L.

 

I've heard of Unleashed before actually, are they in the PA area? Also you said SCT tuner, are you referring to the flash they have available? Or one of their custom tuners?

 

And yeah, I've driven lowered cars but I've never lowered an SUV, the main reason for getting it being preparedness for snow in these northeast winters, and the luxury and size. That's why I've been on the edge, no pun intended, about getting lowering springs. Makes the vehicle look soooo much better but don't want to sacrifice ride quality or the ability to plow through snow need be. I could always swap back to OEM springs in the winter but I don't want to have to deal with that instal twice a year. But having lowering springs and wheel spacers would give the truck such a mean look..

Edited May 27, 2017 by zweber1

[Nick Halstead]

 

Makes the vehicle look soooo much better but don't want to sacrifice ride quality or the ability to plow through snow need be. I could always swap back to OEM springs in the winter but I don't want to have to deal with that instal twice a year. But having lowering springs and wheel spacers would give the truck such a mean look..

 

just an FYI, the lowering springs on the 07-14 Edge do not lower the vehicle enough to mess with ride quality, wont affect driving through snow. In fact, when installed, unless you tell someone they wont even know cause the drop is so minimal. Drop is over an inch, but the stock wheel well gap is so large that only Edge owners would know you were lowered.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

SCT is a company that provides a tuning device you use to load tunes onto your vehicle, whether it is a custom tune, or whether you are returning the programming to stock/OEM. The device DOES come with SCT's off the shelf/canned tunes, but they are pretty laughable compared to a custom tune.

 

See Unleashed's products here:

http://www.unleashedtuning.com

 

The special: Purchase any SCT Programmer and get 3 Custom Tune Files and Free Ground Shipping. Just choose the 3 Custom Tune option before putting it into your cart and use coupon code OX10KR04YV

 

Some people go for the LiveWire, but most opt for the SCT X4, so your cost outofpocket would be $399 for 3 custom tunes loaded onto the device & shipped, pretty good deal! Customer support for the device will be directly with SCT, and the best way to reach them/get help is over the phone (true of pretty much any tuning company). Best way to interact with Unleashed is via EMail.

 

Always verify your car battery's health: voltage and CCAs before starting the flash process. Just like you don't want to pull the power on a computer while upgrading it's BiOS, you don't want power to die while the programming is updated. The flash process runs a series of checks during the process to verify the vehicle is responding correctly, and since the vehicle is not running at the time, it draws power from the battery. A solid battery is a MUST.

 

Owner's manual for the X4:

https://az824306.vo.msecnd.net/support-pdfs/X4Manual_003.pdf

 

and many more available at:

https://www.sctflash.com/support

 

The one thing that is still kinda clunky is that when it comes time to update your device's Firmware, Tune Revision or to load Custom Tunes onto your device you still need to rely on a Windows OS based device. But if you have such a device, you can run LiveLink software to give you a much more powerful window into your tunes and your vehicle's performance. Not absolutely needed, but good to have. I also recommend as the first step to download and save the OEM tune as a backup, just in case.

 

There are plenty of useful guides on the interwebz to help you along, but many people on this forum can help guide you as well.

[Nick Halstead]

 

The one thing that is still kinda clunky is that when it comes time to update your device's Firmware, Tune Revision or to load Custom Tunes onto your device you still need to rely on a Windows OS based device.

 

Firmware can be done over the air via wifi with no need to hook up to computer

Edited May 28, 2017 by Nick Halstead

[zweber1]

I have the X4 flash on the way.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

:happy feet:

[zweber1]

Got it!

Edited June 4, 2017 by zweber1

[zweber1]

Got it!

Noticed increased throttle response almost immediately. I haven't really gotten a chance to really drive it yet but once I take it on a highway trip I'll really be able to see whether or not it made a difference.

[Sport17]

SCT is a company that provides a tuning device you use to load tunes onto your vehicle, whether it is a custom tune, or whether you are returning the programming to stock/OEM. The device DOES come with SCT's off the shelf/canned tunes, but they are pretty laughable compared to a custom tune.

 

See Unleashed's products here:

http://www.unleashedtuning.com

 

The special: Purchase any SCT Programmer and get 3 Custom Tune Files and Free Ground Shipping. Just choose the 3 Custom Tune option before putting it into your cart and use coupon code OX10KR04YV

 

Some people go for the LiveWire, but most opt for the SCT X4, so your cost outofpocket would be $399 for 3 custom tunes loaded onto the device & shipped, pretty good deal! Customer support for the device will be directly with SCT, and the best way to reach them/get help is over the phone (true of pretty much any tuning company). Best way to interact with Unleashed is via EMail.

 

Always verify your car battery's health: voltage and CCAs before starting the flash process. Just like you don't want to pull the power on a computer while upgrading it's BiOS, you don't want power to die while the programming is updated. The flash process runs a series of checks during the process to verify the vehicle is responding correctly, and since the vehicle is not running at the time, it draws power from the battery. A solid battery is a MUST.

 

Owner's manual for the X4:

https://az824306.vo.msecnd.net/support-pdfs/X4Manual_003.pdf

 

and many more available at:

https://www.sctflash.com/support

 

The one thing that is still kinda clunky is that when it comes time to update your device's Firmware, Tune Revision or to load Custom Tunes onto your device you still need to rely on a Windows OS based device. But if you have such a device, you can run LiveLink software to give you a much more powerful window into your tunes and your vehicle's performance. Not absolutely needed, but good to have. I also recommend as the first step to download and save the OEM tune as a backup, just in case.

 

There are plenty of useful guides on the interwebz to help you along, but many people on this forum can help guide you as well.

 

I'm a total noob to this but I have a few questions regarding engine tuning. I'm interested in the X4 and I'm just curious what type of performance increase could be expected. I really want to keep it simple - I won't be upgrading the exhaust, cooling or anything else - just looking for a simple program to gain some performance.

 

Is that possible to use this stand-alone or are there any other required mods? I'm guessing it's a combination of both - addt'l mods aren't required but would give additional performance gains.

 

Also, my Edge (2017 Sport) is a lease. I'm concerned that the dealer may discover that I tuned it and fine me/void the warranty, etc. Any concerns in that department?

 

Finally, skimming through the owner's manual (thank you for the link), I noticed "*This product is not legal for sale or use in California on pollution controlled motor vehicles". I live in California but I'm not sure if the Edge Sort is considered a "pollution controlled vehicle". Any idea?

 

Edit: Continued reading manual. How damaging would it be to use the 93 Octane tune but only using 87 Octane fuel. Note - I would NEVER intentionally do this - just curious in case I'm a dumb ass and forget to use the proper fuel. Owners manual says it can damage/destroy the engine - is that generally the case or is that more "worst case" scenario?

 

2nd Edit: Does anyone have experience on performance gains for the 3 different octane levels?

Edited June 5, 2017 by Sport17

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Is that possible to use this stand-alone or are there any other required mods? I'm guessing it's a combination of both - addt'l mods aren't required but would give additional performance gains. Correct

 

Also, my Edge (2017 Sport) is a lease. I'm concerned that the dealer may discover that I tuned it and fine me/void the warranty, etc. Any concerns in that department? Not really. Unless you get silly with the Edge and cause some damage to the powertrain etc. Drive sensibly.

 

Finally, skimming through the owner's manual (thank you for the link), I noticed "*This product is not legal for sale or use in California on pollution controlled motor vehicles". I live in California but I'm not sure if the Edge Sort is considered a "pollution controlled vehicle". Any idea? Yes, any motor vehicle (and probably commercial as well) is a pollution-controlled vehicle (it has catalytic converters, for example). This is a disclaimer they HAVE to give to cover their bases.

 

Edit: Continued reading manual. How damaging would it be to use the 93 Octane tune but only using 87 Octane fuel. Note - I would NEVER intentionally do this - just curious in case I'm a dumb ass and forget to use the proper fuel. Owners manual says it can damage/destroy the engine - is that generally the case or is that more "worst case" scenario? Absolutely no-go. MUST use 93 fuel with 93 tune. Can you get 93 in California? If not, get the tune for the most commonly available premium octane.

 

2nd Edit: Does anyone have experience on performance gains for the 3 different octane levels? ....

[Sport17]

Is that possible to use this stand-alone or are there any other required mods? I'm guessing it's a combination of both - addt'l mods aren't required but would give additional performance gains. Correct

 

Also, my Edge (2017 Sport) is a lease. I'm concerned that the dealer may discover that I tuned it and fine me/void the warranty, etc. Any concerns in that department? Not really. Unless you get silly with the Edge and cause some damage to the powertrain etc. Drive sensibly.

 

Finally, skimming through the owner's manual (thank you for the link), I noticed "*This product is not legal for sale or use in California on pollution controlled motor vehicles". I live in California but I'm not sure if the Edge Sort is considered a "pollution controlled vehicle". Any idea? Yes, any motor vehicle (and probably commercial as well) is a pollution-controlled vehicle (it has catalytic converters, for example). This is a disclaimer they HAVE to give to cover their bases.

 

Edit: Continued reading manual. How damaging would it be to use the 93 Octane tune but only using 87 Octane fuel. Note - I would NEVER intentionally do this - just curious in case I'm a dumb ass and forget to use the proper fuel. Owners manual says it can damage/destroy the engine - is that generally the case or is that more "worst case" scenario? Absolutely no-go. MUST use 93 fuel with 93 tune. Can you get 93 in California? If not, get the tune for the most commonly available premium octane.

 

2nd Edit: Does anyone have experience on performance gains for the 3 different octane levels? ....

 

Thank you for the great info! I understand the legality of the disclaimer - having to post that - I just wanted to be sure if we fell under that As for the octane, from what I've heard, we can get "racing" fuel of various higher grades but the standard at most stations is 87/89/91. With that said, I'm not looking to run quarter-miles at the track (although it does sound fun - even without the tuning).. I just want a little more "oomph" to help offset the turbo lag. After my last post on this thread, I did read about revving up before "takeoff" to prime the turbos but I'd rather avoid that in most situations (although I'm glad I learned of it).

 

One more octane question - if I was to use the "87" tune, and I put 89/91 fuel in it, would that be as harmful as using the "93" tune and using 87/89 octane? Again, no idea why I would do that - I'm a proponent of using the exact octane that is recommended given the current situation (factory/modded/etc.). Just curious!

 

Thanks!

~S

[akirby]

The way this works is that to get more performance from the engine the pcm advances the timing which delays igniting the spark plug to get more compression and more power. If you advance it too much it can ignite prematurely (before the spark plug fires) and/ or ignite in multiple spots both of which cause knock or pinging which is bad. The factory pcm can usually advance the timing to a certain degree to get more performance from premium but it will also retard timing to allow use of lower octanes as well without damage. The tuners take this to the max (timing advance) for the best possible performance on 91 or 93 octane but it may not be able to retard it enough to run safely on 87 like the factory settings.

[Nick Halstead]

If all you do is a tune, it's totally worth it. I run a 92 tune via Unleashed.

You would be fine at the dealer pending you took some measures and/or how cool you dealer is. always flash back to the stock file before trip to dealer. Even if it's for a taillight warranty claim or anything, better safe than sorry. If you are having a mech issue my advice is to flash back to stock, then clear all the codes that don't make the CEL go off (soft codes are in the system when you flash back to stock) when you flash it reset's key cycles/miles back to zero so dealer (if they look or are suspicious) can see something was just done. I normally flash back to stock and let the wife drive it for a week and get some miles and key cycles on it. I've also never had a warranty issue due to a tune. shoot, I load my tune back before I leave the lot.

[zweber1]

After driving on the new tune for a couple days, I noticed faster throttle response and shift points, better acceleration and more torque to the wheels. Take off is fast and the wheels chirp going into 2nd and 3rd. The only other mod besides the X4 flash is a K&N highflow filter. Couldn't be happier with the flash results. Can't wait to slap an intake and x-pipe on her and see what difference that makes..

Edited June 7, 2017 by zweber1

[Sport17]

My first foray into replacement emblems is a failure. Received two emblems from a guy on Ebay who assured me he knew the proper emblems/size for a 2017 Edge. Not only are both of them wrong (9.5" emblems), one of them arrived broken I'm hoping and assuming he will be cool about it and replace them promptly...

 

You can see in the pic the rear emblem is missing one of the guide posts.

 

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Or maybe it's a hidden hinge for a turret gun, LOL. Hope he does replace promptly.

[Sport17]

Or maybe it's a hidden hinge for a turret gun, LOL. Hope he does replace promptly.

Yeah, he said he'll ship them out in 2 days. I told him I'm not going to slam him (review-wise) or anything if he can just get me the proper ones in a timely fashion. He's a man of very few words. I sent him the exact Ford part numbers (after the fact) but he still didn't acknowledge or verify that he has those part numbers. We shall see..