Are Canned Tunes Enough for a Modded 2017 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost? Santiago Went Custom
Santiago M.'s 2017 F-150 Lariat 4x4 at home in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania.
Customer story · 2017-2020 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost
Santiago bolted on an intercooler, a blow-off valve, an intake and coils, then kept running the canned tunes on his SCT BDX. Eventually, he figured the off-the-shelf files weren't doing his parts justice. So he asked us to build him something custom.
The short version
- The truck: 2017 F-150 Lariat 4x4 with the 3.5L twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 and 10-speed
- The starting point: Bolt-ons already installed, running the tuner's canned tunes
- The tune: MPT 93 PR-X and an 87 Daily-Tow, built for his mods and loaded on the SCT BDX he already owned
- His guess: Somewhere around 450 horsepower now
- What's next: Bigger turbos, with 550 as the target
- In his words: “The canned tunes were just not enough for the aftermarket parts.”
Why aren't canned tunes enough on a modded 3.5?
A canned tune is written for a truck the tuner company has never seen. It has to play it safe for every possible combination of parts, fuel and driving style, so it can't really take advantage of yours.
Santiago had put real work into his Lariat: an all-aluminum intercooler, a Turbosmart blow-off valve, a K&N cold air intake, MSD coils and colder plugs. The canned files on his SCT BDX had no idea any of that was there.
“I put on a few aftermarket upgrades and a tuner, and I decided that the canned tunes were just not enough for the aftermarket parts.”
Santiago M., Kunkletown, Pennsylvania
Smart call. You paid for the parts. Make them earn their keep.
What does it take to switch from a canned tune to a custom one?
Less than people think. Santiago sent us a note through the website first, telling us about his 2017 F-150 Lariat, his parts and his BDX, and asking how to get more out of it.
Josh wrote back the next morning with the whole game plan. Pick the 2017-2020 F-150 3.5 tune, keep the confirmation email because it has the link to the tune form, then list your mods, octane and preferences on that form. Build time is typically 3 business days.
Santiago chose a 93 PR-X for fun and an 87 Daily-Tow for everything else, asked for auto start-stop to be disabled, and listed every part on the truck. Sam built both files and sent them over.
Can MPT send tunes to an SCT BDX over WiFi?
Yes, and that's the one place Santiago got tripped up. He figured the files would show up through SCT's cloud, since the BDX has WiFi. We normally email them as attachments you load with a computer, so he wrote in a couple of times asking how to load them from the cloud.
Sam sorted it out. He pushed both files to SCT's cloud and sent the steps: power up the BDX on WiFi, go to Program Vehicle, run any device updates, then pick your MPT tunes at the Cloud Sync step. If you'd rather skip the laptop, just ask.
Fair question, Santiago. It's a WiFi tuner. Of course you want to use the WiFi.
What kind of gains can a 2017 3.5 expect?
On our dyno, a 2017 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost went from 307 horsepower and 344 lb-ft stock to 449 horsepower and 473 lb-ft on the 93 PR-X, the same file Santiago runs. That's 142 more horsepower and 129 more lb-ft on 93 octane, and ethanol blends like E30 or E85 can make more. Bolt-ons like Santiago's help the engine stay cool and breathe, which lets the tune do its job.
“I think right now it's pushing about 450 HP. Looking to get closer to 550 HP!”
Santiago M.
That 450 is Santiago's own estimate, not a dyno sheet. And the jump to 550 is about hardware. Some parts, like an intercooler, don't need tune changes. Bigger turbos definitely do, so when those go in, we'll build around them.
When those turbos go in, send us the new parts list and we'll build the files around them. And if you snap a few pictures along the way, I'd love to see how it turns out.
What other 2017-2020 F-150 3.5 owners say
Plenty of owners in the same generation of 3.5 have written in after their tunes went on. Notes like these are the best part of my week. Each one answers something I hear on the phone almost daily.
Does it straighten out the 10-speed?
“The shifts feel perfect. I absolutely love it... It feels amazing; it's like a rocket ship on the highway... After driving it for a bit, it truly feels perfect. I have nothing bad to say about it.”
Shane F. from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma · 2017 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
A 2017, just like Santiago's. Rocket ship, he says.
Will I feel more low-end torque?
“V2 really woke up the truck. Now I feel way more low-end torque; it kicks in at about 2k, where on v1 I would feel it around 3.5 to 4k rpm. I really like the power gains on v2... On 93 octane PR-X, the truck runs amazing.”
Jesus R. from Brownsville, Texas · 2019 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
Should I get a daily file and a performance file?
“The modified 87 Daily Tow is wonderfully smooth. The 93 PR-X is amazing and truly opens up the vehicle... And by the way, thank you guys for always making me feel like I matter.”
Pete T. from Barnhart, Missouri · 2020 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
Will you keep tweaking it if I ask?
“Both the v3 and v4 tunes are super smooth and feel fantastic... The v4 tune is still fantastic and feels super refined... The truck is a blast to drive.”
Nicholas Y. from Cocoa, Florida · 2018 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
What's support like after the sale?
“It has been running great! Appreciate your help... Thank you guys so much for being awesome and so responsive.”
David G. from Timnath, Colorado · 2018 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
From Santiago's submission
“I put on a few aftermarket upgrades and a tuner, and I decided that the canned tunes were just not enough for the aftermarket parts. Hopefully in the near future I can upgrade my turbos, so that I can get all the power out of it. I think right now it's pushing about 450 HP. Looking to get closer to 550 HP!”
Santiago M. from Kunkletown, Pennsylvania · 2017 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
Shop this combo
Santiago's mods came from all over. Here's the MPT side of his setup.
MPT Tune
MPT Custom Tune, 17-20 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost
Written for your truck and your parts list, not a generic one. Santiago runs a 93 PR-X and an 87 Daily-Tow, and we'll keep adjusting them for 90 days if he wants changes.
Shop it
Tuner
He already owned one, so we built his files for it. WiFi lets it pull files from SCT's cloud, and it keeps the stock calibration for a quick trip back to factory.
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Mods
Turbosmart Vee Port EM Blow Off Valve (TS-0225-1001)
Santiago runs a Turbosmart BOV. This is the electronic vent-to-atmosphere Vee Port EM we carry for 2013-2025 F-150 2.7 and 3.5 EcoBoost. It plugs into the factory connector, no tune change needed.
Shop itAlso on Santiago's truck: an aluminum intercooler, a K&N cold air intake, a 3-inch MagnaFlow resonator delete, MSD ignition coils, and Motorcraft cold spark plugs gapped at 0.028.
Before you tune a 2017-2020 F-150 3.5
Is a custom tune better than a canned tune on a modded 2017 F-150 3.5?
A custom tune is built for the parts on your truck, while a canned tune has to cover every truck out there. Santiago M. from Kunkletown, Pennsylvania ran canned files on his 2017 F-150 3.5 with an intercooler, blow-off valve, intake and coils, then switched to an MPT custom tune because the canned ones weren't enough for his parts.
Why does a 2017 F-150 3.5 use the 2017-2020 tune and not the 2015-2016 one?
A 2017 F-150 3.5 uses our 2017-2020 tune because 2017 is the year Ford introduced the second-generation 3.5L EcoBoost and the 10-speed automatic. It's a different engine and transmission than the 2015-2016 trucks.
Can I use the SCT tuner I already own?
You can use an SCT tuner you already own, like the BDX. Tell us which one when you order, and we'll build your files for it. Santiago already had a BDX.
Can MPT send my tunes to the SCT cloud instead of email?
MPT can send your tunes to SCT's cloud instead of by email if you ask. Santiago's BDX pulled his files over WiFi at the Cloud Sync step, so no laptop was needed.
How much horsepower does a tune add to a 2017-2020 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost?
On our dyno, a 2017 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost gained 142 horsepower and 129 lb-ft of torque on our 93 PR-X, going from 307 hp and 344 lb-ft stock to 449 hp and 473 lb-ft. Ethanol blends like E30 or E85 can make more, and mods and file choice move the final number too.
Will I need a new tune when I add bolt-ons later?
Whether bolt-ons need a new tune depends on the part. An intercooler doesn't need tune changes, but bigger turbos or fueling changes do, so tell us before they go in.
What octane do I need for a 93 PR-X and an 87 Daily-Tow?
Your fuel's octane should be at or above what the file was written for. The 87 Daily-Tow tune file is fine with 87 or 93 octane in the tank, but the 93 PR-X needs 93.
Done with canned tunes?
Send us your parts list, and we'll build around it the way we did for Santiago. Call 407-636-7077 or email us first if you want to talk it through.
Shop the 17-20 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost tuneDownload the PDF: Santiago's 2017 F-150 3.5 story