Diesel Tuner's Blog

2020+ 6.7L Power Stroke Custom Tuning

Posted by Paul Wilson on Jul 25, 2021 11:30:00 AM

Calibrated Power’s 2020+ Powerstroke Tuning Package includes the Engine and Transmission Tuning your truck needs! This is going to get rid of the factory dead pedal, safely give you more useable power, and dramatically improve your overall driving experience, all without having to delete or hack apart your emissions equipment. 

2020 Powerstroke Black Tremor tunedit

Problems with stock ECM calibration

  • Dead pedal / Passing acceleration
  • Lacks premium “Drive-ability”
  • MPGs – some of you reading this will get better MPGs with tuning and some of you (looking at the guy doing burnouts) will not. 

The factory tune, or calibration, is set up far too conservatively on these trucks.  Ford dialed the peak power back and missed the mark when it comes to how and when the power comes in.  You likely bought your 2020-2021, 6.7L Power Stroke, because the factory advertised 1,050 ft. lbs. of torque.  Thinking that would be plenty of power for towing your camper and daily driving it for work.  However, after driving the truck you'll question how to get that type of peak power out of it. 

If you have ever tried to pass someone on the highway or jump into traffic from the merge lane, you know what "Dead Pedal" is. It's that feeling of frustration and fear when you mash the throttle pedal and the truck just kind of sits there to think about it before actually moving out of its own way.  That same frustration resurfaces from time to time when you notice that the connection from the throttle input to acceleration just doesn't seem to line up.

TimTuning2020PStrokeRed

Factory MPGs vary widely depending on how you drive. From what we have gathered our truck got around 13.5-14 MPGs when running unloaded on the highway with the stock tune.  After tuning, a conservative driver could net 15.5-16 MPGs.  Will you get 15-16 MPGs after tuning?  That mostly depends on how you drive.  Hard acceleration, stop-and-go traffic, high wind speeds, and elevation all can kill your final MPGs.  Keep in mind, this truck is heavier than your old one.  It's not designed to be aerodynamic but instead designed to pull as much air through the grill as possible for added cooling capacity.  So while you may read glory stories about 20 MPGs in a 7.3L Powerstroke, it's really not a fair comparison. 

 

How is Custom Tuning going to fix the factory calibration?

  • Peak power vs. Useable power
  • How does Calibrated Power Custom Tuning impact “Drive-Ability”?
  • Throttle fooler and boxed interceptor contraptions
  • How does custom tuning impact emissions equipment?

Adding 120 RWHP & more than 200 ft.lbs. or torque to your truck sounds like a lot of fun right?  There's that younger version of yourself in the back of your head screaming "Burnouts!" as soon as you hear about massive power increases.  Quiet that voice down for a minute and think it through though.  Your truck only makes peak power when it absolutely has to.  Your certainly not making the factory peak of 1,050 ft. lbs. of torque when you're cruising down the road at 65 MPH.  So even when you add 120 RWHP with custom tuning, that is a peak power number. What's much more helpful (but a lot less fun to describe to your friends) is the useable horsepower and torque increase.   This is why your trailers feel lighter with a tuned truck. Useable power increases mean your truck has a wider torque curve which results in a more versatile truck. It means you're going to lug in the gear you want and make the truck more enjoyable to drive in every operation.  

2020 F250 Baseline

2020 F250 Tremor dyno graph 478.1105

Drive-Ability covers a few topics that tuners like us obsess about.  The top 5 questions we ask ourselves when developing a tune are:

  1. How intuitive is the throttle?
  2. How smooth is the power delivery?
  3. Are there dead spots in the pedal?
  4. How does the truck respond in tougher situations like dragging something heavy up a mountain pass?
  5. Is there any surging when you're at elevation? 

You will notice there are no questions about peak power.  That's because peak power is a byproduct of high-quality custom tuning.  How that power interacts with you, the driver is what we call drive-ability.  Custom Tuning for your 2020-2021 6.7L Powerstroke from Calibrated Power includes engine and transmission tuning.  Packaging our Engine and Transmission tuning is a key element to getting the maximum driveability from your truck.  

Problems with stock TCM calibration

  • Constant shifting – hunting gears
  • Lugging too hard and not using the appropriate gear
  • Converter not locking when you want

You likely have noticed that over time, OEM's continue to increase the number of gears in automatic transmission.  The basic premise behind adding gears is pretty solid. Essentially, the more gears you have, the smaller the RPM operating range you can manage. This helps with MPG and emissions output. 

The 10 Speed Transmission under your Super Duty can handle a massive amount of torque.  However, at stock power levels most guys complain that it shifts too often.  Performance enthusiasts generally call this "Hunting for gears".   Increasing the power output of the truck without calibrating the transmission extenuates this issue.  Your transmission shift strategy, timing, hydraulic line pressure, and torque converter are all controlled through the TCM (Transmission Control Module a.k.a. Transmission Computer). The tune that controls these operations relies on an understanding of what to expect from the engine and throttle inputs.  

PStrokeFallTrainTracksEdited3

How do I know it’s safe for my truck?

  • R&D / Experience / Track Record of Success
  • Validation testing 
  • Air/Fuel Ratio, EGT Back down, Factory equipment monitoring

Over 10 years have been spent focusing our research and development efforts on building aftermarket diesel tuning and other upgrades that retain all factory emissions equipment. Unlike others deleting DPFs or offering minimal HP/TQ gains, we give you big power with Emissions Equipped Performance! Features like SMART EGT Control and Integrated Air/Fuel Ratio Adjustment are designed to manage your soot accumulation levels while allowing you to take advantage of this amazing engine and transmission.

You'll retain all factory safety features that monitor your truck's health. We have tested these trucks to an extensive level, both in controlled conditions and in the real world.  Drive like an adult, use the power responsibly and you'll likely never think about it again. 

How does it work?

ECM Tuning can only be provided with a bench flash. This means your ECM needs to be removed from your truck and shipped to our shop for what is called a "Bench Flash".  The security restrictions on your engine computer prevent traditional OBD2 flash tools to work with it.   While your truck will be inoperable during this process, we do promise to work as quickly as possible to complete the bench flash process and ship your Tuned ECM back.  For the quickest possible turn-around time, please follow these steps.
  1. Place your order online or over the phone and select overnight shipping.
    1. This will cover the cost of us shipping the Tuned ECM back to you.
    2. IT DOES NOT COVER THE COST OF YOU SHIPPING YOUR STOCK ECM TO US.
    3. Print a copy of your receipt.
  2. Remove your ECM from the truck (WATCH HOW TO REMOVE YOUR ECM HERE).
  3. Ship your ECM to Calibrated Power. 
    1. 455 Borden St. Woodstock, IL 60098
    2. INCLUDE A PRINTED COPY OF YOUR RECEIPT
      1. We have to have your Order # and VIN to go forward once we have received your ECM
      2. Your receipt has both and is emailed to you automatically from web-orders@duramaxtuner.com 
    3. Make sure to keep a copy of your tracking number!!!!!!
    4. Make certain with the shipped you choose to ensure delivery on a Monday - Thursday as early in the day as possible. 
  4. We will Bench Flash your ECM with a Custom Switch-On-The-Fly ECM Tune.
  5. Using the shipping service you selected at the time of purchase, we will send back your TUNED and READY TO INSTALL ECM
  6. Simply install your ECM back in the truck along with the Switch-on-the-fly Switch (Instructions for installing FORD POWERSTROKE SWITCH)

TCM Tuning is provided with the use of EZ Lynk hardware and software.  The following is required for the installation of custom TCM Tuning:

  1. Calibrated Power’s Custom TCM Tuning
  2. AutoAgent 2.0 hardware
  3. EZ Lynk Tokens
  4. Use of EZ Lynk Smartphone App

A quick note for installing your TCM Tunes on this truck: If your flash fails, try again. From time to time, we have had to make a few attempts at flashing the TCM file via EZ Lynk. They are aware of this and we hope to have a resolution in the future.  No one has reported crashing, locking, or damaging the TCM with this method of flashing and all indications are that it is safe. 

Tuned2020PStrokeRed2

What do you get?

  • 5 Custom Engine Tunes
    • Dyno verified 590 RWHP capable with stock emissions equipment (No need to delete!)
    • Purpose-built tunes for “Everyday Diesel Guys”
    • Switch-On-The-Fly ECM Tuning means you can change power levels with the turn of a switch
    • Optimized Stock (+ 20HP/ 36TQ)
    • Heavy Tow (+ 40HP/ 72TQ)
    • Light Tow (+ 60HP/ 108TQ)
    • Street (+ 100HP/ 180TQ)
    • Sport (+ 120HP/ 216TQ)
  • Custom Transmission Tuning
    • EZ Lynk Hardware Included
    • Hardwired Switch-On-The-Fly switch
    • Absolute night-and-day difference from the stock calibration
    • No more constant hunting-gears
    • Logical and useable shift schedule
    • Improved torque converter lock-up strategy

    CHECK THE PRICE HERE

 

Topics: 6.7L Powerstroke, Ford, Ford 6.7, Custom Ford Tuning, 2020, 2021