gryphon road test

[ballisticmike]

well i'v had a couple weeks to evaluate the gryphon with custom tunes, on my 2008 f150 Lariat supercrew 4x4.

Love it.

shift only tune- it shift the way it should now. Firm , quick, no shudder. Well maybe a very minor shudder from 2 to 3 gear at 6000rpm.. sometimes. Two things i notice-- when i get off the throttle and revs drop back down to idle.. it will take slighlty longer to return to idle speed than before, like it will pause for about one second at 1000-1100rpm before dropping right down to 800.
I like this actually because it allows me to get back on the gas faster in some situations. Sorry for the poor explanation. The other thing is when reversing... theres a slight vibration somewhere... for about 1 or 2 seconds when i first begin backing then it stops. Might just be the muffler even. Both quirks are so minor.. not a problem in any regard but wanted to mention in case someone else noticed similar trait.


perf87- faster acceleration. more power. sporty shifts. less drone from my S&B cai (almost none now). Gas mileage improvement.. this is significant. I have driven my 2008 for about 18 months since brand new. I have always monitored mileage, especially on the freeway because its easy to test. In city has more variables and is harder to evaluate in my opinion. In the last 18 months, on flat highway.. 60mph.. the best i ever got during a 10 minute test window was 21.4mpg, but usually closer to 20.5mpg. In the last couple weeks i frequently got 21.5, and as high as 22.4. On my home last night i from snowboarding i averaged 21.9 during a 1 hr. drive!
So i am reporting at least a 1+mpg improvement, perhaps as high as 1.5.
So this is about a 5% improvement. My annual fuel bill is about 3000.
You do the math. Very pleased!

perf93- not tested yet

one other thing- on the topic of gas mileage in regards to F150s , on other forums i have seen extravagant claims of 25mpg, frequent calls of BS when someone makes claims in the 20+ range. I think in some cases the claims are indeed BS, or measured going downhill, or measured for 5 seconds . Probably most F150 owners get closer to 18 highway, or less. Even way less. Some of these same "unbelievers" who call BS also sport lift kits, large tires, etc. So no doubt the poor mileage.

Here is some of the things on my truck that have probably contributed to the pretty darn good mileage i have always enjoyed: CAI, magnaflow SI/DO, E-fan, no leveling kit or lift, stock tires kept inflated 37PSI, 3.73 gears, and now a gryphon tuner. But also i drive smartly.. i time lights always, etc. No rabbit starts (well sometimes). I'm no granny though.. i pass other cars most of the time. Sooo.. thats about it
I will also note my truck is 5.4, 4wd, and it has a canopy (400 lbs), the stereo another 100 lbs.

[dave-m]

nice review!

I'm thoroughly impressed with the canned 87 tow tune for general driving, I can't wait to get my custom 87 performance tune!

[88Racing]

Nice review!
Where do you buy your gas?

[bambo2888]

very nice! i have the same impressions of mine from that past few days! (minus a few quirks)

I did also notice the slight vibration in reverse, and the same about the idle coming to a stop. im pretty sure this is means that it's how the canned tunes were designed, which is fine with me!

congrats!

[ballisticmike]

Originally Posted by bambo2888

very nice! i have the same impressions of mine from that past few days! (minus a few quirks)

I did also notice the slight vibration in reverse, and the same about the idle coming to a stop. im pretty sure this is means that it's how the canned tunes were designed, which is fine with me!

congrats!

exactly.. i suspect this as well and i'm cool with it if thats the case

[JWBFX4]

Originally Posted by ballisticmike

well i'v had a couple weeks to evaluate the gryphon with custom tunes, on my 2008 f150 Lariat supercrew 4x4.

Love it.

shift only tune- it shift the way it should now. Firm , quick, no shudder. Well maybe a very minor shudder from 2 to 3 gear at 6000rpm.. sometimes. Two things i notice-- when i get off the throttle and revs drop back down to idle.. it will take slighlty longer to return to idle speed than before, like it will pause for about one second at 1000-1100rpm before dropping right down to 800.
I like this actually because it allows me to get back on the gas faster in some situations. Sorry for the poor explanation. The other thing is when reversing... theres a slight vibration somewhere... for about 1 or 2 seconds when i first begin backing then it stops. Might just be the muffler even. Both quirks are so minor.. not a problem in any regard but wanted to mention in case someone else noticed similar trait.


.....

First off nice review good details.

I wish I could get decent gas mileage

The only thing I wanted to add is, if this is one of Bill's custom tunes, I would doubt that the rpm would be in the 6000 range....these trucks(engines) power really falls off after 5000. From everything I read you don't want the max rev limit above 5600...5650. With the shifts set atleast 400 rpm's under, so that you don't bounce the truck off the rev limiter. BUT I also know that it is very hard to see what the rpm's are at when it shifts and how high it hits.

From posts on here and else where it states that the TC starts balloning at around 5400 rpms. So the only reason I wanted to say all of that is, if you are changing the custom options just be careful when messing with the max rpm and shifts because too much can hurt the engine.

And I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

[Jackpine]

JWB, I agree with you that a rev limit of 6000 seems too high. In my tunes Bill has set it around 5500-5600 (with the shift points 400+ below).

I think I drive like Mike does too. I pass people all the time, even while towing, but I don't leave rubber on the road when I take off from a stoplight.

So, Mike if YOU raised the shift points and rpm limit, I think I'd back them down. If Bill set them that way, well, he must have had a reason?

- Jack

[ballisticmike]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

So, Mike if YOU raised the shift points and rpm limit, I think I'd back them down. If Bill set them that way, well, he must have had a reason?

- Jack

no i have changed any options at all. I must say i only tromped on the throttle that hard i think only twice to try it out, and just glancing at the tach i noted the rpm at about 6k... the shift occurred before that already so yes the shift closer to 5k . Sorry for the poor explanation. Dont like to study the guages too close at those speeds

the fan.. throttle response improved as did milage. I did the fan about 4 mnths ago. Its an Ford OEM fan, same one used in Lincoln MK 8. I removed the ugly clutch fan then the plastic shroud, and bolted my fan directly into the mouth of the shroud then dropped the whole rig back it. I had to make a 2 inch spacer ring to allow fitment. It looks totally oem, you cant even see the new fan at all as it hides within the shroud. These fans are better than troyers, more capacity, and have a loyal following within rockcrawler clubs, mustangs and other. The controller i used is from a an outfit called DC Controls. Expensive, but again.. you get what you pay for.

[martinoledad]

well i wouldnt know where to begin to do all of that. plus i dont have the tools or anything to do that.

[Jackpine]

Originally Posted by ballisticmike

no i have changed any options at all. I must say i only tromped on the throttle that hard i think only twice to try it out, and just glancing at the tach i noted the rpm at about 6k... the shift occurred before that already so yes the shift closer to 5k . Sorry for the poor explanation. Dont like to study the guages too close at those speeds

the fan.. throttle response improved as did milage. I did the fan about 4 mnths ago. Its an Ford OEM fan, same one used in Lincoln MK 8. I removed the ugly clutch fan then the plastic shroud, and bolted my fan directly into the mouth of the shroud then dropped the whole rig back it. I had to make a 2 inch spacer ring to allow fitment. It looks totally oem, you cant even see the new fan at all as it hides within the shroud. These fans are better than troyers, more capacity, and have a loyal following within rockcrawler clubs, mustangs and other. The controller i used is from a an outfit called DC Controls. Expensive, but again.. you get what you pay for.

Excellent, Mike!

I wish you had taken pictures of the process when you installed the fan. This sounds like it would be an exceptional "How To" thread.

And, you might want to submit your "testimony" to PHP for their website? I think it's a damned good writeup.

- Jack