Ecoboost Performance Forum

Ecoboost Performance => Performance => Topic started by: Brucelinc on June 27, 2017, 09:00:05 AM

Title: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on June 27, 2017, 09:00:05 AM
After months of driving a nice but boring stock Continental, I finally decided to work with our forum friend AJP Turbo to see if we could wake up my sleepy "quiet luxury" ride.  First off, BIG KUDOS to Brad for actually pushing SCT to support my car's strategy code.    I couldn't get them to do it and other tuners wouldn't even try. 

We ran a couple of logs and Brad explained what he was seeing and what could be done to safely improve it.  I have been driving with the first version of the tune and am very impressed.  The transmission tuning is exactly the way I like it - smooth as silk at part throttle and firm and quick at WOT.  BIG improvement over stock.  The car pulls harder now and I know there are more tweaks to be made with future revisions.

I am not sure if the 3.0 engine will respond to tuning as well as the 3.5 Ecoboost but I am sure that Brad will do all he can with it while retaining the luxury daily driving experience.   I look forward to future revisions and also taking it to the track. 

Thanks, AJP Turbo!!!   

Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: hawkeye93 on June 27, 2017, 09:07:07 AM
Good deal, Bruce.  Get that thing dialed in, and let's meet up at the track!






...or even a stoplight...
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: EcoPowerParts on June 27, 2017, 09:28:15 AM
Nice! Someone posted a silver one on facebook on airbags and it looks amazing!
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: SHOdded on June 27, 2017, 09:32:36 AM
Great to hear, Bruce, here's to more great things to come!  :beer2:
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on June 27, 2017, 09:47:28 AM
Quote from: hawkeye93 on June 27, 2017, 09:07:07 AM
Good deal, Bruce.  Get that thing dialed in, and let's meet up at the track!






...or even a stoplight...

LOL....I have seen your timeslips from Rock Falls.  I don't expect to be able to match those with just a tune.   If we can get the Conti consistently into the 12s without bolt-ons or meth, I will be happy!

Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: TSS on June 27, 2017, 12:31:15 PM
Nice job Bruce. You are paving the way for other continental owners!
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on June 27, 2017, 12:56:22 PM
Quote from: TSS on June 27, 2017, 12:31:15 PM
Nice job Bruce. You are paving the way for other continental owners!

Lol...I doubt if there is another Continental owner in the country who cares much about tuning.   
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: TSS on June 27, 2017, 07:52:07 PM
That's what that's they used to say about us MKS owners. :-)
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: donky4444 on June 27, 2017, 08:16:57 PM
Great news!  It's cool to be the ones pushing boundaries.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on June 27, 2017, 09:26:51 PM
Quote from: TSS on June 27, 2017, 07:52:07 PM
That's what that's they used to say about us MKS owners. :-)b

Excellent point.  I still hold YOU mostly responsible for me getting my MKS tuned.  You might have been the first MKS owner to get a tune.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Vortech347 on June 27, 2017, 11:30:51 PM
Very nice!  If my next ride isn't an SS it'll be one of those.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: AJP turbo on June 28, 2017, 02:57:43 AM
Brucelinc thank you for the kind words. And I've been impressed with SCT's response time in adding strategies upon request even though in may have to come from dealers.

I do expect some moderate gains but I suspect that the 3.0tt ecoboost is pushed harder from Ford than the SHO was which is good. As far as specific output goes it's pretty impressive....35 more hp and .5 liter less displacement are nice gains.

The crappy thing about calibration development on new models is the learning curve...A lot is the same but atlot is different...And the controller within the 3.0tt is different than the SHO...Just like the gen 1 SHO's are different than the Gen 2 SHO's....Sometimes it's nice to have one of the vehicles in person and bang out tunes for a couple weeks but we don't have that luxury.

I'm excited to work on it...Always interesting to pioneer a platform.

At first glance I liked your first tune but we need to take a few baby steps.

I will say that a lot of the calibration is similar to the 2.7tt ecoboost and it's the same controller. And I have some dyno's and info on the 2.7tt ecoboost in my truck if I can ever find time to post it....I've really slacked off on the leisure posts lately because of time...But I still really enjoy giving insight into the tunes and some of the things that people don't normally get to see.

I put down 366whp/465wtq with no bolt ons but with E30 in my 2.7 F150 so I fully expect you to be right there. And I have also been running full E85 without switching tunes. I basically enabled flex fuel logic. And the Continental has that ability as well as the MKS I would think.

More to come.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on June 28, 2017, 11:02:20 AM
Quote from: AJP turbo on June 28, 2017, 02:57:43 AM

I put down 366whp/465wtq with no bolt ons but with E30 in my 2.7 F150 so I fully expect you to be right there. And I have also been running full E85 without switching tunes. I basically enabled flex fuel logic. And the Continental has that ability as well as the MKS I would think.

More to come.

Holy Mother!  That little engine is a torque monster!!  I want some of that!!
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: TSS on June 28, 2017, 01:55:51 PM
Quote from: Brucelinc on June 27, 2017, 09:26:51 PM
Quote from: TSS on June 27, 2017, 07:52:07 PM
That's what that's they used to say about us MKS owners. :-)b

Excellent point.  I still hold YOU mostly responsible for me getting my MKS tuned.  You might have been the first MKS owner to get a tune.

I might have been,  but that path for us MKS guys was was cleared by all the SHO owners.

And I attribute my taking the plunge to with the 3-Bar  tune to Don (Donky4444). I took a trip the  Detroit International auto show with him in his first SHO, and got on the phone with Livernois  VERY soon after that regarding upgrading to a 3-Bar 
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Colorado-SHOBro on June 28, 2017, 02:16:46 PM
Quote from: AJP turbo on June 28, 2017, 02:57:43 AM
Brucelinc thank you for the kind words. And I've been impressed with SCT's response time in adding strategies upon request even though in may have to come from dealers.

I do expect some moderate gains but I suspect that the 3.0tt ecoboost is pushed harder from Ford than the SHO was which is good. As far as specific output goes it's pretty impressive....35 more hp and .5 liter less displacement are nice gains.

The crappy thing about calibration development on new models is the learning curve...A lot is the same but atlot is different...And the controller within the 3.0tt is different than the SHO...Just like the gen 1 SHO's are different than the Gen 2 SHO's....Sometimes it's nice to have one of the vehicles in person and bang out tunes for a couple weeks but we don't have that luxury.

I'm excited to work on it...Always interesting to pioneer a platform.

At first glance I liked your first tune but we need to take a few baby steps.

I will say that a lot of the calibration is similar to the 2.7tt ecoboost and it's the same controller. And I have some dyno's and info on the 2.7tt ecoboost in my truck if I can ever find time to post it....I've really slacked off on the leisure posts lately because of time...But I still really enjoy giving insight into the tunes and some of the things that people don't normally get to see.

I put down 366whp/465wtq with no bolt ons but with E30 in my 2.7 F150 so I fully expect you to be right there. And I have also been running full E85 without switching tunes. I basically enabled flex fuel logic. And the Continental has that ability as well as the MKS I would think.

More to come.
that's incredible!
is there any other models that have the flex fuel logic capability?


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Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: lamrith on June 28, 2017, 05:41:45 PM
Brad,
Once again you go above and beyond in sharing the tuning experience with everyone.  Thanks.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on June 29, 2017, 11:45:47 AM
I just finished logging Brad's first revision on my Conti tune.    It is feeling really good!  The car is really waking up and becoming much more fun to drive.  Shifts great and pulls hard.   

Brad says we are taking baby steps and I appreciate that.  He clearly wants the tunes to be safe as well as powerful.  I actually asked him to take a pretty big swing at it - pressed him to advance the timing, raise the boost and give me more RPM.  I even jokingly told him that if I blew it up, we would just get another one!   I really do appreciate him protecting me from myself and doing only what the logs show can safely be done.

I was never much of a fan of datalogging.  I may have even referred to it as tuning by trial and error.  However, I was an idiot.  With a new generation engine like the Lincoln 3.0TT, the ONLY way to really dial it in is through the logging process.  With the 3.5 ecoboost SHO, tuners have tons of experience with multiple cars on the dyno and it is possible to get a good tune without logging.   I loved the LMS tune on my MKS.   However, I now understand why so many guys prefer to datalog and essentially tune their car in increments to achieve the final desired result.

I wonder what Brad will do with my tune next???  Such fun!!
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: SHOdded on June 29, 2017, 12:12:09 PM
Once you get it down perfect, go back to stock and compare ;)
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: TopherSho on June 29, 2017, 12:45:30 PM
Quote from: SHOdded on June 29, 2017, 12:12:09 PM
Once you get it down perfect, go back to stock and compare ;)

Reverting to stock after Brad is like driving through marshmallows and makes me cry inside...
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: SHOdded on June 29, 2017, 01:49:37 PM
LOL.  Imagine the campfire stories afterwards tho!
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: f8tlSHO on June 30, 2017, 03:39:54 PM
Can't complain.... ajp is the man....track times prove that pretty easily..


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Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Macgyver on July 01, 2017, 12:21:33 AM
Quote from: TopherSho on June 29, 2017, 12:45:30 PM
Quote from: SHOdded on June 29, 2017, 12:12:09 PM
Once you get it down perfect, go back to stock and compare ;)

Reverting to stock after Brad is like driving through marshmallows and makes me cry inside...

LOLOLOLOL

Thats Funny
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: TopherSho on July 01, 2017, 12:27:38 AM
Quote from: Macgyver on July 01, 2017, 12:21:33 AM
Quote from: TopherSho on June 29, 2017, 12:45:30 PM
Quote from: SHOdded on June 29, 2017, 12:12:09 PM
Once you get it down perfect, go back to stock and compare ;)

Reverting to stock after Brad is like driving through marshmallows and makes me cry inside...

LOLOLOLOL



Thats Funny

Seriously.. its like ''stomp on the gas'' .... /car says/  wellll ... okay ... we'll go faster ... eventually... and make awful noises doing it :P
Title: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: StealBlueSho on July 01, 2017, 09:03:27 AM
Yup, Brad is pretty good!!! Glad your seeing success Brucelinc!!!
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on July 01, 2017, 10:09:50 AM
Brad is also pretty patient.  I am a complete rookie at using SCT, Livelink, SCT updater, building config files, and datalogging.   I was used to Livernois where even a drunken chimpanzee could flash the car with the MyCal.    I am no rookie with most technology but I typically like to know what I am doing before I do it rather than just blindly jumping into something with no clue about the end result.

I have had help from some people on these forums and the "How-to" section was valuable.  However,  Brad was very helpful in clearing up a few things that I was foggy on.    I also had to keep telling myself that I couldn't possibly be the stupidest human being that ever used SCT and the accompanied software.   :doh:
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: SHOdded on July 01, 2017, 10:35:52 AM
Yes SCT can make you feel pretty stupid.  Their user interface is stuck in the Stone Age.  Good to have a guide.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on July 09, 2017, 09:44:06 AM
Tune update:

I think we are extremely close to having my Conti tune near perfection for me.  Brad has tested a number of things and made appropriate tweaks.  The Conti ECU has some significant differences from the SHO/MKS so I appreciate Brad's willingness to tackle this when no other tuner would.

We are basically down to getting the shift points right.  The power and shift quickness/firmness are both present and accounted for!  Brad says we could definitely go further if I want to run E85.  Apparently, the fuel pressure is great.  I just don't have E85 close enough to make it convenient to use.

I am anxious to go to the track.  As usual, they are predicting extreme heat, humidity and likely thunderstorms for the street legal drags at Brainerd this week!    Even if not rained out, the DA will likely be in the 3000-3500 range so I won't really see the car's best numbers.

Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on September 11, 2017, 09:40:31 AM
After comparing the Continental dragstrip timeslips with those of my old MKS, it is obvious that the AJP tuned 3.0 in my Continental is making more power than the Livernois 4+X or race tune was in my MKS.

The MKS did run a 12.68 once on a very cool morning with around a 500 DA but in air comparable to what the Conti has been in, the MKS was not quite as quick in the 1/8 or 1/4.   The Conti is heavier than the MKS and cannot be launched as hard due to wheel hop.  Even launched at 12-1400 rpm, the Conti is comparable or better than the MKS launched at 2000 rpm.    I will give some of the credit to the 3.39 gear in the Conti vs 2.77 in the MKS.   Launching both from an idle, I know the Conti would pull away from the MKS quite easily.  Even when stock, I think the Conti would stay with my tuned MKS up to 30 MPH or so if both were launched from an idle.

The MKS was easier to launch and I think the transmission shifted a bit quicker and more firmly at WOT.  It also ran cooler and IAT 2 temps were MUCH cooler.  For those reasons, I loved running the MKS at the track.   The Conti is really not well suited for racing.  It is a heavy and softly sprung luxury car but with the tuned 3.0 it is one helluva sleeper and great daily driver.

Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on October 13, 2017, 10:13:23 AM
Livernois has FINALLY had a Continental 3.0 on their dyno and have developed a tune for it.    Since I have their MyCal device and have been a customer, I can get the tune for just $20 in shipping costs.   I like Brad's tune but it never hurts to have another option.   
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: SHOdded on October 13, 2017, 10:39:25 AM
Absolutely.  Then you can datalog it LOL.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: sholxgt on October 13, 2017, 12:20:53 PM
That's a no brainer!

I wish their re-licensing fees weren't so high.  Makes purchase of a used MyCal tough since you're still going to be out a ton of money.  Any other company I can think of charges $100-$200 for a remote tune.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Macgyver on October 13, 2017, 09:46:42 PM
Options are good and fun to explore.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on October 14, 2017, 10:34:23 AM
There is a guy on Facebook with a Livernois tuned MKZ 3.0 that only ran 13.5 at the track in good air.  That is NO improvement over stock.  Not sure what the issue was but I would be screaming if it were me.  Another guy on a different forum claimed to run in the high 12s in 8000 DA but I don't recall seeing any timeslips.  I think he had some other mods, too.

I am looking forward to seeing how the LMS tune performs based on my butt dyno.  Tracks will be closing after this weekend so I won't be able to really test it.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: sholxgt on October 14, 2017, 10:58:27 AM
You are a good one to find out.  I bet your butt is more accurate than most with your multiple passes!

$20 is just a no brainer!  Looking forward to hearing your opinion.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: AJP turbo on October 14, 2017, 11:31:27 AM
 Bruce I sense a shoot out lol. You have the logging tool to really analyze the difference between the tunes so that will be nice to see.
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on October 14, 2017, 01:51:17 PM
Quote from: AJP turbo on October 14, 2017, 11:31:27 AM
Bruce I sense a shoot out lol. You have the logging tool to really analyze the difference between the tunes so that will be nice to see.

I  doubt if their tune will perform as well as yours.  They got very good with SHO tunes after having tons of experience with them.  I believe they have only had one MKZ and one Continental in their shop so their experience is more limited.   With your ability to review my logs and make tweaks specific to my car, I suspect your tune is better. 

If it doesn't rain, I am going to the track tomorrow with your E tune.  It is cooler now so I am hoping for something in the 12.6 or 12.7 range.   
Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: Brucelinc on December 25, 2017, 10:01:06 AM
Twas the night before Christmas and in my garage,
I heard a strange rattle but I don't own a Dodge.

I opened the door and heard hooves go click click,
There stood Rudolph and good old St. Nick!

I was quite shocked and didn't know what to say,
Santa said, "nice Lincoln, would you trade for my sleigh?"

I said, "no way, Santa," and started to grin,
"but if you have some time, we could go for a spin."

His little round mouth, all turned up like a bow,
turned into a smile and he said "Yes, let's go!"

I stepped on the gas and he said, "Man, that's rad!"
I had to explain that the tune was from Brad.

As the turbos spooled up, he was taken by surprise,
But he liked it a lot by the look in his eyes.

Santa was giddy and never felt so alive,
So I backed off the gas and said, "Wanta drive?"

With his left foot on the brake and right on the gas,
He built up some boost and really hauled @ss!

Shoved back in the seat, Santa said, "I've been thinkin'
What I need tonight is your hotrod Lincoln!

"Not for sale," I said "no matter what you say,
Just get my friend Brad to tune up your sleigh!"

Title: Re: Tuning the 3.0 Continental
Post by: SHOdded on December 25, 2017, 10:08:14 AM
Very nice :thumb: :thumb:
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