There are many posts from SOHC guys praising their tuners, but I'm looking for feedback from those specifically with 95-00 OHV 4.0's and manual transmissions. I'm looking to get either an X-Cal 2 or 3 (probably the 2), but I've heard that the smoother shifting only applies to autos...how about power? I would think that a power increase from a programmer would be more noticeable on a manual but what do I know lol

 

and if any OHV guys have a Superchip Flashpaq or a Diablosport, please chime in as well...

 

Not with a manual transmission. Tuners can tweak all sorts of settings for the engine but the biggest gain is from the shift points on an auto trans, given that you and i have a manual, a tuner isn't going to really do much good.

 

it will do some good not a lot tho it will change timeing and fuel curves and ect you will prob see a 10-15 hp gain at the most. biget mod is build the motor a cam is a good place to start comp makes a 410 and 422 cam for the 4.0 ohv

 

same position.. emailed one of the tuners i think they told me 7 hp gain? at thats going to premium i believe... if i keep this truck long enough thinking of getting another set of heads and going from there- always believed all engines are the same until the heads are bolted on

 

So no real gains for any ranger with a 5 speed? Either ohv or sohc?

 

I felt like I gained a pretty decent amount of power with a 92 octane tune on my Sport Trac (4.0L SOHC) but it was also an automatic, so the transmission tweaks helped too.

 

thats the biggest reason i haven't purchased a tuner yet other than my short lived experience with a jet programmer.. more benefical if running an auto- wish they offered a less expensive version for the manual guys

 

No they wouldn't. The tuner is the same unit, its the custom tuning thats different.

 

It definitely depends on who tunes it. Mine was done by Doug at BAMA. His tune makes a difference even with the 87 octane program. I tested the before and after acceleration and all three programs show an improvement.

I think his programs make the manual transmission more drivable. The rpms drop quicker when shifting and there is much better response when stepping on the accelerator pedal. It also has better use of engine compression deceleration.

 

just something i wished for...know wouldn't be cost effective for manufacturers to offer 2 totally different tuners- one for auto and another for manual...seems that where most of the benefit is in altering shift patterns- not much use to us standard guys! lol
anyone with experience with a 4.0 ohv 5 speed with a tuner from doug running 87 octane?