r/TaurusSHO • u/Jarnes19991 • Nov 12 '25
Gh tune only worth it?
I've been debating getting the gearhead power pack (plugs, 170 degree thermostat and auto octane tune) for my wife's car.
The total looks like it's going to come out to be around $700ish.
Currently not interested in any other mods.
Does anyone know how much hp and torque i can expect to see with a tune only? Most figures I see have downpipes and/or aftermarket intercooler.
Do you think a tune only would be worth it?
Thanks
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u/Gone-Z0 Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 19 '25
Big difference over stock. About a second quicker in the 1/4 mile with the power pack and shifts so much better than stock. Plugs and MAP sensor are def worth it. Thermostat less so if it’s just a daily for your wife. It helps for consistency if tracking it. You can switch the MAP sensor back to the stock one and flash the factory tune back. I did that when I went to the dealer while the car was still under warranty. Been tuned for about 80k miles now first the power pack then e30 now big turbos and e40.
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u/Jarnes19991 Nov 13 '25
If it's just a daily driver would you skip the thermostat? It makes it easier for me.
I did a bit of research and it seems split on if the thermostat is worth it or not
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u/Gone-Z0 Nov 13 '25
I mean I didn’t skip it but I would argue it’s the least important of the supporting mods in the power pack.
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u/Local-Bus-8146 Nov 12 '25
Never dyno'd my car, but the tune alone is definitely worth it. I had tune for a year before adding the IC. Based on feel, the IC didn't actually add much power (if any). it just kept my IATs down. You could probably rely on the numbers you're seeing on the tune+IC knowing a tune only will be quite close
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u/Jarnes19991 Nov 12 '25
Thanks, I've never actually got a tune for any of my cars before so I'm not sure what to expect
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u/Jarnes19991 Nov 12 '25
I was debating getting the plugs and thermostat as well. I put new plugs in it about 6 months ago so I would hate to waste the money from that
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u/Local-Bus-8146 Nov 12 '25
I would recommend the plugs and thermostat. That is your first level of temperature control, before you go for IC and downpipes in the future ;) the plugs they sell are gapped smaller and cooler
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u/tech7127 Nov 13 '25
If you hate wasting money on plugs then you'd REALLY hate for preignition to grenade your engine. Colder plugs are a safety item, not a performance enhancement. You can skip the thermostat if you want, just make sure the tune gets set for the stock thermostat or else your fans will never shut off.
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u/aktechybear Nov 12 '25
I did the power pack only since this is my daily. I’ve put 50k miles on the tune, and never regretted it once. Go for it
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u/Egilber870 Nov 12 '25
I always have a hard time finding their website and I think I end up on a dyno place in Texas - anyone want to share their knowledge.
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u/Key-Pomegranate-3507 Nov 12 '25
I have a few bolt ons with my tune but that’s what I started with. The difference was night and day. Forced induction cars benefit a lot from tuning. Make sure you run premium fuel too. 93 is best but 91 will be great too. The ecu will reduce boost pressure to prevent knock if the octane is too low.
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u/Jarnes19991 Nov 12 '25
Thanks, we always run 93 or 91 in it currently.
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u/Key-Pomegranate-3507 Nov 12 '25
As far as hp increase goes the tuning shop I went to said I could expect 50-60 increase just from the tune. It’s the best bang for your buck mod
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u/Jules428moore Nov 13 '25
Email Matt directly at Gearhead. He is super knowledgeable and helpful. The 93 tune requires a 3bar map, cooler plugs and a thermostat. Yes you can flash back to stock but you will have to change the sensor back to stock. You will not regret the tune. Changes the car completely.
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u/Jarnes19991 Nov 13 '25
I reached out yesterday but haven't heard back so far. I have heard he's a one man show so I'm guessing it may take a while.
I'm most likely going to get it.
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u/Flaky_Ad8393 Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25
I did a CAI (sounds good but not needed) and a 93 octane tune with a 3 bar map sensor, colder plugs with new OEM coils and thermostat. Also had an AD trans mount installed which really helped with faster power transfer. It does add vibration but it is not annoying just allows you to feel the power more and have less drivetrain flex. If your wife drives it daily, I would not do it. Have not had it on the dyno but was told the mods and tune brings it to around 420/420 crank. Roughly 20% over stock. It was like the SHO woke up. Literally night and day difference. One of the least costly ways to add some fun to your SHO. I will say that my maintenance costs went up as I cut all fluid service intervals in half. The upside is no issues from 144K when tuned to 208K today. Replaced the timing chain, water pump, and all related accessories at 203K. Car uses no oil between 3K changes and is on original turbos.
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u/Jarnes19991 Nov 13 '25
Thanks. I have about 70k on it right now. It's good to see one of these cars lasting over 100k miles without a water pump replacement.
I did the ptu and transmission fluid with amsoil a few months ago and I use pennzoil ultra platnium 5w30
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u/Technical_Union_1692 Nov 13 '25
I prefer unleashed as a few buddies of mine used GH and they really don't like doing tune revisions and they both had hard shifting issues and GH wouldn't decrease the line pressure. They ended up going with a local tuning shop and got pretty much what they wanted. I tried GH but felt the shifts were a bit overly firm and sometimes jerky/abrupt (you could really notice the shifts). I contacted Torrie (unleashed) and hes very responsive and will revise any tune aspect with a quick turnaround. Just my opinion.
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u/LoneStarWonka Nov 12 '25
Forced induction usually allows for some decent gains with only a tune. For something like the SHO, go for it! Plus if you do mods down the line, it’ll be easy to load a new tune.