Pulsar XT 2.7L Tuner Installation, Review and 0-60 Test Results

[MWILD]

Hey everyone,

I’ve had some seat time with the Superchips Pulsar XT piggyback tuner on my Bronco and wanted to share my thoughts and data with the community. I put together a comprehensive video covering the unboxing, step-by-step installation, mobile app walkthrough, and 0-60 Dragy runs. It’s a bit long, but I included timestamps at the very beginning so you can easily skip to what you want to see.



My Tuning Background
To give you some context, I’ve run quite a few tuning options on this platform. I currently own or have owned the JB4, RaceChip S, and the Ford ProCal tune. While I haven't personally tested the Panda Motorworks device or the VR Tuned box, they appear to be derivatives of the RaceChip, so the overall experience should be fairly similar.

Why the Pulsar XT is My Favorite Piggyback
Right out of the gate, the Pulsar XT has become my favorite piggyback tuner for the Bronco. For under $600, it delivers a massive power bump, includes a built-in throttle controller, and allows you to adjust tire size, disable auto start/stop, and turn off the double-honk feature. No other single device on the market offers this complete feature set for the price. It's an absolute no-brainer.

Installation & App Experience

• The Install: Incredibly straightforward. The instructions are easy to follow, and you definitely don’t need to be a mechanic to pull it off. If you’re a visual learner, my video walks you through it step-by-step.
• The Interface: The mobile app feels modern and slick. However, if you prefer not to fumble with your phone, you don't have to use it to change power levels—the included Bluetooth controller does a great job of letting you adjust power output and throttle sensitivity on the fly.
• Room for Improvement: My only real gripe with the app is that you cannot monitor or log PIDs/vehicle stats. It would be amazing if they added data logging, or better yet, Apple CarPlay integration to view live gauges on the factory screen (though that might be asking for a bit much!).

Superchips also put out a solid video going over their app in detail here:



Pulsar XT vs. Ford ProCal
While the Pulsar XT is my top piggyback choice, I still have a lot of respect for the Ford ProCal. The ProCal shines when it comes to improved torque management and better transmission shifting strategies.

However, to keep your Ford warranty intact with the ProCal, you have to pay an ASE-certified technician to install it. Plus, you’ll still need to buy a standalone throttle controller if you want a more responsive pedal. By the time you do all that, the total cost can easily be double that of the Pulsar XT. It really comes down to your budget and goals.

Head-to-Head Performance Data
For reference, my Bronco is lightly modified with:

• Injen Cold Air Intake
• CV Fab Intercooler
• Turbosmart Blow-Off Valve (BOV)
• Colder Spark Plugs

I tested both devices back-to-back using my Dragy. The best 0-60 time I could manage on the ProCal was 5.7 seconds. With the Pulsar XT, I hit 5.4 seconds, proving it definitely makes more power.





Beyond raw numbers, the Pulsar XT feels smoother for daily driving because it leaves the stock torque management and transmission shifting untouched. It essentially feels like a much faster version of the factory truck. The ProCal isn't rough or jerky by any means—the crisper shifting feels great—it’s just less "stock-like" than the Pulsar.

The Experiment: Stacking Both Tunes
To wrap things up, I did what any sane enthusiast would do: I combined the two devices and stacked them.

Disclaimer: I do not recommend doing this long-term or for a daily driver. When stacked, I noticed a higher positive Knock Adder (KnkAdder) value on my ProCal 4 than I was comfortable with, indicating too much pre-ignition during normal driving.

Mixing standard pump gas to create an E30 blend helped clean up the timing, but it's not very convenient for a daily. That said, the track numbers were wild:

• Stacked on 93 Octane: 0-60 mph dropped to 5.00 seconds flat.
• Stacked on E30 Blend (30°F weather): 0-60 mph dropped to 4.79 seconds, with a 1/4-mile time of 13.36 seconds @ 98 MPH.

What's Next?
My next adventure is moving into the world of custom tuning (stay tuned for updates on that!). In the meantime, if anyone has any questions about the Pulsar XT, fire away.

Sponsored

 

[Dialtone]

Nice review and great video

 

[topnotch2023]

I’ve had some time to use the Pulsar XT piggyback tuner from Superchips, so I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with everyone on the forums. I did make a video that shows the unboxing, step by step installation, mobile app usage and 0-60 Dragy times if anyone is interested. It’s a long video, but I listed time stamps at the beginning of the video so you could skip ahead to the section you want to see.




I’ll start things off and say that I’ve used a fair amount of the tuners for the Bronco. I’ve owned or own the JB4, RaceChip S, and Ford ProCal tune. I haven’t yet used the Panda Motorworks tuning device or VR Tuned box, but from what I can tell they are derivatives of the Racechip so the experience should be similar.

I’ll go ahead and tell you that right off the bat, the Pulsar XT is my favorite piggyback tuner. Reason being, that it adds a ton of power, has a built-in throttle controller, lets you change the tire size, disable Start stop and double honk, etc… All of this for under $600. No other device offers all these options in a single product. No brainer…

The installation of the device was straight forward and easy. I didn’t run into any issues as the instructions are easy to follow and you don’t need to be a mechanic to install it. My video above has a step-by-step instruction on how to do it, so watch it if you’re the visual learner type. The mobile app is pretty slick and feels modern, but if you don’t want to use it to change the power outpu, then you don’t have too. The included BT controller does the job and allows you to change the power output and throttle sensitively on the fly. My only real gripe with the app that it doesn’t allow the ability to monitor PIDs or vehicle stats. I would also like to see an option to log these stats. Heck, maybe the ability to use Apple Car play to view gauges in real-time on your screen would be cool too, but that’s probably asking for too much.

Superchips released a good video that goes over the app in detail as well:



[ How does it stack up to the Ford Procal? ]

While this is my favorite piggyback tuner, I also like the Ford ProCal. Not so much for the added power, but the better torque management and better shifting strategies. That said, if you want the Ford warranty you must pay for an ASE tech to install it and still must buy a separate throttle controller if you want a more responsive gas pedal. That could make the cost almost double that of the Pulsar XT, but it really depends on your overall goal.

My Bronco is slightly modified. It has an Injen cold air intake, CV Fab Intercooler, Turbosmart BOV, and colder plugs. With that said, I have tested both devices back-to-back, and the best 0-60 time I could achieve with the ProCal was 5.7 seconds. With the Pulsar XT, I was able to achieve 5.4 seconds, so it makes more power vs. the ProCal.





Beyond just power, the Pulsar XT feels smoother during daily driving since it doesn’t make any changes to the torque management system of transmission shifting. Basically, a faster stock feeling for lack of better words. That doesn’t mean the ProCal is rough or jerky, it feels great, and I really like the improved transmission shifting, just not as smooth as stock.

To wrap things up, I did what any sane person would do and decided to combine the two devices

I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do this long term or as daily driver as I was experiencing a higher positive KnKAdder value on my ProCal 4 then I would like to see. Basically, I was seeing too much preignition under daily driving for me to feel comfortable with. Mixing fuels to make E30 helped, but it’s hardly convenient. Anyway, with the two devices stacked using 93 octane 0-60 times came down to 5 seconds flat. With an E30 mix of fuel in 30-degree weather, It dropped to 4.79 seconds and did the ¼ mile in 13.36 @ 98 MPH. This was all testing with the Dragy device and app.



My next adventure leads me to custom tuning (Stay tuned), but if anyone has any questions about the Pulsar XT then let me know. Thanks!

Does it change the speed limiter?

 

[MWILD]

Does it change the speed limiter?

No

 

[jonesh242]

Thanks for posting! I suppose I'll invest in one of these too after I (finally) get around to mounting up all the other performance bits sitting in my garage.

 

[seananigans]

Love it. Do you think a complete custom tune by one of the few shops that replace the ecu would yield better results? I wonder how much juice can be squeezed out without major modifications that are not available right now. Love what you're doing here.

 

[MWILD]

Love it. Do you think a complete custom tune by one of the few shops that replace the ecu would yield better results? I wonder how much juice can be squeezed out without major modifications that are not available right now. Love what you're doing here.

Thanks and I do, though you will void your powertrain warranty going the custom tune route. Hoping to have some results/comparisons in the future.

 

[Pickle74]

I’ve had some time wity the Pulsar XT piggyback tuner from Superchips, so I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with everyone on the forums. I did make a video that shows the unboxing, step by step installation, mobile app usage and 0-60 Dragy times if anyone is interested. It’s a long video, but I listed time stamps at the beginning of the video so you can skip ahead to the section you want to see.




I’ll start things off and say that I’ve used a fair amount of tuners for the Bronco. I’ve owned or own the JB4, RaceChip S, and Ford ProCal tune. I haven’t yet used the Panda Motorworks tuning device or VR Tuned box, but from what I can tell they are derivatives of the Racechip so the experience should be similar.

I’ll go ahead and tell you that right off the bat, the Pulsar XT is my favorite piggyback tuner. Reason being, that it adds a ton of power, has a built-in throttle controller, lets you change the tire size, disable Start stop and double honk, etc… All of this for under $600. No other device offers all these options in a single product. No brainer…

The installation of the device is straight forward and easy. I didn’t run into any issues as the instructions are easy to follow and you don’t need to be a mechanic to install it. My video above has a step-by-step instruction on how to do it, so watch it if you’re the visual learner type. The mobile app is pretty slick and feels modern, but if you don’t want to use it to change the power output then you don’t have too. The included BT controller does the job and allows you to change the power output and throttle sensitively on the fly. My only real gripe with the app that it doesn’t allow the ability to monitor PIDs or vehicle stats. I would also like to see an option to log these stats. Heck, maybe the ability to use Apple Car play to view gauges in real-time on your screen would be cool too, but that’s probably asking for a bit much.

Superchips released a solid video that goes over the app in detail as well:



[ How does it stack up to the Ford Procal? ]

While this is my favorite piggyback tuner, I also like the Ford ProCal. Not so much for the added power, but the better torque management and better shifting strategies. That said, if you want the Ford warranty you must pay for an ASE tech to install it and still need to buy a separate throttle controller if you want a more responsive gas pedal. That could make the cost almost double that of the Pulsar XT, but it really depends on your overall goal.

My Bronco is slightly modified. It has an Injen cold air intake, CV Fab Intercooler, Turbosmart BOV, and colder plugs. With that said, I have tested both devices back-to-back, and the best 0-60 time I could achieve with the ProCal was 5.7 seconds. With the Pulsar XT, I was able to achieve 5.4 seconds, so it makes more power vs. the ProCal.





Beyond just power, the Pulsar XT feels smoother during daily driving since it doesn’t make any changes to the torque management system of transmission shifting. Basically, a faster stock feeling for lack of better words. That doesn’t mean the ProCal is rough or jerky, it feels great, and I really like the improved transmission shifting, just not as smooth as stock.

To wrap things up, I did what any sane person would do and decided to combine the two devices

I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do this long term or as daily driver as I was experiencing a higher positive KnKAdder value on my ProCal 4 then I would like to see. Basically, I was seeing too much preignition under daily driving for me to feel comfortable with. Mixing fuels to make E30 helped, but it’s hardly convenient. Anyway, with the two devices stacked using 93 octane 0-60 times came down to 5 seconds flat. With an E30 mix of fuel in 30-degree weather, It dropped to 4.79 seconds and did the ¼ mile in 13.36 @ 98 MPH. This was all testing with the Dragy device and app.



My next adventure leads me to custom tuning (Stay tuned), but if anyone has any questions about the Pulsar XT then let me know. Thanks!

Does the ecu learn this in closed loop and compensate over time thus not adding any hp?

 

[Travis9935]

Does this work on a 2024 too?

 

[Mirage]

Unsure if you're using the app for it, but for some reason, when I upgraded my phone, I can no longer log into the app, Update Agent 1.0? The Bluetooth remote thingy still works, but if I can't use the app for the other features, this thing isn't worth the cost anymore.... Contacted Superchips, which is now also Holley and their CS is awful, with no replies back about my issue?

Sorry to hijack your thread, but you're the only other person I've seen that has installed this on their Bronco...?

 

[MWILD]

Unsure if you're using the app for it, but for some reason, when I upgraded my phone, I can no longer log into the app, Update Agent 1.0? The Bluetooth remote thingy still works, but if I can't use the app for the other features, this thing isn't worth the cost anymore.... Contacted Superchips, which is now also Holley and their CS is awful, with no replies back about my issue?

Sorry to hijack your thread, but you're the only other person I've seen that has installed this on their Bronco...?

Try direct messaging SuperChips on this forum. Thinking a new OS update may have broke the app, but I no longer use the Pulsar XT (Now custom tuned) so I can't say for sure.

@Superchips_Mktg

 

[didxogns1]

Unsure if you're using the app for it, but for some reason, when I upgraded my phone, I can no longer log into the app, Update Agent 1.0? The Bluetooth remote thingy still works, but if I can't use the app for the other features, this thing isn't worth the cost anymore.... Contacted Superchips, which is now also Holley and their CS is awful, with no replies back about my issue?

Sorry to hijack your thread, but you're the only other person I've seen that has installed this on their Bronco...?

I'm having a similar issue. Has yours been resolved?

 

[Mirage]

I'm having a similar issue. Has yours been resolved?

Sort of? It works now, but it likes to reset all the settings I had it at from time to time... Noticed a few weeks ago, it didn't feel right at a dead stop and when I hit the arrow on the Bluetooth thing, it was all the way at stock... I'm sure they're not the company they used to be....

 

[KABQ]

Installed a few weeks ago, and I can't say I've had any problems with the app. I CAN say that when I launch in 4A it tries to spin all four (37") tires and transfers enough power to the front axle to torque steer like crazy. Freaking awesome. And as a piggyback system I can just remove it if I need warranty work. Install is easy as hell.

For reference, @MWILD 's 0-60 time with the Pulsar XT is on par with a Ferrari 308, so that's pretty cool. Magnum PI got nothing on me!

 

[WildestBronco]

Looking to take in my Bronco for service and have been having a hard time getting the wire connector that goes into the MAF sensor to come off. I opened the red keeper, but can't get the connector off. Am I supposed to be using a pricking tool or something else to help get it off? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sponsored