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Couple quick points here...
On smog laws and these specific aftermarket tunes...
1-New vehicles in California have 8 YEARS before you'll need a smog. That's a long time.
2- If your GVWR is below 14,000, you'd be getting a BAR OIS test, which (at this time, this is changing though) doesn't know or doesn't care what the exact calibrations (CVN numbers) are during the smog test. In other words, as long as there are no codes and the needed monitors are run, you WILL pass smog with any of these particular aftermarket tunes in these particular vehicles. If you're over 14,000 GVWR, then you'd be getting a BAR 97 test (2 speed dyno), which again, as long as there are no codes, monitors have run and the aftermarket tune isn't totally butchered, you should pass even the dyno test just fine.
3- Any of these aftermarket tunes can be put back to totally stock calibrations in a matter of less than 5 minutes. So if you do need a smog, you simply load the stock tune, drive it for a few days and go get your smog done.
On trans downshifting, running rpms and gas mileage...
There's a reason why Ford drops the 6 speed from 6th to 4th really easily. Both 5th and 6th gears are overdrives. You REALLY don't want to be putting a whole lot of load on overdrive gears. So dropping from 6th to 4th most of the time is actually the right way to climb a grade, ESPECIALLY when towing.
Technically, the highest efficiency in an engine is at the lowest rpm and the widest throttle opening for the given load. I say technically because that's in a lab with 100 other variables taken out of the equation. It's basically when the engine's pumping losses are the lowest. In reality, it has to do with all those other variables, like how the engine calibration is written, how the engine itself is built (intake and exhaust runner design and sizes, compression ratios, bore/stroke, cam timing and profile, etc, etc,). I've got about 8,000 miles of data on my V10 already, I log about 30 engine PID's every time I drive. Fun fact- you actually CAN get better gas mileage at 2500rpms vs 2000rpms in the right conditions with the way these V10's are built. It's not all cut-and-dry, there's a lot to this stuff. The worst part for us with the V10? That it doesn't have VVT. If it had variable cam timing tuning would make an even bigger difference in gas mileage and torque. (That's something that makes the new Ford engine so exciting, it has VVT.)
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