Wow I didnt know I was still at risk. I didnt have an issue, I did it as preventative after hearing all the concerns out there. I'm assuming this does not affect everyone. There are a lot of AFM trucks out there. Have we confirmed what puts you at higher risk of lifter issues?
As far as I know, the most failures seem to be related to maintenance, or the lack thereof. Between the VLOM and tiny passages in the lifters, the system is extra sensitive to buildup of gunk from using crap oil and/or too long of oil change intervals. The best you can do is keep clean, high quality oil in it.
What would someone that believes in AFM do to keep using it and survive?
The parts themselves were improved from 2010+. If yours is '07-'09, get the updated VLOM and lifters and keep clean, high quality oil in it. Unless most of your driving is cruising at ~65MPH or slower for extended periods with no stops, hills, headwinds or traffic, AFM won't save you enough to outweigh the risk.
Nothing guarantees "survival". It will always be a risk. Doing the above is the most you can do to minimize your risk of failure. You can eliminate the risk of failure resulting from a lack of maintenance, but the risk of the parts failing from something beyond your control will always be there. Do your best and, if you're fortunate, you'll have some sort of warning before it fails, such as ticking lifter(s), odd stumbling, etc. and can take it out before it takes out your engine. Some aren't so fortunate and that's where the horror stories of "Had the fam on a road trip when my dash lit up like a Christmas tree and the engine was clicking/knocking" come from.
Deleting AFM makes the engine as reliable as the Gen 3, but with upgraded parts such as rods, heads and intake manifold.
