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Ford’s coded Mustang is hard to adjust



One of the most ‘tuned’ cars in history, Ford’s Mustang has been a favorite of performance car enthusiasts for decades with countless modifications added under the bonnet. of the chariot to make it faster and faster.

This spans from a simple muffler change to a sport exhaust right away to force-feeding or coupling the engine to a more powerful ‘racing’ engine with 1000hp (735kW).

Modified Stangs have become so popular, Ford got in on the act decades ago offering their own performance-enhancing models and options, which continues to this day. nowadays.

That choice may be coming to an end as Ford complies with effective federal emissions regulations that are about to take effect across the United States.

So-called “locked” Electronic Control Units (ECUs), are rapidly being adopted in the US to help manufacturers, including Ford, comply with and prevent third-party changes to the controls. tuning of the car factory.

It has implications not only for performance regulators but also the non-OEM repair industry.

The squeeze on tunable ECUs in the US is forcing software vendors to pull back online information regarding performance tuning.

Cobb Tuning, one of the largest US (and global) suppliers of tuning software and components to enthusiasts, has restricted access to specific engine boards and related systems. emissions through Accesstuner software.

This means that the regulator can no longer modify or remove components such as the O2 (oxygen) sensor, exhaust temperature sensor, EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system or diagnostic trouble codes.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has become more active in its pursuit of the automotive aftermarket of late, and OEMs are responding first.

Ford has taken it upon itself to address the adjustability issues of the new S650 Mustang, and according to the Mustang’s chief engineer, it’s “much harder to tune” due to the adoption of a completely new, fully electric architecture. encode.

According to the American publication Road and Track (R&T), the new Mustang that debuted in the US a month ago uses the majority of the powertrain but the electric architecture transitions to a Fully Networked Vehicle (FNV) architecture ) by Ford.

Bad news for a global group of third-party regulators.

R&T says Mustang Chief Engineer Ed Krenz told a Ford forum that the move to FNV means the entire electrical system is encrypted (on purpose) to protect user data and if the system is suspicious If someone suspects someone is trying to modify its code, it can shut down a part or an entire vehicle completely.

As for the hardcore tuner, that means you can make extensive modifications and upgrades to your S650 but you won’t be able to tune it for optimal performance… as simple as that.

According to R&T, this doesn’t mean there won’t be a way to extract more from your S650 Mustang. They will only have to be punished by the factory.

Ford offers factory-approved tunes for the current Mustang’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged engine, and some aftermarket upgrades to the 5.0-liter V8.

Through Ford Performance, the company even sells a supercharger for the V8. R&T says those kinds of services will likely continue for the new Mustang, and Krenz added that Ford is open to working with additional third-party tuners, but Ford is entirely in the driver’s seat in this issue and will structure any changes to suit their own and US federal emissions regulations.

R&T says it’s a mixed bag for consumers and performance car enthusiasts alike as there will still be ways to get more out of the Mustang, but there won’t be as many choices as before.

It’s the same story with the new Corvette, which also uses modern electrical architecture and is locked down, the publication reads.

“For regulatory companies, it’s tough. As automotive electronics evolve and the need for increased security increases, regulators will need to comply with automakers, and that’s only when automakers are ready to improve. performance from the start. ”

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