Ford Racing ProCal Tune

[TheLion]

The important thing to remember is that the ecu uses a load based tuning strategy, so in your case the drop in temperatures would require less overall boost because it hits its targets with less overall pressure. If you were a boost based tuning strategy you would always see x amount of boost in all temperatures which would likely exceed the load limits set by the ecu, especially in cooler air.

Ok that makes sense. So the drop in temps may be the primary reason. The car feels quicker over all, but because power comes on much sooner the perception is the peak power is lower as there's not as much of a "buildup". "feelings" often lie and I'm interested in what is actually working better, not what is perceived as better, so that's why I questioned my perception, but couldn't dismiss it because of the four dyno runs and the boost curves on those I mentioned in my previous post.

The power is VERY linear now, it wasn't bad before by any means, but the power seems to be almost instant like an NA engine where there was a very slight lag before one wouldn't really notice until you've driven the car with both configurations.

I think the combination of the FP Calibration, ATM inter cooler and DV+ in enhanced operation with my 3.73 is a killer track / auto cross setup assuming there's no adverse affect on the power band with the DV+ in "enhanced" mode.

I always question modifications because the reality is, not everything after market is always better and some changes can actually hurt performance rather than help. Some times certain combinations of mods may be better than others depends on what other mods are used and how they impact performance.

So far I really like the response down low between shifts with the "enhanced" mode operation so long as I"m not loosing power across the RPM band. I'll have to see if I can do some runs on my known distance and see if I can hit 75 by the time I cross it, that would at least give me a good indicator the car is actually running faster and there's no negative side effects of using the valve in "enhanced" mode.

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[TheLion]

By the way, I came across this: http://www.mustang6g.com/?p=2854

Since some people were questioning when I said FP ran a 12.5 on their calibration, that's what they did to get there. On the stock inter cooler amazingly enough, but that's not so different than Livernois running a 12.67 on their tune only with DR's with an auto.

I would think a manual with similar configuration and an inter cooler could get into the 12's, maybe even on a wide set of street tires. Elevation and temp will play a big role as well, but it will be interesting to see what some of us can do with just the inter cooler, tune, DV+ and tires

Obviously those were all in development at the time, however the products they sell now are a result of their development testing so they are pretty close to the final product. I don't think 12's is unreasonable for a FP tuned car with a good driver, supporting mods (inter cooler, tires namely). Now I'm getting all excited lol.

 

[TEXAS HEAT]

By the way, I came across this: http://www.mustang6g.com/?p=2854

Since some people were questioning when I said FP ran a 12.5 on their calibration, that's what they did to get there. On the stock inter cooler amazingly enough, but that's not so different than Livernois running a 12.67 on their tune only with DR's with an auto.

I would think a manual with similar configuration and an inter cooler could get into the 12's, maybe even on a wide set of street tires. Elevation and temp will play a big role as well, but it will be interesting to see what some of us can do with just the inter cooler, tune, DV+ and tires

Obviously those were all in development at the time, however the products they sell now are a result of their development testing so they are pretty close to the final product. I don't think 12's is unreasonable for a FP tuned car with a good driver, supporting mods (inter cooler, tires namely). Now I'm getting all excited lol.

They used race fuel and an off-road exhaust set-up to achieve the results they did. That's not to say that some of, if not all of what they learned during that venture didn't make it's way into the procal tune they are now selling, but I'm sure they were tweaking the tune to take advantage of the additional octane. I definitely think 12's are possible with the FRPP tune and your additional mods, but your trap speed will likely be no more than 105-106mph. 109 is usually only achieved with e30 or race fuel.

 

[TheLion]

They used race fuel and an off-road exhaust set-up to achieve the results they did. That's not to say that some of, if not all of what they learned during that venture didn't make it's way into the procal tune they are now selling, but I'm sure they were tweaking the tune to take advantage of the additional octane. I definitely think 12's are possible with the FRPP tune and your additional mods, but your trap speed will likely be no more than 105-106 mph. 109 is usually only achieved with e30 or race fuel.

As far as I can tell they used the stock inter cooler, there's not a single mention of an upgraded inter cooler anywhere. The difference on pump gas between the factory unit and a properly sized after market unit should roughly make up for e30 race gas and a catless down pipe on the stock inter cooler of their setup.

They were basically relying on high octane to compensate for high intake temps. Not sure why the didn't upgrade the inter cooler unless they were trying to see what the could do with as few hardware changes as possible. Even Garrett / Honeywell acknowledges how crappy the stock FMIC is, I spoke with a guy at the shop (customer having work done on his track Camaro) who works for Garrett, sure enough they just released their FMIC as he said. Time will tell, we'll see if the FP Cal, ATM and DV+ with some 275 Pilot Sport AS3+'s can get me there with 3.73 gearing. I'm not concerned about trap speed, I just want to see if I can get into the 12's on 93 pump gas with the engine under warranty, then I'll be satisfied, or at least run a 13.1~13.2 consistently which is about what the S197 gen 1 Coyote's ran.

If I can do that this will be a great track car and we already know it's a good daily due to reasonable fuel economy when your not on it. Just gotta get my oil cooler installed and the PP lower control arms / toe links that have sitting on my workbench for 3 months now lol.

 

[TheLion]

They used race fuel and an off-road exhaust set-up to achieve the results they did. That's not to say that some of, if not all of what they learned during that venture didn't make it's way into the procal tune they are now selling, but I'm sure they were tweaking the tune to take advantage of the additional octane. I definitely think 12's are possible with the FRPP tune and your additional mods, but your trap speed will likely be no more than 105-106mph. 109 is usually only achieved with e30 or race fuel.

While the 1/4 mile time calculators are somewhat off for turbo cars (due to the power band being broader typically than an NA car), it estimates about a 107 mph trap speed for a 3755 lb car making about 312~315 HP at the wheels.

My base weighs 3565 after mods (3532 stock), I weigh a lean 190 lbs at 5' 9' (weight lifter so i'm a bit heavy for my height). So I think your right in the ball park of 105~106 trap which isn't bad for a fully warrantied turbo I-4 whose only engine mods are an inter cooler, tune and DV+ valve . Although it says a WRT STi which makes about 260 hp to the wheels and weighs about 3576 with me in it would run a 13.9....it runs about a 13.4~13.5 on average so it's only a very rough estimate. Best way to know is to just drive the car on a track.

 

[Blyman93]

Does the FP tune account for intercooler and full exhaust setup? Just curious I haven't looked much into this and if it's been said I apologize. I know custom tunes benefit seeing each persons elevation, fuel quality, weight etc. downside for me is I have a meth kit

 

[TheLion]

Does the FP tune account for intercooler and full exhaust setup? Just curious I haven't looked much into this and if it's been said I apologize. I know custom tunes benefit seeing each persons elevation, fuel quality, weight etc. downside for me is I have a meth kit

Every calibration accounts for the inter cooler, even the stock calibration which is why stock cars pick up anywhere from 15 to 25 HP (mostly on the mid range and top end) from a FMIC upgrade.

No, you can't use an aftermarket down pipe as the FP Calibration is tuned for the stock down pipe. Not sure if they have plans to ever release a stage 2 with down pipe and slightly more aggressive tune.

Their cat back system will work with the stock tune, mostly it saves weight and sounds much better, but some of the dyno's show a small amount of power increase across the mid range mostly because of the removed "brief case" or resonator.

But if memory serves correctly Tune + made the most power on a customer stock turbo car with the factory down pipe and intake. While there may be some gains from after market components, it shows what the factory parts ca do in the right circumstances.

I don't think there's much gains from a down pipe however. Even Livernois said 7-12 hp at most. The majority of the benefit is due to a slight improvement in engine response. The stock exhaust seems to be pretty well tuned for the stock turbo spool up rate so it's not over driven.

Another example is SB1 Racing, they were running 12's on just an inter cooler and E30 tune with some DR's and then broke into the 11's with some suspension mods and weight reduction plus a few other goodies like CAI's etc.

 

[Glenn G]

Not sure if they have plans to ever release a stage 2 with down pipe and slightly more aggressive tune.

This is not going to happen for two reasons, the first is Federal emissions laws and red tape. Replacing the Cat on the car, which is part of the downpipe, will make the car non compliant with federal emissions, even if emissions are the same or lower, because it is not certified. It may be legal in some states, but wouldn't be in California emission states.[/QUOTE]

Certification costs millions, getting the car to pass the emissions test is the easy and cheap part, The massive amount of red-tape and bureaucracy is the expensive and hard part. There are more Lawyers than Engineers on the certification team. Ford is simply not going to get the return on investment to do it. Even their supercharged GTs leave the Cats alone because of this and just need to redo CARB E.O.

The second reason follows your other point.

I don't think there's much gains from a down pipe however. Even Livernois said 7-12 hp at most. The majority of the benefit is due to a slight improvement in engine response. The stock exhaust seems to be pretty well tuned for the stock turbo spool up rate so it's not over driven.

You are correct here, a downpipe does not get you much PEAK power. What it does is solve alot of the power drop of on the top end and give you better boost recovery on an MT car after a shift.

With my mods (IC,DP,Catback, Tune) I can walk Euro Spec GTs (421hp 3.55 gears) I do it all the time here in Germany. I also do not have a problem with US Spec Base GTs (435 hp, 3.31 gears). US Spec GTPPs beat me consistently from a roll (8 out of 10 times) to about 110 -120 mph. After that it's all me thanks to the car holding 22 lbs to redline. My acceleration only begins to taper in 6th at 160mph.

Ford is NOT going to make anything that makes the model they sell for nearly $10k less (Base EB 3.31) compete in the 1/4 and out perform it in the top end for less than $2k in warrantied mods.

My source has told me the FRPP EB tune was ready in mid 2015 and Certified but ford stopped the release because the GT was selling so well (Over 50%!) they didn't want the EB to steal sales.

 

[TheLion]

This is not going to happen for two reasons, the first is Federal emissions laws and red tape. Replacing the Cat on the car, which is part of the downpipe, will make the car non compliant with federal emissions, even if emissions are the same or lower, because it is not certified. It may be legal in some states, but wouldn't be in California emission states.

Once my 36k supplemental warranty is up I may switch back to my Livernois 91 Calibration and use the Ford Performance Calibration for e-chk. The peak power between the two is nearly the same, with both making around 300 to 320 wheel horses, however the Livernois 91 Calibration holds roughly 300 wheel horses all the way to 6700 RPM where the FP calibration drops to 250 wheel horses by that RPM. Torque starts falling off at a faster rate on the FP Calibration right about about 5800~5900 RPM where Livernois is maintaining the shallow downward torque slope all the way out.

The only explanation I have for this is due to the specifics of their project requirements such as being emissions compliant, safety margins and possibly catalyst temps with their tuning method. I had questioned LMS a while back on the top end and asked about cat temps and they indicated there was no over temperature issues (aka they aren't disabling the catalyst temperature safe guards which we've seen some tuners do namely on the Focus ST's).

Basically they double the peak area of the power band (where the car is making roughly 300 whp and above) into an impressive table top that makes most other turbo 4's jealous 5x over. Holding roughly 300 whp from 4500 to 6500 RPM. The Ford Performance calibration holds roughly 300 whp from 4800 rpm to 5800 rpm but falls off rapidly after 6000, bottoming out around 250 whp by 6500 in a rather linearly 45 degree downward slope. From the Dyno's it appears Livernois is able to hold torque longer in the 3700 to 4500 RPM and 5800 to 6500 RPM ranges, making about 350 wtq out to 4500 RPM vs. the Ford Performance tune which only holds 350 wtq out to 3700 RPM, then holding the linear shallow downward slope the rest of the way out.

I don't have an explanation as to why Ford Performance isn't holding torque out so long, I have a hard time believing in this case it's anything to do with safety, part of it could be due to emissions requirements and again that whole GT thing. With the Livernois 93 on a stock auto EB with DR's they ran a 12.67....that's better than a PP GT which typically runs a 12.8~12.9 on a good day. Ford Performance ran a 12.5 on their race gas tune auto 3.73 so they obviously can push the car much harder. Their Calibration is a huge step up from stock and it's not bad by any means, not complaining. It's about 75% of the way there in therms of what I envisioned.

But once the warranty is up, as I recommended before, it does make sense to step up to something like Livernois or a similar tuner with a good track record for reliability. As long as they are compensating for temperature and altitude, followed by proper cooling and good tuning you should see years of reliable service.

IF you want the added power bandwidth, if the FP Calibration is enough there's no reason to move away from them. I'd trade bandwidth for peak power any day however. It's practically more useful in real driving even if it doesn't "feel" as fun by the sudden rush of power. The power is just always there with about the same pull from 4500 to 6500. Running the FP Calibration for at least 36k minimum however is a really good way to break in the engine and have confidence there aren't any manufacturing defects lurking inside. Most major issues happen rather soon (infant mortality), including on bone stock cars.

I think almost every single car that has thrown a rod has done so under 36k, at least those that were on stock blocks, some one correct me if I'm wrong. Also, if I'm not mistaken, still have not seen any Cleveland engines pop. But I digress, this thread is about the Ford Performance Calibration and I think we've seen about the maximum potential we can expect from it now and have a pretty good idea of what it has to offer. You'll make quite a bit more power to the wheels than the Cobb Stage 1 (about 280 from them) and still be under warranty pending you get it certified.

 

[Plain17]

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I live in bowie, MD and been calling nearby ford dealers to find out if they install the procal tune kit, but none of them do. They all say to call a Ford performance dealer, I called and they wanted $500 just to install. Can someone who lives nearby tell me where you got it installed. I searched the forum and didn't find any. Thanks in advance. Ven

 

[jtmat]

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I live in bowie, MD and been calling nearby ford dealers to find out if they install the procal tune kit, but none of them do. They all say to call a Ford performance dealer, I called and they wanted $500 just to install. Can someone who lives nearby tell me where you got it installed. I searched the forum and didn't find any. Thanks in advance. Ven

[MENTION=31613]Plain17[/MENTION]


Andrew Garis
Assistant Service Manager
Waldorf Ford
Phone:240-427-1358

They installed for around $200... I would go there since they have done a lot of them.

 

[Plain17]

Thanks Jtmat! I'll give them a call.

 

[jtmat]

Thanks Jtmat! I'll give them a call.

I also just sent you a PM with his email.... actually I only emailed him until I went in to have it installed. Believe it was like an hour or hour half for install.. I was in first thing in the morning -- first customer.

They do not sell the parts, but you can look in my sig for places or throughout this thread... or ask in this thread and someone might know the cheapest place right now.

Good luck... tune is lots of fun... be careful coming up 495 near suitland exit... they have a (sometimes hidden) camera in the work zone... $40 ticket.... 13 mph over 55 is the ticket.

 

[dgc333]

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I live in bowie, MD and been calling nearby ford dealers to find out if they install the procal tune kit, but none of them do. They all say to call a Ford performance dealer, I called and they wanted $500 just to install. Can someone who lives nearby tell me where you got it installed. I searched the forum and didn't find any. Thanks in advance. Ven

You don't need to have the tune and CAI installed at a Ford dealer to get the warranty. Any local shop that has ASE certified techs can do it.

I did mine at my son's shop, he printed me a work or for an hours labor. I sent that along with the receipt for the kit to the email address in the Ford Performance warranty document. Within two hours I had to notification back that my warranty was registered.

BTW, one hour of labor at my son's shop is $105. You should only be paying in that range to have the kit installed. It actually took me less than an hour.

 

[TheLion]

I would suggest anyone interested in protecting their engine take a look at this:

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89210

LSPI was one of my biggest motivations in going with the Ford Performance calibration. It also explains why they run it pig rich like the factory calibration and also might explain why they couldn't push power and fuel efficiency further than they did.

Running rich is a protection mechanism against LSPI since there are currently no oil formulations that are LSPI resistant. The frequency of LSPI has been significantly reduced through primarily tuning and cooling. Some formulations of oil currently on the market are more risky than others, depend on their NOAC rating and additive concentrations, but tuning and cooling plays the primary role UNTIL oil formulations do not contain LSPI inducing additives.

The issue arises from the fact that tuning which is less prone to LSPI also limits power output and fuel efficiency. They are some what mutually exclusive. The push for new oil formulations had directly to do with continuing to strive to meet up and coming fuel economy and power output requirements.

In order to push more power and better fuel efficiency, we have to move into prime LSPI territory by running as close to stoich as possible, which also consequently makes for conditions much more likely to allow the glowing deposits to remain hot during the compression stroke. But if we use an oil formulation that doesn't have any additives that contain such catalysts (or an additive that cancels out / negates the effects of the offending catalyst) then we can push more power and higher fuel efficiency without risk of LSPI. We are then primarily limited to traditional knock and not the risk of super knock.

Almost every ecoboost engine failure I have seen in hours worth of combing the forums over the last year or so, from F-150's bone stock to highly modified ST's, RS's and EB's, by far the most common failure is a snapped rod that occured while under partial throttle at low RPM where torque and boost are the highest. Often between 1500 and 2500 RPM, a few in the mid-band around 4k RPM. Also most of them occur on very low mileage vehicles.

Some may be related to metallurgical defects in the rods, but certainly a percentage are related to LSPI conditions. High boost and low RPM is where pre-detonation will generate the highest stress and for the longest duration. Almost every tune out there with maybe the exception of the FP Calibration (because they purposely run overly rich), seeks better power and fuel efficiency, they are achieving those gains by pushing the engines into LSPI territory. Running ethanol blends will reduce this risk as it has an added cooling benefit pending your not seeking more power but using the cooling to push more power invariable results in higher temps which negates it's anti-LSPI benefits.

For those running the FP calibration, certainly part of the reason for a slight drop in fuel economy is likely due to the fact that they are running the engine extra rich to protect against LSPI. I would wager oils can also affect regular knock frequency as well, so there may be small power gains on average there too even when not talking about prevent catastrophic failures.

The combination of an oil cooler, good radiator, inter cooler and Anti-LSPI oil with high octane is a really good and easy recipe for safe engine operation. If you decide to step outside the Ford Performance Calibration once the warranty period is up, then running the above hardware modifications with an LSPI immune oil formulation is a really good way to prevent said issues. That also explains why the bigger majority of failed engines are manuals, because the autos downshift with even the slightest increase in petal position, just one more protection mechanism. Let's face it, while crusing, then engine generates plenty of torque to slowly scoot around another car without exceeding even 50% throttle, but that's prime LSPI territory.

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