Poor Driveability when cold. Tune?

[ManBearPig]

My 2016 GT currently has roughly 4300 miles. I've had it close to 2 years but don’t drive it a whole lot. It is a base (300A) with performance pack car, if that matters. I do not have any of the "drive" modes so I can't say how that would effect this, if at all. Since I bought the car new with less than 10 miles, it has had some weird drivability issues when cold. Not major, but enough to notice. I went back and to the dealer and drove another car optioned just like mine to see if it would exhibit the same symptoms, and it did. I have also read half a dozen other folks mention this, too…so I'm thinking it's pretty prevalent but most don’t think it’s a big enough deal to pursue. Because it's only when the car is cold…I kind of a gree but it would be nice to find more. Ambient temp doesn’t matter…I just mean when the car has been sitting overnight. No, I don’t go out and romp on the car until it's fully up to temp, but every time I drive the car I notice this just driving out of my neighborhood when accelerating normally through the first several gears. When pulling off from a stop, the car will get a herky-jerky hesitation thing going on even when applying steady throttle. By the time I come to the first stoplight outside my neighborhood and accelerate away again, the car is warm enough to not do this anymore and pulls as smoothly as it should. I've also noticed at times that the car will occasionally search for it's idle speed when first started. It will usually start up and idle around 1k RPM for a few seconds, then jump to 1300 or so, then slowly ease back down to 750 or so where it idles when warm. I'm almost positive that all of this is related to the tune somehow, but I've heard several others report that a performance tune from Lund doesn’t fix it. Do any other tuners address this? What is the cause? Is the car pulling timing, or is the fueling off somehow? This is my first Coyote Mustang, but I do have a 5.0 F-150 that doesn’t have even a hint of this. Nor did any of my past 4.6 Mustangs (2V and 3V cars). Is there any way to get rid of this, or does anyone know what's going on?

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[Grim12]

My car is tuned. By JDM. Does the same thing when cold, and is much worse when it's colder out. I've never heard similar complaints from Lund tuned cars. Going to move to them soon.

 

[ManBearPig]

My car is tuned. By JDM. Does the same thing when cold, and is much worse when it's colder out. I've never heard similar complaints from Lund tuned cars. Going to move to them soon.

It looks like you've got some mods that require a tune...do you remember if your car did this in stock trim? I should mention that my car is stick with the exception of an MBRP catback. I put the exhaust on the car when it only had about 40 miles so it's pretty much always had exhaust but I can't imagine that would have anything to do with, well, much of anything really.

 

[WhiteyDog]

I have a PP car as well, and never noticed anything with the stock tune, the Steeda, or both Lund tunes.

 

[Grim12]

It looks like you've got some mods that require a tune...do you remember if your car did this in stock trim? I should mention that my car is stick with the exception of an MBRP catback. I put the exhaust on the car when it only had about 40 miles so it's pretty much always had exhaust but I can't imagine that would have anything to do with, well, much of anything really.

I do remember a slight bucking when it was stock and cold. Very slight.

 

[TXAG01]

My 2016 GT currently has roughly 4300 miles. I've had it close to 2 years but don’t drive it a whole lot. It is a base (300A) with performance pack car, if that matters. I do not have any of the "drive" modes so I can't say how that would effect this, if at all. Since I bought the car new with less than 10 miles, it has had some weird drivability issues when cold. Not major, but enough to notice. I went back and to the dealer and drove another car optioned just like mine to see if it would exhibit the same symptoms, and it did. I have also read half a dozen other folks mention this, too…so I'm thinking it's pretty prevalent but most don’t think it’s a big enough deal to pursue. Because it's only when the car is cold…I kind of a gree but it would be nice to find more. Ambient temp doesn’t matter…I just mean when the car has been sitting overnight. No, I don’t go out and romp on the car until it's fully up to temp, but every time I drive the car I notice this just driving out of my neighborhood when accelerating normally through the first several gears. When pulling off from a stop, the car will get a herky-jerky hesitation thing going on even when applying steady throttle. By the time I come to the first stoplight outside my neighborhood and accelerate away again, the car is warm enough to not do this anymore and pulls as smoothly as it should. I've also noticed at times that the car will occasionally search for it's idle speed when first started. It will usually start up and idle around 1k RPM for a few seconds, then jump to 1300 or so, then slowly ease back down to 750 or so where it idles when warm. I'm almost positive that all of this is related to the tune somehow, but I've heard several others report that a performance tune from Lund doesn’t fix it. Do any other tuners address this? What is the cause? Is the car pulling timing, or is the fueling off somehow? This is my first Coyote Mustang, but I do have a 5.0 F-150 that doesn’t have even a hint of this. Nor did any of my past 4.6 Mustangs (2V and 3V cars). Is there any way to get rid of this, or does anyone know what's going on?

I've experienced the same thing on the acceleration, hadn't noticed the cold idle changed you mention. Mine has done this a handful of times, only first thing in the morning both with and without a Livernois tune and a Airaid CAI. I even replaced the throttle body with another stock one to see if it helped and it hasn't. It's not a major deal but it's a bit annoying, like it briefly has a drop off in power. I've had the dealer check it out which was a waste of time and I have checked it for codes myself and there are none. I guess it just is what it is when the car is warming up. Not my first "performance" car, but it's the first one I've had that does this when "cold". I put "cold" in quotes, because much like you, it's not actually cold out when this has happened, I live in Houston, so far from actually cold temps.

 

[TNcoupe]

Mine does it everytime its cold. Its like the clutch needs to be warmed up before it will pull full power. Feels like the clutch slips a little but by the time I get out of my neighborhood its all good.

 

[Bluemustang]

Happens on my car too. Lund tuned.

 

[BmacIL]

Mine does it everytime its cold. Its like the clutch needs to be warmed up before it will pull full power. Feels like the clutch slips a little but by the time I get out of my neighborhood its all good.

This.

 

[ManBearPig]

I found some other threads where folks were speculating that this has to do with either the hyrdraulically actuated VCT components or the charge valves in the intake runners but I'm not sure I buy that theory. I also wonder for those that say their cars aren't effected...do they just not notice or is there something different about our cars?

 

[Nick71692]

my car does it as well both when it was in stock form and now lund tuned. Car hesitates quite a bit when cold but once warm all is good and all goes away. I guess she likes to be wined and dined before you take her home and she really opens up.

 

[zillah]

Happens on my car until the engine warms up. I just release the clutch later than usual and am more constant with the gas until it does.

 

[scoggy_doogan]

Mine does it everytime its cold. Its like the clutch needs to be warmed up before it will pull full power. Feels like the clutch slips a little but by the time I get out of my neighborhood its all good.

I can definitely feel the clutch slip some when the car is cold. Luckily it doesn't last too long now that its nice and toasty here. Between the clutch and the throttle being a little funky, it feels like I'm brand new to driving stick until it warms up to operating temp.

 

[ManBearPig]

I've never felt the clutch slip when cold, but I've never driven it hard when cold either. What I feel is as if the car will pull, cut power, then pull again. As if timing or fuel is being cut.

 

[BmacIL]

I've never felt the clutch slip when cold, but I've never driven it hard when cold either. What I feel is as if the car will pull, cut power, then pull again. As if timing or fuel is being cut.

Clutch feels very grabby when cold, more difficult to modulate, and thus, worse driveability. The engine also seems to be a little surgey when cold too. Goes away after just a little bit of driving, though.

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