Question about the Ford performance package

[Darnellbe]

Hey guys new to the car scene. Recently brought an ecoboost and was wondering if the upgrades/mods of the performance package was worth it, specifically the M-9603-M4? Does anyone have it or know of anyone who does? If so how’s the reliability, power and gas mileage?

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[007evan]

i took all my pp1 package stuff and put it in the trash can. Its a waste of money . i only used the wheels went to steeda got a whole new suspension installed a koni kit now i have a gt that will kill a z06 on the back roads. Just depends what you are looking for. Drive a gt that has had the suspension done and you will spend the money to make it right

 

[Jaymar]

i took all my pp1 package stuff and put it in the trash can. Its a waste of money . i only used the wheels went to steeda got a whole new suspension installed a koni kit now i have a gt that will kill a z06 on the back roads. Just depends what you are looking for. Drive a gt that has had the suspension done and you will spend the money to make it right

He's asking about the Ford power package...on an EcoBoost. And have you even driven a Z06?

Anyways, I haven't personally run the Ford package but it's perfectly fine for someone that doesn't want to get into engine modifications down the road. Any of the decent performance tunes go a long way to waking the car up and making it feel more like the car it should have been. That being said, if your plans do include replacement turbos or anything beyond a cat-back it would be better to look into the Cobb tuning device and one of the reputable tuners.

 

[007evan]

yes i have driven Z06"s in the past. The z06 is a very nice car to drive and like any performance car it is up to the skill set of the driver. my 1967 corvette had a 427 tri power roadster yes it was very fast in its day but a stock mustang would out perform it but nothing like the look of the old stuff. Its harder to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow !

 

[Jaymar]

yes i have driven Z06"s in the past. The z06 is a very nice car to drive and like any performance car it is up to the skill set of the driver. my 1967 corvette had a 427 tri power roadster yes it was very fast in its day but a stock mustang would out perform it but nothing like the look of the old stuff. Its harder to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow !

Fair enough. I wouldn't say that a modified Mustang "kills" a Z06 but it is amazing how far above its weight class it can punch. That, and $3K put into a Mustang goes a lot further than it does on any Corvette.

My biggest complaint about the Ecoboost when I first got it was that the motor pulled great in the midrange like an old big block did but it would lay over like a dead dog over 4K. The Ford tune and any decent aftermarket tune will minimize that feeling to a point you may consider acceptable and at the very least makes the car fun to drive. It doesn't add mind blowing amounts of power but it certainly feels like a different car when you're done.

 

[007evan]

you need a bigger turbo and a stiffer waste gate spring. bigger turbo will spool up slower but give you all high end pulls in the big end. Smaller turbo will give you faster spool up but drop off in the high mid end and flat in the high rpms. Its all about what you want to spend and how fast you want to go

 

[dgc333]

Hey guys new to the car scene. Recently brought an ecoboost and was wondering if the upgrades/mods of the performance package was worth it, specifically the M-9603-M4? Does anyone have it or know of anyone who does? If so how’s the reliability, power and gas mileage?

I have had the FP M-9603-M4 tune on my 17 Ecoboost for over 50k miles. It is every bit as good as any other Stage 1 tune you could use. It comes with the GT350 CAI which gives you a little bling under the hood.

I have been driving turbo 4cyl cars as daily driver's for over 35 years all of which have been tuned. If you keep your foot out of it you will get the same or better mileage. I get 27 to 28 mpg commuting and on a hiway trip I get 31 to 32 mpg (my car is a manuka PP with 3.55 gears).

I have had no issues with the car but at only 50k miles it is hard to assess the reliability, ask me again when I have 150k to 200k on the car.

The only down side to the FP tune is it is what it is. If you have plans down the road to do more mods that requires updating the tune you will have to go somewhere else, Ford Performance does not support tune revisions.

 

[Heggs550]

yes i have driven Z06"s in the past. The z06 is a very nice car to drive and like any performance car it is up to the skill set of the driver. my 1967 corvette had a 427 tri power roadster yes it was very fast in its day but a stock mustang would out perform it but nothing like the look of the old stuff. Its harder to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow !

I think you've got this all kinds of backwards LOL. The saying is "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow"...and I don't think anyone has ever said it's "harder" to drive a slow car fast...

Then we're comparing a 1969 Corvette to a Modern IRS Mustang? I don't think anyone will argue with you there. Not quite the same as any of the last 3 generations of Z06s...

OP, before you spend money on a tune, might want to confirm you don't already have one. If you see max boost of 22-23psi and your power doesn't feel like it dies off after about 4500 rpm, you have a tune. I picked up a COBB tuner only to realize I already had the Ford performance tune. Since it was already on the car when I bought it, I don't really have a comparison to offer. I wish it had more pep (hence buying the COBB thinking I would pick up some power), but for a ~3600 lb car with a 4cyl that gets 25 mixed mpg, it's not terrible.

Without a larger intercooler, you're not going to be able to enjoy the power as often, so that should be your 1st or 2nd mod. You can get one on ebay for $200 or one of many name brand units for $300-800. Keeping your charge temps below about 100 degrees is the best way to have more usable power, stock or tuned.

 

[NicksGTR]

I think you've got this all kinds of backwards LOL. The saying is "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow"...and I don't think anyone has ever said it's "harder" to drive a slow car fast...

Then we're comparing a 1969 Corvette to a Modern IRS Mustang? I don't think anyone will argue with you there. Not quite the same as any of the last 3 generations of Z06s...

OP, before you spend money on a tune, might want to confirm you don't already have one. If you see max boost of 22-23psi and your power doesn't feel like it dies off after about 4500 rpm, you have a tune. I picked up a COBB tuner only to realize I already had the Ford performance tune. Since it was already on the car when I bought it, I don't really have a comparison to offer. I wish it had more pep (hence buying the COBB thinking I would pick up some power), but for a ~3600 lb car with a 4cyl that gets 25 mixed mpg, it's not terrible.

Without a larger intercooler, you're not going to be able to enjoy the power as often, so that should be your 1st or 2nd mod. You can get one on ebay for $200 or one of many name brand units for $300-800. Keeping your charge temps below about 100 degrees is the best way to have more usable power, stock or tuned.

Can't find a whole lot on the cheaper ebay intercoolers on the youtube, but alot on the more expensive Mishi, Cobb, etc.

 

[Heggs550]

Try the forums. There have been plenty of threads on the mishimoto knock offs sold on eBay. Some claim they are the same product made in the same factories, just not branded, and some have even said their knock off had some hints of mishimoto branding on it haha. Whether they're legit mishi units or just copies, plenty of people have used them. I've had one sitting in my garage for 9 months, will probably install it within the next few months.

 

[FreePenguin]

You can score deals too I got my CPE fmic for 285 shipped new.y ford perf hits 22-23psi depending on weather. It’s a mild tune some others hit like 25-26 psi

 

[DuaneAlleman]

@Heggs550 - I have a 16 Ecoboost PP. I bough this used with less than 30k miles on the clock. The prior owner had a custom exhaust, lights etc. installed which the dealer removed and returned to stock. I have since upgraded the exhaust to Cat back Borla ATAK system :-). in Sport or track mode this car seems to pull hard through redline - how can I tell if there is a tune installed already? I have been thinking of getting a tune or other upgrades, but I am curious if this already has a tune installed.

Thanks!

 

[Heggs550]

@Heggs550 - I have a 16 Ecoboost PP. I bough this used with less than 30k miles on the clock. The prior owner had a custom exhaust, lights etc. installed which the dealer removed and returned to stock. I have since upgraded the exhaust to Cat back Borla ATAK system :-). in Sport or track mode this car seems to pull hard through redline - how can I tell if there is a tune installed already? I have been thinking of getting a tune or other upgrades, but I am curious if this already has a tune installed.

Thanks!

The dealer took off the parts themselves or the prior owner did before trading it in? Seems highly unusual for a dealer to strip aftermarket parts and install stock parts.

If you have a Torque app on your phone, set the boost gauge display to record min/max boost and see what your max boost is in a 3rd or 4th gear pull to redline. If you're hitting 23 or higher, I'd say you have a tune.

If you don't have a Torque app, have someone in the passenger seat watch your boost gauge during one of those pulls.

Also, check the inside of your gas door for a "91+ only" sticker.

You can also mess with the cruise control to see if you have a Cobb, but I'm not 100% sure on that process.

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