mfc133

I know there's a lot of people curious about this tune so I thought I'd share my opinion:

General drivability:
I was really pleasantly surprised with how much this improves the general drivability of the car. Basically it takes all of the delay between the gas pedal and the throttle blade away, it really feels like there's a mechanical connection. You don't realize how much of a delay there is on the OEM tune. It actually made shifting much smoother, and eliminated the annoying "surging" I sometimes get when driving slowly through parking lots in 1st or 2nd gear. The OEM tune likes to "hang" the RPM for a second after you lift, this tune eliminates that. It also makes it much easier to rev-match downshifts.

Engine braking:
It's there, but not excessive in any way. Wouldn't affect daily driving at all. Honestly, it just feels like driving an engine with a mechanical throttle linkage. I think the engine braking just removes that "RPM hang" the OEM tune has. I like it, really makes it feel like the pedal has more precise control over the engine now.

Lopey idle:
This was pretty neat, it definitely lopes a lot..even shakes the car!! If you have the right exhaust it will really sound exactly like an old school V8 with a cam. Unfortunately, the stock exhaust kind of interferes with it. The stock mufflers are too restrictive, and you end up getting this almost "puffing" sound when the idle starts loping. I think an axleback, or better yet the Boss quad exhaust is a necessity if you want the correct sound. It can be disabled by holding the CRUISE OFF button as you start the engine. The tach will sweep to let you know it's been disabled. And yes you need to do this every time you start the engine if you don't want the lopey idle. For it to kick in, engine temp must be > 170F and the engine must have been running for > 130 seconds. Once those are met, rev the engine once and it kicks in. Running the A/C does diminish the lopey idle a bit, so if you want the full effect run with the A/C off. It does not have any negative effect on practicality/drivability unlike some of the ghost cam tunes that stall out. Even loping, it holds steady at 900 RPM, and as soon as you touch the pedal it smooths out.

HP/Torque:
Definitely more low end torque that you can feel. Also smooths out the curve a bit. You don't have so much a surge of power at 3-4K, the power comes on much smoother. It feels a bit faster on the top end, but not as drastic of a difference as the low-mid range boost.

Launch control:
Works exactly as described. Even tried it out in a parking lot, good stuff A huge selling point for this tune, will definitely help with consistent launches for those that run the quarter mile. Feels like the PCM just uses the throttle to hold RPM, it doesn't cut spark or fuel like a traditional 2-step. Very easy to set the RPM, just make sure cruise control is off otherwise you can't get into the mode to set RPM.

Other points:
I thought I maybe heard pinging once, but I drove for an hour afterwards and it never happened again. From my understanding some pinging is normal until the tune learns the engine.

I haven't tried the pit lane speed limiter as I don't really have a use for it.

Unlike the GT Track Key it doesn't pop up any messages like "Track Key Enabled" or anything like that.

Stevedotmil

Sweet review. So I'm guessing that you would say it's worth the money spent for what you get. Thanks.

mfc133

If you don't plan on any mods that require a custom tune (blower, headers, etc) I think it's the best way to go. It's also more warranty friendly.

The way FRPP describes this tune, you'd think it was undrivable on the street:

"From an engine management standpoint, Ford Racing has done just about everything possible to give Track Key users a full race car experience," explains Jeff Seaman, Mustang powertrain engineer. "Its not intended for use on the street for example, the deceleration is set up to preserve the brakes, and the throttle response is very aggressive."

Don't let this scare you away. If anything I'm able to drive more smoothly on the street thanks to the throttle response. I don't know why they call it "very aggressive", it's really not.

typesredline

Sounds great! But lopey idle needing to be turned off every time officially kills it for me. I'm gonna do the regular performance cal.

MyStang2010GB

I agree with everything the OP stated about the tune

todcp

I agree as well.. Well written.
I would add that the Lopey Idle was an unexpectedly fun item. Almost worth the price alone for the personal grin factor and it is a crowd pleaser. I am still chuckling as I sit at a light with the whole car shaking. Note as well that on deceleration the car now pops and gurgles like my friends Viper. Folks come over and want to know what I have done under the hood. Note I have GT500 axle backs and the Lopey Idle comes through loud and clear. I am sure it would be even better with the side exhaust options from Ford Racing and others.

Looking forward to my first track day with the Track Key. July 24.

typesredline

Talked to FR today about a lot of things. The track key/cal was indeed made from scratch. The main point we talked about is how tuners learn and get better over time. Kinda like computer programmers who code gets more and more efficient. So it is completely possible that the track cal is smoother than the original performance cal. And things like throttle response may be marginally faster. We also agreed that even though both claim the same power gains, HOW those gains are had in the tune (albeit timing, fuel, etc) could be completely different.

All of this confirmed that the track cal is probably slightly smoother and "better" than the performance cal, even from purely a performance standpoint (without looking at added fun features).

They have NOT revised the original perf cal in anyway but have not had any reason to.

Outcome is that I'm still torn. Lol. I want the "better tune". The one made specifically for the 13-14MY. The one that the tuner may have said, "hey I'll do this instead to make it more reliable"

But I REALLY don't want to have to turn off the idle everytime. I'm not saying it's not cool. I'm just saying that my other car is rough, shaky, and loud. Don't want the mustang to also be.

MyStang2010GB

It sounds soooooo nice with my GT500 mufflers and Boss side exhaust

mfc133

todcp, so the idle sounds decent through GT500 mufflers? I'm thinking of going that route. Did you still have resonators?

Eventually I'd like to get the Boss quad exhaust, but I'm thinking of starting with the GT500s for now because of the lower price.

typesredline

So I woke up this morning thinking that I want to do track cal lol. I figure that the 2 step will be useful. And I can set it high enough to not effect revs at red lights . The lopey I guess would be cool occasionally, and I could turn it off if I didn't want it. I do have the boss quad exhaust (amazing) already too.

I think I just really want the newer tune made for the 13-14 specifically.

The only thing bugging me is the lopey shake everyone mentions. Since I've conceded that I would probably have it on most of the time.

I can deal with the sound since I understand that it's not louder, just lopey. But shaking makes me nervous. Are we talking about a ton of shaking or slight vibrations? Any videos people can take highlighting this shaking?

todcp

Sounds great to me. I did not remove the resonators as the sound is as loud as I want already. As you note it is hard to beat 300 dollars for nice sounding, well made, axlebacks.

todcp

The shaking is mild but clearly noticeable. Very much like a big block sixties car. A friend with a 396 Chevelle sat in my car and noted it sounded and felt like his classic. I was was a teenager when the muscle car scene was in full swing so this is fun for me. This Mustang is my first American V8 and I am having a great time. Always a Euro guy up till now. For me I can just use the other key but have not wanted to yet.

typesredline

Would you say that it's enough to be noticeable visually from the outside?

I've never been in an old school big block . So I'm not sure. I'm thinking that it's legitimately moving the whole car.

typesredline

Also could you confirm whether or not the exhaust sound is louder or not? I heard it was the same decibel, but just more lopey.

dmhines

Cool .. If Ford was Smart .. the default for Lopey Idle should be OFF .. and hold the CRUISE ON when you want LOPEY IDLE on ...

mfc133

No it's not enough to notice from outside the car at all. You would only feel it sitting inside the car. If you've ever stopped your car on a bridge as a semi-truck drove by, you can feel the bridge swaying a bit underneath you...it's sort of like that.

It's really not harsh at all though, the factory motor mounts soak up most of the vibration. My friend has a '73 Mach 1 that can barely idle at 1300 RPM, so I know what too much feels like.

It doesn't really make the exhaust sound louder, it just sounds different. It might seem a bit louder since it is a more choppy sound compared to a dead smooth idle.

I do wish FRPP made a "toggle switch" where you can turn it on/off and that setting would be remembered, for whatever reason they didn't. But even if I get tired of the lopey idle, I can live with holding a button down for 2 seconds in order to get the other benefits of this tune.

typesredline

True. I'm starting to see the light. It's a way better opt IMO than the key. Where if you don't want lopey, you have to use the other key and lose the tune.

My RSX is cammed with hard motor mounts and an idle at 1300. If the rpms dip, it's brutal. Things shake and rattle. Over time, things have gotten loose and I hear weird buzzes and rattles all the time now. Granted she is old these days too.

Does anyone know what FR is doing to the tune to make is lope like that? I assume that they'd be messing with cam angles and spark timing.

Any reason to believe that over time, this could be bad for the motor and/or internal components? Also would you say it shakes enough to have a negative effect on interior components?

typesredline

That would be amazing!

BBM3

I know I will get use to turning off lopey idle at startup if I decide I don't want it.
I already set sport mode every time I start my GT. One more button press is no big deal for me.

My 2012 WRX STi required three separate button presses to set everything from default to the way I liked it every time I started the car.

After a few days it becomes an automatic part of the pre-flight check list.

typesredline

True. At this point though I'm more concerned about the reported a/c issue and the evidence of the tune killing cats posted on the track key thread.