Whammer

hey, I'll be very happy when I get TK installed and I have defended Ford numerous times. But I'm not going to put on rose colored glasses and pretend this hasn't been botched up from the beginning and continues to be so.

12C/OBoss

The idle does not sound even CLOSE to the orginal vids posted by Ford. I miss my lopey idle from LUND!

cloud9

Anyone buying TK primarily for the lopey idle is missing the point me thinks.

orng302

One sounds like a strong hp motor, the other like it' s about to stall.

UnrealFord

That sucks bigtime, guess CARB took a bite out of our fun.

5 DOT 0

The word is Ford didn't have to make any changes to the tune. There were other issues at state that was posted here at TMS within the last couple of weeks. Those of us who have driven the Track Attack and other cars with the old tune should be able to tell if it's been changed or not. The lopey idle is not the main reason for TracKey. Stay tuned.

P0 Corsa

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whammer

hey, I'll be very happy when I get TK installed and I have defended Ford numerous times. But I'm not going to put on rose colored glasses and pretend this hasn't been botched up from the beginning and continues to be so.

Whammer I have to agree with you. Ford has done an abysmal job of communicating to the Boss owners status updates of how the certification effort was/was not proceeding and when the final version would be released. And yes CARB held them for undeterminable delays which was beyond FR control but my biggest complaint was the communication from Ford was nonexistent.

To Gary’s point (Anyone buying TK primarily for the lopey idle is missing the point me thinks.), TK certainly does accomplish more than provide the lopey idle. I know from previous discussions with Ford engineers, the valve timing and late firing logic used to produce the lopey idle was a CARB concern. In old school days this “cammed” engine sound was produced by intake/exhaust valve overlap, during which some of the unburned intake charge was blown out the exhaust leading to (obviously high) unburned hydrocarbons.

Now an engine with VTEC and sophisticated valvetrain positioning logic can be made to simulate the same sound. Might this new fangled technology used to ghost this sound also compromise certifiable emission levels? Perhaps so. I would think the initiation of lopey idle only after the engine coolant achieves 170F appears to support this emissions issue.

I as well as others have driven early versions of the TK software loaded into Boss vehicles. As Rather B. Blown’s U-Tube video link shows Ford engineer Jeff demonstrates the lopey idle and Launch Control, the lopey idle is pretty extreme. I saw this demonstrated in person. And that level of lopeyness was my experience driving an early non-certified version of TK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2006stiguy

The idle does not sound even CLOSE to the orginal vids posted by Ford. I miss my lopey idle from LUND!

It would now appear from owners sharing their impressions of the TK tune, this level of lopeyness has (according to their comments) been trimmed back. And this appears to support the possibility I stated in my earlier post that the final TK tune now being paid for by Boss owners is different (maybe watered down is a better term) than the early glimpses we were given in the demonstration cars. And it is likely no one at FR will ever admit to this; why should they? Thus owners need to recalibrate their TK expectations.

hori

I agree, there was alot of hype over the track key and all the ford promos and vids. That does not sound anything like what the ford "unreleased, teaser vids of upcoming track key idle."

I look forward to your unbiased review whammmer.

farmboy90

Are you sure you are hearing the lopey idle at all? According to Ford, 3 conditions have to be met or it won't be enabled.

For lopey idle to be enabled, three conditions must first be satisfied. The first condition
is that 130 seconds must have elapsed since the engine coolant temperature reached
170 °F (77 °C) while the engine is running. The second condition is that the engine
must not currently be idling (Note that it is sufficient just to rev it up in neutral or drive
away once the other conditions have been met and lopey idle mode will be enabled).
The third condition is that there must not be any detected misfires or failures of engine
control related sensors or actuators. If lopey idle will not enable perform a DTC check
and resolve the root cause of the DTC. If the DTC is for an engine misfire relearn the
Neutral Profile using IDS, clear DTC's, and recheck lopey idle.

5 DOT 0

With the Track Attack cars the lopey idle was barely noticeable when you started the cars. It wasn't until we came off the track when the cars were hot that you noticed it.

Not sure how Whammer is going to have an unbiased review after what he's already posted. Plus has he driven or heard in person a TracKey enabled Boss?

cloud9

This.
The review that's most relevant will be the one someone makes after tracking (thus the name Track Key) the car with TK on a track they've already run without TK. The upside of missing this whole track season with TK is that I'll have a significant baseline of data (lap times) to compare against. Unfortunately that won't happen until next April for me. Hopefully some others in warmer climes (ahem Adam, 5 DOT 0, 2012YB et al) that have tracked their cars without TK will be able to give us some good data sooner.

11SHELBYGT500

Let me just say that this is very entertaining.

2012YellowBoss

Agreed, I don't know all the fighting comes from on these boards sometimes. Everyone is entitled to voice there pleasure or displeasure with issues surrounding the Boss.

Fact is - the guys at Ford who worked on this project did an outstanding job! From what I hear many worked on it on their own time. Ford on the other hand has made this seem like a nightmare I can not wake up from. Little to no updates and then when we do get one - surprise - lets tweak you warranty some. They say it is for 36 months but what about the nine months I have had the Boss and so-on? Guess the 36 months only count if you buy a Boss today. Didn't anyone at Ford think about these simple facts? Poor planning and poor research on Fords part to even begin to think this release through after all these months of silence. Add this to other things like the Track Attack for our frozen friends up north and you have to wonder WTH is going on in Dearborn?

I do not think we could ever give the engineers enough credit for working on this, if this is the way customers are dealt with I can only imagine the brick walls they must have been pounding their heads against. These are the guys that make this country great, thinking outside the box and coming up with new innovations. unfortunately their efforts also get a shot in the foot from a bunch of overpaid state workers that lie about their expertise in their fields. So what happens next, China steps in and the next generation of cars all will have factory tunes but the dealer will be downloading from China!

The more I learn about CARB and the fake UPS storefront bought degrees, the $857 Million budget (while the state is $19 Billion in the red), trying to control the type of pets you have etc, etc, the more I want to puke. I do not hold anyone on this site who lives there responsible for Trackey or CARB and have never stated that. I just don't want to be told I have to live CARB's rules here in FL.

In the end I will be happy to track my car (after all it still is a great car) without going into limp mode at 90 MPH in traffic. I hope the other things like engine braking are still there and will help me become a better track driver. While the lopey idle would have been nice, it sounds for now, something I will just shut off. I want a car that sounds nice - not like it is slowly dying. I hope the track mods are worth the (who really knows) change in warranty status, it is a trade off between this and getting popped in the rear one day.

I have been a Ford guy all my life and most likely continue to be because at this point I am too old to change, lol, but this has left a really poor taste in my mouth to say the least. For everyone that is happy with this process I hold not ill feelings toward you and in fact I am glad you are feeling good about getting Trackey. It does not mean that the people who are less impressed with Ford's or CARB's handling of this process are bad, whinny people.

2012YellowBoss

I am really looking forward to finding out, unfortunately I am not the best person to tell if my times get better. I am looking forward to things like I just mentioned (engine braking and so-on) to see if I can have better control and run smoother. In that department I should be able to give some kind of feedback.

You are taking the end of season very well If I lived up there and had the car as long as you I doubt I would be so calm I can still track mine and that helps take the sting out of the long wait. In any case I assume you will be Jonesin come Feb. for the snow to melt

MJockey

There is no doubt in my mine that the idle tune has changed. My experience with TK at TA in October was different than what the August guys experienced. In October the below condition had to be meet before lopey idle would activate. When it did activate there was no shaking of the car, and it was no were near as rough as the promo car in the video.

"For lopey idle to be enabled, three conditions must first be satisfied. The first condition is that 130 seconds must have elapsed since the engine coolant temperature reached 170 °F (77 °C) while the engine is running. The second condition is that the engine must not currently be idling (Note that it is sufficient just to rev it up in neutral or drive away once the other conditions have been met and lopey idle mode will be enabled)."

boss man

I still say Bait and Switch. As for that bag of Gold>>>>>I would not complain as long as it was real. Just like Track key was suppose to be. $400.00 extra in my pocket to go into mods. at least I know what I'm realy getting.
2013 owner.......This will be another question on that purchase agreement test in December. It will be a True or False question. Thanks for the posts on Track Key, you can offically count me out.

5 DOT 0

Unless, or course, they are whinning. Ford is the first to admit they could have handled TracKey better.

11SHELBYGT500

The idle was the lamest thing about it and obviously ford knew that by giving you an option to turn the dumb thing off. +1 ford

DFV

Ain't dirty laundry fun to go through (if it's not yours, of course).

Boomer

Oh I guess people thought it was LopeyIdleKey....