Sorry to get off topic but CARB can suck my A$$ if they think I am going to advertise for them. Working on the letter now to accompany their sticker I am sending back to them. Just don't understand why I got to live by their loony rules rules 3000 miles away but I guess that is a subject for another thread.

OK back on topic

 

LOL a CARB sticker isn't for advertising(haha), it shows your smog guy that it's legal.

 

Ain't no loony smog guy here. However I am glad CA is saving the world from the 10% of 300 or so Bosses that will be shipped there and tracked. I am sure it was worth thousands of tax dollars for that overwhelming amount of cars.

 

You might have noticed that there are 50 states and you're welcome.

 

So it'll probably come with pit lane speed control but no launch control.

 

According to Wikipedia, there are 13 other states that follow CARB restrictions. I'm not sure if those other states actually have "smog guys" that have to certify the car when it is resold or after 6 years of ownership, but in CA, we have those smog guys. These smog guys are supposed to check to see if everything is legit (however, most don't -- they just care about passing the sniffer tests).

And as special as we think our BOSSes are, we have to follow the same rules that govern every other car with modifications that may affect emissions. Otherwise, every modified car owner can make the same argument about the small percentage of cars being affected.

Also, here in CA, some friends of mine with modified cars have been told by police to lift up their hoods looking for modifications that break emissions standards. CARB certified stickers help in these cases.

 

Are you kidding me? Look what you're missing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EH5C...eature=related

 

as Chief Charlie indicates...I arrived at the Ford Store Morgan Hill later than expected only to find Charlie's gorgeous CO boss being trackey'ed right in front of my eyes. I hung out with the tech while he did it...I'd told him that I'd read on this forum of the problems people were having, so he called Ford and got a software patch for his system...then all went well. Then he did my car. So Charlie and I may be among the first...a bit of redemption for me, I suppose, in that my 'Q1' car didn't arrive til late June...but I'm waaaaaaaay over that.

Now to the impressions ("I'm sorry, I don't do impressions, I'm a doctor"...Airplane)

One caveat, between driving to the dealer sans-trackey and driving home with trackey, I spent an hour blasting around some of the SF bay area's finest roads (and it was about 80 degrees and perfect today) in a red/white Ford GT...and, wow, that car is too much to describe with my limited vocabulary....just, wow.

On the trackey, it's not earth-shaking...it's not life-altering...but it is cool. I couldn't quite put my finger on the differences in all the systems...though the engine braking is noticeable. All told, the car just felt that little bit more eager and purposeful. The big 'letdown' for me would be the 'lopey' idle...it actually just sounds like a rough idle...not lopey enough for my taste.

I am looking forward to getting to know the car a little better with this 'magic' key inserted...

 

Did you listen to the lopey when the car was well warmed up? With the cars at Track Attack the lopey idle wasn't as noticeable until the cars were hot. Then it would shake the car. To me I noticed the engine braking more than the more aggressive throttle response. Don't forget that our cars should throw less codes at the track and adjust for higher octane gas.

 

I bet the tune in the Miller cars are different then we will be getting. It was quite noticeable in the Miller cars. If I can remember (it's been a while) I hope to see how close this new tune is.

 

Yeah......looks like a blast.....GO Gary GO!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dg469Rf8eg

 

That vid is awesome.... And look no additional tread wear!!! Fun.. And sounds so mean! Hilarious.

 

Just got home, video of idle in the driveway is uploading to youtube right now...

Initial impressions:

Lopey Idle - as noted above, nothing life changing. Definitely a cool factor though, and if you're like me and prefer engine noise to stereo tunes, immediately noticeable as you pull up to your first stop light. It's a deeper tone. As the car warms, it becomes more pronounced, though again, nothing earth shattering. Standing outside the car listening to it, and putting my hand on the window frame leaning in, you can actually 'feel' the rumble.

Throttle response - Noticeable. Enjoyable.

Engine Braking - Also noticeable and enjoyable. The car really takes a dive if you lift your foot after getting to WOT.

Deceleration - A few more 'pops' via back pressure over the normal Amy Winehouse flemmy deceleration tones.

These things are all noticeable to me, someone who thus far has not been able to track the car, so I can only compare it to how the car has felt for the first 7800 miles I've racked up on public streets. Maybe more things will be noticeable, and useful, to those that will track the car.
Two areas of concern for me personally: At WOT, I did notice a raspiness to the exhaust tone, only once or twice, like something was loose under the car, aka exhaust leak. I also noticed a measurable increase in heat coming from the trans tunnel (to the point where after a 10 minute ride to a buddy's house, the coins in the console were hot to the touch). These two combined made me initially wonder if someone didn't go up under the car at the dealer and tinker around with something, remove some heat shielding, etc, but now I'm wondering if the tune wouldn't generate extra heat through the engine braking, etc??

Past those concerns, I'd say so far I am very pleased with the tune. If you're expecting a miracle by some sort of simulated supercharger effect, you'll be disappointed. If you maintain the fact that it's just a tune, I think you'll be very happy indeed!



Edit: video is up!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InE3Xrfm7to

 

Yeah, that's nowhere near the lope I remember when Trackey was first being promoted. Disappointing.

 

on the lopey idle. in fact, in the literature they give you (and was published on the web today)...the lopey idle only kicks in AFTER the engine coolant temp reaches 170 degrees...then another 130 seconds (btw, who in the heck came up with the 130 second rule?!)

but when it does happen, it really doesn't sound 'lopey' to me...lopey is a phrump.....phrump....phrump....phrump.... (I know, that doesn't come across in text)....this just sounds like a rough idle...yes, you can feel it in the car...but I was kinda hoping for the incredibly cammed sound like the engine's about to stall before the next 'phrump'

throttle response was not that different...not as it is, say, in the 'sport crhono' in a porsche. btw, I don't want a big difference in throttle response...just give me one setting and let my right foot / brain adjust to it.

engine braking was the big difference I noticed.

it also seemed to be idling a little higher than I remember non-trackey...like around 900 rpm...and had more gratifying pops on downshift / decel.

 

This is what I was expecting....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5p8W...eature=related




.

 

So I tried to book an appointment for a Trackey download for Thursday, but was advised that I should make an appointment for next week.
Apparently this is not my Dealer I.T. guy's first rodeo, and he is anticipating a couple of days of Hic-cups sorting out the new process with the Ford factory, so he is suggesting I wait a couple days until the bugs are ironed out so as to avoid disappointment.
Since I'm out of town until next Thursday, that's when we'll do it, weather permitting.
I didn't ask, but they volunteered that this download would still be free, ..... but it turns out I'm the only one getting a free one.
I'd like to think I'm getting it because I'm a good customer, but I suspect it's more because they offered it to me free download shortly after I got the car, and they don't want to renege now. Either way, I'm grateful and will take it!
I'd also like to say that I really enjoyed reading the Trackey announcement from Ford today, and especially the vivid description of what the Trackey is all about and what it can really do.
For me, this just add's icing to cake of owning and driving a Boss, and my hat is off to Ford. They've made the Boss a super fun, high performance, great handling car to drive, and the Trackey is an unexpected and added bonus!
Kudos to Ford on this one!
Cheers,
Jouster
....... as the giraffe at the bar said when he stood up after ordering a round of drinks, "Boys, .... the high-***** are on me!"

 

As the saying goes.....Ignorance is bliss.
Those of us who've known about TK since the beginning don't see any added bonus here, just a colossal bumbling by Ford.

 

And there are others who see the glass as half full.

 

I swear you could hand some people a free sack of gold and they'd complain it's too heavy. *sigh*