Shifterboy45

One thing may be happening here, and it is fixable.

During the 70s and 80s I built a number of cars that would be considered "track only" cars.. high strung and nasty idle, putting those cars in traffic was a nightmare, but when i came to the track they were at home, with room to breathe -- they were happy cars You will seldom find a race car under 3k for long. I think that was Fords' intent for the Trak Key.

Here is what they say in their offical press release:

When invoked by TracKey, the new software alters more than 600 engine management parameters, increasing low-end torque and turning the potent but well-mannered stock Boss into track-ready car. Remove TracKey and start the Boss with the standard key, and all factory engine settings are restored for a comfortable drive home from the course.

and even further:

“From an engine management standpoint, Ford Racing has done just about everything possible to give TracKey users a full race car experience,” explains Jeff Seaman, Mustang powertrain engineer. “It’s 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. A skilled driver on a closed course will really appreciate the benefits.”

and last of all:

“Anything that could possibly affect all-out performance is deleted from the TracKey calibration,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “Throttle limiting and torque management – any daily drivability enhancements are removed and replaced with a pure Ford Racing competition calibration.”

So it might be wise to expect some drivabilty changes if you use the the Trak Key for daily use, or keep the revs up where the car is in its "sweet spot".

I dont have a Boss, but after driving a long stretch of mountain passes, the motor likes being about 3k, throttle response was great and no signs of the engine getting too warm. Changing your driving style to suit the intended use of the program will probably get better results. If you have problems in the upper RPM range then there may be something wrong ...

hori

Well I don`t know what happened but I just took it out with the trackey and it was breaking lose the tires like never before and felt totally different? It never felt like this yesterday? I deff felt a big difference today.

black sunshine

I second this. The motor is designed to rev and the pinging occurs at wot in low RPM's (Like stated in the instructions) I would just avoid low RMP wot and let the motor rev and spin like is was made to do.

RTD

This may be a stupid question but - if TK advances the ignition timing, why don't we see horsepower gains? Isn't that the primary way the aftermarket tunes gain hp, by advancing the ignition timing (and to a lesser extent by leaning out the fuel mix)?

c6dreamvette

^+1
I have often thought the same thing!

06GT

Yes, exactly. If you are using the track key, don't drive it like a **** minivan. It's engineered for the TRACK, so you shouldn't be below 3000rpm anyways.....................