Mustang Chief Engineer Says New Car “Much More Difficult” to Tune | Hacker News Reader

Mustang Chief Engineer Says New Car “Much More Difficult” to Tune

roadandtrack.com

5 pointsjibe9 comments

Key points:

The S650 Mustang switches to Ford's new electrical architecture, which is totally encrypted.

Mustang chief engineer Ed Krenz told Ford Authority that as a result of the switch to FNV, the S650-generation Mustang will be "much more difficult" to tune. According to Krenz, the entire system is encrypted to protect user data, and if the system suspects someone is trying to modify its code, it can shut a component or the whole vehicle down entirely. So, you could make some nice hardware upgrades to your engine, but you won't be able to tune it to run at its best.

Third-party ECUs to the rescue. Problem solved.

Automotive systems are distributed all over the car and constantly check on each other. I have a suspicion it's not that simple anymore. Even my piece of shit 2012 Chrysler marries the power distribution module to the ECU.

There's always a way.

There's aftermarket PDMs and BCUs and all those parts already. That's how most people are doing motor swaps on modern cars. It's not a simple job, but it's also not the most difficult. Just a lot more wiring than the motor swaps of old.

They are usually very expensive.

Yes, if you want plug n play power, this new mustang is a poor choice.

I've heard Chevy LS builds / platforms are the way to go if you want massive power per roi dollar.

Will be an interesting space to watch.

Traditional engines are easy as they all use the same ECU controlled parts (coil firing, crank/cam sensors, pressure/temp/airflow sensors, etc). You either reuse the existing ones if its known how they work, or just replace them.

Not sure if there are any 3rd party motor controllers that can replace the OEM tesla one for example and put out more power.

It's a shame that Ford and other companies are constantly working towards keeping people from modifying the products that they own. They are actually proud of removing customer rights and no doubt the head engineer was smiling the whole time he was talking about this. The disconnect between what users want and what they get is getting worse and worse.

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