Yahoo Autos Mustang Chief Engineer Says New Car "Much More Difficult" to Tune
The new Ford Mustang debuted a month ago and while the drivetrain and chassis are largely carried over from the previous-generation model, there is one new key component—the electrical architecture. As Ford Authority reports, the Mustang switches over to Ford's Fully Networked Vehicle (FNV) architecture, and that's bad for a lot of third-party tuners.
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.
This doesn't mean there won't be ways to extract more from your S650 Mustang. They'll just have to be factory-sanctioned. Ford offers factory-approved tunes for the current Mustang's 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder and a number of aftermarket upgrades for the 5.0-liter V-8. Hell, Ford Performance even sells a supercharger kit for the V-8. Those sorts of offerings will likely continue for the new Mustang, and Krenz added that Ford is open to working with additional third-party tuners.
So it's a bit of a mixed bag for consumers. There will still be ways to get more out of the Mustang, but naturally, there won't be as much choice as before. It's the same story with the new Corvette, which also uses a modern and well-locked-down electrical architecture. For tuning companies, it's tough. As automotive electronics advance and the need for greater security increases, tuning companies will need to play ball with automakers, and that's only if the automakers are willing to play ball in the first place.
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