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2.3L really needs to be tuned better

spada

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First, I will say that I love the 2.3L engine. It's a great Mazda design that has been tried and true for over 15 years. I have had multiple cars with a similar engine. Mazdaspeed 6 (2.3L turbo), Fusion (2.0L turbo, same engine architecture), and my current 2006 Miata has a turbocharged 2.5L. I tuned my Mazdaspeed and Miata on my own and I know this engine responds very well to timing and fuel adjustments. Anyone who has owned a Ford vehicle in the past decade has probably had some form of the Mazda L series engine in their cars. I find it really hard to believe that this engine needs to be in boost while cruising at 70mph. But on the Bronco, it's hovering above atmospheric pressure almost the whole time. I know the vehicle isn't aerodynamic, but I know how much power these engines have around atmospheric. Either way, no gasoline engine should have to be in boost while cruising at regular highway speeds. That would be like if you removed the turbo from the engine, you would have to floor it just to be able to keep speed at 70mph. No way! It doesn't take 170 horsepower to hold a steady speed in a 4500lb vehicle.
The timing must be retarded by quite a bit, and the air fuel ratio must be hovering around stoichiometric. Both are robbing power, but trying to be fuel efficient. I would really like to see Cobb come up with a really good daily driving tune, and not just one that adjusts throttle response. I want them to use their knowledge from the many years of tuning this engine. Adjust the VVT values, adjust timing, more fuel during partial throttle boost. They could keep the WOT the same, I don't care much about that, because i'm not trying to take the Bronco to the drag strip. I want some real life daily driving power gains and get this engine to stop boosting while cruising. This can be done while still maintaining decent gas mileage. I'm currently getting 21.4mpg on my first tank of gas, which is pretty decent. For reference I have a '21 Big Bend 2.3L 7 speed.
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PartyMarty

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On a flat road at 70 mph, itā€™s not the weight, itā€™s the horrific aerodynamics the vehicle has to overpower. I didnā€™t get a grasp of this until I owned a wrangler. Pushing air takes most of the engineā€™s power at 70 mph, and itā€™s amplified with a vehicle thatā€™s less aerodynamic than a cow. Our NA 3.6L wrangler has to upshift if thereā€™s a slight headwind or incline at 70 mph. Expecting the same power from 64% of the displacement with no boost is unrealistic.
 

JoeSpeed

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^
forgot intercooler/charge pipes and downpipe as well for parts
 

JoeSpeed

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I like the metallic rasp of a High Flow Cat personally, though nothing wrong with a test pipe
 

mountainbronco

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I guess I do not understand and/or agree. I have been driving a loaner 4 cyl. BB for the last 4 weeks, did 2000 miles, including engine break-in. I live at 6000 feet and took it to 11000 on excursions. Now, this is with AT, but I can confirm this puppy rides really good, plenty of power, acceleration is awesome, spools up plenty fast, and if you put it in Sport-mode, you better hold on to your grab handles!
I think the tuning is really good, so good, that I have doubted my selection of the 2.7 on my own BD.......
 

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JoeSpeed

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oh i agree, though I wanna find a setup that has minimal highway drone as possible, otherwise just dp/fmic/cai/tune
 

Rick Astley

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First, I will say that I love the 2.3L engine. It's a great Mazda design that has been tried and true for over 15 years. I have had multiple cars with a similar engine. Mazdaspeed 6 (2.3L turbo), Fusion (2.0L turbo, same engine architecture), and my current 2006 Miata has a turbocharged 2.5L. I tuned my Mazdaspeed and Miata on my own and I know this engine responds very well to timing and fuel adjustments. Anyone who has owned a Ford vehicle in the past decade has probably had some form of the Mazda L series engine in their cars. I find it really hard to believe that this engine needs to be in boost while cruising at 70mph. But on the Bronco, it's hovering above atmospheric pressure almost the whole time. I know the vehicle isn't aerodynamic, but I know how much power these engines have around atmospheric. Either way, no gasoline engine should have to be in boost while cruising at regular highway speeds. That would be like if you removed the turbo from the engine, you would have to floor it just to be able to keep speed at 70mph. No way! It doesn't take 170 horsepower to hold a steady speed in a 4500lb vehicle.
The timing must be retarded by quite a bit, and the air fuel ratio must be hovering around stoichiometric. Both are robbing power, but trying to be fuel efficient. I would really like to see Cobb come up with a really good daily driving tune, and not just one that adjusts throttle response. I want them to use their knowledge from the many years of tuning this engine. Adjust the VVT values, adjust timing, more fuel during partial throttle boost. They could keep the WOT the same, I don't care much about that, because i'm not trying to take the Bronco to the drag strip. I want some real life daily driving power gains and get this engine to stop boosting while cruising. This can be done while still maintaining decent gas mileage. I'm currently getting 21.4mpg on my first tank of gas, which is pretty decent. For reference I have a '21 Big Bend 2.3L 7 speed.
I think you meant to say "I picked a Bronco model that has poor highway gearing, I should have taken that into consideration or understood that I would need to have it re-geared for the highway driving this rig is destined to be doing".

Ford Bronco 2.3L really needs to be tuned better Bronco gearin



You don't exactly have to be Dick "King of the search function" Tracy to uncover the many, many, many conversations about gear ratio, calculations of highway speed/rpm for a given tire size, etc.

2.3 motor is just fine on the highway and holds speed very well in our '19 Ranger Lariat FX4. So in Bronco you're left with poor gearing, the aerodynamics of Rosanne Bar being thrown into a wall, and big tires.
 

Bronco cat

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First, I will say that I love the 2.3L engine. It's a great Mazda design that has been tried and true for over 15 years. I have had multiple cars with a similar engine. Mazdaspeed 6 (2.3L turbo), Fusion (2.0L turbo, same engine architecture), and my current 2006 Miata has a turbocharged 2.5L. I tuned my Mazdaspeed and Miata on my own and I know this engine responds very well to timing and fuel adjustments. Anyone who has owned a Ford vehicle in the past decade has probably had some form of the Mazda L series engine in their cars. I find it really hard to believe that this engine needs to be in boost while cruising at 70mph. But on the Bronco, it's hovering above atmospheric pressure almost the whole time. I know the vehicle isn't aerodynamic, but I know how much power these engines have around atmospheric. Either way, no gasoline engine should have to be in boost while cruising at regular highway speeds. That would be like if you removed the turbo from the engine, you would have to floor it just to be able to keep speed at 70mph. No way! It doesn't take 170 horsepower to hold a steady speed in a 4500lb vehicle.
The timing must be retarded by quite a bit, and the air fuel ratio must be hovering around stoichiometric. Both are robbing power, but trying to be fuel efficient. I would really like to see Cobb come up with a really good daily driving tune, and not just one that adjusts throttle response. I want them to use their knowledge from the many years of tuning this engine. Adjust the VVT values, adjust timing, more fuel during partial throttle boost. They could keep the WOT the same, I don't care much about that, because i'm not trying to take the Bronco to the drag strip. I want some real life daily driving power gains and get this engine to stop boosting while cruising. This can be done while still maintaining decent gas mileage. I'm currently getting 21.4mpg on my first tank of gas, which is pretty decent. For reference I have a '21 Big Bend 2.3L 7 speed.
One problem. This engine SHARES nothing with Mazda 2.3 other than the same displacement. ā€œEcoboostā€ motors were designed by FEV engineering and then licensed to fordā€¦ā€¦..
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