First impressions review: Ford Performance Calibration tune installed on 2.3 MT Bronco Badlands

[theentirety]

Does it keep the auto stop start off if you had it off the last time you drove it?

Jason

Not sure, but will try next time I drive it.

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[Lowcountry Bronco]

win10 on a boot camped intel mac is not emulated.

Sorry, looked it up, yep that'd work.

 

[Kfonte]

Does it keep the auto stop start off if you had it off the last time you drove it?

Jason

Yes and it’s great!

 

[Jpa]

Specs:

• 2021 MY
• Cyber Orange
• 2-door
• Manual transmission
• Badlands
• Mid package
• Stock wheels 33"
• About 4k miles
• Always run 91 octane (California)
• Several cosmetic, lighting, comfort and security mods

Timeline:

• Ordered from Lethal Performance Oct 5
• ProCal unit delivered Oct 13
• Installed by Mossy Ford of Pacific Beach Oct 18
  • Originally I brought it in for install on Saturday Oct 15, but was told I needed to reschedule during the week as the shop foreman was the only one authorized to do the installation.
  • Charged for 1 hour of labor
  • I could have flashed it myself, but according to Ford, the warranty is only preserved if it's installed by an authorized dealer. I erred on the side of caution since it's a first model year vehicle and warranties are good.

Installation:

This is the first time I've used a factory tune and it was an easy process. As a Mac guy, I had to jump through a few extra hoops as the software is Windows only. I dropped off the truck early in the morning and the service rep was familiar with the tune; he had it on his Ranger and vouched for the performance improvements. The ProCal unit gets tied to the VIN and the pre-flash tune gets uploaded to "the cloud" for safe keeping. I had to register the ProCal with my Ford Performance account using the included code. This then gives you a link to download the software (if you're on a PC). I had to get the tech the software another way, which worked fine. A few hours later they said it was installed.

Driving Impressions:

The first thing I did was activate the rev matching feature to verify the tune was installed. Super easy process and I'm a fan of auto rev matching for MTs, especially for casual driving. It really smooths out the day-to-day driving by alleviating the need for me to do the blipping on down shift. It's not a performance vehicle; I'll save the heel-toe for my Camaro on track days, thank you very much.

I drove it on a long-ish highway drive and around town. I noticed a few things right away. The boost seems to come on at lower RPMs making the turbo feel less laggy. For me, this equates to a smoother acceleration through the mid-range and more eagerness to wring it out a bit. I'll have to give it some more time, but it feels a bit more peppy. I would say, though, that the tune makes it feel more progressive through the revs, more than you really feel the horsepower and torque improvements.

It's a relatively inexpensive mod that keeps the warranty in place, smoothing out the power delivery of the 2.3. The throttle response does seem better requiring less depression of the pedal for the juice to flow. I'm a fan.

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-9603-B23

How much did this cost ? Just curious thinking of having this done to keep the warranty good

 

[redone17]

Would anyone suggest using the step colder NGK plugs that Panda includes with their Power Module with this or any other tune? How come their the only company that offer them with this sort of upgrade?

Also, if I changed my tire size in Forscan - would the Ford tune just overwrite that?

 

[Caleb@PandaMotorworks]

Would anyone suggest using the step colder NGK plugs that Panda includes with their Power Module with this or any other tune? How come their the only company that offer them with this sort of upgrade?

Also, if I changed my tire size in Forscan - would the Ford tune just overwrite that?

Yes, step colder plugs gapped at .026 will be beneficial with any tune.

We have years of experience with these EcoBoost engines so we know how much they really help out, which is why they are included.

 

[Cl1ckst3r]

I've been using 93, but I saw an interesting new option at the Harris Teeter here in the Carolinas...90 grade without ethanol. Curious what the impact ethanol has / does not have on an ecoboost engine and if it would be okay for the performance pack?

As long as it's not more than 15% Ethanol then you should be fine. It would be nice if Broncos fuel system was built to handle E85 since turbo charged vehicles would love the extra octane.

 

[redone17]

Yes, step colder plugs gapped at .026 will be beneficial with any tune.

We have years of experience with these EcoBoost engines so we know how much they really help out, which is why they are included.

Thanks for the response. I ask because I’ve been driving with your module for nearly a year and love it - but, I will potentially be getting an Automatic MY23 (to take advantage of my original reservation) and would likely swap the module over to that and get the Ford for my MY21 with the Manual. If that’s the case - I’ll just buy another set of plugs from ya.

 

[theentirety]

How much did this cost ? Just curious thinking of having this done to keep the warranty good

Just about $1k total with dealer install. Part with CA tax and shipping was $770

 

[JaMaul]

Have you found any instructions on how to switch back and forth between the original and updated tune?

 

[theentirety]

Have you found any instructions on how to switch back and forth between the original and updated tune?

You have to re-load it through ProCal

 

[Blaven]

Have you found any instructions on how to switch back and forth between the original and updated tune?

Just plug it in and select your saved tune. It's really that easy.

 

[Jette]

Do we know for sure the ecm is not opening it in lower rpms to limit boost?

Hmm, how to explain this one. The wastegate door is held closed by a spring. There is one limit of freedom, where the exhaust pushes against the spring force and makes the door open. A wastegate controller (or ecm) can use a diaphragm to hold the spring closed at a higher force (resulting in higher maximum boost pressure). However, there is no mechanism to hold the spring open.

 

[SoDak1623]

Badlands manual non squatch. After the Ford Performance engineers finally were able to troubleshoot they found a value in the tune file was off, preventing the install. They changed it and the install was successful. It definitely wakes the 2.3 up. 1st gear allows more boost than stock, boost comes on lower in all gears, and you'll hit max boost much quicker than before. The rev matching is also amazing. It takes a while not to instinctively rev match if you're used to it, but it is super accurate and flawless so far. You won't be disappointed by the results.

 

[DrewBronc21]

So 4 Ford dealership service departments refused to install the Ford Performance Procal but my Subaru tuner (ASE Certified shop) did it no problem and didn’t even charge me. Got receipt in case of any future issues that need warranty work.

WTF Ford? I need to go to Subaru to install your Performance products? Haha


Anyway feels great so far! Definitely notice the increase in power and better response.

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