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Thread: Real world gains on stock 2018 Mustang Gt with a tune

  1. #1
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    Real world gains on stock 2018 Mustang Gt with a tune

    A friend just bought an 2018 Mustang GT. Anyone know the real world HP/TQ gains from just a tune on a stock car using 93 octane?

    Most articles on the net are trying to sell something or it's tunes with mods. Is it worth it on a stock car?

    Tell me your experience please
    Knock Retard is the reduction or prevention of knock by lowering ignition timing:

    (+) Adding Knock Retard = Reducing Timing. PCM is seeing knock.
    (--) Lowering Knock Retard = Increasing Timing. PCM isn't seeing knock.
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    2014 Mustang GT Premium. VMP Gen2R Supercharged with an FTI 3000rpm Converter. JLT, BMR, Steeda, Viking, etc.
    Don't fix it if it ain't broken | Maximum effort gets maximum results

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    If you listen to the canned tuners who are trying to sell something, and have a dyno chart online (rhymes with Diapertech), you can get 25hp @7,350rpm and 21 ft-lbs @5,950rpm with just a tune and 93 octane fuel.

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  4. #4
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    Do you happen to have a strategy fbmh356? mustang shelby gt 500 2007

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    Tuner in Training kareltuning's Avatar
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    about 15hp give or take

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    Tuner 00GrcyGtr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackbolt22 View Post
    A friend just bought an 2018 Mustang GT. Anyone know the real world HP/TQ gains from just a tune on a stock car using 93 octane?

    Most articles on the net are trying to sell something or it's tunes with mods. Is it worth it on a stock car?

    Tell me your experience please
    Not sure how well tuned they come from the factory these days, but hopefully WAY better than my stock TB3SS, my tune still needs a couple tweaks I am trying to get help with from a couple members, but if I read the "delivered torque and Crank HP numbers in HPT from my stock to now, I am up at least 30HP, maybe more. While I am sure the number HPT shows have their quirks, they are the same quirks tuned or not, so if i go by just the "max difference" logged, I am actually up almost 70HP and a bunch of torque. All I have done is colder plugs NGK6i, a free flow air filter and stock air box mod (opened up the side facing inner fender to pull more fresh air) the resonator is there but is empty of all fibers (just happened, but made a difference and a little better flowing muffler then that 32" long stocker.
    Depends on you tuner, but if a guy I know from YouTube would be cool about it, I bet he'd share all kinds of info with you. He has a couple pretty fast Mustangs. Knows some good Mustang tuners etc.....
    The places selling products sometimes offer a tune with it, but the tune will be very moderate to cover their butts.

    Not sure where you're located, these guys are in Northern Louisiana.
    Let me know, I'll pm you all of Gavin's contact info.
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    One has to be careful when using a datalog to compare differences. In my experience just a small change in engine temperature and ambient temps outside can add or remove HP/TQ in the logs. Modifying the airflow of the engine skews that data even further especially if the sensors are not re-tuned for accuracy. I've learned to watch for even subtle changes in air temp or engine temp when comparing #s.
    Knock Retard is the reduction or prevention of knock by lowering ignition timing:

    (+) Adding Knock Retard = Reducing Timing. PCM is seeing knock.
    (--) Lowering Knock Retard = Increasing Timing. PCM isn't seeing knock.
    __________________________________________________ ________

    2014 Mustang GT Premium. VMP Gen2R Supercharged with an FTI 3000rpm Converter. JLT, BMR, Steeda, Viking, etc.
    Don't fix it if it ain't broken | Maximum effort gets maximum results

  8. #8
    Tuner 00GrcyGtr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackbolt22 View Post
    One has to be careful when using a datalog to compare differences. In my experience just a small change in engine temperature and ambient temps outside can add or remove HP/TQ in the logs. Modifying the airflow of the engine skews that data even further especially if the sensors are not re-tuned for accuracy. I've learned to watch for even subtle changes in air temp or engine temp when comparing #s.
    I agree, each log has notes to that affect. The same tune one day is a little different the next, especially when we have temps bouncing from 38 to 71 degrees. It is richer when warmer and HP/TQ numbers are down a bit.
    Still WAY better than my factory tune.
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    "To explain the lure of speed you would have to explain human nature; but it is easier understood than explained...Speed is the second oldest animal craving in our nature..." -- T. E. Lawrence
    2000 Regal GSE
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  9. #9
    Senior Tuner veeefour's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kareltuning View Post
    about 15hp give or take
    CAI is worth NOTHING in 2018, tune is worth 5hp...you can shove 2' more before turd starts knocking.


    You can get more on corn juice but 15hp on a pump gas in gen 3 yote? Sorry but no...

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    Quote Originally Posted by veeefour View Post
    CAI is worth NOTHING in 2018, tune is worth 5hp...you can shove 2' more before turd starts knocking.


    You can get more on corn juice but 15hp on a pump gas in gen 3 yote? Sorry but no...
    I guess the Gen 3s are kind of maxed out from the factory then.

    Thanks for the info!
    Knock Retard is the reduction or prevention of knock by lowering ignition timing:

    (+) Adding Knock Retard = Reducing Timing. PCM is seeing knock.
    (--) Lowering Knock Retard = Increasing Timing. PCM isn't seeing knock.
    __________________________________________________ ________

    2014 Mustang GT Premium. VMP Gen2R Supercharged with an FTI 3000rpm Converter. JLT, BMR, Steeda, Viking, etc.
    Don't fix it if it ain't broken | Maximum effort gets maximum results

  11. #11
    Advanced Tuner LastPlace's Avatar
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    I would say its worth it to enable flex logic and port the f150 flex data over...

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by veeefour View Post
    CAI is worth NOTHING in 2018, tune is worth 5hp...you can shove 2' more before turd starts knocking.


    You can get more on corn juice but 15hp on a pump gas in gen 3 yote? Sorry but no...
    with a resonator delete ?

  13. #13
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    Looking at the 2018 gt tune, there is probably a lot of truth to there not being much on the table. driver demand torque (and possible horsepower) is significantly higher than rated. once your octane adjustment kicks in there probably isn't much on the table. even the WOT lambda looks pretty good with 0.820 from 6,000 rpm and up. The canned tunes claim to have squeaked something out across the range. Maybe adding some fuel under 6,000 rpm where is it leaner, and something seems to kick in some more power starting around 5,000 rpm , which happens to be the same point where the intake valve opening angle switches from negative to positive degrees. Maybe they opened the intake valves earlier. Would make sense, since 5,000 rpm is where WOT lambda starts dropping to richen the mixture.

    My guess is 2/3 of the gains are smoke and mirrors that you would normally get running premium fuel, and the rest is some kind of fine tuning on the WOT fueling and changes to the intake valve opening angle vs. rpm. It would be impossible to duplicate and know for sure without access to a before and after with the canned tune.

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    Digging up some threads in google and I'm baffled by the knowledge people are posting here.

    18-21 GT does not use octane learning, the KOM logic is disabled. The strategy on my 21 GT from the factory is +10 knock advance allowance
    a 0.50 degree advance amount per step and a very fast advance rate so timing advance over base timing is +8 within about 1500-2000 rpm worth of powerband. On 93 gas I found my 2021 GT premium hitting 24.5 degrees past 5500 rpm and just chilling there and advance was dropping.

    This is because it's hitting MBT spark value as defined in the ECU. I need to get my car on the dyno so I can experiment with VCT and fuel curve changes but I have doubts that there is anything to be had to a tune on these with out increasing airflow to the engine. My calibration is just running the engine cooler and optimizing spark advance to bring it in faster which will help with mid range.

  15. #15
    Senior Tuner SultanHassanMasTuning's Avatar
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    the real gain is from ethanol and free flowing exhaust system
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    I've read over a dozen articles and aside from a cam (even a mild one) the best gain for buck is a CIA (a good one) Some head work and an exhaust. A dyno using a newer gen mustang showed (w/cam) and all other mods mentioned 149hp gain, again, Cam and CNC porting were done and cam was spec'd to heads.
    After my brakes and suspension are done, that is the direction I am heading, Texas Speed had one of the articles. They'll be doing my heads, the cam spec's from them as NA and no power adders are the same as a Z06 or ZL1 Cam, Fast intake, 104mm TB Ram air CAI and stainless works exhaust entirely except with C6 Borla Mufflers mounted at the very rear.
    I'm going to have some surgical down time, I will probably do a few renderings.
    __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

    "To explain the lure of speed you would have to explain human nature; but it is easier understood than explained...Speed is the second oldest animal craving in our nature..." -- T. E. Lawrence
    2000 Regal GSE
    2007 Trailblazer SS