2003 Ford Escape Xlt No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford offering factory-spec EcoBoost reflashes that don't void warranty*

Buy a supercharger or cold-air kit from Ford Racing and a Performance Calibration handset comes with it to reset the ECU for the upgrade. Now Ford Racing is offering the ProCal handset a la carte for $595, allowing you to reflash the ECU on your EcoBoost-equipped ride to extract more of its inherent capabilities without any additional upgrades. It gives you control of variables such as throttle response, idle speed and turbo wastegate control, among others. As for that warranty asterisk, the press release says enthusiasts can up the power "while maintaining the Ford-backed limited warranty." However Ford Motor Co. and Ford Racing are separate entities, and, best we can tell, when you reflash the ECU, your Ford warranty gets supplanted by the Ford Racing warranty. Say you bought a 2014 Ford, that means your five-year, 60,000-mile warranty becomes Ford Racing's three-year, 36,000-mile warranty, if we're reading the fine print correctly. If you have an older car and have driven more than 36,000 miles, then your warranty options are kaput, at least as far as a Ford in-house option. If have warranty concerns, you might also want to consider having a dealer perform the reflash, or at least ask about it. Once you've got past the small print, what about the numbers? At the moment Ford Racing offers tunes for the 2.0-liter EcoBoost in the Focus ST and the 1.6-liter EcoBoost in the Fiesta ST, and we're told there's a 90-pound-foot boost in torque at the crank after you've pressed the right buttons. Anecdotal evidence from a commenter at Road & Track says he went from 252 horsepower at the flywheel to 254 hp at the wheels, and 272 lb-ft at the flywheel to 354 lb-ft at the wheels, but we can't be sure that his adjustments were within Ford Racing specs. Your mileage, naturally, may vary. What about custom numbers for the 2.3-liter EcoBoost in the 2015 Ford Mustang? They aren't ready yet, but we're told we'll get something by the end of next year. Featured Gallery 2015 Ford Focus ST News Source: Ford, Ford Racing via Car and Driver Aftermarket Ford Technology ecoboost ford focus st ford fiesta st ford racing

Autoblog's top 50 car photos of 2016

This one shouldn't need much explanation. We like cars a whole lot, and that includes not just driving them but taking great pictures of them. We've collected our 50 favorite images from this year in the mega-gallery above. It's a mix of old and new, with a healthy dose of vintage and modern race cars mixed in, and not one single shot under the harsh lights of an auto show. So click through and enjoy. Featured Gallery Autoblog's Top 50 Photos of 2016 View 50 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Autoblog.com Audi BMW Chevrolet Dodge Ferrari Ford Lamborghini Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Porsche Rolls-Royce Volvo Convertible Coupe Motorcycle Luxury Racing Vehicles Performance Supercars Classics

Ford Shelby GT350R sets 7:32.19 Nurburgring lap time

It was over a year ago that the Chevy Camaro Z/28 clocked a Nurburgring lap time of 7 minutes and 37.47 seconds, propelling itself up the leader boards as the fastest American muscle car to lap the infamous Nordschleife. But now word has it that another piece of Detroit iron has clocked an even faster time. According to Evo, the new Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang has lapped the Green Hell in a blitzkrieg 7:32.19. That's more than five seconds faster than the Z/28, and propels the GT350R into proper supercar territory: incrementally quicker than the Ferrari 458 Italia and in league with lap times posted by the Nissan GT-R (though not the fastest Godzilla has clocked over the years). With output quoted at "more than 500 horsepower and more than 400 lb-ft of torque," and no 0-60, quarter-mile or top end figures revealed to date, this marks the first genuine measure of performance we've seen for the track-focused pony car - though the numbers have yet to be officially confirmed. The GT350R packs a 5.2-liter V8 unburdened by 130 pounds of excess weight – helped along by carbon-fiber wheels coated in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. Related Video: