2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 on 2040-cars

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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

Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R-C set to storm Watkins Glen

Ford is bringing its latest high-performance Mustang back to the track with the new 2016 GT350R-C, which will debut and race in this weekend's IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Watkins Glen. The spiritual successor to the Boss 302R that's still taking part in the Continental Tire series today, the first GT350R-C will be campaigned by Multimatic Motorsports. It's had its fully independent suspension completely revised for the track, and it gets everything from new spring rates to new anti-roll bars to a lowered ride height. Like the road-going GT350, a 5.2-liter, flat-plane-crank V8 sits under the hood, although Ford didn't release any specifics on power output. In fact, details are in short supply. We're expecting some sort of sequential racing transmission, wildly enhanced brakes, and a thoroughly race-prepared cabin, although Ford hasn't released any info on that stuff. The Blue Oval also hasn't said anything about the aerodynamic package, but strangely, it looks more or less like what's featured on the standard GT350R. The front fascia and rear wing are pretty much identical, and even the side sills seem roughly similar to the production model. "Like so many Mustangs before it, the Shelby GT350R is a car born to race," Ford's director of global performance, Dave Pericak, said in the attached press release. "We're taking it to the track as the GT350R-C and we're ready to see what it can do against the best competition in the world." Scroll down for the official press release from Ford. And if you're so inclined, you can check out the GT350R-C's debut race this weekend at IMSA.com, with coverage starting at 12:25 P.M. If you prefer normal TV, Fox Sports 1 will get around to re-broadcasting the race on July 5 at 10:00 A.M. Related Video: Ford Performance Shelby GT350R-C to Make IMSA Competition Debut at Watkins Glen • All-new Shelby® GT350R-C embodies Ford innovation through performance as race car makes its competition debut this weekend at Watkins Glen • Shelby GT350R-C to compete in the remainder of the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge with Multimatic Motorsports • Competition version of Shelby GT350R features all-new 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8 created to extend on-track performance DEARBORN, Mich., June 24, 2015 – There's no mistaking the wicked sound or aggressive looks of the all-new Shelby® GT350R-C that Ford announced today would see its first official track time at Watkins Glen this weekend.

Major automakers urge Trump not to freeze fuel economy targets

WASHINGTON — Major automakers are telling the Trump administration they want to reach an agreement with California to avoid a legal battle over fuel efficiency standards, and they support continued increases in mileage standards through 2025. "We support standards that increase year over year that also are consistent with marketplace realities," Mitch Bainwol, chief executive of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group representing major automakers, will tell a U.S. House of Representatives panel on Tuesday, according to written testimony released on Monday. The Trump administration is weighing how to revise fuel economy standards through at least the 2025 model year, and one option is to propose freezing the standards through 2026, effectively allowing automakers to delay investments in technology to cut greenhouse gas emissions from burning petroleum. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not formally submitted its joint proposal with the Environmental Protection Agency to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. Even so, last week, California and 16 other states sued to challenge the Trump administration's decision to revise U.S. vehicle rules. Auto industry executives have held meetings with the Trump administration for months and have urged the administration to try to reach a deal with California even as they support slowing the pace of reduction in carbon dioxide emissions that the Obama administration rules outlined. One automaker official said part of the message to President Donald Trump at a meeting on Friday will be to consider California like a foreign trade deal that needs to be renegotiated. Automakers want to urge him to get automakers a "better deal" — as opposed to potentially years of litigation between major states and federal regulators. On Friday, Trump is set to meet with the chief executives of General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and the top U.S. executives of at least five other major automakers, including Toyota, Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG, to talk about revisions to the vehicle rules. Senior EPA and Transportation Department officials will also attend. Environmental groups are eager to keep the rules in place, saying they will save consumers billions in fuel costs. A coalition of groups plans to stage a protest outside Ford's headquarters in Michigan.