OK here we go.
Dropped the car off at 7:00AM this morning for Trackey Installation. Got a call 1.5 hours later and the car was ready. Excitedly, I headed back to the dealer and picked her up. Sure enough, the magic words "Trackey Mode Enabled, Track Use Only" so I drove off waiting for the ding to occur indicating that the lopey idel mode was enabled. Never happened.
Got home and was wondering why the car never went into lopey idle mode. Attempted to set launch control and no go. Also, not able to turn on pit lane speed control.
Called Ford Racing and they said that the dealer had programmed the key but had not flashed the PCM. "It's a two step process, you need to take it back". So, I called the dealer and took the car back.
I had an MRI this morning so off I went to get that done and assumed that I would return and all would be complete. MRI done, I returned to the dealer and assumed that the car was done, It was not.
I waited another hour and asked again and the service writer indicated that they were having problems flashing the PCM and that they had called Ford Racing twice to no avail.
Finally, another half hour goes by and I see my car coming out of the service bay and drive up to the pick up area with a very haggered look on the technicians face. I commented to him ""WOW, that was a pain in the A$$ huh?" to which he replied in a very distressed look, "Yeah, it took eight times before it would take it and Ford kept saying to "try again"!". Seems like the procedure to update the PCM is fraught with potential failures and I am sure that they have bricked a few before which is why the tech was stressed out about it.
So, finally about 2:00PM today, that magic ding struck and "Lopey Idle Mode" came on for the first time!!! AWESOME!!! What a transition in driving this makes.
My impressions:
1. The car is much more responsive to the throttle. Feels more immediate and there is less lag between pressing the pedal and the car accelerating. Took a little bit to get used to, like I had to learn to shift it again.
2. Deceleration is WAY better now. Engine braking is much more smooth and less sudden. The car just kind of floats when you get off the go pedal.
3. No more Jake Brake. The exhaust sound is much better and smooth. The sudden grumble when you decelerate is gone and replaced with the same rumble of the exhaust all the way down to idle.
4. Lopey idle is AWESOME especially with the side pipes fully open as mine are. I don't want to turn the car off anymore but just sit and listen to it in the driveway.
5. 'POP POP POP I'm moving in stereo'. Now, when I double clutch on a downshift, the side pipes pop, out of sync and it is just COOL!. At some point, I'll try to make a recording but it surprised me when it first happened because it usually all came out at the same time but now, it is very melodic.
6. Launch Control. Hmmm, it pains me to dump clutches on transmissions but I tried it tonight and it works pretty well. Probably the last time I will ever use it.
7. Ping-a-D-ping. A little pre-ignition at low RPM WOT action but I suspect that will go away once I let everything re-learn and use the troubleshooting procedures in the instructions.
8. Pull a little harder. I did the first through third gear redline test and seat of the pants says that the car pulls harder from mid RPM up to redline. Hard to believe that but it does have a more powerful feeling higher up in the RPM range. Again, this is seat of the pants.... I could also smell the cats working harder when I came to a stop after getting on it indicating that the car was putting out more hydrocarbons....
Overall, I am thrilled!!! This is a great feature and though the installation was a pain in the a$$, the result was worth the extra drive back to the dealer. After all, the tech was the one under pressure!!!
I thank my wife for an awesome Christmas present!!!
John
Dropped the car off at 7:00AM this morning for Trackey Installation. Got a call 1.5 hours later and the car was ready. Excitedly, I headed back to the dealer and picked her up. Sure enough, the magic words "Trackey Mode Enabled, Track Use Only" so I drove off waiting for the ding to occur indicating that the lopey idel mode was enabled. Never happened.
Got home and was wondering why the car never went into lopey idle mode. Attempted to set launch control and no go. Also, not able to turn on pit lane speed control.
Called Ford Racing and they said that the dealer had programmed the key but had not flashed the PCM. "It's a two step process, you need to take it back". So, I called the dealer and took the car back.
I had an MRI this morning so off I went to get that done and assumed that I would return and all would be complete. MRI done, I returned to the dealer and assumed that the car was done, It was not.
I waited another hour and asked again and the service writer indicated that they were having problems flashing the PCM and that they had called Ford Racing twice to no avail.
Finally, another half hour goes by and I see my car coming out of the service bay and drive up to the pick up area with a very haggered look on the technicians face. I commented to him ""WOW, that was a pain in the A$$ huh?" to which he replied in a very distressed look, "Yeah, it took eight times before it would take it and Ford kept saying to "try again"!". Seems like the procedure to update the PCM is fraught with potential failures and I am sure that they have bricked a few before which is why the tech was stressed out about it.
So, finally about 2:00PM today, that magic ding struck and "Lopey Idle Mode" came on for the first time!!! AWESOME!!! What a transition in driving this makes.
My impressions:
1. The car is much more responsive to the throttle. Feels more immediate and there is less lag between pressing the pedal and the car accelerating. Took a little bit to get used to, like I had to learn to shift it again.
2. Deceleration is WAY better now. Engine braking is much more smooth and less sudden. The car just kind of floats when you get off the go pedal.
3. No more Jake Brake. The exhaust sound is much better and smooth. The sudden grumble when you decelerate is gone and replaced with the same rumble of the exhaust all the way down to idle.
4. Lopey idle is AWESOME especially with the side pipes fully open as mine are. I don't want to turn the car off anymore but just sit and listen to it in the driveway.
5. 'POP POP POP I'm moving in stereo'. Now, when I double clutch on a downshift, the side pipes pop, out of sync and it is just COOL!. At some point, I'll try to make a recording but it surprised me when it first happened because it usually all came out at the same time but now, it is very melodic.
6. Launch Control. Hmmm, it pains me to dump clutches on transmissions but I tried it tonight and it works pretty well. Probably the last time I will ever use it.
7. Ping-a-D-ping. A little pre-ignition at low RPM WOT action but I suspect that will go away once I let everything re-learn and use the troubleshooting procedures in the instructions.
8. Pull a little harder. I did the first through third gear redline test and seat of the pants says that the car pulls harder from mid RPM up to redline. Hard to believe that but it does have a more powerful feeling higher up in the RPM range. Again, this is seat of the pants.... I could also smell the cats working harder when I came to a stop after getting on it indicating that the car was putting out more hydrocarbons....
Overall, I am thrilled!!! This is a great feature and though the installation was a pain in the a$$, the result was worth the extra drive back to the dealer. After all, the tech was the one under pressure!!!
I thank my wife for an awesome Christmas present!!!
John