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Surely the hot hatch of 2016. With its 2.3 litre direct injection Ecoboost engine, this is the fastest and most capable Ford RS to date.
Its twin scroll turbocharger gives a strong, linear, almost normally aspirated feeling power curve and is a great example of how things have moved on with turbocharged 4 cylinder engines. However, as with most production cars, it feels a little “soft” out of the box so we bought one on launch day and set about creating a solution!
Having long been fans of the Focus since owning our own Focus RS MK1 over 20 years ago, plus being the first tuner in the world to tune a MK2 Focus RS via the OBD port, we naturally had an order in with Ford to have the MK3 Focus RS delivered to us on launch week!
We had a strategy ready to roll on the dyno in no time because the Focus RS MK3 is controlled by a Bosch PCM we have many years of previous experience with… the MEDG17. This has been fitted to previous Ecoboost vehicles like the Focus ST and Mustangs we had been tuning for years so we were one of the first companies able to offer power upgrades for the MK3 RS platform.
Whilst the car admittedly feels a little flat as standard, it really comes to life from the 380 package upwards as we have tailored the calibration to bring the driving experience to life… it really is awesome to drive with 520Nm of torque and 380PS, and its simply incredible with 580Nm and 420PS. Of course, should you wish to fully forge the engine and add a few extra bolt ons, 700NM+ and 530PS+ makes for a VERY serious road car!
Before you choose your power level, there are decisions to be made. You must first of all consider the two different approaches to tuning that we offer on this vehicle. The most cost effective (and more traditional) option is to send the calibration in via the OBD port and all you receive is the data.
The second, more expensive way is to utilise the amazing COBB Accessport. As if owning one of these amazing handsets wasn’t enough, it also unlocks many additional benefits, such as being able to display gauges and its data-logging facilities but also the ability to install and remove the tune yourself at home.
As fully approved COBB Pro Tuners we are able to offer our Focus RS Mk 3 MSD tunes integrated within the COBB custom ECU firmware which offers all the features of the factory firmware but adds some special COBB hardware and software sauce on top! The Accessport handset is quite beautiful and provides you a way to tune, data-log and diagnose the car as well as to give the driver some valuable real time data on screen.
The COBB Accessport is a firm favourite here and not just because it means the end user can install their own calibrations at home, but because the handset transforms the vehicle by adding the option of up to six gauges on screen at any time out of a list of literally hundreds. It gives you data-logging and remote E-tuning capability, diagnostic facilities for reading codes and resetting KAM etc. and allows us as tuners to harness the additional power of the COBB Ecoboost firmware to deliver even more awesome features!
These features also include the ability to swap between MSD power stages in seconds (with the engine still running) The swap is done by pressing the cruise control cancel button and then using the + / – buttons to swap slots. The slot is shown by the rev counter as you press the buttons. (IE: It points to 1000rpm for slot 1, 2000rpm for slot 2, etc.)
Yes, its as simple as that.
Pressing a button on your steering wheel can change your engines power output. The car also defaults to the last used slot on power up, so you can turn the car off in standard power if you are loaning the car to a friend for example… Imagine having STD Power, MSD 380, MSD 420, A valet mode (wont rev past 3000rpm or make more than 7psi boost) and also an anti-theft device, all accessible from your steering wheel controls! With MSD Multimaps, this is your new reality!
Return to standard tune yourself.
The Accessport enables you to return the original ECU calibration back to the vehicle at the click of a button. Selecting “Uninstall Accessport” will remove any tune applied by it and return the vehicle to its original tune and place your custom tune back on the Accessport, leaving it in an as new condition ready to be sold on. This can be done yourself at home with no tuner input required.
Flat foot shifting:
Enabled on all our calibrations, this features allows the accelerator pedal to stay fully depressed while shifting gears. The use of the clutch pedal will still be necessary, but keeping the accelerator pedal fully depressed between shifts allows for the turbo to stay spooled between gears, so you can concentrate on the fastest gear-shift and let MSD take care of the engine speed.
No hassle launch control:
No more entering menus in a hurry! With our calibrations the process of getting into launch mode is simply having the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal depressed fully. The engine speed will quickly raise to the determined RPM set in the calibration file. (Adjustable on request)
5-way launch control set-points:
This feature enables users to switch between 5 different launch control set points on the fly. You can use the factory cruise control system to switch between different set points. Our calibrations usually have 5 set points enabled from 4500rpm in slot 1 to 5500rpm in slot 5.
(Slot choice varies due to other features)
COBB / MSD Traction control.
COBB Traction Control is a custom feature available only with the Accessport. It doesn’t involve any extra sensors, installation, or hard part changes. This makes it easy to improve road course or straight line track times on completely stock EcoBoosts, highly modified race cars, or any other supported Ford in between. Essentially, if your wheels are uncontrollably spinning at any time during any race, this feature can help, and when bought from MSD it has a few of our own enhancements added too. We call it MSD-Trac.
Exhaust valve Tuning. (Optional & FOC)
Would you like the Focus signature exhaust growl toning down a little in your normal drive mode? Maybe have the exhaust valve only open after 4000rpm? Or only after 4000rpm above 20psi boost? Or always open in your sports modes? No problem.
Eco Shift light disable. (Optional & FOC)
Some people really dislike the Ecoboost economy shift lights and would like them disabled.
Just say the word and they are turned out forever! But the Performance shift lights remain and are improved upon! Disabling this will automatically enable the MSD peak performance shift light. (See below)
MSD peak performance shift up light. (FOC)
If the Eco Shift light is disabled we will utilise the shift up light with enhanced programming to now indicate the optimal performance gear up-shift point. The rev limiter warning light will remain active later in the rev range as normal. (Eco up-shift lights must be disabled for this feature to work)
Start / Stop system disable. (Optional & FOC)
Some people turn the start stop system off as the first thing they do when they get in the car.
Just say the word and we will disable it permanently for you, but leave you the option to re-enable it in your Accessport.
Shift Assist disable. (Optional & FOC)
Ford installed a shift assist strategy that hangs the throttle momentarily on gear shifts, which is designed to help the gearbox sync a little better for some drivers. Many owners really dislike it and wish it didn’t do it. Just say the word and its gone.
MSD Custom tuning, remotely!
Using the awesome data logging capabilities of the Accessport, we invite you to send us data-logs via E-mail so that we can custom tune your purchased calibration to better suit your own, individual vehicle. After log analysis, we will send you a further optimised tune that is based of feedback from your own vehicle. This feature comes standard with all our tunes for those owners who wish to get involved in some customisation and two revisions come free of charge with every MSD Tune. But don’t worry, you can enjoy the product forever without getting involved in custom tuning should you wish to.
MSD Multimaps: (Optional, at extra cost)
A firm favourite… This feature gives you 3 different power levels available at any one time. Imagine having MSD 350 (STD Power with enhanced MSD drive-ability and all our features), MSD 380 and MSD 420, all switchable from the cruise control buttons, even with the engine running. Imagine also being able to dictate which of those power levels the vehicle loaded up with when you turn it on… Well you can. Ask us about MSD Multimaps.
MSD Valet Mode: (Comes free with Multimaps)
We can set up one of your multimaps slots as a valet mode. This will limit revs to 3000rpm and boost to 7psi which will limit what people borrowing your vehicle can do. with two simple steering wheel button presses before you hand over the keys, you can be sure they wont be doing any top speed runs in your vehicle!
MSD Anti-Theft: (Comes free with Multimaps)
We can set up an anti theft feature accessible via your normal vehicle controls. This feature will prevent the vehicle being driven and it can be enabled in under 3 seconds. Further details will come with the product.
MSD WMI / Ethanol / Race fuel slots: (On suitable vehicles)
We can set up one or more of your slots to optimise the timing and boost in your tune for WMI (Water/Methanol Injection), Ethanol or high octane fuel. This option requires some detailed discussion about your installed system and installed safety features before we will offer a tune. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
MSD 380 (540Nm and 380PS)
This calibration works perfectly on a totally standard car and lifts the power restrictions from within the ECU, further enhancing the power output to 540NM and 380PS which really brings the car to life!.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU’s incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery.
Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive “Safety” tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
Optional hardware upgrades:
Standard Calibration Features
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
Diagnostic and data-logging capability:
Don’t forget, the Accessport gives you the ability to diagnose management faults properly. Entering the diagnostics section of the handset will allow you to retrieve the full range of Ford fault codes. (Not just generic P-Codes like a cheap eBay reader) The icing on the cake is its high speed data-logger, allowing you to display and log over 200 engine parameters. This is the feature that unlocks the custom E-Tuning capability! Please see the Accessport tab for more details
Total cost of an Accessport with MSD 380:
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £904.10 inc vat.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
Already own an Accessport?
We will supply this calibration via E-Mail to existing Accessport users at £199 inc vat
MSD 400 (560Nm and 400PS)
This calibration is designed to work with the factory hardware and a free flowing air filter to help with the extra air flow. This calibration further increases the engines power over our MSD 380, increasing the torque output to 560 Nm low down and extending the power higher up the rev range to 400PS.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU’s incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery.
Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive “Safety” tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
Optional hardware upgrades:
Standard Calibration Features
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
Diagnostic and data-logging capability:
Don’t forget, the Accessport gives you the ability to diagnose management faults properly. Entering the diagnostics section of the handset will allow you to retrieve the full range of Ford fault codes. (Not just generic P-Codes like a cheap eBay reader) The icing on the cake is its high speed data-logger, allowing you to display and log over 200 engine parameters. This is the feature that unlocks the custom E-Tuning capability! Please see the Accessport tab for more details
Total cost of an Accessport with MSD 400:
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £949.10 inc vat.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
Already own an Accessport?
We will supply this calibration via E-Mail to existing Accessport users at £249 inc vat
MSD 420 (580Nm and 420PS)
This is our maximum power output on factory engine internals and further increases the engines torque output to 580 Nm and peak power output to 420PS.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU’s incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery.
Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive “Safety” tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
Optional hardware upgrades:
Standard Calibration Features
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
Diagnostic and data-logging capability:
Don’t forget, the Accessport gives you the ability to diagnose management faults properly. Entering the diagnostics section of the handset will allow you to retrieve the full range of Ford fault codes. (Not just generic P-Codes like a cheap eBay reader) The icing on the cake is its high speed data-logger, allowing you to display and log over 200 engine parameters. This is the feature that unlocks the custom E-Tuning capability! Please see the Accessport tab for more details
Total cost of an Accessport with MSD 420:
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £949.10 inc vat
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
Already own an Accessport?
We will supply this calibration via E-Mail to existing Accessport users at £249 inc vat
MSD Multimaps:
If you are unsure which power level you would like… This is the answer!
This feature gives you 3 different power levels available at any one time. Imagine having MSD 350 (STD Power with enhanced MSD drive-ability and all our features), MSD 380 and MSD 400 (Or 420 if you have the hardware), all switchable from the cruise control buttons, even with the engine running.
Imagine also being able to dictate which of those power levels the vehicle loaded up with when you turn it on… Well you can, with ease. This is MSD Multimaps!
Not just three power levels….
But we could’t leave you with only three power levels when the Accessport has 5 slots available, so we went ahead and created our own additional features for slots 4 and 5 to enhance multimaps even further.
MSD Valet Mode: (Only available with Multimaps)
We can set up one of your multimaps slots as a valet mode. This will limit revs to 3000rpm and boost to 7psi which will limit what people borrowing your vehicle can do. with two simple steering wheel button presses before you hand over the keys, you can be sure they wont be doing any top speed runs in your vehicle!
MSD Anti-Theft: (Only available with Multimaps)
We can set up an anti theft feature accessible via your normal vehicle controls. This feature will prevent the vehicle being driven and it can be enabled in under 2 seconds. Further details will come with the product.
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £994.10 inc vat.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
Already own an Accessport?
We will supply this calibration via E-Mail to existing Accessport users at £349 inc vat
MSD 440 Multimaps (up to 600+Nm and 440PS ) (99+ RON only)
This is the first step for owners wishing to really push their OE turbo to the max or add a hybrid turbo and maybe want to tune for power with WMI.
Torque is turbocharger spool dependant but can usually be raised to 600+Nm with maximum power peaking at around 440PS. (On standard engines we retain the MSD420 torque cap at 580NM)
The vehicle will retains great road manners on this conversion with over 500Nm available from around 2800 RPM and 600NM available by 3500 RPM on the standard turbo, this is a great compromise between the standard turbo and the bigger NX2!
The rev limit is kept sensible at 6700 (Unless your engine builder specifies higher) and of course as always with an MSD conversion, the ECU’s incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory drive-ability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in power delivery, and of course all the necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled to allow the extra performance whilst retaining an O.E Level of engine protection. Beware: Many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to force the management to allow more boost. Read the “Safety” tab for more details on these strategies.
Additional hardware required for the MSD 440 Multimaps calibration::
Optional hardware upgrades:
Standard Calibration Features:
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £1174.10 inc vat.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
MSD440 Custom tuning available remotely!
If you have the right hardware spec then this calibration can be supplied and tuned remotely via our E-Tuning service at the cost of £499 which includes 3x calibration revisions.
When supplied as an E-Tune, we utilise the awesome data logging capabilities of the Accessport, inviting you to send us data-logs via E-mail so that we can custom tune your calibration to better suit your own, individual vehicle. After log analysis, we will send you a further optimised tune that is based of feedback from your own vehicle. This feature comes standard with all our COBB E-tunes for those owners who wish to get involved in some customisation but don’t worry, you can enjoy the product forever without getting involved in custom tuning should you wish to.
MSD 460 Multimaps (up to 600Nm and 460PS)
This is the first step for owners wishing to uprate their engine internals and add a bigger turbo but do not want to add any performance camshafts or WMI and would also perhaps like us to tune the vehicle remotely.
Torque can be raised to 600Nm with maximum power peaking at around 460PS.
The vehicle will retains great road manners on this conversion with over 500Nm available from around 2800 RPM and 600Nm available by 3500 RPM, this is a great compromise between the standard turbo and the bigger NX2!
The rev limit is kept sensible at 6700 and of course as always with an MSD conversion, the ECU’s incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory drive-ability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in power delivery, and of course all the necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled to allow the extra performance whilst retaining an O.E Level of engine protection. Beware: Many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to force the management to allow more boost. Read the “Safety” tab for more details on these strategies.
Additional hardware required for the MSD 460 Multimaps calibration::
Optional hardware upgrades:
Standard Calibration Features:
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £1174.10 inc vat.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
MSD460 Custom tuning available remotely!
If you have the right hardware spec then this calibration can be supplied and tuned remotely via our E-Tuning service at the cost of £499 which includes 3x calibration revisions.
When supplied as an E-Tune, we utilise the awesome data logging capabilities of the Accessport, inviting you to send us data-logs via E-mail so that we can custom tune your calibration to better suit your own, individual vehicle. After log analysis, we will send you a further optimised tune that is based of feedback from your own vehicle. This feature comes standard with all our COBB E-tunes for those owners who wish to get involved in some customisation but don’t worry, you can enjoy the product forever without getting involved in custom tuning should you wish to.
MSD 480 Multimaps (up to 700Nm and 480PS)
This is the second step for owners wishing to uprate their engine internals and add a bigger turbo but do not want to add any performance camshafts or WMI and would also perhaps like us to tune the vehicle remotely.
Torque can be raised to 700Nm with maximum power peaking at around 480PS.
The vehicle will retains great road manners on this conversion with over 500Nm available from around 3000 RPM and 700Nm available by 4000 RPM, this really does bring the Focus RS to life!
The rev limit is kept sensible at 6700 (but can be increased if your engine spec allows it), so this is no rev hungry monster that requires massive engine speed like 500bhp cars of old… and of course as always with an MSD conversion, the ECU’s incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory drive-ability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in power delivery, and of course all the necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled to allow the extra performance whilst retaining an O.E Level of engine protection. Beware: Many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to force the management to allow more boost. Read the “Safety” tab for more details on these strategies.
Additional hardware required for the MSD 480 Multimaps calibration::
Optional hardware upgrades:
Standard Calibration Features:
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £1174.10 inc vat.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
MSD480 Custom tuning available remotely!
If you have the right hardware spec then this calibration can be supplied and tuned remotely via our E-Tuning service at the cost of £499 which includes 3x calibration revisions.
When supplied as an E-Tune, we utilise the awesome data logging capabilities of the Accessport, inviting you to send us data-logs via E-mail so that we can custom tune your calibration to better suit your own, individual vehicle. After log analysis, we will send you a further optimised tune that is based of feedback from your own vehicle. This feature comes standard with all our COBB E-tunes for those owners who wish to get involved in some customisation but don’t worry, you can enjoy the product forever without getting involved in custom tuning should you wish to.
MSD 530 Multimaps (up to 530PS)
Things are getting serious now so the engine needs to be built properly with quality forged internals and Piper 285 cams. When allied to a suitably built engine we can increase the torque to in excess of 700NM with maximum power coming in at 530PS. The vehicle retains great road manners on this conversion with over 500NM available from around 3000 RPM and over 700NM available by 4000 RPM or as early as 3400rpm on the BW turbo option. This really does bring the Focus Rs to life!
The rev limit is set at your engine builders advise, factory is 6700, many builders specify 7200 but we do work with some that love it right round at 8000rpm. However, this is no rev hungry monster that requires massive engine speed like 500bhp cars of old… and of course as always with an MSD conversion, the ECU’s incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory drive-ability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in power delivery, and of course all the necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled to allow the extra performance whilst retaining an O.E level of engine protection. Beware: Many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to force the management to allow more boost. Read the “Safety” tab for more details on these strategies.
Additional hardware required for the MSD 530 Multimaps calibration::
Optional hardware upgrades:
Standard Calibration Features:
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: £1174.10 inc vat.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
MSD530 Custom tuning available remotely!
If you have the right hardware spec then this calibration can be supplied and tuned remotely via our E-Tuning service at the cost of £499 which includes 3x calibration revisions.
When supplied as an E-Tune, we utilise the awesome data logging capabilities of the Accessport, inviting you to send us data-logs via E-mail so that we can custom tune your calibration to better suit your own, individual vehicle. After log analysis, we will send you a further optimised tune that is based of feedback from your own vehicle. This feature comes standard with all our COBB E-tunes for those owners who wish to get involved in some customisation but don’t worry, you can enjoy the product forever without getting involved in custom tuning should you wish to.
MSD 600 – 700 Multimaps (up to 700PS)
Already tried and tested on two continents so far and working very well, this level of power obviously requires a fully custom built engine that is capable of flowing this kind or airflow. Our development cars currently run Devil Developments 700 spec engines.
When allied to a suitable engine spec you can expect a power output of 700ps and a 100-200 time in the high 5 to low 6 second range if suitable chassis modifications have been undertaken to ensure the power can be transferred to the black stuff. Even when tested on a pretty standard drive-train (Standard tyres and No RDU mods) we are still seeing mid 6 second runs repeatably and these times should come down further as we continue to dial in the torque-by-gear features of the factory ECU to keep her on the limit of traction.
The rev limit is engine hardware spec dependant but we like to be able to see 7600rpm to make the best of these large turbochargers. Of course, as always with an MSD conversion, the factory ECU’s incredible torque model is retained ensuring factory drive-ability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in power delivery, returns sensible fuel efficiency and starts and drives cold perfectly. All the necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled to allow the extra performance whilst retaining as close to O.E Level of engine protection as is possible at this power level, including engine oil and water temp load and rev limiters, TIP limits, MAP limits and full electronic throttle control of the load. We do not just run a programmed wastegate duty cycle and hope the wastegate never fails to open.
Additional hardware required for the MSD700 Multimaps calibration:
Optional and strongly recommended hardware:
Standard Calibration Features:
Personalisations Available:
Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes – Contact us for more details)
£1374.00 inc vat approx
Call for exact quote as its very spec / fuel / hardware dependant.
Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See “Upgrade Paths” Tab for more details.
MSD600+ Custom tuning available remotely!
If you have the right hardware spec then this calibration can be supplied and tuned remotely via our E-Tuning service at the cost of £699 which includes 4x calibration revisions.
When supplied as an E-Tune, we utilise the awesome data logging capabilities of the Accessport, inviting you to send us data-logs via E-mail so that we can custom tune your calibration to better suit your own, individual vehicle. After log analysis, we will send you a further optimised tune that is based of feedback from your own vehicle. This feature comes standard with all our COBB E-tunes for those owners who wish to get involved in some customisation but don’t worry, you can enjoy the product forever without getting involved in custom tuning should you wish to.
MSD E-Tuning (All Power levels)
This is the service you need if you want to get the best out of existing hardware and don’t wish to bring it here to our dyno. The awesome COBB Accessport allows us to data-log and tune your vehicle remotely… Our calibrations can be supplied to you same day, via E-mail, so you can be out enjoying the tune immediately without the hassle of time off work, driving across the country and spending the day here with us. Indeed we are tuning a 580Ps vehicle on race fuel and WMI near Africa right now!
If buying a typical MSD power level such as MSD400 then the tunes can simply be installed and driven as they arrive and they will make the quoted power and torque right out of the box. Most people are absolutely happy with this level of tune and go no further.
However, some of our customers want to take it a little further and get “Custom Tuned” and that is why all of our E-Tunes come with 2x Custom tune revisions as standard.
We will then analyse the data and return you a customised tune to repeat the process.*
This is a common question. Normally you would bring your vehicle to us for dyno time so that we can specifically look at things such as Air-Fuel ratio, Spark advance, knock levels, exhaust gas temp, charge temps and other such parameters. Well one of the greatest things about modern management systems is they have these sensors and logging capability built right into the vehicle! They almost always come with wideband lambda sensors, multiple manufacturer tuned knock sensors, high resolution MAP and TIP sensors and exceptionally detailed and fast logging of all the vehicles parameters.
This technology allows us to obtain data from the vehicle no matter where it is driven. It no longer has to be connected to our laptops and dyno. This means we can analyse the data remotely and make changes to the calibration to see how the vehicle responds when operated in the real world. To initialise this process we simply need you to follow a sequence of driving events and data-log a number of data channels on your Accessport, then send the resulting logs to us by E-Mail.
We supply our E-Tunes with full printed instructions detailing how to set up the data-logger and which channels to log as well as what conditions to perform the data-logging in on your local dyno, drag strip, race track etc.
Once you have got used to your tune you can then send us data-logs and we will adjust the tune to suit your vehicle exactly as we would if it were here on our dyno. The results we achieve are very much the same as if we had the car ourselves and in some cases it can be better, especially if your vehicle has issues being run hard on a dyno. ( A great example of this is a vehicle with traction issues or a vehicle with a top mount intercooler… these coolers work well on the road but are tricky to get right with a fan and some pipes.)
* We do not guarantee that we will offer any more power in the revised tune. Of course we normally do, but the outcome of any tuning absolutely depends on how your vehicle responds and it is very dependant on the quality of the fuel used in your vehicle. We absolutely will only increased power output where we feel there is acceptable headroom based on the data collected during the logging sessions.
If we feel the engine is under duress due to charge temps or knock for example we may well lower your power levels
The COBB Accessport delivery method allows us to adjust your MSD tune via a simple E-Mail exchange which means less face to face time and therefore a cost saving in labour. This allows us to offer a more attractive upgrade path than is normal with other forms of tuning where you would typically have to just pay full price again.
In the case of our MSD tunes we have a couple of scenarios, one is moving from one MSD power level to another, whilst scenario 2 is increasing power from the current MSD Tune using additional uprated hardware.
An upgrade from one MSD tune to another will usually be £100 minimum or the difference in retail price, whichever is highest.
Example 1:
MSD400 Retail = £249.
MSD420 Retail = £299.
Price difference is £50 so the minimum £100 fee applies and the upgrade = £100.
Example 2:
MSD380 Retail = £199.
MSD420 Retail = £299.
Price difference = £100 so the upgrade from MSD380 to MSD420 base calibration = £100.
Note:
These upgrades are base calibrations with no E-Tunes paid for as this allows you to upgrade prior to performing your pre-paid custom E-Tuning with us. If you have already utilised your pre-paid E-Tuning with us and would like to also perform the same E-Tuning service on your new upgrade calibration, you will need to purchase more E-Tuning.
Example 3:
MSD380 with 2x E-Tunes still unused.
This customer can upgrade to MSD420 as in example 2 above and utilise the 2x pre-paid E-Tunes they already own with that upgrade.
Example 4:
MSD380 with both E-Tunes already utilised.
This customer can upgrade to MSD420 as in example 2 above and either:
Note:
Upgrades are typically only available on the same turbocharger.
Once the turbocharger is changed you need to start again from a new base file at normal retail price due to the work involved, so an upgrade from MSD420 to MSD530 for example is not available and will require a new calibration to be bought.
However, If you buy the HPFP and other hardware from us we will do you a discounted calibration to go with it.
Click here to purchase additional E-Tunes.
* Upgrades are only available to the original purchaser.
Sometimes you are happy with your current calibration level, but want to optimise the hardware. Now some hardware doesn’t require a calibration change at all and some does. You will need to contact us for advise on your personal situation but as a guideline, anything that significantly affects airflow will require a retune. The most obvious examples are camshafts and wastegate actuators. Anything more serious than this (like a turbo) would require moving to a different base power level tune anyway. (See Scenario 1)
Typically, a calibration upgrade to dial in cams or wastegate actuators will be dealt with as E-Tunes and will require a minimum of 3x E-Tunes. The first E-Tune will be your base calibration change to get you in the ballpark. Your second two will be our normal E-Tune process of 2x revisions..
Example 1:
Calibration = MSD420.
Customer wants to add a 12psi Turbosmart wastegate and has already used up his included E-Tunes.
Solution = Customer buys 3x more E-tunes, we send over a new base file and we tune it twice via logs.
Example 2:
Calibration = MSD420.
Customer wants to add a 12psi Turbosmart wastegate and has not used either of his E-Tunes.
Solution = Customer buys 1x more E-tunes, we send over a new base file and we tune it twice via logs.
Click here to purchase additional E-Tunes.
* Upgrades are only available to the original purchaser.
However, If you buy the HPFP and other hardware from us we will do you a discounted calibration to go with it.
A small selection of our best selling Focus RS MK 3 tuning parts
(Click to see them on our webshop)
There are many ways to calibrate a modern vehicles ECU but the sad fact remains that a huge percentage of the tunes we see have had all the safety strategies and drive logic features removed from them. These MEDG17 PCM’s have exceptional engine control strategies built into them and these systems are a key reason that as standard, these vehicles drive so amazingly well. Smooth, linear and powerful to the rev limiter. And safe too… the protection strategies are incredibly complex and work alongside a very comprehensive torque model in order to deliver what the driver asks, but keep the engine in one piece should things go wrong.
To recalibrate an MEDG17 PCM properly, from scratch as we do, takes many hundreds of hours of development on our in house dyno. But the results are worthwhile.
Rest assured that when we calibrate a vehicles PCM we retain:
The above may look and read like common sense?
You are right… retaining everything above is desirable, but to do so requires an understanding of how these torque modelled systems work so that we can actually “recalibrate” the various sub-systems to work the way we want them to, whilst targeting higher airflow and power levels.
Sadly, because all of the above strategies will, by their very nature, fight our efforts to create extra airflow, many amateurs find ways to just disable the limits, often by “de-calibrating” the system so it will allow extra airflow.
We regularly see calibrations with various anticipation and prediction systems switched off, load limits flat-lined, air load limits totally disabled, fuel flow limits deleted, knock systems de-sensitised, the list goes on, its quite disappointing to see.
How would you know?
That’s a good question, and it depends just how bad they have de-calibrated the system.
Lets face a simple fact here… if you have a vehicle with a virtually standard engine and turbo that drove perfectly well before a re-calibration, extending its headroom wont make it drive or perform worse during normal driving. Why would it? No reason at all. Same engine, same air path, same hardware. So it should drive the same, but be faster at big throttle openings.
Now, if they have “only” removed all the safety limits (running more boost than a 3bar map sensor can see for example) then the vehicle will still drive perfectly well if the rest of the system has been recalibrated to properly request the torque the conversion makes. That kind of calibration will just have no safety limits in place should anything go wrong. hopefully it wont, so all is well.
However, if you start to disable the torque targeting system, or make a mess of recalibrating it then you end up with all manner of horrible drive-ability problems. Aggressive throttle, unpredictable or surging power delivery, doesn’t want to just cruise along at a set speed, these are all very common when a confused ECU tries to deliver closed loop airflow control with a broken model.
Some are actually so bad that if you cool the air properly with an uprated intercooler they actually drive worse… We see that on the dyno where some tunes make more power with the cooling fans turned off in our cell, the poor ECU has no clue what to do with the extra air density any more so it closes the throttle if you cool the air!
And if that wasn’t bad enough, some of these de-calibrated strategies are of course firing out fault codes so we see some with all 300+ codes just deleted so the ECU cant report them. This in turn disables all the limp home strategies designed to take control and get you home in the event of component failure.
Sadly, this is the reality of modern tuning… Take care out there!
If this has wet your appetite to know more about how your Ford Ecoboost management strategy in the PCM works, you may well enjoy my series of 3 Blogs about it.
Blog 1 of 4. Understanding Ford Ecoboost Torque Control
(There are more located in our main technical info section with Stus other 70+ magazine articles)
A MK3 Focus Rs MSD 530 Multimaps showing power in your three slots (Switchable on-the-fly)
Slots 1 = 349PS / 528NM
Slot 2 = 432PS / 609NM
Slot 3 =537PS / 767NM
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To see our COBB Accessport videos covering:
If you are looking to go the excellent COBB Accessport route you can obtain one of these direct from us, with your chosen calibration pre-installed ready for fitment yourself at home. Data-logs can be sent to us afterwards via E-mail if you wish to utilise the remote custom tuning feature we offer as part of the price. The COBB Accessports can be found on our webshop here:
If you are looking to go the excellent COBB Accessport route and would rather us show you how to install it here, we can do that for you and you can still send us the data-logs afterwards via E-mail if you wish to utilise the remote custom tuning feature we offer as part of the price.
Call us for a supplied and fitted price.
For those owners whom already own an Accessport but wish to try our calibration on there. These can be purchased on our webshop and we will deliver them via E-Mail. These tunes come with remote custom tuning as part of the price too.
Have questions, comments, or ready to schedule an appointment? We’d love to hear from you! Please fill out the form below, and one of our team members will get back to you as soon as possible. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we’re here to assist you with any inquiries you may have. Let’s connect and ensure your automotive needs are met with precision and expertise.
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