I'm sure it will get straightened out. 50 missing HP is no small thing though. Under what circumstances do they make themselves felt though? It's their official HP rating -- did they change programming after rating?

 

Well official rating is 350 PS which equates to 345 HP on 93 octane in US. So there is 5 HP recovered.

Other then that like you said programming more then likely came into play. Especially programming for 91 oct that we have to suffer with.

When the RS got pulled into the EPA inspection booth at the US customs counter I am sure the rubber gloves got put on and the groping and tweaking began.

Poor RS.....................

 

... the overboost function on the Focus RS lasts 20 seconds, and if you shift or lift off the throttle and then reapply it, the timer resets again for another 20 seconds, says Ford spokesman Paul Seredynski. Thus, the overboost function is practically permanent, allowing for the Society of Automotive Engineers to officially rate the Focus RS’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine at 350 hp and 350 pound-feet of torque.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewd.../#40d643b35a51

Testing by Kaizen and Mishimoto has revealed that the overboost is not working as described above.

 

edit: oops, didn't read you whole post

 

As I've already stated, and even with proof in the form of a datalog, it's not the overboost function that is failing, it's the other ECU safeguards being tripped. Overboost will only function if the ECU detects no safeguards active.

I think Ford hurried a ROM to the USDM market that wasn't tested very well and is too conservative as far as the safeguards.

COBB has a RS now so it will only be a matter of time before we see in the ROM. I'm looking forward to it, being very familiar with the Fiesta ST and Focus ST roms...

 

My statement remains correct. The overboost function, which was advertised as being nearly permanent and used as the basis of the 350hp rating, is not working as advertised. If you want to take it a step further and say its not working as described because "safeguards" are preventing it, that is fine. The end result is still the same, US Focus RS' putting down ~250whp.

Any aftermarket tune that removes/disables the safeguards and allows full time overboost will undoubtedly void the warranty.

Maybe Ford will issue a new ROM... someday...

 

I'm not arguing with you nor am I even replying to anything you said.

 

Like you mentioned it seems TPS manipulation (ECU controlled govener) is being used as well. That is surely screaming for a way to defeat it. If I recall Mitsu only used fuel cut / boost cut and timing retard to control engine function.

I remember old mechanical methods to prevent full throttle on government vehicles.

They usually mysteriously went missing..................

 

So what's your estimate it should be advertised as since we are getting an understanding the public is being deceived.


Probably something... More then likely FORD performance will provide purchasable flashes like they do with all the rest of their vehicles.....with warranty.

 

Has there been any breakdown of dyno results vs octane? The one cited above was in Connecticut I think, which I think has 93... meaning those of us stuck with CA 91 crap gas may get even worse results?

 

Well plenty of RS owners are pretty disappointed with the inconsistent boost. Ford advertises a car with 350hp, yet the "conditions" under which that figure is achieved are impossible to predict or reproduce with any consistence. So the car seems to produce about 300hp.

Years back there was a similar situation with the Mazda RX8 when the real world numbers were much lower than what Mazda said the Renesis 13B produced.

IMO, a cars rated hp should be what it produces most of the time. Not what it was able to do under ideal conditions on an engine dyno.

 

The Ecoboost MED ECU uses throttle "trimming" for many things, one of them being torque control (gear based, speed based, VE based, safeguards, etc). Other examples being temp(intake, water, inferred cylinder head temp, oil, etc)/fueling/VE control.

A good amount of modern cars use this type of control strategy.

Evo 10 ECU does it a bit as well (but not nearly as sophisticated) since it has electronic throttle control unlike the Evo 8/9.

 

Yes interesting..... I have been so tempted to pick up an Fost or Fist to see how the programming works on the newer age vehicles. Like you said earlier the Evo VIII and IX Ecu is a dinosaur compared to the newer engineered programming.

If I lease one like you did will you get called out if it's "played" with upon return ?

 

The way I see it , is Ford used the claimed practically permanent overboost function, to get the Society of Automotive Engineers to officially rate the Focus RS’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine at 350 hp and 350 pound-feet of torque.

Apparently they forgot to mention to the society of automotive engineers that their factory safeguards would prevent the car from actually reaching that with any consistency.

Certainly the 2.3 engine is capable of 350 hp. But if the software is not going to allow the car to reach that, then can you rightly call it a 350hp car?

Call a spade a spade.

 

Not having actually data on that but learning how sophisticated engine management has become I am pretty sure I can safely suggest performance (or lack there of) will be affected by octane. Even earlier Mitsu Ecu's pulled timing on our 91 stuff.

I am eargerly anticipating what E-85 gains can be made regarding this.

I am sure there will be layers of software that will have to be negotiated before the "true" results come out. I am sure there will be many quick and mis-appropriate claims first though. The RS soup has not even begun to simmer yet.