I've seen in here a couple times, and in the descriptions for some products,
that say essentially, if you do any type of modding on an '05, it has to be re-tuned to adjust to the mod. It seemed like this was a very big departure from Mustangs of the past, the past being right up to last year.

Is this really the case, and if so, why? It owuld seem to me, that that would just discourage those along my lines, that want mod just enough to get some extra ponies from my pony, dress her saddle up a little bit, and just basically stand out from the crowd a little, but don't really have the mechanical knowledge and/or skill to do that on their/my own.

Or perhaps, that is why.

 

Just get the tuner with your first mod. You'll want it professionally tuned for best results.

Not required for everything but the 05 is drive by wire so you need to make sure that it's aware of all the new variable values that you create when you mod it. The biggest issue I hear of and see is jerkiness/sputtering and general driveability issues when people take to modding them without a tune.

Mechanical bits like suspension, exhaust (pretty sure here but double check) and bracing and stuff you don't need to bother with the tune since you're not changing engine output.

 

Not required for everything but the 05 is drive by wire so you need to make sure that it's aware of all the new variable values

Thanks for the reply r3dn3ck, but can you tell me what you mean/it means, that it's "drive by wire"?

Also, if I'm getting it prof. tuned, wouldn't they already have a tuner?

 

You no longer directly control the throttle blade. The computer decides how much to dig in the spurs based on your inputs and the conditions it's experiencing at the time. Your gas pedal is a glorified dimmer switch now. that's what drive by wire means.

You notice that little tiny lag between the time you stab the gas to the floor and the smashing of your head into the seat, that's not just the engine taking a breath, it's the computer figuring out what you really wanted it to do, making it happen and then you get to be slammed into the seat.

The steering, brakes and transmission haven't changed from the direct control of old but the gas pedal isn't under your total control any more.

 

Perfect, at least to and for me, explanation r3dn3ck. Thanks, appreciate it much.

 

The biggest reason why the CAI needs the retuning is that the MAF housing is enlarged on most aftermarket CAI's. The 05/06 Computer is VERY sensitive to changes on that scale, which is why a SES light will get thrown when you install the CAI w/out the tune.

Most non-performance things though are ok and you wont need a tune to correct anything.

 

hey mtshambles... do you know if it throws a lean condition code or a MAF function error? Basically what are some of the codes it throws with a too-big MAF on it?

Just curious.

 

Its mostly throwing a lean condition code as far as I can remember. When you are changing that housing you are letting more air into the intake (obviously), but the ECU cant compensate for that because it doesnt realize that the MAF is larger (you probably already know this, just summing it up for everyone else).

Im about 90% sure its a lean code that it throws, because it throws the car into a "safe mode" of sorts and limits the power it can make.

 

the ideal car for a geek... lots of programming time.