Tuning Support for Ford’s S650 Mustang, Newer Trucks and SUVs FINALLY Here!

Though it took time to crack, HP Tuners has now released tuning support for the S650 Ford Mustang and other newer Ford trucks and SUVs.

The art of tuning became an incredibly popular way to unlock power from more modern, computerized vehicles shortly after they became a thing, and enthusiasts have just come to expect that they’d be able to tune anything ever since. However, with the arrival of Ford’s Fully-Networked Vehicle (FNV) electrical architecture a few years ago, that became a bit more difficult. Trouble is, this new architecture enables vehicles like the latest Ford F-150, Ranger, Bronco, and most notably, the S650 Ford Mustang, to receive over-the-air updates, but it’s also very much encrypted to prevent hackers from gaining access.

As such, The Blue Oval warned us that the S650 Ford Mustang was going to be much more difficult for third-party companies to tune even before the newest pony car launched, and that certainly proved to be the case. Ford has been rolling out quite a few calibrations of its own as of late, at least, but certain enthusiasts want to have more control over their tunes than those provide, even if they do come with a warranty.

Luckily for them, HP Tuners has finally cracked that code, and is rolling out tuning support for a wide berth of models —

• 2024-2025 S650 Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse
• 2021-2023 Ford F-150 (2.7/3.5/5.0L)
• 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
• 2021-2025 Bronco/Bronco Raptor (2.7/3.0)
• 2022-2025 Expedition
• 2024-2025 Ranger Raptor

This is quite the achievement given the fact that Ford previously expressed doubt that third parties would be able to crack this code at all, and obviously great news for enthusiasts.

Ford previously revealed that CAN bus authentication and cybersecurity were going to make this task rather monumental for most companies, save for those that work directly with The Blue Oval, claiming that tuners couldn’t simply replace Ford’s code with their own. It’s unclear how HP Tuners managed to get around this, but the results are already on display. In fact, Palm Beach Dyno has already put Steeda’s Q500 development Mustang model on the dyno – and, with a cold-air intake – it picked up 28 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque on 93-octane fuel.

“Defying the odds yet again, HP Tuners now gives DIY vehicle enthusiasts and professional automotive shops the ability to read, edit, write, scan, log, and diagnose all Ford models with the MG1CS036 ECM,” the company stated in a release. “These models only require an MPVI2/MPVI2+/MPVI3 OBDII device, (4) Universal Credits, and the latest version of VCM Suite (BETA) software for tuning. With HP Tuners’ engineering breakthrough, no ECM upgrade service is required to enable tuning like many late model vehicles often require. This includes the F-150 MG1 model years that HP Tuners previously supported.”

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.