HP Tuners breaks through with support for the Shelby GT350 and uncovers some interesting details
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company and HP Tuners
From the moment we learned about the new Shelby GT350, our imaginations have run wild with its modification possibilities. With its new flat-plane-crank-equipped 5.2-liter engine (codenamed Voodoo) ready to run to 8,000 rpm, you might think there would be a steep learning curve to getting a handle on the tuning of its Powertrain Control Module.
Regular readers have already learned all we could uncover about the flat-plane-crankshaft-equipped 5.2-liter engine that powers the new Shelby GT350. There is still much to be revealed, but thanks to our friends at HP Tuners, we gleaned a bit more about this engine and its support systems.
Well, thanks to the clever crew at HP Tuners, the only thing we’ll have to wait on to tune the new GT350 is the car itself. That’s right. HP Tuners’ engineer Eric Brooks has added support for the Shelby GT350 to its VCM Suite software, which we covered in detail late last year. With its software and OBD-II dongle you will be able to recalibrate the car’s onboard PCM for greater performance and any modifications you might add.
Taking a look inside the calibration for the new Shelby GT350, HP Tuners confirmed a few things. As you can see here, the spark tables reach all the way to 8,000 rpm, which is tantalizing for owners of earlier Coyote-powered Mustangs that run out of rope around 7,700 rpm. Moreover, the factory rev limiter is set at 8,050 rpm.
Sadly, the Shelby GT350 hasn’t hit the streets yet, so we can’t see what the HP Tuners hardware and software will do for the high-revving Mustang. However, as you’ll see in the VCM Suite screen captures that HP Tuners shared with us, peering into the factory calibration files for the PCM controlling the Voodoo reveals some interesting details about the engine and the equipment supporting it, including the fuel system design, firing order, and rev-limiter setting.
While we have already covered this car in detail, there’s still a lot to learn about the top-shelf Mustang. Yet, this little peek into its PCM has us pretty excited about the potential lurking inside the forthcoming Shelby Mustang.
If you were hoping that the 5.2-liter engine would rock direct injection, that’s not the case. As confirmed in the calibration file, it’s port injection system running typical fuel pressures. More importantly, its fuel injection system is a throwback to the Electronic Returnless-style system utilized on all 1999-2010 Mustangs and on 2011-2014 Shelby GT500s. The GT350’s fuel pump voltage is controlled by the PCM.While you might commonly associate a larger injector with forced induction applications, keep in mind that running at high rpm makes for a smaller window of time to introduce fuel into cylinder. As such, a larger injector will help the cause. You can see the GT350 will feed its 500-plus horsepower courtesy of eight 62.5 lb/hr injectors.While we have long heard rumors about V-8 Mustangs making the jump to speed-density fuel injection like their EcoBoost little brothers, it hasn’t happened yet. As you can see, the Shelby GT350 still utilizes a mass airflow sensor to measure incoming air.Perhaps the most interesting thing revealed in the calibration is the 5.2-liter engine’s firing order. The 2015 Mustang GT’s Coyote engine lights off like so: 1, 5, 4, 8, 6, 3, 7, 2. Meanwhile, the flat-plane-crank Voodoo engine fires in this order: 1, 5, 4, 8, 3, 7, 2, 6. We can only surmise that this is one of those 30 changes effected to reduce FPC NVH.Obviously, the Shelby GT350 isn’t even available yet, but when it is, HP Tuners will have tuning support to enable your modding desires.
1 thought on “News: 2015 Shelby GT350 Tuning”