The seventh-gen S650 Mustang might not be the best option for tuners, as Ford encrypted the ECU for cybersecurity reasons.
Tuning cars is a favorite activity among Americans — after all, isn’t it exciting to add your personal touches to a car? But Mustang fans, you might have to abandon that idea now because Ford has clearly stated that it will not give ECU access to “unauthorized tuners.”
Ed Krenz, the 2024 Mustang S650’s chief engineer, recently told Ford Authority that tuning or modifying the new Mustang will be “much more difficult.” Built on Ford’s Fully-Networked Vehicle (FNV) architecture, the S650 will be safe against hacking and cybersecurity issues. It’s because the muscle car features “full stack” encryption over the entire electronic hardware and software package. So, if you were dreaming of tuning the engine of your new Mustang, it would be more challenging.
Ford’s aim here, it seems, is not to limit the power of owners of the upcoming muscle car; instead, it’s all about keeping the car safe from unwanted security breaches. Hackers are on the rise, finding minute loopholes through which they can exploit owners.
With the new technology, Ford looks forward to offering Mustang owners a safe and secure package. Personal data stored in a car’s memory can be easily hacked, which Ford wants to avoid.
But at the same time, the technology is tricky, as even a harmless break can be considered a threat. Also, it is not clear how the FNV system functions — and it becomes impossible to know what happens inside the system when an unknown person tries to gain access.
Krenz also clarified that just any third-party tuner won’t be able to make changes to the 2024 S650, meaning Ford-authorized companies can make changes, but probably only after receiving the green light. So, don’t expect extreme tunes, but there should still be some exciting packages.
“It is likely that we will continue to make available times for the ECUs…There will be tunes, both Ford and outside of Ford,” said the chief engineer. He also added that there might not be many tuned variants precisely because of the tight restrictions on cyber security.
But apart from better security, the FNV system has other advantages, like allowing for over-the-air updates. It’s unclear how Ford will use the updates, but don’t expect a power increase after owning your Mustang for a while — this is not a Tesla, after all.
While it is a killjoy for customers to be unable to customize their own vehicle, Ford has chosen to prioritize safety, which is understandable. Still, it will be interesting to see what Ford’s first-party tunes will be able to do with the Mustang S650.
