Ford warned S650 Mustang would be impossible to tune, three years later tuners have cracked the code with a bang
Published on Jul 16, 2025 at 8:52 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 16, 2025 at 12:02 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
When Ford released the S650 Mustang back in 2022, the company said it would be near-impossible to tune, but three years on, tuners have managed to crack it.
The S650 Mustang is the seventh generation of the iconic pony car.
It was unveiled in 2022 and went into production the following year.
Ahead of its release, Ford warned that the car would be almost tuner-proof, but that’s turned out not to be the case.
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Turns out the S650 Mustang isn’t impossible to tune
There are several S650 Mustang models available, ranging from the EcoBoost, powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged I4, that offers 315 horsepower, up to the 5.2-liter V8-powered S650 Mustang GTD that produces a staggering 815hp and is the fastest Mustang ever made.
In a bid to stop tuners tinkering with the already beefy engine options on the Mustang, Ford implemented the fully Networked Vehicle (FNV) electrical architecture.
This means that instead of having individual modules that work independently and communicate when needed, the carmaker encrypted the modules as a full stack.
Any attempt to rewrite these modules would cause the other modules to either limit their functionality or shut down completely.
All in all, it made tuning the S650 Mustang almost impossible.
Or so Ford thought, but it turned out that tuners have since managed to crack the code, which means even more powerful S650s could be on the way.
HP Tuners, based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, recently posted on Instagram to announce it had cracked Ford’s MG1CS036 ECU and could now give a bit of extra oomph to the 2024 Mustang GT and the Dark Horse, as well as some other models, including the F-150 Raptor R and the Expedition.
Fellow tuning company Palm Beach Dyno has already got tuning bundles for the car listed for pre-order, with prices starting from $319.
In a clip shared on YouTube, Palm Beach Dyno revealed that managed to get an extra 20 horsepower out of their S650 Mustang, but was happily declared: “We want more!”
So watch this space.
You can also give the Mustang a whole new look
Although tuning the engine of the S650 has been off-limits until now, it has been possible to overhaul the look of the car.
The owner of a Ford S650 Mustang GT took it to Premium Auto Styling in California and had it turned into a wide-body beast wrapped in Pearl Urban Bamboo, a specially designed hue.
It was also given some new rivet-adorned wheels that managed to stay neatly tucked behind the fender attachments thanks to the adjustable air suspension system.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
