Ford Performance Wants To Tune Your Focus RS
By Kelly G.
Ford Performance is working on building a Warranty-Backed, 50-State Legal Tune for the Focus RS.
It looks like the team at Ford Performance have finally caught on to what most Focus RS owners have been discovering; that this 350 hp hot hatch is capable of handling more power. Even better is the fact that the Focus RS can handle this added power in its stock form, with nothing more than a simple tune.
Earlier this month, Ford Performance announced plans of producing a warranty-backed, 50-State legal tune for the Ford Focus RS. And the new factory-backed kit could be made available at local Ford dealerships around the country.
So what do I think about this announcement? Well, I say, bring it on! As an RS owner, I am having a blast using this vehicle as my daily driver. I am quickly approaching the 5000-mile mark on this car, and there is just not a lot for me to complain about.
However, now that I have a couple of long road trips under my belt with the RS, there are a few things I find myself doing on a daily basis that can be adjusted with a simple tune.
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One of the first things is disabling the stupid engine auto start/stop feature. It has got to go!
I have not talked to a single RS owner that likes this feature. I think we can all agree that we didn’t buy the Focus RS for its gas-saving appeal; the car just wants to be driven hard!
Another thing I find myself doing almost everytime I drive the Focus RS is to immediately switch it to “Sport Mode.” I know I might take some heat for saying this, but the normal mode in the Focus RS is just not “fun” to drive in. This is exactly why I think this car needs a tune. And better yet, a factory-backed tune.
Most of us know that this is not the first tune that Ford Performance has produced for the popular EcoBoost engine. Ford has already launched a kit for the Mustang called the EcoBoost performance calibration kit, which offers Mustang owners peak gains of 25 hp and 70 lb-ft, and more importantly make the four-cylinder turbo a lot more enjoyable to drive.
Ford has not yet announced any details on what kind of power increases we can expect to see from the RS tune, but I think we will see gains that are similar to the popular kit for the Mustang.
With big name tuners like Mountune, Tune+, and Livernois Motorsports already shipping out killer tunes for the new Focus RS, it’s cool to see that Ford Performance is working on a warranty backed option for RS owners that need that kind of added security to their investment.
Here is a quick video from our friend FocusRS Dan that talks a little bit about some of the different tunes available for the Focus RS right now. At the end of the video, he also shows a quick comparison of the Dyno numbers.
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What are your thoughts on the Ford Performance warranty-backed kit that is headed our way for the Focus RS? Would you choose this tune over a non-factory backed tune?
For me, once my RS hits 5000 miles, I think it’s time for a tune. But until I see the actual numbers this kit is putting out, the enthusiast in me is still leaning towards purchasing a custom tune that will get the most “usable” power out of this EcoBoost engine.