Tickford tunes Ford Mustang

AS PROMISED, revenant Ford tuner Tickford has followed its line-up of Ranger one-tonne ute performance and styling modifications with a choice of engine and exhaust packages for the Mustang sportscar that boost performance and add a bigger bark.

Both GT and EcoBoost versions of Ford’s hugely popular pony car are offered the Tickford upgrades in the form of two comprehensive Power Packs on sale for $6990 each including fitting, which add a cold air induction kit, engine management remap, bespoke rear diffuser and a cat-back exhaust system.

When added to the GT, the 360 Power Pack boosts power from its 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated V8 by 54kW to a new peak figure of 360kW, while torque gains 55Nm for a maximum of 585Nm.

But it is the turbocharged EcoBoost 2.3-litre four-cylinder that benefits most from its 270 Power Pack kit with torque rising a healthy 117Nm to 540Nm, while a more modest power gain of 37kW takes max power to 270kW.

Still not enough? Tickford is also a Ford Performance Parts dealer and can offer GT owners a supercharger kit and is promising ride and handling packages as well as a range of styling options in the near future.

Tickford has not detailed what effect the Power Pack output increase has had on acceleration, maximum speed or fuel economy if any, but Tickford Performance Parts director Tony Harris said the kits offer significant gains for both Mustang variants.

“Our 360 Power Pack is the epitome of our ‘performance driven by passion’ tagline,” he said. “It is tuned and developed for Australian conditions and really unleashes the performance of the GT, boosting an already impressive baseline package.

“The Mustang EcoBoost is becoming a popular choice and our equivalent 270 Power Pack powertrain package will give owners a significant uplift in overall vehicle performance,” Mr Harris continued.”

Alternatively, for customers who are satisfied with their Mustang’s standard power output but want to enhance its soundtrack, Tickford is offering the stainless steel exhaust from the Power Pack as an individual item for $3990 inclusive of GST and fitting.

Both EcoBoost and GT exhausts terminate in quad carbon-fibre trimmed tail-pipes measuring 3.0 inches in diameter for the GT system and 2.5 inches in the case of the EcoBoost, framed by Tickfords’s own diffuser.

The exhaust-only option addresses one of the Mustang’s most frequent criticisms and its muted report in both the case of the four-cylinder and V8, despite some sound being piped through to the interior electronically.

For its line-up of Ranger mods, Tickford was also offering a conspicuous side-exit exhaust as part of a tuning pack, but strong customer demand for the exhaust only has prompted the tuner to offer the Ranger exhaust as an individual item for $2490 fitted.

“Customer feedback on our various Ranger packages was positive after we launched, though a number of potential customers were interested in an exhaust-only option,” said Mr Harris.

“One of our key brand pillars is to offer customers individuality so we looked into an exhaust-only program and it was possible, so we’ve offered it”.

The Mustang’s maker has also responded to customer feedback regarding the exhaust note and has recently announced that the facelifted version due in Australia in 2018 will arrive with an active valve exhaust which alters the volume of the GT version depending on engine speed and load.