One truth about horsepower: you can never have enough. However, when you have a brand new 2010 Mustang GT, there’s more to consider than raw power. Fuel economy, torque, throttle response, and overall drivability are all important, and how about that pesky speed limiter? Of course price is always a factor as well. One upgrade that can address all these issues without breaking the bank is an ECU tuner, and picking the right one doesn’t just improve your performance now – it can also help you get the most out of other upgrades down the road, too. In this article we’re going to review Diablosport’s newest Predator ECU flash tuner for the 2010 Mustang, the latest in a long line of well-respected Predator tuning tools.

Diablosport is a name you know. Since 2000, Diablosport has been designing, developing, and manufacturing high performance hand held programmers and ECU’s. The Predator is also a proven tool, with the ability to store and program both custom tune files developed for a specific vehicle by a tuning professional as well as pre-programmed tunes for common combinations, like what we are installing in our 2010 GT. Our test Mustang was brought to us by our good friends over at Heller Ford – a very generous loan, but we were a little disappointed to discover it was an automatic transmission car.

After some soul-searching, though, we realized that the S197’s 5-speed auto was actually the perfect test of the Predator’s chops – in addition to seeing what we could do on the chassis dyno, we’d also be able to quicken and firm up the electronically-controlled 5R55S’ shifts. In the Real World, taking the slush out of the Mustang’s slushbox will make as much of an improvement in the car’s performance as the added horsepower and torque.

Features of the Predator

Let’s take a quick review of the features of the Diablosport Predator. First, it comes with pre-programmed tune files that optimize your air/fuel ratio and spark curve. These can be downloaded into your Ford Mustang’s ECU in about 10 minutes, and form the foundation of future tuning changes. Beyond that, the Predator gives you the ability to do a wide variety of tasks, including removing the speed limiter, correcting your speedo due to tire diameter or rearend gear ratio changes, and even changing the point at which the electric fans kick on. In addition to the pre-loaded tunes, here are some of the more advanced engine control functions that you can adjust inside the Predator’s menu-driven interface:

• WOT Spark Advance Table (+/- 10%)
• WOT Fuel Table 2000 to 4000 RPM (+/- 15%)
• WOT Fuel Table 4000 to redline (+/- 15%)
• Idle RPM (+/- 20%)
• Global Mass Air Table (+/- 30%)
• Rev Limiter
• Shift Timing- MPH and Engine RPM
• Global Spark Adder (+/- 10 degrees of timing)
• Traction Control

In addition to these user-friendly tweaks, the Predator also lets you store and upload up to five custom tunes created by one of Diablosport’s worldwide network of tuners, in addition to the stock tune which is preserved should you ever want or need to return to the factory parameters. Once you’ve gone beyond “mildly modified”, one of Diablosport’s authorized shops using their Chipmaster Revolution software (CMR) can craft a customized file based on your modifications, either in person or via email. To locate your nearest CMR dealer, all you have to do is visit www.diablosport.com.

This is our test 2010 GT from Heller Ford. A 4.6L 3-valve engine puts 315 crank horsepower into the 5-speed automatic transmission. We were hoping to pick up about 15 horsepower from the Diablosport tune.

Other Cool Stuff:

In addition to the performance-based features you’d expect, the Predator has a lot of other tricks up it’s sleeve, like the ability to download new tune files over the internet – as tunes get created for common modifications like specific cold air intakes or headers, they become available to Predator owners. Granted, the 2010 Mustang is new enough that there’s not a whole lot out there yet, but history shows that this situation won’t be the case for very long and as time goes on, the library of available tunes will grow exponentially as it has for previous models.

As the aftermarket introduces new parts such as intakes, exhaust, headers, and so on, Diablosport will then be able to produce and upload more tunes to it’s web site. “It’s a matter of resources on the 2010 Mustangs,” explains Diablosport’s Mike Lych. “When manufacturers start to come out with different modifications, Diablosport will be able to send out the new tunes via the internet interface.”

Other cool features include:
• OBD-II Monitoring & Check Engine Light Reset
• Data Logging – Predator or PC
• Data Monitoring – Predator or PC
• Free Tech support
• Log up to 30 minutes of high speed vehicle PID data
• The Predator will NOT leave watermarks or footprints that would ultimately void the warranty

The Predator communicates with the stock ECU via the OBD-II port beneath the dash.

Installing and Using the Predator

The Predator is easy to install and use – just about anyone can do it. The on-screen menu walks you through the steps of installing a tune, and every tune that appears on the screen is specific to your vehicle. The Predator, like all flash tuners for late-model cars, connects via the standard OBD-II port found beneath the dashboard.

If you wish to install a performance tune, simply highlight and click “Performance Tunes.” Doesn’t get much clearer than that…

Once you’re connected, the first screen will appear with a list of options you can choose including performance tunes, diagnostics, options, and tool info. To install a tune, simply highlight the “Performance Tunes” option by using the key pad and then click “enter”. In about 5-10 minutes, the Predator will extract and store your stock tune file, and replace it with the Diablosport tuned file. You will have a few options to choose from, including simple questions like what octane fuel you’ll be using. It’s all pretty self-explanatory and menu-driven.

By simply choosing which tune you desire, the Predator will automatically start the process of programming your vehicle. “Before the writing actually takes place, the device will ask if you want to write the tune or change it, to remove the speed limiter, adjust the wheel size, etc.,” explains Lych.

Our install was pretty basic. We selected the 91 octane tune, and adjusted the shift firmness a little bit, then waited for the Predator to do its thing.

One of the parameters we changed was the shift firmness. Increasing the shift firmness improves the quickness and feel of the shifts and also reduces tranny wear by creating less heat and friction – the less time spent slipping, the easier life is for the friction materials in the transmission.

We ran before-and-after tests on the ’10 GT on our in-house chassis dyno.

We wanted to get a baseline before we installed any tunes, so we put the 2010 Mustang GT on our Dynojet Dyno. Our bone stock automatic transmission Mustang GT peaked at 251.87 horsepower. A few minutes went into installing the 91 octane tune via the Predator, and then we were ready to dyno it again. We weren’t disappointed; with the new tune, we found 262.70 horsepower and 267.61 ft-lbs of torque, for a gain of 11 rear wheel horsepower (about 14-15 hp at the engine, once transmission losses are added back in).

Overall, we were impressed by the way the Predator’s basic tune had such a positive effect on performance both on the dyno and on the street. There’s more to be found as well – we wanted to replicate a typical buyer’s “plug and go” experience, but if we wanted to we could squeeze out a few more ponies by experimenting on the dyno with basic timing and fuel table adjustments. Still more improvement is possible with the assistance of a CMR dealer, and all of it can be done using the same basic Predator flash tuner. It’s clear that even though the InTune is on the horizon, and the Trinity is already shipping, Diablosport’s tried and true Predator is still a bang-for-the-buck winner.