What is the Accessport?

The COBB Accessport is a firm favorite here and not just because it means the end user can install their own calibrations at home, but because the handset transforms the vehicle by adding the option of up to six gauges on screen at any time out of a list of literally hundreds. It gives you data-logging and remote E-tuning capability, diagnostic facilities for reading codes and resetting KAM etc. and allows us as tuners to harness the additional power of the COBB Ecoboost firmware to deliver even more awesome features!

These features also include the ability to swap between MSD power stages in seconds (with the engine still running) The swap is done by pressing the cruise control cancel button and then using the + / - buttons to swap slots. The slot is shown by the rev counter as you press the buttons. (IE: It points to 1000rpm for slot 1, 2000rpm for slot 2, etc.)**

Yes, its as simple as that.
Pressing a button on your steering wheel can change your engines power output. The car also defaults to the last used slot on power up, so you can turn the car off in standard power if you are loaning the car to a friend for example... Imagine having STD Power, MSD 330, MSD 350, A valet mode (wont rev past 3000rpm or make more than 7psi boost) and also an anti-theft device, all accessible from your steering wheel controls! With MSD Multimaps, this is your new reality!

**
Maps can also be switched live, direct from the Accessport itself for users without canbus cruise control integration.

Handset Specification:

• Full Colour handset that can display up to 6 gauges on screen
• 200+ parameters available to display and / or data-log
• Internal memory that can record up to 10hrs
• O.E quality fault code reader (Full Ford code set - Not just generic OBD)
• Reset codes adaptations and KAM.
• User adjustable shift light feature built in
• Performance monitor built in.
• High resale value if you decide to sell.

 

All of our Accessport MSD calibrations come with the following awesome feature's enabled:

Return to standard tune yourself.
The Accessport enables you to return the original ECU calibration back to the vehicle at the click of a button. Selecting "Uninstall Accessport" will remove any tune applied by it and return the vehicle to its original tune and place your custom tune back on the Accessport, leaving it in an as new condition ready to be sold on. This can be done yourself at home with no tuner input required.

Flat foot shifting:
Enabled on all our calibrations, this features allows the accelerator pedal to stay fully depressed while shifting gears. The use of the clutch pedal will still be necessary, but keeping the accelerator pedal fully depressed between shifts allows for the turbo to stay spooled between gears, so you can concentrate on the fastest gear-shift and let MSD take care of the engine speed.

No hassle launch control:
No more entering menus in a hurry! With our calibrations the process of getting into launch mode is simply having the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal depressed fully. The engine speed will quickly raise to the determined RPM set in the calibration file. (Adjustable on request)

5-way launch control set-points:
This feature enables users to switch between 5 different launch control set points on the fly. You can use the factory cruise control system to switch between different set points. Our calibrations usually have 5 set points enabled from 4500rpm in slot 1 to 5500rpm in slot 5.
(Slot choice varies due to other features)

COBB / MSD Traction control.
COBB Traction Control is a custom feature available only with the Accessport. It doesn’t involve any extra sensors, installation, or hard part changes. This makes it easy to improve road course or straight line track times on completely stock EcoBoosts, highly modified race cars, or any other supported Ford in between. Essentially, if your wheels are uncontrollably spinning at any time during any race, this feature can help, and when bought from MSD it has a few of our own enhancements added too. We call it MSD-Trac.

Exhaust valve Tuning. (Optional & FOC)
Would you like the Focus signature exhaust growl toning down a little in your normal drive mode? Maybe have the exhaust valve only open after 4000rpm? Or only after 4000rpm above 20psi boost? Or always open in your sports modes? No problem.

Eco Shift light disable. (Optional & FOC)
Some people really dislike the Ecoboost economy shift lights and would like them disabled.
Just say the word and they are turned out forever! But the Performance shift lights remain and are improved upon! Disabling this will automatically enable the MSD peak performance shift light. (See below)

Start / Stop system disable. (Optional & FOC)
Some people turn the start stop system off as the first thing they do when they get in the car.
Just say the word and we will disable it permanently for you, but leave you the option to re-enable it in your Accessport.

Shift Assist disable. (Optional & FOC)
Ford installed a shift assist strategy that hangs the throttle momentarily on gear shifts, which is designed to help the gearbox sync a little better for some drivers. Many owners really dislike it and wish it didn’t do it. Just say the word and its gone.

MSD Custom tuning, remotely!
Using the awesome data logging capabilities of the Accessport, we invite you to send us data-logs via E-mail so that we can custom tune your purchased calibration to better suit your own, individual vehicle. After log analysis, we will send you a further optimised tune that is based of feedback from your own vehicle. This feature comes standard with all our tunes for those owners who wish to get involved in some customisation and two revisions come free of charge with every MSD Tune (Original purchaser only). But don't worry, you can enjoy the product forever without getting involved in custom tuning should you wish to.

Further information on our custom E-Tuning service can be found here in our COBB Tuning Section

 

 

The following additional cost features can also be chosen at time of ordering.
(And upgraded to later if need be)

MSD Multimaps: (Optional, at extra cost)
A firm favorite... This feature gives you 3 different power levels available at any one time. Imagine having MSD 350 (STD Power with enhanced MSD drive-ability, 95RON safe and all our features), MSD 380 and MSD 420, all switchable from the cruise control buttons, even with the engine running. Imagine also being able to dictate which of those power levels the vehicle loaded up with when you turn it on… Well you can. Ask us about MSD Multimaps.

MSD Valet Mode: (Comes free with Multimaps)
We can set up one of your multimaps slots as a valet mode. This will limit revs to 3000rpm and boost to 7psi which will limit what people borrowing your vehicle can do. with two simple steering wheel button presses before you hand over the keys, you can be sure they wont be doing any top speed runs in your vehicle!

MSD Anti-Theft: (Comes free with Multimaps)
We can set up an anti theft feature accessible via your normal vehicle controls. This feature will prevent the vehicle being driven and it can be enabled in under 3 seconds. Further details will come with the product.

MSD WMI / Ethanol / Race fuel slots: (On suitable vehicles)
We can set up one or more of your slots to optimise the timing and boost in your tune for WMI (Water/Methanol Injection), Ethanol or high octane fuel. This option requires some detailed discussion about your installed system and installed safety features before we will offer a tune. (Requires etunes - Contact us for more details)

MSD 330 (480NM / 330PS)
This is essentially the first stage of tune for the original crate engine as its delivered. It lifts the limits from the existing system and just makes everything work that little bit better whilst also enabling the extra features of the COBB Accessport platform.

The factory rev limit and all the temperature protection features of the management system are retained, whilst the relevant fuel, spark and load tables are further optimised to achieve this new power output.

Rest assured that if your coolant, oil, exhaust or charge temperatures get too high, the ECU will actively lower your available throttle opening and boost pressures as well as add fuel to cool things down until such time as the temperatures are back within safety parameters. Full LSPI / Knock control is retained at factory safety levels. Some tuners remove all this capability in order to achieve their power - Take care out there.

Additional hardware needed:

• 98 RON fuel or better.
  

Optional hardware upgrades:

• High flow air filter (Click to view)
• Full induction kit (Click to view)
• 1 step colder spark plugs (Click to view)
• Uprated blow off / recirc valve (Click to view)
• Rear motor mount upgrade (Click to view)
• Uprated performance exhaust (Click to view)
• Quaife QBE46Z sequential gearbox (Programming for this costs an additional £499).
  (We are Quaife's official tuning partner for the O.E ECU on this transmission)

Standard Calibration Features

• DIY Install and remove at home.
• Improved idle stability
• Factory driveability under all conditions.
• Fords inferred octane system is retained and operates to factory spec.
• Launch control always active (No menu activation needed)
• Launch control RPM adjustable via cruise control buttons
• Flat Foot Shifting always available
• Peak performance up-shift light adjustments
• RS rev limit warning light strategy enhanced
• COBB / MSD Enhanced Traction control available. (MSD-Trac)
• All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
• Fords inferred octane system is retained and operates to factory spec.
• Comes with 2x E-Tune revisions included in the price.
  

Personalisations Available:

• Stop / Start system permanent disable option.
• Eco shift light permanent disable option.
• Burble tunable against Normal and sports modes.
• Burble tunable against RPM
• Multiple burble options such as OFF / Ford / FordSport / MSDEnhanced and MSDExtreme
• Exhaust valve tuning options available. (Closed on cold start etc)
• Flat Foot shifting default RPM
• MSD-Trac system default (On/Off) and default traction levels (1-8)
• Left foot braking timer (Does NOT just delete the safety as most do)
• Quaife QBE46Z sequential gearbox programming available at extra cost.
  (We are Quaife's official tuning partner for the O.E ECU on this transmission)
  
  

Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes - Contact us for more details)

• WMI (water methanol injection) optimised slot.
• Ethanol (E10-E40) optimised slot.
• High octane fuel optimised slot. (100+ RON)

 

Diagnostic and data-logging capability:
Don’t forget, the Accessport gives you the ability to diagnose management faults properly. Entering the diagnostics section of the handset will allow you to retrieve the full range of Ford fault codes. (Not just generic P-Codes like a cheap eBay reader) The icing on the cake is its high speed data-logger, allowing you to display and log over 200 engine parameters. This is the feature that unlocks the custom E-Tuning capability! Please see the Accessport tab for more details

Total cost of an Accessport with MSD 380:
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: Approx £900 inc vat. (See webshop for up to date pricing)

Already own an Accessport?
We will supply this calibration via E-Mail to existing Accessport users at approx £200 inc vat. (See webshop for up to date pricing)

MSD 350 Multimaps (520NM / 350PS+)
(Note: This calibration is only available for installation via COBB Accessport for MY15-17 cars plus the MY20 2.3 HPP)

This calibration requires an uprated intercooler, intake kit and full exhaust system with a sports catalyst. This hardware allows us to reach the max airflow of the current turbocharger, bringing power output to 520NM and 345PS.

The factory rev limit and all the temperature protection features of the management system are retained, whilst the relevant fuel, spark and load tables are further optimised to achieve this new power output.

Rest assured that if your coolant, oil, exhaust or charge temperatures get too high, the ECU will actively lower your available throttle opening and boost pressures as well as add fuel to cool things down until such time as the temperatures are back within safety parameters. Full LSPI / Knock control is retained at factory safety levels. Some tuners remove all this capability in order to achieve their power - Take care out there.

Additional hardware needed:

• 98 RON fuel or better.
• COBB Accessport.
• Uprated Intercooler
• Uprated Intake kit
• Full turbo back exhaust system with sports catalyst
  

Standard Calibration Features

• MSD Multimaps for switchable power on the fly
• 95 RON safe slot (Switchable on the fly)
• Standard power slot (Switchable on the fly)
• MSD350 power slot (Switchable on the fly)
• MSD Anti-Theft slot
• Improved idle stability
• Factory driveability under all conditions.
• All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)

Personalisations Available: (At time of programming)

• Transbrake feature enabled (Auto Models)
• Burnout Mode enabled (Manual Models)
• Flat Foot Shifting enabled (Manual Modesl)
• Launch Control set-point options of 4000 / 4500 / 5000 rpm. (*Manual models)
• Stop / Start disable. (*Some models)
• Eco shift light disable. (*Some models)

 

Additional fuel programming available. (Requires etunes - Contact us for more details)

• WMI (water methanol injection) optimised slot.
• Ethanol (E10-E40) optimised slot.
• High octane fuel optimised slot. (100+ RON)

Diagnostic and data-logging capability:
Don’t forget, the Accessport gives you the ability to diagnose management faults properly. Entering the diagnostics section of the handset will allow you to retrieve the full range of Ford fault codes. (Not just generic P-Codes like a cheap eBay reader) The icing on the cake is its high speed data-logger, allowing you to display and log over 200 engine parameters. This is the feature that unlocks the custom E-Tuning capability! Please see the Accessport tab for more details

 

Total cost of an Accessport with MSD 350:
Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: approx £950 inc vat. (See webshop for up to date pricing)

 

MSD 400 - 700 (up to 800Nm and 700PS)
(Note: This calibration is only available for installation via COBB Accessport for the MY20+ 2.3 HPP)

We can tune your FRP PCM and crate engine for many different hardware configurations not shown here.
Prices start with MSD400 which caters for hybrid turbos and we go onwards from there.

Typically you can look to our Focus RS MK3 pages here for ideas of how we would tune your Mustang for further power.

Click here to visit out Focus RS MK3 tuning page

MSD Multimaps:
If you are unsure which power level you would like... This is the answer!

This feature gives you 3 different power levels available at any one time. Imagine having MSD 315 (STD Power with enhanced MSD driveability, 95RON safe, and all our features), MSD 330 and MSD 350 (Or 420 / 440 / 530 if you have the hardware), all switchable from the cruise control buttons (Or Accessport screen), even with the engine running.

Imagine also being able to dictate which of those power levels the vehicle loaded up with when you turn it on… Well you can, with ease. This is MSD Multimaps!

 

Not just three power levels....
But we could’t leave you with only three power levels when the Accessport has 5 slots available, so we went ahead and created our own additional features for slots 4 and 5 to enhance multimaps even further.

MSD Valet Mode: (Only available with Multimaps)
We can set up one of your multimaps slots as a valet mode. This will limit revs to 3000rpm and boost to 7psi which will limit what people borrowing your vehicle can do. with two simple steering wheel button presses before you hand over the keys, you can be sure they wont be doing any top speed runs in your vehicle!

MSD Anti-Theft: (Only available with Multimaps)
We can set up an anti theft feature accessible via your normal vehicle controls. This feature will prevent the vehicle being driven and it can be enabled in under 2 seconds. Further details will come with the product.

Total cost of an Accessport with MSD Multimaps:

Supplied on a brand new COBB Accessport for DIY Installation with full instructions: Approx £990 inc vat. (See webshop for up to date pricing)

Upgrade Note:
Our upgrade program for COBB users often gives you access to very reasonably priced upgrades at a later date as your hardware and requirements change. See "Upgrade Paths" Tab for more details.

MSD E-Tuning (All Power levels)
This is the service you need if you want to get the best out of existing hardware and don’t wish to bring it here to our dyno. The awesome COBB Accessport allows us to data-log and tune your vehicle remotely... Our calibrations can be supplied to you same day, via E-mail, so you can be out enjoying the tune immediately without the hassle of time off work, driving across the country and spending the day here with us. Indeed we have tuned these vehicles all over the world remotely including USA, Africa, Australia, Reunion Isles and all over Europe!

If buying a typical MSD power level such as MSD400 then the tunes can simply be installed and driven as they arrive and they will make the quoted power and torque right out of the box. Most people are absolutely happy with this level of tune and go no further.

However, some of our customers want to take it a little further and get "Custom Tuned" so that is why all of our E-Tunes come with 2x custom tune revisions as standard for the original purchaser to utilise any time they like.

 

Custom E-Tuning with MSD is a simple three step process.

1. Install the base calibration to your car.
2. Perform a data-logging run in 3rd gear
3. Send us the data-logs.

We will then analyse the data and return you a customised tune to repeat the process.*

OK, so how can you do a custom tune remotely?

This is a common question. Normally you would bring your vehicle to us for dyno time so that we can specifically look at things such as Air-Fuel ratio, Spark advance, knock levels, exhaust gas temp, charge temps and other such parameters. Well one of the greatest things about modern management systems is they have these sensors and logging capability built right into the vehicle! They almost always come with wideband lambda sensors, multiple manufacturer tuned knock sensors, high resolution MAP and TIP sensors and exceptionally detailed and fast logging of all the vehicles parameters.

This technology allows us to obtain data from the vehicle no matter where it is driven. It no longer has to be connected to our laptops and dyno. This means we can analyse the data remotely and make changes to the calibration to see how the vehicle responds when operated in the real world. To initialise this process we simply need you to follow a sequence of driving events and data-log a number of data channels on your Accessport, then send the resulting logs to us by E-Mail.

We supply our E-Tunes with full printed instructions detailing how to set up the data-logger and which channels to log as well as what conditions to perform the data-logging in on your local dyno, drag strip, race track etc.

Once you have got used to your tune you can then send us data-logs and we will adjust the tune to suit your vehicle exactly as we would if it were here on our dyno. The results we achieve are very much the same as if we had the car ourselves and in some cases it can be better, especially if your vehicle has issues being run hard on a dyno. ( A great example of this is a vehicle with traction issues or a vehicle with a top mount intercooler... these coolers work well on the road but are tricky to get right with a fan and some pipes.)

This video was done by a customer of ours and he has done a Vlog of the whole E-Tuning process on his Focus Rs.

 

Pricing:

E-Tunes are priced according to vehicle.

E.g. Ford Focus RS MK3 MSD 380 costs just £199 inc vat

* We do not guarantee that we will offer any more power in the revised tune. Of course we normally do, but the outcome of any tuning absolutely depends on how your vehicle responds and it is very dependent on the quality of the fuel used in your vehicle. We absolutely will only increased power output where we feel there is acceptable headroom based on the data collected during the logging sessions.

If we feel the engine is under duress due to charge temps or knock for example we may well lower your power levels

Beware:
All ECU "calibrations" are not created equally...

There are many ways to calibrate a modern vehicles ECU but the sad fact remains that a huge percentage of the tunes we see have had all the safety strategies and drive logic features removed from them. These MEDG17 PCM's have exceptional engine control strategies built into them and these systems are a key reason that as standard, these vehicles drive so amazingly well. Smooth, linear and powerful to the rev limiter. And safe too... the protection strategies are incredibly complex and work alongside a very comprehensive torque model in order to deliver what the driver asks, but keep the engine in one piece should things go wrong.

To recalibrate an MEDG17 PCM properly, from scratch as we do, takes many hundreds of hours of development on our in house dyno. But the results are worthwhile.

Rest assured that when we calibrate a vehicles PCM we retain:

• Full torque model remains intact. (This is what makes the vehicle drive so well)
• Low speed pre ignition (LSPI) control. (Read the blog for info)
• Knock control system is left intact and working (Guards against detonation)
• Over-boost limits. (Protects against over-boost due to fault)
• Under-boost limits. (Protects turbo against air leaks)
• Full Engine speed limits. (Raised if the tune would benefit)
• Exhaust temp load profiling. (Takes over if EGT exceeds limits)
• Fuel flow limit air control. (Takes over if you run too lean)
• Coolant temperature limits. (Never raised)
• Transmission temperature limits. (Never raised)
• Gearbox fluid temperature limits. (Never raised)
• All the ECU Limp home strategies. (These are what get you home!)
• Fords inferred octane system is retained and operates to factory spec.
• All of the 300+ fault codes are retained so your ECU can report faults.

The above may look and read like common sense?
You are right... retaining everything above is desirable, but to do so requires an understanding of how these torque modeled systems work so that we can actually "recalibrate" the various sub-systems to work the way we want them to, whilst targeting higher airflow and power levels.

Sadly, because all of the above strategies will, by their very nature, fight our efforts to create extra airflow, many amateurs find ways to just disable the limits, often by "de-calibrating" the system so it will allow extra airflow.

We regularly see calibrations with various anticipation and prediction systems switched off, load limits flat-lined, air load limits totally disabled, fuel flow limits deleted, knock systems de-sensitised, the list goes on, its quite disappointing to see.

How would you know?
That’s a good question, and it depends just how bad they have de-calibrated the system.

Lets face a simple fact here... if you have a vehicle with a virtually standard engine and turbo that drove perfectly well before a re-calibration, extending its headroom wont make it drive or perform worse during normal driving. Why would it? No reason at all. Same engine, same air path, same hardware. So it should drive the same, but be faster at big throttle openings.

 

Now, if they have "only" removed all the safety limits (running more boost than a 3bar map sensor can see for example) then the vehicle will still drive perfectly well if the rest of the system has been re-calibrated to properly request the torque the conversion makes. That kind of calibration will just have no safety limits in place should anything go wrong. hopefully it wont, so all is well.

However, if you start to disable the torque targeting system, or make a mess of recalibrating it then you end up with all manner of horrible drive-ability problems. Aggressive throttle, unpredictable or surging power delivery, doesn’t want to just cruise along at a set speed, these are all very common when a confused ECU tries to deliver closed loop airflow control with a broken model.

Some are actually so bad that if you cool the air properly with an uprated intercooler they actually drive worse... We see that on the dyno where some tunes make more power with the cooling fans turned off in our cell, the poor ECU has no clue what to do with the extra air density any more so it closes the throttle if you cool the air!

And if that wasn't bad enough, some of these de-calibrated strategies are of course firing out fault codes so we see some with all 300+ codes just deleted so the ECU cant report them. This in turn disables all the limp home strategies designed to take control and get you home in the event of component failure.

Sadly, this is the reality of modern tuning... Take care out there!

Further reading:

If this has wet your appetite to know more about how your Ford Ecoboost management strategy in the PCM works, you may well enjoy my series of 3 Blogs about it.

Blog 1 of 4. Understanding Ford Ecoboost Torque Control

(There are more located in our main technical info section with Stus other 70+ magazine articles)

A MK3 Focus Rs MSD 530 Multimaps (2.3 ecoboost) showing power in your three slots (Switchable on-the-fly)
Slots 1 = 349PS / 528NM

Slot 2 = 432PS / 609NM

Slot 3 =537PS / 767NM

Purchasing Options: