S650 10R80 Tune for Road Course/Track Use (Not Drag Racing!) - Recommendations?

[NikoM]

Hey guys,


Looking for remote tuner recommendations for my S650 Dark Horse (10R80). Most threads here focus on drag racing, but my build is 100% for the road course (doing 5-lap hot stints). I need a tuner who truly understands track dynamics.


My Setup:

• Steeda CAI, IRS, springs, sway bars, Apex wheels & AWE exhaust.
• Key Factor: I track at very high altitude (~8,500 ft). Currently running pump gas + VP Octanium, but moving to an E85/Flex tune to fight heat soak and regain some of that altitude power loss.

What I need from the tune:

1. 10R80 Track Logic: Absolutely no skip-shifting. I need aggressive, predictable downshifts under heavy trail braking. For upshifts, I want high line pressure but with proper torque management so it doesn't snap the rear end loose mid-corner.
2. Heat Management: Early/aggressive fan activation to survive 5 hard laps without hitting the ECU's torque limiters.

Tuners on my radar:

• Wengerd Performance: Heard they are wizards with the 10R80 TCM and have lightning-fast datalog turnaround times.
• Palm Beach Dyno (PBD): They tuned Steeda's "White Stallion" track car, so they clearly know how to manage road course heat.
• Lund / Shoemaker: Obviously legends for power, but poor customer service when I contacted them.

Has anyone here tracked their 10R80? Who would you go with for top-tier remote support focused on lap times and reliability?


Thanks!

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[ZXMustang]

Obv me, but wengerd is a friend and top tier for sure. The 10R80 is tough for most tuners but both we and DW have it sorted nicely. And skip shift is only enabled at low pedal demand and not in track mode anyway. So you should be good there. And in your case, mostly stock settings with shift pressures turned up and some tq limits removed would do nicely. Ford has made massive progress with the 10R80 from the last gen cars to the gen4. But there is quite a bit that can be set up. Another fun one is moving SST (manual mode) downshift limits way up so you can manually downshift it at high RPM. Make sure you ask for that.

 

[ChitownStang]

Those tuners are all drag racers and that’s mostly what they care about.
Tremec = Road course
10r80= floor it and go straight
I went to the track with my tuned 10r80 and it just wasn’t right.
It was ok but shifted early a lot on the straight’s or hung in gears. Good tune for street.
You need full control on a track, in my opinion.
Best case scenario is find a tuner that will work with you personally on the shifting strategy.
Talk to Ray at DRP, he’s been great and very detailed in his responses, even takes a phone call.

 

[RLE55]

Hey guys,


Looking for remote tuner recommendations for my S650 Dark Horse (10R80). Most threads here focus on drag racing, but my build is 100% for the road course (doing 5-lap hot stints). I need a tuner who truly understands track dynamics.


My Setup:

• Steeda CAI, IRS, springs, sway bars, Apex wheels & AWE exhaust.
• Key Factor: I track at very high altitude (~8,500 ft). Currently running pump gas + VP Octanium, but moving to an E85/Flex tune to fight heat soak and regain some of that altitude power loss.

What I need from the tune:

1. 10R80 Track Logic: Absolutely no skip-shifting. I need aggressive, predictable downshifts under heavy trail braking. For upshifts, I want high line pressure but with proper torque management so it doesn't snap the rear end loose mid-corner.
2. Heat Management: Early/aggressive fan activation to survive 5 hard laps without hitting the ECU's torque limiters.

Tuners on my radar:

• Wengerd Performance: Heard they are wizards with the 10R80 TCM and have lightning-fast datalog turnaround times.
• Palm Beach Dyno (PBD): They tuned Steeda's "White Stallion" track car, so they clearly know how to manage road course heat.
• Lund / Shoemaker: Obviously legends for power, but poor customer service when I contacted them.

Has anyone here tracked their 10R80? Who would you go with for top-tier remote support focused on lap times and reliability?
Thanks!

I can recommend Palm Beach Dyno & Ken Bjonnes, founder and Head Tuner. Met him in 2006 when he co-owned/started Modular Depot in Cincinnati. He's probably one of the top 10, if not top 5 mustang tuners in the country. He has an impressive resume and accomplishments.

 

[bbowes9]

Running with Wengerd on mine. The 10R80 difference between this tune and stock is night and day. no more gears being skipped on normal driving and it just feels so much smoother.
I'm using PCMTec so I've ran on both 93 and e85. Both are amazing tunes.

I do not do Drag Racing nor track, but I definitely hit corners sometimes lol.

 

[NikoM]

Thanks for all recommendations. Wengerd, EMS, and some others where clear and responsible about not taking the risk of tuning the 10R80 for road track. PBD were the only ones willing to do it. So, I'll be keeping you posted after - I'm going with them.

Still interesting why there's no road track focused tuners.

 

[ZXMustang]

????? Not tuning the 10R80 for road course? What exactly are you looking for tuning wise?

 

[RLE55]

Still interesting why there's no road track focused tuners.

There are many road course focused tuners out there, but are kinda selective in their clientele, and prefer to be identified via word-of-mouth. The tuner I had while road racing, after Ken Bjonnes left Cincinnati area, was a protege of Ken's who quickly became a very good road racing tuner for NASA, IMSA, etc., teams.
One of the cars he tunes and work for:
https://nasaspeed.news/cool-rides/turbocharging-a-voodoo-powered-s550-mustang-for-road-racing/

 

[ChitownStang]

Thanks for all recommendations. Wengerd, EMS, and some others where clear and responsible about not taking the risk of tuning the 10R80 for road track. PBD were the only ones willing to do it. So, I'll be keeping you posted after - I'm going with them.

Still interesting why there's no road track focused tuners.

I agree. Most of the reputable tuners are drag racers and that’s mostly what they care about, imo
You would think Steeda would focus on a more road course tune since suspension is their focus

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