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The 720S Might Be the Most Rewarding Supercar to Tune The McLaren 720S is already one of the fastest cars ever sold to the public. At 710 HP and 770 Nm from the M840T 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, it demolishes everything in its price class on a straight and most things around a track. So why tune it? Because the M840T has so much headroom that tuning transforms an already extraordinary car into something that borders on hypercar territory — at a fraction of the cost. At YPG Motorsport, we've worked extensively with the McLaren platform. Here's our honest guide to...

The McLaren 720S is one of the most thrilling supercars ever built — a 710 HP, 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 wrapped in a carbon fiber monocoque that weighs just 2,828 lbs dry. The M840T engine is also one of the most tunable exotic powertrains on the market, but the process and cost structure are fundamentally different from tuning a BMW or an Audi. Here's exactly what to budget. 720S M840T Tuning Cost Breakdown Modification Cost Range Expected Power Gain Stage 1 ECU Calibration (bench flash) $2,499 – $3,499 780 – 830 WHP Stage 2 ECU + Downpipes $5,499 – $7,499 850...

McLaren's Twin-Turbo V8 Engines — M840T and M838T McLaren's road cars are built around two closely related twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engines: the M838T powering the 570S, 570GT, and 540C, and the M840T powering the 720S, 765LT, and their derivatives. Both engines are flat-plane crank designs co-developed with Ricardo, producing between 533 and 765 horsepower depending on the application. These are some of the most sophisticated production engines ever built, and they respond remarkably well to ECU tuning. But McLarens are complex machines with hydraulic suspension, electrohydraulic systems, and tight packaging that creates unique maintenance challenges. Knowing these issues before tuning...

McLaren's Twin-Turbo V8: One Engine Family, Two Eras of Power Every McLaren road car since the MP4-12C has been powered by a single engine family — a twin-turbocharged, flat-plane crank V8 designed exclusively for McLaren and built by Ricardo in Basildon, England. There is no shared platform with any other manufacturer. No borrowed block from Mercedes or BMW. This is McLaren's engine, purpose-built for mid-engine supercar duty. The family splits into two generations: the M838T 3.8-liter that powered everything from the 12C to the 600LT, and the M840T 4.0-liter that brought the 720S and 765LT into 700+ HP territory. Understanding...

Three Ways to Make More Power Every turbocharged performance car has untapped power from the factory. Manufacturers leave margin in the calibration for fuel quality variation, altitude, ambient temperature, and warranty liability. The question is not whether your car can make more power — it is how you want to unlock it. There are three fundamentally different approaches to engine tuning, and each one trades off power, cost, reversibility, and risk differently. Understanding the differences before you spend money will save you from choosing the wrong path. 1. Piggyback Tuning Modules How It Works A piggyback module is a small...