I have a 2007 Mustang GT automatic coupe. Car has 4.10 gears and 4,800 rpm stall converter, but the only horsepower modification is a Vortech centrifugal supercharger (standard V-2 S-trim, non-intercooled). 100% stock engine, exhaust, etc. Absolutely no other mods.

I was on a budget, so I opted for the standard blower. Seems like most people get the intercooled H.O. version of this blower and have lots of mods, so I thought I'd post my numbers with the standard blower and no airflow mods.

Had the car dyno-tuned last night at Horsepower Ranch in Maple Valley, WA (south of Seattle). Horsepower Ranch uses a Mustang Dyno. All numbers were SAE corrected...

351 rwhp @ 6,400 rpm's (gain of roughly 100 rwhp over stock).
304 rwtq @ 5,700 rpm's (gain of roughly 45 rwtq over stock).

A/F ratio: 11.1 to 11.6 through the entire rpm range at WOT.
5.8 psi boost at stall converter flash (4,800 rpm's) steadily increasing to a max of 10.5 psi boost @ 6,400 rpm's.

Car was still building boost and horsepower at 6,400 rpm redline. Torque curve was virtually flat (294 to 304 rwtq) from stall converter flash (4,800 rpm's) through redline (6,400 rpm's). Tune was intentionally conservative as the car is a daily driver.

Car averaged 24+ mpg on the freeway drive home (60 mph cruise control) - up from a maximum of 20 mpg before the dyno tune. More power and better fuel economy!

Assuming a 20% drivetrain loss (for automatic transmissions), this blower makes about 440 hp and 380 lb ft torque at the crankshaft. Nice improvement over the 300 hp and 320 lb ft torque that Ford advertises for a stock '05-'09 Mustang GT. Parts, labor, dyno tuning, tax, etc. totalled to a little less than $5K, so a lot of bang for the buck.

Anyone else have the standard non-intercooled Vortech on a stock or mild GT?

View video of this dyno pull.

 

I have that blower and a very conservative tune from a VERY reputable tuner here in Houston. I have a lot of mods now, but at the time, all I had was a set of HT0 plugs and the Vortech, and I was putting down 412 rwhp and about 400 ft-lbs of torque. My tuner could have gone higher, but didn't advise it without being intercooled and having better fuel pumps. I've since bought an intercooler and a GT500 fuel system, and once those are installed, I'll have him take it up to 450hp or so before I do any internal engine upgrades.

I think you can squeeze a little more power out of her!

 

Thanks for the feedback, Ray. I was really surprised how little torque gains I got out of the blower (hp #'s seemed about right from what Vortech advertised), but I've heard the Mustang Dyno's read lower than other brands of dyno's, and the steep gearing (like my 4.10's) also make the number read low on a dyno pull, so I'm curious how my numbers would have looked with the factory 3.31 gears on a Dynojet instead. Any thoughts?

 

Here's a thought......... swap the pulley to a 3.33" and add the intercooler!


OK OK, I know...... for the current setup, yes the 4.10s will read lower but not by that much. And yes the Mustang dyno will read lower or as some people say "more realistic" numbers compared to a Dynojet. That being said, I still agree with Ray though- you can get more power out of it comfortably. As you know, I was at 439 with 4.10s and delete plates. You should get another 50 rwhp anyway and another 20-30 lb ft of torque I would think.

 

Looks like I've gotta go back to the HP Ranch anyway, as the shifting is very erratic in the automatic. At WOT in drive the trans will upshift, then a moment later it downshifts again sending the motor straight to redline which kicks in the rev limiter (which pulls fuel and spark knocks - very bad!). The tuner did his dyno pulls with the computer locking the trans into 4th gear for a 1:1 ratio pull, so he didn't evaluate shifting on the dyno.

The only big trans change we tuned differently was the delay for the torque converter to lock-up after a shift, so that is likely the culprit. It was set at 5 seconds, but we dropped it to 1 second to see how that would affect lock-up. My guess is that it is locking up so soon after a shift, that the load has the trans hunting for a lower gear again. I guess there's a reason the default was such a long delay! Anybody have this issue before? Any suggestions on how to program an automatic best for a big stall converter?

 

Looks great Brian!

However, I could never buy any sort of boost application without an intercooler.

 

I do!

No numbers to report in yet though, still under engine break-in.

This is a complete Brenspeed kit along with a stout bottom end, so I'm expecting to at least duplicate Tom's numbers.

 

Bill, that polished V-2 looks great! I went with the satin finish as anything I've added to my car is satin. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing what your car dyno's; thanks for chiming in.

I've spoken with a few tuners who've used the Mustang Chassis Dyno (like what mine was dyno'd on) and the Dynojet, as well as a few guys who've dyno'd their cars on both machines. Seems like the Dynojet reads about 10% higher than a Mustang Dyno. That's piqued my curiousity, so I'm going to set an appointment with a local shop that has a Dynojet to see if that's true. If so, that would put me closer to 390 rwhp (about 480 flywheel hp given a 20% drivetrain loss for the automatic). More important than a dyno # is how fast it'll run the 1/4 mile, as I did the blower with low 12's @ 110+ as the goal, but I'm still curious.

Here's a pic of my satin finished V-2 for those who haven't seen the most basic Vortech blower...

 

Bill, I noticed you've got the Canton overflow tank. I had one on my '03 Mach 1 when the factory plastic tank started warping. Our Vortechs require moving the overflow tank to the passenger side of the car. Did you have any trouble fitting the Canton tank over there? Any mounting modifications needed?

 

Oh, forgot to update on the transmission issue. Got back out to the Horsepower Ranch to diagnose and tune the transmission and stall converter. Turns out the transmission downshift mph threshhold was still set for 3.31 gears (I have 4.10's), so the computer was letting the transmission downshift at much too high of speeds. Easy fix and it downshifts nicely now.

Set stall converter lock up for 1 second after upshift (WOT), so rpm's flash like normal then the clutch locks up 100% and the car pulls much harder now! We set the stall converter to lock up in 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears - not just 4th and 5th like the factory. I know my 1/4 mile trap speeds are really going to improve as this car pulls incredibly hard at high rpm's now. We did not re-dyno the car after tuning the transmission, but there is a huge gain at high rpm's with the converter locking up so soon now!

May have increased line pressure too high (for firmer shifts) as the car breaks the tires loose on the 1-2 shift, 2-3 shift, and 3-4 shift, plus shifting into 5th is likely too hard on the overdrive at that line pressure (I've had a few 5th gear tire chirps!). At the track, I'll run the drag radials, so hopefully I don't spin at all. On the street tires, though, I have to really concentrate at WOT, or stay at partial throttle to keep from drifting sideways during shifts. I'll likely have the line pressure pared back a bit.

Tuning for an automatic sure is more complicate than for a manual trans, but the end results are awesome!

 

Thanks Brian!

The Canton coolant overflow tank just mounted in the factory location.

The p/s reservior tank posed a problem because I could not mount my MWAG side extension cover if mounted where Vortech instructs you to. So, we ended up mounting it off the strut tower.
A custom bracket was fabricated to mount the reservior tank.






Shots of the engine bay as it sits today.
I'll be swapping out all the hose clamps for T-bolt clamps soon. I have them, but most all are too small!

 

Oh yeah, Bill, I was thinking the overflow tank was relocated in the Vortech install for some reason when it was the power steering reservoir. Thanks for the install info. Your engine bay is to die for!!!

 

Thanks Brian.

The Canton PS reservior I used is actually for SN95s, the S197 reservior wouldn't work at that location because of its design.

 

Bill or Tom, perhaps you've already touched on this somewhere online. I kept the factory spark plugs in the car. Vortech recommended changing them if the car had more than 12K miles, and mine had 12K miles, so the tech didn't seem to think we needed to change them. However, many of the tuner kits out there include colder plugs to prevent pre-detonation. Timing has been tough with my car, and we're running less timing than my tuner thought he could dial in, as anything higher pings a bit. I'm noticing that I'm getting a bit of misfire occasionally (not a ping) like I've got a fouled plug that's loading up. When it happens, some black smoke goes out the tailpipe (unburned fuel?). and it's over in a split second and the car pulls hard. A/F isn't too rich (WOT is around 11.6:1), so I suspect the plugs aren't liking the boost.

I ordered a set of FRPP spark plugs today (1 heat range colder than stock -p/n M12405-3V0). These are supposed to be ideal for supercharged applications. Any thoughts on these? Will I also need better coil packs for more intense spark to the plugs?

 

Brian, I'm not familiar with the FRPP plugs. I have been running Autolite HT0s since day one of being blown. Colder plugs help prevent detonation but should not affect the amount of timing that can be used. Your timing should be in the mid-teens, nothing higher. This assumes you have a safe a/f ratio and are using premium 93 octane fuel.

 

Thanks for the feedback, Tom. My tuner set a safe a/f ratio (11.6 at WOT), 92 octane fuel (highest we have in the Seattle area), and timing is 15 degrees at WOT for the street tune (17 degrees for the race tune when I have access to 105+ octane unleaded race gas at the track).

In the old days (carburetors and big block V8's), I'd run colder plugs and/or reduce timing a bit in higher compression engines. Same theory applies in today's fuel injected, computerized wonders, or so it appears.

I was looking at the Autolite HT0's (1 heat range cooler), but came across the Ford Racing 3V0's that are copper core & electrode, instead of the platinum as used on the HT0's.

My understanding of platinum is that it lasts longer (100K service interval, hence why the OEM's use them), but copper offers a better spark from what I've been told repeatedly over the years. The downside to copper is that I'll have to buy new plugs more frequently. Here's an excerpt that I found online that supports what I've been taught over the years...

Bare Copper

They have a low melting temperature and the tips will vaporize away - they have a very wide tip so each little bit that disappears will not change the gap size greatly, but they still must be inspected often to make sure there is sufficient electrode material left. They are great for very hot running engines which must avoid pre-ignition at all costs, since the wide tip will not stay hot (high boost forced induction and nitrous engines come to mind).

Platinum

Platinum plugs are usually constructed similar to copper plugs except that they have a thin coating of Platinum sputtered onto the electrode tips, about 0.010" thick (a human hair is about 0.005" thick). Because of the high melting point of Platinum, the tips can be made significantly sharper without fear of the gap changing shape. But the copper core is still sufficient to whisk the heat away fairly quickly. These are great all-around plugs, particularly for use on NA engines, and they should last a very long time. Very high heat engines should probably not use them because the sharper tips may not conduct enough heat away to prevent pre-ignition under adverse conditions.

 

Like Tom, I have the Autolite HT0s.

I don't think aftermarket COP's are necessary at our boost level, stock ones should be just fine. Although the MSD units do look cool.

Do be careful with the pre-detonation under boost, it's what killed my stock motor.

 

Thanks for the feedback, Bill. I'm definitely keeping the pre-detonation in check. Did quite a few dyno pulls, and a lot of street tuning adjustments with the guy who did my custom tune, to make sure a/f ratio was spot on and that timing kept pinging at bay. He had to adjust the tune about 15 times before he and I were satisfied that the tune was conservative and safe. Took 4.5 hours total to do all this tuning, but I feel better. The only issue I'm having is the plugs fouling occasionally, hence the need for new plugs. Can't wait to get them in to get past those occasional misfires. I'm still amazed how much good plugs cost for our cars! I paid $140 for the set of 8 at our local Mustang speed shop (about the same price everyone seemed to charge online).

 

Good info on plugs Brian, thanks for sharing.

 

I summoned up the courage to install the new FRPP 3V0 spark plugs by myself this morning. After all the concerns about them breaking, I read the TSB very cafefully before starting. Car had been sitting more than 24 hours, so it was good and cold. 7 of the 8 came out very easily. The 8th one was very tough to remove, but did not break, thankfully!!! That 8th plug was fouled-looking and was the culprit to my slight/occasional misfire I'd been experiencing. Installed the new, cooler copper 3V0's, fired right up and went for a spin. No more misfire! I should've installed new/colder plugs, as recommended, at the time of the supercharger install. Oh well; you live, you learn. Anyway, it's all good now!