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Part Two- making More Power
Now that you're putting power to the pavement, it's time to add more power. Assuming that you didn't blow your budget on an air ride suspension mentioned in part one you should be ready to start building the motor. This is where some folks go crazy shoe horning a blown 427 between the wheels or 800HP motor builds, but for our build goals making huge power is not necessary. We will be focusing on bolt-on parts for our build, specifically a naturally aspirated build since it doesn't require a huge upfront investment and you can build as you go.
Now that you're putting power to the pavement, it's time to add more power. Assuming that you didn't blow your budget on an air ride suspension mentioned in part one you should be ready to start building the motor. This is where some folks go crazy shoe horning a blown 427 between the wheels or 800HP motor builds, but for our build goals making huge power is not necessary. We will be focusing on bolt-on parts for our build, specifically a naturally aspirated build since it doesn't require a huge upfront investment and you can build as you go.
Getting more grunt under the hood comes from one of two ways, either swapping to a bigger motor or building on the existing 4.6 liter. From the factory, the stock GT motor packs 300HP and 315FT/LB at the fly wheel which translates to roughly 270HP at the wheels due to drive train (parasitic) loss. There is a huge amount of aftermarket bolt-on mods readily available and affordable, making it very easy to coax another 50-150 horse power from the stock 4.6 liter 3V mill. We will cover building on the stock 4.6 liter below and save motor swaps for another article in the possible near future.
Parts and dyno sheets
Dyno sheets are commonly used as a marketing ploy by manufacturers to sell more parts. The best use of these sheets is to wipe your ass with them, since in most cases they are about as worthless as a personal check from MC Hammer. Many parts manufacturers power increase claims are inflated as it is not uncommon for the dyno charts to be skewed and manipulated by many factors.
Other mods are typically used in conjunction to get the advertised power increase of most parts. This trick is used pretty much by all parts vendors. Ever see a throttle body ad that reads "12 horsepower increase". Well, without cams, headers or forced induction, you may only have a gain of 1-2HP. Dropping $300-$700 on a throttle body without the supporting mods makes no sense. Chuck D and Flavor Flave said it best..."Don't Believe the Hype!"
Do you have a dyno? Can you track and adjust your air to fuel ratio or spark on your hand held tuner? No, but aftermarket parts manufacturers do have dynos and the resources to park a car on a dyno for days in order to wring every last bit of power out to make an impressive dyno sheet to go with their advertising. At $300-800, the cost of dyno tuning is higher than Cheech and Chong at the Denver 420-Festival. Due to the cost, it is a good idea to use dyno tuning once all your bolt-on engine mods are installed in order to squeeze the most out of every part and keep air/fuel ratios in check.
Other mods are typically used in conjunction to get the advertised power increase of most parts. This trick is used pretty much by all parts vendors. Ever see a throttle body ad that reads "12 horsepower increase". Well, without cams, headers or forced induction, you may only have a gain of 1-2HP. Dropping $300-$700 on a throttle body without the supporting mods makes no sense. Chuck D and Flavor Flave said it best..."Don't Believe the Hype!"
Do you have a dyno? Can you track and adjust your air to fuel ratio or spark on your hand held tuner? No, but aftermarket parts manufacturers do have dynos and the resources to park a car on a dyno for days in order to wring every last bit of power out to make an impressive dyno sheet to go with their advertising. At $300-800, the cost of dyno tuning is higher than Cheech and Chong at the Denver 420-Festival. Due to the cost, it is a good idea to use dyno tuning once all your bolt-on engine mods are installed in order to squeeze the most out of every part and keep air/fuel ratios in check.
I'm not saying that a dyno is not a useful and powerful tool to gauge bang for you buck when it comes to modifying your engine. What I am saying though, is consider your source of information when shopping for parts. Mustang 360 has a lot of independent aftermarket parts comparison articles available which we have links to on the articles page. I've also linked an explanation of how to read dyno sheets along with a break down of the difference between horsepower and torque.
Forced induction
The quickest and easiest way to add power is via forced induction either by turbocharging or supercharging. Turbocharging is most efficient type of forced induction, but also the least popular among street driven cars due to degradation of daily driveability, since the power peaks in the higher rpm range. Turbos require way more technical knowledge to install and the piping/duct work needed can also be very difficult, especially when trying to fit everything under the hood. Twin turbo setups on the other hand, are the preferred option for hardcore drag racers due to the high rpm power they can generate. Horsepower numbers in excess of 1200+ are not uncommon for this setup, but a fully built motor and serious modifications are necessary making them way too costly for most street applications.
Supercharging is the hands down favorite of Mustang owners when it comes to forced induction, specifically the positive displacement (roots style) charger. Positive displacement superchargers are belt driven and add instantaneous smooth power at throughout the entire rpm range which is great for track or street use. This is the same style supercharger that sits right on top of the engine used by the factory on the Shelby GT500.
Centrifugal superchargers are also belt driven but deliver peak power at or near redline similar to a turbo charger. As rpm's increase, so does the boost making them suited more for track applications as they come with some sacrifice to street driveability. Both forms of supercharger systems can be had pre-packaged as a bolt-on kit that anyone can install in a weekend, with the roots style being the most expensive of the two. Most pre-packaged kits add anywhere from 100-150 HP and with a similar increase in torque numbers. Going over 450 horsepower on stock internals will lead to disaster eventually, so use caution while shopping.
Supercharging is the hands down favorite of Mustang owners when it comes to forced induction, specifically the positive displacement (roots style) charger. Positive displacement superchargers are belt driven and add instantaneous smooth power at throughout the entire rpm range which is great for track or street use. This is the same style supercharger that sits right on top of the engine used by the factory on the Shelby GT500.
Centrifugal superchargers are also belt driven but deliver peak power at or near redline similar to a turbo charger. As rpm's increase, so does the boost making them suited more for track applications as they come with some sacrifice to street driveability. Both forms of supercharger systems can be had pre-packaged as a bolt-on kit that anyone can install in a weekend, with the roots style being the most expensive of the two. Most pre-packaged kits add anywhere from 100-150 HP and with a similar increase in torque numbers. Going over 450 horsepower on stock internals will lead to disaster eventually, so use caution while shopping.
Building on your existing 4.6
We're gonna go thru this in a specific order to make the most of your money as each part will build on the next. The parts are individually rated by our readers using a star system.
1 SNAKE OIL- NO noticeable power increase or sound
2 Sounds faster but didn't notice any power
3 Slight difference in power (+1-5hp)
4 Moderate increase in power (+5-15hp)
5 BAD ASS- VERY noticeable power increase. (+15-30hp)
1 SNAKE OIL- NO noticeable power increase or sound
2 Sounds faster but didn't notice any power
3 Slight difference in power (+1-5hp)
4 Moderate increase in power (+5-15hp)
5 BAD ASS- VERY noticeable power increase. (+15-30hp)
Tuner- This is probably the most useful tool you can own. This tool adjusts your A/F (air/fuel) ratio to make most out of each mod, and can also calibrate your speedometer when you change tire/ wheel sizes and read check engine codes. Tuners are sold alone but are more commonly packaged with a CAI (Cold Air Intake) with many vendors offering a "Tunes for Life" program which they will rewrite your tune for free when you add or take parts off your car.
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CAI- Increases the amount of air your engine can inhale. Simply put, more air + more fuel = more power. Avoid the styles that have a restrictor sleeve in the intake tube and are advertised as no tune required. They do very little and cost the same as ones that actually work. CAIs are cheaper to buy as part of a power package which will usually include a tuner and some times other parts as well.
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CMDP- Charge Motion Delete Plates 2005-2008/ Plugs 2009-2010. CM plates are mechanical butterflies partially covering the intake ports on the heads that are operated by the ECU. These are closed during light- moderate acceleration and lower rpms to help lower end torque. Removing these increases flow into the heads at higher rpms, during wide open throttle. There is slight torque lost at the bottom of the rpm range but it is regained with a little extra near the top of the rev range.
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Doing all three of these mods together only takes about 2 hours for a first timer and will easily add +25HP to the wheels. This is power you can hear and feel. You can usually snag a Tuner/CAI combo for about $700 and CMDP will run $70 for the plugs (2009-2010) and $299 for the plates (2005-2008). There is not much power difference between the brands of CAI's but the quality of your tune will make a difference.
Headers- Specifically long tube headers for an NA build, shorties are not worth hassle in this case. There is a huge price difference but little difference in performance numbers (6hp) between all the different brands. The price spread is mostly attributed to quality and fitment, the cheaper headers require modifications usually where a top brand like Kook's is the easiest to install. Do your research before hand, the install is a huge pain in the ass and can take a first timer a whole weekend to complete.
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High flow X-pipe/H-pipe- Come in either with High flow catalytic converters or catless (no catalytic converters). Depending on the Nazi's that control emissions your area, both of these maybe illegal and will fail your car when doing state inspections. The X-pipe will free up a little more horse power than the H-pipe but the latter will give a deeper sound. It is not uncommon for these pieces to be matched to the header brand and not fit other brands without modifications. Both will increase sound level and the catless versions can introduce some drone with certain muffler systems.
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Axle Backs- Literally hundreds to choose from, touring, stinger and deletes are the three common styles. Touring or stock style are the quietest, heaviest and bring the least amount of power increase to the table. Stingers are the compromise between touring and deletes. They offer a modest increase in power and sound and are the most common for street driven cars. Muffler deletes are the lightest, and best to increase flow and power. Using the latter along with the other two exhaust mods mentioned above will make your neighbors hate you but local law enforcement will love you and the revenue you will bring in the form of citations.
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Prices for these three mods can vary greatly from $1000 for a generic low quality system to $3500 for the cream of the crop Bassani set up. Installing Long tube Headers, Catless H/X-pipe and set of stingers will put an extra 20HP or even more depending on the brands you use. A tune is required to best capitalize on all the possible gains. If your budget doesn't allow for a full exhaust conversion, Pypes makes cat-less H and X pipes to fit the stock exhaust manifolds for well under $300. Pairing one of these with a set of axle backs can provide a nice increase of power on the cheap.
With the above parts, your engine is breathing a lot better and you are making 310-320HP to the rear wheels. This will be the base for all your future mods. Some will be content with these numbers and those who aren't need to read on.
Adding these two parts to the front of the engine will free up close to 10HP from our set up and is a relatively inexpensive coming in at $500-$700 for both parts. At this point you should be getting better fuel economy too, but all that will change with the next set of parts.
*Alternator upgrade may be necessary when using these parts if your running non-factory accessories such as aftermarket amps or other electronics.
*Alternator upgrade may be necessary when using these parts if your running non-factory accessories such as aftermarket amps or other electronics.
Cams- There are dozens of companies offering cams, ranging from street to fully custom grinds. Although there is little difference in the actual cam lobes sizes, these will have a huge impact on how the engine behaves throughout the power band. Ford Racing cams and most Stage 1 cams are best suited for everyday use without modifying the stock drive train and maintaining driveability in lower RPM's.
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Some of the more high performance cams, above Stage 1, may require cam phaser lock outs to prevent pistons from smacking valves. Most of the bigger cams will also require stiffer valve springs and may have some clearance issue, so do your homework if you plan to go bigger. Now you'll be sitting at about 350-365HP if you went Stage 1 cams, with 365Hp being a best case scenario. You've also now shed about another 30lbs of curb weight from the front of the car where it is desperately needed.
Ported and Polished heads- Bang for the buck, this really isn't worth the trouble. You can get these pre-fab from some of the bigger machine shops online or take your cores and have it done locally. Taking your cores to a reputable machine shop is the cheapest way to go ($300-$800) and not a bad idea if you're the DYI type. Prebuilt heads can quickly go well above $5,000 with titanium guides, larger valves, etc and only bring 30-45HP which is great if you're trying to prove the might of a bolt-on 4.6L build, otherwise you're better off with forced induction for the money.
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Throttle body- Upgrading to larger one will increase throttle response but if you've not installed cams or forced induction then you won't being seeing any decent gains to warrant the expense. The Ford Racing part is very nice looking but expensive. It is sold solo, or as part of the FRPP package which includes Hot Rod cams, FR intake and throttle body.
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Intake Manifolds- There's very few of these on the market and if your running CMDP, this will offer very little in the way of power gain on our build. For $700-$1000 this part is not going to bring much bang for your buck unless you plan to run a turbo or centrifugal style super charger in the future. It offers a nominal weight savings over the factory piece, however it does make a menacing impression when the hood is opened.
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After having your stock heads ported and polished, bigger throttle body and intake manifold you'll be sitting around the 375 HP mark to the tires besting modern stock Coyote numbers. At a cost of $4,000- to $7,000 for everything (cheaper if you can catch sales or buy some stuff used) you're close to Forced induction numbers, but without the huge upfront investment or added weight to the front of the car. This set of mods will also change your torque curve to peak a higher in the power band with very little sacrifice to gas mileage depending on what cams you choose..
375 horse power is the ceiling for a bolt-on stock block NA build. To go beyond that you're gonna need to bore and stroke the existing block adding another $2500 or more depending on how crazy you want to get. Anytime you add this kind of power you need to expect problems down river in the drive train. We'll be addressing this issue in Part 3 coming soon.