#ProjectBettyWhite: 2013 Mustang GT
There's a certain feeling you get when you install a new part (or parts) on your car and you drive it for the first time. It's a mix of nervousness (there's always that pesky leftover bolt or two...) and excitement (the butt dyno readings are the best!). Sometimes it's a new cold air intake and your car gets a little pep in it's step...sometimes it's a new catback and your car gets a much louder roar...but sometimes it's a badass Roush Stage 2 TVS supercharger kit. Or at least it was in my case.
Like most Mustang owners, a blower was always at the top of my wish list. My first Mustang, a 2003 GT aka Vixen, was being prepped to receive a Kenne Bell. I tried being smart, built the motor, the rear end, etc., so that when it came time to get the supercharger I could do with it as I pleased. However the dream was cut short when I was T-boned and the car was totaled (RIP Vixen...). Then I bought a Mazda 6 (WHY!?) to drive while I was in school so I could save money and buy a house (#adulting). However once I did that, it was time to hop back on the pony! It doesn't help that working here at Lethal Performance you're contanstly teased by all the parts & builds just to crawl into your slow little daily to drive home...Fast forward to current time and that supercharger fantasy is finally becoming a reality. In late 2012 I got myself a 2013 Mustang GT, which I so not-cleverly named #projectbettywhite, and it is (finally) getting boosted.
There are so many options for blowers in the Coyote world and trying to compare all of them is a seemingly impossible, daunting task. Can you go wrong? Not really. Can you go right? F* yes. Roush is that “right” choice. With 3 power level options available as both tuner & complete kits, they have just the setup to get your 5.0 putting down anywhere from 550 to 600+hp to the wheels.
Click here to check out the Roush TVS kits available
I decided on the Stage 2 setup with the 85mm pulley to start with, leaving myself lots of room to grow. Down the road, a quick pulley swap is all I will need if more power is wanted. I also chose to complement the blower setup with a few supporting mods of my choosing while I had the car apart. However, Roush offers complete kits with everything needed from the tuning to the injectors and the fuel pump boosters required to make over 600rwhp.
I brought the car down to the awesome Lujan Motorsports in Miami, FL where we put it on the dyno for a baseline number. Pre-blower the car had a Boss manifold, JLT Performance intake, MBRP longtubes, MBRP offroad H-pipe, Corsa Xtreme axleback, Driveshaft Shop carbon fiber driveshaft, UPR Products Plug-N-Play catch can and a Lund Racing tune via nGauge. In this form, the car put down 418rwhp & 354 ft/lbs tq.
Check out these parts here:
Boss 302 intake manifold
JLT Performance intake
MBRP longtube headers
MBRP Off-road H-pipe
Corsa Xtreme Axleback
Driveshaft Shop Carbon Fiber Driveshaft
UPR Products Catch can
Lund Racing nGauge
Willy, the owner, then quickly got to work disassembling the car. First on the to do list was a set of MMR Billet Oil Pump Gears & an MMR Billet Crank Sprocket, followed by an ARP crank bolt. These are an almost “must do” when adding any significant horsepower to these Coyote motors.
Check out these parts here:
MMR billet oil pump gears
MMR billet crank sprocket
ARP Crank Bolt
While it was off the car, Willy went ahead and grinded down the sections of the timing cover needed to clear the pulley bracketry for the supercharger. While it may seem intimidating, there is not much material to clear and can be done quickly.
The heat exchanger comes in a sleek black finish & mounts easily onto the front of the car. Also mounting on it is the intercooler pump which even comes complete with small adhesive foam pieces to protect the heat exchanger's core from any rubbing/damage.
The manifold & fuel rails are assembled next, including a set of Injector Dynamics ID1000 injectors. Besides being beautiful little pieces of machinery, they will support the power (& then some) that I will throw at them, whether it's on pump gas or E85, and are also great for tuning. Clipped in underneath the Roush supplied fuel rails & crossovers, the setup is looking great but it looks even better once it's bolted down & the Roush TVS blower is mounted on top of it.
My loyal pup, Lurch, agreed as he supervised in the shop.
Click here to look at the Injector Dynamics injectors
The pulley brackets are mounted & the hoses are run (all of which are labeled—I for intercooler, etc). Meanwhile, Lucian, part of the Lujan Motorsports team, begins all the wiring & harness modifications needed. He's a master of all things wiring and making them look (usually) neater than stock. We also installed a new UPR Productscatch can, one meant to run with the TVS setup. It mounts neatly on the firewall and looks great. The one I had on the car N/A did an excellent job at filtering out the oil and I expect this one to perform just the same.
Click here to look at the UPR TVS catch can setup.
Roush continues with a clean, factory-like install by supplying both a factory-styled intercooler reservoir & a solid built cold air intake, including a heat shield with rubber seals around the edge to allow the smallest amount of heat into the filter area (however I live in Florida so it's almost just as hot outside 11 months of the year!).
Injectors aren't the only fueling component in this install as next Willy began installing the JMS FuelMAX fuel pump voltage booster. These units are awesome. We've used them on a lot of the Lethal Performance builds and for good reason. The one I chose is plug & play with your factory harnesses & runs off the TPS. There's no set spot for mounting, but Willy chose to utilise the large spare tire wheel well (which in most cars, like mine, is only filled with an air pump). This allowed it to be out of the way for anything put into the trunk to knock it or damage it. The wires are run to the front of the car for power and to tap into the throttle wiring. While up there, Lucian installed the Lund Racing Boost+ sensor for the nGauge, allowing me to use my nGauge not only to display the standard parameters but also to display & log my boost levels.
Click here to look at the JMS pump booster
Then it was game time! We loaded the initial tune file from Lund Racing onto the nGauge & loaded the tune onto the vehicle. The nGauge is super easy to use and has so much flexibility for function. The car started right up. We checked for leaks, issues, etc. and once none were found I hopped in the car and took it for a test drive. I couldn't go balls out (remember: initial tune) but just driving down the street I could tell a HUGE difference in power & throttle response.
Over the next few days, the car was remotely tuned by Lund Racing. Sometimes I hear customers get dismayed about the remote tuning process but with the guys from Lund it really is a painless procedure, especially with the nGauge. After 2 revisions using data logs from street pulls, I was given the green light and we strapped the car down on the dyno to see the numbers. The weather wasn't super conducive to boost efficiency, with IATs from 133-145, but again it's Florida so it's just something I'll have to deal with. The car screamed through the MBRP longtubes & Corsa Xtreme axleback while on the rollers. With a 4th gear pull the car made 585rwhp & 473ft/lbs tq., a 167rwhp & 119ft/lb gain over the previous setup. Boost peaked around 9.5psi and A/F was spot on.
Overall, the install was straightforward & streamlined. The blower was installed & the car started up in just 1 day (a long day but just 1 day). The setup looks super clean, performs great & feels awesome in my butt dyno (and on the regular dyno too, obviously). I'd recommend the Roush Performance TVS kit to anyone looking for a blower setup on their car. These kits are available for all 2011+ Mustangs, including the S550s.
CLIFFS: Check out the video for a recap of the install and the dyno pull.
UPDATE:
I decided to jump down to a 79mm pulley and see what the car would make... I got to join the 600rwhp club! She made 620rwhp on 93 octane but she wasn't very happy so looks like it's time to go up a pulley size or install a fuel system and put her on corn... decisions, decisions...
Click here to check out the Cervinis Cobra R Hood!