Ford Racing Performance Parts Super Pack Install - Deep-Breathing Exercises

Last month, we introduced you to Project MILF (Mustang I'd Like to Flog) and showcased the installation of Ford Racing Performance Parts' Handling Pack. With the Legend Lime S197 GT looking and handling smart with the upgraded suspension components, we decided to dial up the fun factor with a bit of forced induction. Once again, enter the crew at FRPP, who supplied their Super Pack, which includes one hot Whipple blower.

With the focus of this project being the creation of a dual-purpose grocery-getter/butt-kicker, the power increase needed to be sizeable yet suitable for daily use. Instead of giving Project MILF a lumpity idle with a set of cams or swapping out the stock Three-Valve heads for a set of ported items, we went the easy route. We ditched the factory induction setup for the Super Pack to ram air down the Pony's throat.

The Super Pack is an all-encompassing blower kit that centers around a nonintercooled Whipple supercharger. As is common knowledge, utilizing forced induction can be-with the right tune-a sure-fire way to easily raise the power output of any engine. The principles behind supercharging are pretty basic in that the supercharger, commonly known as the blower, forces the air charge into the cylinders, rather than relying on Mother Nature to get it in there. The larger volume of air allows you to step up the fuel volume, thus the engine burns more fuel (at the proper air/fuel ratio) and makes more horsepower.

Obviously, heat plays a major role in the oxygen count in the air charge, as the hotter the air charge, the less oxygen is present. That's why with higher boost levels, an intercooler is needed to lower the temperature of the air charge for more power and safer operation. Also keep in mind that with the blower, premium fuel is no longer a treat, but a necessity.

In actuality, FRPP offers two forms of its Super Pack, the first being the 400hp version we installed. The other is rated at 500 hp and is intercooled, whereas the 400hp kit is not. The only problem is that the 500hp kit is only avail-able for Mustang GTs with a manual transmis-sion. If you have an automatic as we do, you're out of luck unless you want to attempt fabrication and custom tuning.

"Our 400hp kit is available for both manual and automatic cars, while the 500hp kit is not recommended or available for automatic cars," says Jesse Kershaw of FRPP. "With the 500hp kit, there is an air-to-liquid intercooler modeled after the intercooler that was on the '03-'04 Cobras. Also, the calibration is different. We worked closely with auto transmission engineers to prove out our calibration, and we tested it extensively."

The calibration with said tuner not only changes parameters within the transmission but within the tune of the engine to optimize power and reliability. The only item that does not come in the box with the kit is the tuner, however it is shipped separately after you receive the kit through the FRPP Web site. "The tune has gone through the gambit of Ford testing," Kershaw says. "It's been tested at high and low altitudes and temperatures, for emissions and high loads, such as those you'd find in mountainous terrain. We made sure that when we developed the tune, we accounted for all conditions. There may be more power in it at a 70-degree ambient air temperature, but we needed to protect the car for all scenarios. This way you don't blow up the engine at 20 degrees of air temperature when the air meter pegs out and the car runs lean."

With the kit being nonintercooled, the blower is advertised to create only 5-6 pounds of boost. While this may seem like a small amount, it's actually a great boost level for the Three-Valve. "On the 400hp kits, we kept the boost limited to a point where we could make the (horsepower) number safely without adding more complexity," Kershaw says. "Thanks to the excellent thermal efficiency of the twin-screw blower Whipple provides us, we were able to make 400 hp without requiring an intercooler, and it's still very safe. By keeping the intercooler out of the base system, it requires far less install time and keeps the cost down.

"One of the reasons why the kit is so easy to install is that it comes with everything needed to bolt it on and go in two days time. "With this kit, you shouldn't need anything else," Kershaw says. "We include new injectors, which are sourced from the Ford GT, along with every-thing you would need to make it a painless installation."

While it's not recommended for automatic-equipped cars, those with S197 GTs can upgrade to the 500hp kit if they so choose. "When you go over 400 hp, you will need more fuel delivery," Kershaw says. "This is non-negotiable. If you don't have the extra fuel, at cold temperatures the fuel pump won't be able to keep up with the fuel demand no matter what size injectors you run. To get to the 500hp level, we include the GT500 fuel pumps with a unique wiring harness."

You could also swap the blower pulleys, but once again, this requires a change in the fuel system and in the software. "The pulley size is only one part of the equation due to the drive-by-wire and torque-limiting software," Kershaw says. "This software controls the power output via the throttle body. Changing the pulley without changing the software may result in nothing more than making your blower work harder for no good reason."

Since we agreed that Project MILF would be a docile yet hungry animal, we decided to leave well enough alone and install the 400hp kit as FRPP intended. We cruised Project MILF over to Crazy Horse Racing in South Amboy, New Jersey, where Chris Winter performed the task of getting our steed to breathe deeper. The install took us two days, was straightforward, and, thanks to the expansive and clear instruction manual, surprisingly easy. In fact, there was no fabrication involved. The only glitch came with the strut tower brace we installed previously. Due to the blower's taller height, the brace would not fit. Keep in mind, though, that as we mentioned in the last issue, FRPP is currently developing a fix for this problem.

The end result was noticeable. After performing both before and after dyno and dragstrip tests, the car showed a gain of almost 85 hp and almost 44 lb-ft of torque. That equated to an increase of 8 mph (into a 12-mph head wind), and we saw a decrease of more than 0.8 second in the quarter-mile. We went from 13.52 to 12.66 in the quarter, still on the stock tires. Along with the better numbers, the car felt factory stock on the street, unless you get into the loud pedal, during which time the car will break the rear tires loose without a second thought. Hitting the local supermarket will be a drag of a whole other kind now.

The Household Budget
Since this particular Mustang is driven by a husband and wife, it's only right that a budget be kept. While we don't do this often with our project cars, we figured this would be a good way for everyone to see how much one can invest in their ride in the name of performance. Keep in mind that this tally includes prices for parts only. The original cost of the car and labor rates are not included here as there are variables to both figures.

Before and After
To quantify just how effective the FRPP Super Pack was, we took Project MILF for a few runs down the track before we went to work. We baselined the car with a 13.529 elapsed time with a speed of 100.11. After the install, Project MILF thundered to a 12.661 at 107.73, resulting in an e.t. change of 0.868 second and a speed improvement of 7.62 mph. Also, our 60-foot time dropped from a 1.95 to a 1.85; almost a 0.1 second improvement.

In addition to making before and after dragstrip runs, we also did before and after dyno pulls. Our baseline pulls had us run the car on Crazy Horse Racing's Dynojet chassis dyno. The car recorded a peak horsepower of 251.1 at 6,300 rpm and a max torque reading of 265 lb-ft at 4,200 (Figure 1). After we put on the blower, we let Project MILF rip on the dyno again, and we saw the power increase to 335.8. As is the norm, the peak torque number increased as well, peaking at 308.5 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm (Figure 2). The math equates to a horsepower increase of 84.7 and a torque increase of 43.5.