One of our test subjects, an '06 Mustang GT with a stick-shift transmission, was driven to Englishtown without one modification. It left the dragstrip running 12.50s at 108 mph using simple, tried-and-true, bolt-on parts.
It's almost a given that whenever the '05-newer Mustangs come up in conversation, its enormous size is always a hot topic. That's because the S197 Stangs are larger than any Mustang Ford Motor Company has produced since the '70s. Their size gives them noticeable presence on the road, but also casts doubts to its performance capabilities.
We decided to take a couple of S197 cars and flog them at the dragstrip to find out how they would respond to basic bolt-on parts. More than a dyno test, we spent the better part of a day proving the parts where they count--at the track.
It's not like we haven't beat the S197 cars to death on the 1,320 for the past year or so, but this test was different. We took two cars that were close to stock and performed the modifications that most Stangbangers would do. Our goal was to hit the 12s with regularity and simplicity.
Our focus was to remove unnecessary weight, which always translates to quicker elapsed times. We also wanted to perform upgrades that would take only 20-30 minutes and could be done trackside. We enlisted the services of Justin Burcham of JPC Racing to conduct the testing, and to be our head wrench for the day. He brought a box of tools, several parts, and two '06 Mustang GTs--one automatic and one a five-speed. The testing parameters were simple: use a pair of Mickey Thompson ET-Streets (26x11.50) to keep the cars consistent. Multiple runs were also made to back up initial results.
Let The Fun Begin
The automatic car came in at a baseline weight of 3,570 pounds, with Burcham's small frame behind the wheel. The automatic car rolled through the gates with a few basic modifications, including a prototype 3,000-stall JPC Racing torque converter, and the rear gears were swapped to a set of 4.10 cogs from Motive Gear. Burcham also added a C&L cold-air kit and modified the tune-up with a DiabloSport Predator. To our surprise, the car ran in the 12s on the first run (12.89 at 106.5 mph). Those simple modifica-tions proved to be highly effective, and we were excited at the notion of pushing this car even further into the 12s. Two backup runs resulted in 13.02/104.2 mph and 13.06/104.3 mph.
We used two Mustangs for our testing--a stick GT (left) and one with an automatic transmission.
We swapped the ET Streets to the stick-shift car and made three runs. In that trim, Burcham coaxed a best of 13.19 at 104.34 mph while leaving moderately and driving consistently. The two following runs were 13.52 and 13.65 at the same 101.5 mph. Burcham said he could get a bit more e.t. out of the stick car, but he wanted to keep his technique consistent to accurately evaluate the effects of the upgrades. The differences between the runs in the stick-shift car were the 60-foot times (1.84 vs. 1.91 and 1.88, respectively).
We attributed the noticeable drop off in performance with both vehicles to heat soak in the engines. Throughout the day it seemed as if the first run after a long break was always a tenth or more quicker. These engines don't like to be too warm, which could make things interesting in True Street competition.
Our stick GT tipped the Englishtown Raceway Park scale at 3,600 pounds, also with Burcham sitting in the hot rod. When it cruised onto the property, the odometer showed less than 1,500 miles. The car was 100-percent stock, as delivered from Flat Rock. The red Stang had every option available, including 18-inch wheels, which aren't the greatest for drag racing thanks to their heavy weight. The stock gear ratio (3.55:1) remained in the stick car, and it was of the opinion of all involved that a set of 4.10s or 4.30s would have been worth a few more tenths.
The stick-shift car's first mod was the C&L Performance race cold-air kit and new tune using the supplied DiabloSport Predator. With the mods, it ran identical 13.19s at 105.3 and 105.2 mph in two back-to-back runs. Being the car was a lot warmer than our initial baseline, we can summarize that the kit was worth, on average, 4-5 tenths of a second and almost 4 mph. The C&L kit was super easy to install--it took longer to reflash the computer than to get the cold-air kit on the car.
To ensure consistent, repeatable runs, we relied on Mickey Thompson ET Street tires. We used 26x11.50-inch tires mounted on factory 17-inch wheels for initial testing. When we upgraded to 15-inch Bogart wheels, we continued with a pair of M/T 26x11.50-15 ET Street tires. | 
The automatic Stang entered the track with a few bolt-on items, including a C&L Performance cold-air kit, 4.10 gears, a DiabloSport tune-up, Metco lower control arms, and a prototype JPC Racing torque converter. | 
A host of parts were collected for this drag test. We installed one C&L cold-air kit, two JPC Racing driveshafts, and two BMR front antiroll bar eliminator/ tubular lower radiator support kits. We swapped the M/T tires back and forth for each run as well as changing out to the Bogart wheels a few times between the cars. |