The pipe with the opening...
The pipe with the opening facing upward is where the turbo mounts to the exhaust system. The pipe above it is the dump tube.
We encountered one little glitch during this story, though. Every once in awhile, there's a vehicle that doesn't like the MAF sensor placement, and the computer gets a funny reading. Turbonetics and Mike Dezotell of Dez Racing don't know why, but the quick fix (as per Turbonetics' instructions) was to add a screen that the company sent over to us. The screen straightens the airflow in order for the MAF sensor to get a clean reading. It was a simple screen available at any hardware store. As simple as it was, the thing worked, and the troubles cleared up. The problem we encountered was a rough idle, horrible driveability, and overall poor performance due to the bad MAF sensor reading. At first, we were troubleshooting the problem, thinking the source was the tune, which wasn't the case. Then we thought the wrong pipe was installed, so we e-mailed a photo of the inlet pipe to Turbonetics, but it turned out OK. The straightened air remedied the problem, and we were out having fun with the '07 Stang in no time.
As we moved forward with the install, we were amazed to see that a fuel-pump upgrade was not included in the kit. However, as Dez mentioned, at moderate boost levels, fuel consumption shouldn't tax the stock pump too badly. Most people are used to the supercharger thought process and add a second pump or dual Ford GT pumps. The blower requires more fuel because it takes power to turn the supercharger. The turbo uses expanding exhaust gases to turn the turbine. With a blower, you're using the crankshaft to turn the impeller. A blower engine will always have more fuel consumption at similar power levels than a turbo-that's just a fact of life.
A larger set of fuel injectors is included (39 psi units) in the kit, and is more than enough to supply fuel if boost isn't jumped too high. If you plan on turning up the power or utilizing a larger turbo, we suggest looking into a dual Ford GT pump combo, or check out Lethal Performance's fancy new complete fuel-system setup.
On the dyno, the car pulled the Dynojet chassis dyno to a reading of 271 rwhp and 295 rwtq. Not bad for a stock S197, but with the addition of 8.5 psi of boost in the intake manifold, we were about to see how much better the car could be. The turbo-enhanced late-model was wrung out on the dyno, and it produced an impressive 434 rwhp and 461 rwtq. That was a 163hp gain over stock, a great increase in power that's available whenever you drop the hammer.
The turbo bolted on to the...
The turbo bolted on to the pipes easily and was secured to the engine. The oil feed and drain lines were also hooked up.
The turbo sits sideways in...
The turbo sits sideways in front of the engine.
The polished cast intake elbow...
The polished cast intake elbow features a honeycomb screen. We've seen those screens on engine dyno bonnets but never in this type of application. It's designed to straighten the air before the MAF sensor. Our test vehicle's sensor was more sensitive than most, so Turbonetics sent another screen to help straighten the air even more.
The stock MAF sensor was removed...
The stock MAF sensor was removed from the factory air intake assembly and transferred to the cast pipe. Turbonetics converted the system to a blow-through MAF sensor setup, as opposed to a stock draw-through combo.
This polished pipe connects...
This polished pipe connects the front-mounted intercooler to the inlet tube.
An inlet pipe feeds the turbo...
An inlet pipe feeds the turbo impeller.
Turbonetics supplies wiring...
Turbonetics supplies wiring extensions for various sensors. You don't have to cut and splice any of the factory wiring.
The overflow reservoir was...
The overflow reservoir was relocated to the driver-side strut tower using a kit-supplied bracket.
The completed installation...
The completed installation is ready to hurt some feelings of unsuspecting competitors. The system is barely detectable at part-throttle cruising, then-Bam! The throttle is mashed open and 434 rwhp is unleashed.
Just looking at this turbo...
Just looking at this turbo cover, one would think it was a flaky tinfoil piece. Actually, the thick blanket offers serious heat protection.
This Look at the underside...
This Look at the underside of the car shows the new exhaust and how it was routed.
Everyone who passed by the...
Everyone who passed by the car immediately noted how much he or she liked the inlet tube going into the throttle body.