While the factory throttle...
While the factory throttle body is good, we've increased the airflow through the engine with our other mods, so a larger throttle body will remove the restriction that the factory piece now poses.
Hand-Held Horsepower
After we completed the component testing on our subject GT, Summit Racing sent us one more wallet-friendly bolt-on in the form of Superchips' Flashpaq hand-held tuner (PN SRC-1825), which retails for $349.95. The Flashpaq tuner is an Internet updateable piece that features built-in diagnostic trouble code definitions and help screens, along with a backlit screen and ergonomic case. The Flashpaq can be upgraded with custom applications and multiple tuning levels as well. To get a good idea of what the tuner could do, we removed the BBK cold-air kit and reinstalled the factory airbox. The exhaust, throttle body, and underdrive pulley modifications were all left in place.
Using the Superchips tuner to alter the factory ECM, horsepower went from the baseline number of 257.31 hp to 269.09 hp and torque went from 274.34 to 272.30 lb-ft. Unfortunately, we couldn't take advantage of the cold-air kit as we didn't find enough adjustment in the tuner to fully compensate for the added airflow of the BBK cold-air kit. Gonyon tells us that Superchips is working to resolve this and it should be rectified by the time you read this.
At The Track
With a sizeable improvement in power and torque across the entire powerband, it was only natural that car owner Nynce Tarleton would want to see what it would do at the dragstrip. Nynce's home track is Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, and her baseline drag testing was only the second time she had ever been to the dragstrip. With the added power and torque, wheelspin is quite easily achieved, so Nynce must exercise a bit more throttle control at the hit. That's an issue easily resolved with a set of drag radials, but even on street tires, the Mustang improved from a best of 14.22 to a 13.92 in the blistering Florida heat.
| Final Results |
| Baseline | 14.22 at 98.8 | 2.25 60-ft |
| Backup | 14.36 at 96.3 | 2.21 60-ft |
| After Mods | 13.95 at 100.54 | 2.20 60-ft |
| Backup | 13.92 at 100.25 | 2.20 60-ft |
Resetting the clockspring...
Resetting the clockspring in the throttle motor is essential in getting the new throttle body to operate properly. Be sure to follow the instructions included with your throttle body closely to get this squared away.
More power. More torque.
Summit Racing sent us a Superchips...
Summit Racing sent us a Superchips Flashpaq to try out. We had to remove the cold-air kit in order to use it, as we couldn't find enough adjustment with it to satisfy the fuel requirements needed.
In just a few hours, we gained...
In just a few hours, we gained 35 hp and 47 lb-ft of torque. We're not quite done yet, though.
With the stock airbox and...
With the stock airbox and the rest of the mods, the Flashpaq tuner increased horsepower by 12, while we saw a loss in peak torque of a negligible 2 lb-ft.
With a little more tuning...
With a little more tuning from the HP Tuners software, Tony Gonyon was able to coax out a few more ponies for a total of 285 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. Gonyon's custom tune also comes in at our $350 price point for modifications, but if you can't get your colt to Florida, the Superchips Flashpaq tuner is a very viable alternative. All you have to do is call up Summit Racing and the brown truck will bring you one in a day or two thanks to Summit's three warehouse locations.