ProCharger's P-1SC self-contained...
ProCharger's P-1SC self-contained centrifugal supercharger lies at the heart of the '11 Mustang GT HO Intercooled system. Once Blow-By Racing's '11 Mustang GT was strapped to the dyno, we tested with a 4.38-inch pulley, which produced 7 psi of boost; then a smaller 4.25-inch pulley, which was good for 7.5 psi.
Once the newest rendition of the 5.0-liter was released, Mustang enthusiasts were thrilled to finally see factory horsepower numbers high enough to put a hurting on just about anything from brand X. As the engine specs began to surface, the question also arose about how the new powerplant would respond-and more importantly, survive-under boost. Accessible Technologies (ATI) ProCharger is ready to put all doubts to rest with its HO Intercooled and HO Intercooled Tuner supercharger systems for the '11 GT.
ProCharger has long been known for its powerful supercharger systems, and when talk about its new kit began to spread around the Internet, we decided to investigate. With the stock compression ratio at 11:1, the Mustang GT doesn't seem so boost-friendly. But Jeff Lacina, marketing director for ATI ProCharger, explained how ProCharger can offer significant power gains without compromising the 5.0-liter's reliability.
"ProCharger used its years of experience with high-compression engines when the '11 Mustang GT HO Intercooled system was designed," explains Lacina. "With higher static compression ratios, boost levels need to be lower to control cylinder pressure. Beyond that, supercharger and air inlet temperatures (AIT) need to be closely monitored. The cooler the inlet temperatures, the better the engine will perform."
He adds, "When we designed these systems, we really looked at all of the components Ford used in the base engine. The materials used for the rods, pistons, and crankshafts, as well as the fact that the 5.0-liter is designed to run well on 87-octane fuel, gave us a good idea of what we had to work with. The HO Intercooled systems are designed to make great power on 91-octane fuel."
ProCharger utilizes an efficient...
ProCharger utilizes an efficient air-to-air intercooler to keep the air inlet temperatures under control.
At the heart of the HO Intercooled systems is the P-1SC centrifugal supercharger. With a dedicated eight-rib drive system and a one-piece mounting bracket, which incorporates an idler pulley and belt tensioner, installation is very straightforward.
Checking in at only 7 psi, the system is advertised to increase horsepower by as much as 165 ponies. Add a highly efficient air-to-air intercooler, and you have a system capwable of huge horsepower gains in an easy-to-install package. To make things even simpler, ProCharger includes a preloaded SCT handheld programmer with the HO Intercooled system.
"We designed these systems to be installed very easily," adds Lacina. "One of the best parts is that it doesn't require any cutting or relocation of anything under the hood."
ProCharger has named this...
ProCharger has named this intercooler the MAFtercooler, due to the location of the MAF sensor near the outlet. The sensor was moved to this location because it offered the straightest airflow throughout the system, which delivers the most consistent readings.
The stock MAF sensor is removed...
The stock MAF sensor is removed from the factory cold-air intake and mounted in the intercooler. ProCharger supplies an extension for the mass air harness, which is used depending on how the wiring is routed.
Nick Schmidt, (left) calibration...
Nick Schmidt, (left) calibration engineer for ProCharger, came to Blow-By Racing to take care of the installation of ProCharger's newest supercharger system. With the help of Chris Jones, the front bumper of BBR's '11 Mustang was removed to make room for the system to be installed.
Wanting to get a closer look, we headed to Blow-By Racing (BBR) in Boca Raton, Florida, where Jeff Lacina and Nick Schmidt were making preparations to install the kit on BBR's '11 test mule. Follow along as we take a look at the install and subsequent dyno test from ProCharger's '11 Mustang GT HO Intercooled supercharger system.
Schmidt then removed the engine...
Schmidt then removed the engine cover and factory cold-air intake to make room for the supercharger bracket.
After unbolting the coolant...
After unbolting the coolant reservoir and moving it out of the way, the electric fan and shroud are removed to make room for bolting on the crank pulley.
The crank pulley for this...
The crank pulley for this system uses a cam-lock system to ensure pulley alignment, as well as to increase the surface area of the between the crank pulley and the stock dampener.
ProCharger uses a dedicated...
ProCharger uses a dedicated drive system to turn the supercharger. An eight-rib belt spins the blower separate from the rest of the accessories. This is a huge benefit if there is ever a belt failure because the charging and cooling systems won't be affected.
Next, Schmidt bolts up the...
Next, Schmidt bolts up the supercharger bracket. Four bolts from the engine cover are removed and replaced with longer bolts and spacers to accommodate the bracket. This bracket also holds the belt tensioner for the blower belt.
Schmidt then puts the P-1SC...
Schmidt then puts the P-1SC into the bracket and bolts it into place.
Once the supercharger was...
Once the supercharger was in place, Schmidt shifted his attention to installing the intercooler. The hood latch is unbolted and moved out of the way. The two holes for the latch will serve as the mounting holes for the intercooler. Simply reinstall the latch with the upper tabs on the intercooler behind it
Next the tubing for intercooler...
Next the tubing for intercooler is run in the opening to the right of the radiator. The intercooler inlet is run on the bottom and intercooler outlet is run on top. Be sure to keep the intercooler loosely mounted to make installing the tubing easier.
With the intercooler inlet...
With the intercooler inlet tubing installed, the surge valve simply installs in the intercooler inlet tube under the driver-side headlight.
Schmidt then attaches the...
Schmidt then attaches the rest of the tubing to connect the intercooler to the throttle body.
With the intercooler installation...
With the intercooler installation finished, the front fascia can be reinstalled. The air-to-air intercooler fits nicely behind the front bumper where it can get all of the air it needs to keep the air charge cool.
The fuel rails come off next...
The fuel rails come off next so the injectors can be swapped.
ProCharger sends a set of...
ProCharger sends a set of 52-lb/hr fuel injectors with the systems to replace the stock GT injectors. These are the same injectors that come in the GT500, so fitment and reliability is not an issue.
Due to the shorter height...
Due to the shorter height of the new injectors, ProCharger also includes shorter fuel rail spacers to keep everything lined up properly.
The finished product is super-clean...
The finished product is super-clean and factory looking. The polished supercharger and grey tubing, which matches the intake manifold, looks great, and it all fits nicely under the stock hood.
Jones then strapped his '11...
Jones then strapped his '11 GT to BBR's Dynojet for some dyno numbers. Schmidt loaded the ProCharger calibration and set up his laptop to data log the powerplant on the dyno.
To add to the gains, Jones...
To add to the gains, Jones recommends removing the stock H-style midpipe and replacing it with one of BBR's X-style off-road midpipes. Matt Frith quickly went to work swapping the stock midpipe for the new BBR midpipe.
The dyno fun started with...
The dyno fun started with a baseline before installing ProCharger's P-1SC. The '11 Mustang spun the rollers to 369 rwhp and 352 lb-ft of torque.
Once the supercharger was...
Once the supercharger was installed and the tune was loaded, power jumped to 524 rwhp and 430 lb-ft of torque with only 7 pounds of boost. You can't complain about adding 155 rwhp and 78 lb-ft of torque in less than a day-but this wasn't good enough.
After giving the 5.0-liter...
After giving the 5.0-liter a little cool down time, Schmidt pulled the 4.38-inch pulley and installed the smaller 4.25-inch replacement. The smaller pulley produced about another half pound of boost, bringing the total pressure to 7.5 psi. With the car back at operating temperature, the '11 spun the rollers to 543 rwhp with 429 lb-ft of torque. An extra 19 rwhp from a half-pound of boost is a great gain!
Once the stock midpipe was...
Once the stock midpipe was swapped for the off-road variant, we prepared for some more dyno runs. After bringing the car to operating temperature once again, the GT spun the rollers to 560 rwhp and 438 lb-ft of torque, for a gain of 17 rwhp and 9 lb-ft of torque.
Next, The P-1SC was swapped...
Next, The P-1SC was swapped for the larger D-1SC supercharger. With the tune altered for more boost and multiple people monitoring the air/fuel ratio and AIT, Jones started the first pull. After cutting the first pull short, it was apparent we were rapidly approaching the limits of the stock fuel pump. Jones quickly pulled a Boost-a-Pump off the shelf and installed it. With the voltage to the fuel pump increased, Jones began rolling through the gears again. The second was cut short yet again, and the tune was adjusted to alter the fuel curves. After reflashing the ECM, Jones spun the rollers for the first full dyno pull. Everyone stood in suspense as the computer screen lit up with the horsepower numbers. With 607 rwhp and 491 lb-ft of torque sitting on the screen, we knew we got the job done.