This might just be the busiest...
This might just be the busiest chassis dyno around. That's because Rick Anderson's idea of fun is coming in after hours to test existing parts or create new ones. Our dyno mule for this intake test was B.J. Obermeyer's '92 5.0 LX coupe with a free-revving D.S.S. 306.
Horse Sense: You guys don't know how lucky you are. Back in the day, the path to 5.0 performance included a bored-out stock mass air; a bored-out stock throttle body; and a cut, ported, and welded stock intake manifold. Today, there are at least 10 long-runner, direct-replacement EFI intakes available for the 5.0 engine, not to mention the myriad of aftermarket mass air meters and throttle bodies.
You can't blame us for being jaded after being exposed to hordes of performance parts and cars. By now we assumed every company that was going to build an EFI intake manifold for the 5.0 engine had already done it. So, imagine our surprise at running across Professional Products' Typhoon intake at the Performance Racing Industry trade show last December. It looked fairly familiar-so familiar, in fact, that its upper will bolt on an Edelbrock Performer or Performer RPM lower. What wasn't so familiar was the low, low price the folks at Professional Products were promising.
Since it was a production...
Since it was a production part on the '93 Mustang Cobra, FRPP's Cobra intake is affordable (AFM sells it for $399) and delivers the kind of torquey performance you'd expect from a factory manifold. On B.J.'s 306, it delivered peak numbers of 321.9 hp at 5,600 rpm and 332.4 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm.
Naturally, we wanted to see what this intake was made of, so our first thought was to head to the chassis dyno. Fortunately, our longtime dyno partner in crime, Rick Anderson of Anderson Ford Motorsport, wanted to test the intake too. Many years ago we traveled to Clinton, Illinois, to do supercharger dyno testing with Rick, and we learned he was a straight shooter who likes nothing more than to spend his hobby time spinning the dyno rollers. Rick's position is simple: He'll test anything, and if it works, he'll sell it. It's a good plan because if you're sure it works, then you don't have to worry about dissatisfied customers and product returns.
After Rick volunteered to do the test, we had to set the parameters. In addition to testing the intake versus intakes with similar performance ranges, we also had to choose intakes in a similar price range. So, for a solid baseline comparison, we opted to start with Ford Racing Performance Parts' Cobra intake. Then, since the Typhoon is a street/strip intake designed for a bit more rpm, we decided to run it against Trick Flow's Track Heat intake.
We have experience testing...
We have experience testing the Cobra and Track Heat manifolds, but the Typhoon was the unknown quantity. What we did know is this intake is the working man's best friend, sporting a $349.95 price tag via AFM (and only $449.95 in polished form). Can you get more for less? In this case, yes. The Typhoon cranked out peaks of 332 hp at 5,800 rpm and 329.9 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm-effectively raising the peaks of the Cobra by 200 rpm.
We settled on the parts, so we needed a car. It's not always easy to find someone willing to let us beat their Mustang senseless on the dyno, but Rick convinced B.J. Obermeyer to allow us to throttle his '92 coupe in the name of intake testing. B.J.'s car was a prime specimen for our test. It features a D.S.S. short-block fitted with Trick Flow Twisted Wedge cylinder heads and an Anderson Ford Motorsport N-71 cam-shaft designed to rev up to 6,800 rpm. Its supporting cast includes Bassani long-tube headers, a Dr. Gas X-pipe, DynoMax Race Magnum mufflers, 30-lb/hr injectors, an AFM Power Pipe, a Pro-M 80mm mass air meter, a BBK 75mm throttle body, and a custom chip set up for 7,500-rpm fun.
With parts in hand and the car strapped to the dyno, it was all over but the testing. Rick installed the intakes, ensured the engine temp was similar before each pull, and ran the car. We don't want to give away all the details-you'll have to check out the captions and dyno sidebar for that, but suffice it to say the Typhoon ran a little better than the Cobra, and not quite as well as the Track Heat. However, it offers the best price in the bunch. Then there's AFM's modified Typhoon-dubbed the Twister-which costs more and offers a bit more performance. The bottom line is, if you're looking for a new intake, the Typhoon is definitely worth consideration.