Blown S197 V-6 Mustang - One Sick Six

Explorer Express is casual about power ratings. The company prefers to refer to rear-wheel power figures seen on chassis dynos, and it therefore rates the standard California-legal kit at 265 rwhp. Adding the freer-breathing intake of the HiPo kit brings power to 275 rwhp and 282 lb-ft at the tires, or about what a Three-Valve V-8 puts out. With more aggressive tuning and the 2.80-inch blower pulley, Explorer Express has seen just more than 300 rwhp. In all cases, the torque rises quickly and stays high across what Explorer Express refers to as the "torque shelf," rather than a curve.

These numbers illustrate typical efficiencies for a supercharged engine and reflect the V-6's standard-performance Two-Valve architecture. After all, the V-6 was never intended to be a cutting-edge performance engine. These numbers underline the intelligence of a simple supercharging system that keeps cost down while notably-but not outlandishly-increasing performance.

At press time, Dave reported that no one had gone into the 12s yet using a hot-rodded version of his V-6 blower, but he figures it is only a matter of the perfect weather, dragstrip, and driver getting together before that number is posted. It's better than expected for the combination, and Dave explains it as the blower and V-6's super-fast torque rise. The combination leaps to peak torque by 2,000 rpm and stays there across the tach, launching the better balanced V-6 car quicker than the typical Three-Valve V-8 GT. It's also what gives the blown V-6 its strong street presence.

Charge cooling has become nearly standard on Mustang superchargers, but it isn't found at all in the Explorer Express V-6 kits. Why? Because it isn't worth the cost or complexity at the moderate boost the kit makes.

Part of the situation is the lack of room between the 4.0 V-6's banks; there isn't enough real estate to package a typical water-to-air charge cooler and get the air into the engine. Explorer Express calculates it would require raising the supercharger so tall that a high-rise cowl hood would be required. That translates into a $2,000 charge cooler for 10 to 15 rwhp. At $133 per horsepower, it isn't worth the trouble.

Explorer Express reports that without a charge cooler, its standard kit discharges air at around 130 degrees; 150 degrees on a dyno or during other sustained loads. It's handled with increased fuel by way of the engine management computer, which monitors air-charge temperature by relocating the stock inlet air temp probe.

Explorer Express offers three pulleys and boost levels for the Mustang V-6 supercharger. We recommend the stock pulley as the most appropriate for the V-6 Mustang's fun mission and lack of charge cooling. If you have high-pressure hankerings and race gas at the track, smaller pulleys are available. Eaton blower pulleys aren't quick-change parts, so constant pulley swapping isn't advised.