To ensure we will not have...
To ensure we will not have any air leaks between the spacer and manifold, Saul treats the spacer's surface to a light coat of silicone before he and Extreme's owner, Sean Roberts, position the intake in its lower portion and tighten it down.
Correcting our fuel-injector problem is mandatory. However, in our tests, we've also noticed that air, more specifically hot air, has also hindered the overall performance of our Mustang. The inlet-air system for the coupe's stroker/blower package doesn't include an intercooler or a heat exchanger, and thus, air-charge temperatures have been measured at approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
To correct both problems, we're installing Ford Racing Performance Parts' 150-lb/hr fuel injectors (PN M-9593-E303) and the all-new Stage-3G Boost Cooler system (PN 20050; $599) from the water-methanol-injection lords at Snow Performance.
The Stage-3G setup is the center of attention in this tech effort, mostly due to interesting new technology called True 2d Injection Control. It definitely sets this version apart from previous iterations of the Boost Cooler.
Each Stage 3G Boost Cooler...
Each Stage 3G Boost Cooler includes everything shown here. The True 2d injection logic in the kit's digital variable controller, the way-cool LCD touch-screen display, and the optional 225-psi pump (a 180-psi pump is standard) are the main components that separate this system from Snow's Stage 2 Boost Cooler.
Unlike the Stage 1 (fixed shot) and Stage 2 (variable shot) boost coolers, which are triggered by boost or are mass air-voltage referenced, Snow's Stage 3G water-meth system is a self-tuning, variable-flow unit that uses fuel-injector duty cycle and a blower or turbocharger's boost signal to control injection.
Once the injectors are swapped and the boost cooler kit is installed, we'll connect our coupe to the Dynapack Evolution 4000 chassis dyno at Extreme Automotive in Canoga Park, California, where Harv will tickle the laptop's keyboard and dial in an XFI tune for maximum power with the new injectors, and then establish a calibration for the engine when it's under the influence of Snow's Boost Juice water-meth mixture.
For our application, we're not expecting a gargantuan increase in horsepower and torque when the spray is applied, because our blown 350 is run with VP's MS 109 E race gas as opposed to 91-octane fuel. Impressive power gains are usually achieved when water-methanol injection is introduced to boost-induced engines that run on pump gas, as we learned in our study on Snow's Shelby GT 500 system (Gorilla in the Mist," Dec. '07, p. 152).
Our kit contains three two-stage...
Our kit contains three two-stage injection nozzles (left to right: 175ml/minute for 250-300 hp, 375ml/minute for 350-475 hp and 625ml/minute for 475-600 hp) which represent the midrange to largest sizes available. Per company owner, Matt Snow's recommendation, we're using the biggest nozzle for our application. The combination of the large nozzle and optional 225-psi pump guarantees we will have a more than sufficient flow and spray pattern of Boost Juice into the blower's airstream, however, for optimal results we may have to add a second nozzle to our setup. Snow Performance offers 60ml/minute, 100ml/minute, and 225ml/minute nozzles as well. They can be used to further fine-tune water-meth levels.
In this exercise, we're installing the Boost Cooler with hopes that it will drop our engine's intake-air-charge temperature significantly lower than the 200-degree temps we saw in our last dyno session without negatively affecting the blown beast's horsepower and torque.
Speaking of horsepower and torque, keep in mind that our T-top coupe is a registered, insured, street-driven 'Stang. We're proud of the car, but we have to admit that with more than 800 horses, it's a handful on the street, despite the fact it sits on Drag Radial tires. Quite frankly, monster performance in a street car is a bittersweet thing. We love the feeling of being pushed back in the seat by power and torque, but losing traction and control of the car on a neighborhood street or highway (even the deserted ones) or being nailed for speeding are possible negatives for mega-powered street cars that aren't cool at all.
Fear not, the only disaster we've suffered thus far was the engine mishap previously detailed. The coupe's sleeper appearance makes the police drive right by, and its panels are straight. The plan is to keep things that way by driving the 'Stang with respect to the horsepower it's throwing down when we're cruising, and saving the opportunities to cut it completely loose for the dragstrip only.
Extreme's Saul The Surgeon" Gutierrez is taking care of the injector swap and installing the Stage 3G Boost Cooler's hardware, and your tech editor is responsible for doing the simple math required for dialing in gain for the water-meth shot. Harv has XFI tuning covered, so you're left with reading on through the following photos and captions to see how this project pans out.
 We found an open area on the...  We found an open area on the firewall for Saul to mount the system's digital variable controller unit. Installing the controller in the engine compartment this way is fine, as it's waterproof. It can be done with Velcro or self-tapping screws. Once the controller is secure, its wiring harness is plugged in and its green, yellow, red, black, and gray wires are routed appropriately. |  Our good friend Danny Akre...  Our good friend Danny Akre of Fast Intentions Custom Exhaust in Northridge, California, prepared our supercharger's stainless steel discharge tube with a welded-in bung for water-meth injector nozzles. A 1/8-inch NPT tap and a tube of E-6000 GOOP thread sealer are included with the Boost Cooler, so drilling and threading a mounting hole for the nozzle is fine if adding a bung isn't possible for your installation. |  This optional 7-quart fluid...  This optional 7-quart fluid reservoir was positioned and installed in the coupe's trunk as part of our Boost Cooler kit's final installation. Snow Performance provides plenty of high-pressure tubing and all the 3/8-inch and 1/8-inch fittings required for plumbing the system from a 'Stang's stem to its stern. |