Major props go out to Saleen SpeedLab's great crew, who accomplished our install with the utmost proficiency-and in record time. Shown from left to right are Tristan Brannon, SpeedLab boss man Carlos Duran, Chris Wares, Francisco Castillo, and Noe Belmudez. All seemed energized throughout our project by the thought of surprising Bryan upon his return from overseas duty. Thanks a million, guys!
Dynojet's Dan Houri-gan massaged JDM's tune, resulting in impressive numbers. Peak horsepower is 441.94 at 6,100, while the peak torque of 416 at 4,900 is deceiving. Torque is a virtually identical 415 lb-ft at 3,100 rpm, and in fact, it registers at least 400 lb-ft from 2,700-5,700 rpm.
So does the 550 kit deliver as advertised? The short answer is yes. The long of it is as follows: Carlos tells us the 550 flywheel rating does assume the kind of mild exhaust mods that are a virtual given for any owner pressurizing the induction side. Deducting a standard 15-percent drivetrain loss from 550 gives a rear-wheel horsepower target of 468, but since we've seen a 20-horse bump from a simple muffler upgrade on 400-horse S197s, we'll lower our target by the same amount in deference to Bryan's bone-stock pipes. Arguably that should put us at 448 hp, and our 443 number is right within spitting distance.
Mindful of the opinion that Bryan's car won't take as much timing as is typical, we asked Dan to make a few runs using the original JDM tune and a tank of unleaded race gas to keep detonation at bay. This restored as much as 4 degrees of advance at peak torque rpm and 2 degrees at peak horsepower rpm, resulting in 454 hp at 5,750 and a sledgehammer-like 453 lb-ft at 3,200. JDM reports that this is the norm on pump gas. While we would've liked to get Bryan's '07 there, he has no grievance with his slightly softer numbers. "As it is, I have a hard time hooking it up on street tires," Bryan says with a big grin.
S197 Mustang Supercharger Dyno Chart