Calling our dyno session a...
Calling our dyno session a thrash is a gross understatement, as we put approximately 40 wide-open runs on Evolution's new Pony, with 93-octane fuel only.
Dyno testing Mustangs is one of the most exciting aspects of our work. Since "the dyno doesn't lie," it's an important tool for us. We count on the chassis dyno to officially validate or dispel individual parts, or combinations, that are intended to improve 'Stangs' performance, and no matter what the outcome is, the numbers are presented for your review.
While we've had opportunities to dyno test stock '11 GTs for power/torque, the work we put in on the rollers of Evolution Performance's Mustang Dyno dynamometer gave us a chance to really see what the 5.0-liter powerplant and Copperhead PCM in the new 'Stang are all about.
Our evaluation procedure included recording performance gains and losses when parts were added with the factory-stock PCM calibration in place, and of course, with tuning changes. Naturally, the new 5.0 responds to tuning in a big way, and calibration ace Jon Lund is responsible for bringing the best out of Evo's new Pony.
"Copperhead is an extremely quick processor that is able to sample faster than any other PCM that Ford has used in a Mustang," says Jon. "It has a built-in wideband oxygen sensor on both banks, ability for targeting air/fuel ... and there are so many strategies that we haven't even enabled yet (built-in boost-a-pump-style fueling, ability to increase voltage to 16.5 volts, and inferred MAP strategy."
"Ford needed PCM accuracy more than it ever has, which is why Copperhead is so dynamic. I think we're going to see that quite a bit of impressive street power will be possible with this high-compression engine before power adders even need to be considered."
"Cracking the (PCM) code"...
"Cracking the (PCM) code" has been the biggest concern for every hard-core 'Stangbanger who is interested in making big steam with the new 5.0. The '11 Mustang GT's ultra-diverse PCM is called Copperhead, and Jon Lund is the calibration specialist who seems to have it mastered. In addition to making rev-limit, fuel, and timing adjustments as necessary for each segment of our tests, Jon locked the six-speed automatic trans in Fourth gear and commanded the torque converter to lock up at 10 seconds into each dyno pull.
The '11 V-6 Mustang is no...
The '11 V-6 Mustang is no slouch, either. Jon owns this stone-stock budget Pony, and spent some time with it on the dyno while Chuck installed the V-8 car's headers. Limited time for this research earned a minor power gain (from 269 rwhp with the factory tune to 284 rwhp after Jon broke into various tables in the processor). However, like its bigger-displacement sibling, we saw that the six has quite a bit of bottled-up performance, which definitely can be unleashed with a similar upgrade package (minus the headers) and PCM recal.