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2011 Ford Mustang GT Bolt Ons - Theories Of EvolutionIncreasing An '11 GT 'Stang's Horsepower The Old-Fashioned Way From the November, 2010 issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords By KJ Jones Photography by KJ Jones
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Alright, 'Stang fans! Sure,... Alright, 'Stang fans! Sure, there's been plenty of talk and speculation about today's 5.0s on Internet forums and such. Now it's time to end all the wonderment and find out how the new '11 Mustang GT's Coyote 5.0-liter engine and mega-sophisticated Copperhead PCM respond to familiar upgrades. We recently enjoyed an exclusive opportunity to follow Evolution Performance's lead technician Chuck Wrzesniewski as he installed the first aftermarket hop-up package for '11 GTs, and saw firsthand how easily and quickly the new Pony goes from great to totally awesome. As changes to late-model Mustangs go, Ford made a big-time change for V-8-powered Ponies back in 1996, when their tried-and-true, 5.0-liter engines were discontinued. The engines were replaced with single-overhead-camshaft, 4.6-liter bullets that came to be known as modular engines for their shared tooling with other-displacement versions of the same family on the assembly line. After a shaky first few years of existence-which included die-hard, 5.0-loving 'Stangbangers' reluctance to accept modular technology-the new engines eventually earned our respect with their performance. Advancements in engine blocks, cylinder heads, camshaft profiles, rotating assemblies, and such helped spawn widespread acceptance of Two-, Three-, and Four-Valve modulars. We also learned that improved performance is easily achieved using bolt-on pieces or power adders, just as it was with the 5.0s that powered '86-to-'95 EFI 'Stangs. Change once again brings us a new, immediately exciting V-8 powerplant for 2011 and future Mustangs. The engine, code-named Coyote, mates 5.0-liter displacement with modern-day, double-overhead-camshaft technology. This improvement, along with many other modular-originated tricks, results in what already is being considered the best production engine that has ever occupied the space between a Pony's front fenders. This new engine created an exciting air of mystery in the modern Mustang scene. With horsepower listed as 412 at the flywheel, a previously unimaginable 11.0:1 compression ratio, a 7,000-rpm redline, and Copperhead PCM logic that features Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing, the new mill opens an incredible can of worms in regard to how the engine will respond to upgrades. What, exactly, will be the best recipe for big steam? After adding gears, an after-cat... After adding gears, an after-cat exhaust, cold-air induction, and long-tube headers (and dyno testing after each mod), the Coyote 5.0 engine in Evolution Performance's Grabber Blue '11 Mustang GT was ready to take on the 1,320 at Atco Raceway. Several popular Mustang shops are off to the races, pushing the '11 5.0 Mustang GT's performance envelope and each other, to determine just how bad the cars and engines really are. We're hooked up with the boys at Evolution Performance in Aston, Pennsylvania, who, thanks to virally spread Internet-video clips, now are '11 Mustang GT sensations. Shortly after taking delivery of a Kona Blue Metallic coupe, the boys at Evolution started chronicling its steady improvement on their Mustang Dyno chassis dynamometer and the quarter-mile proving ground at Atco Raceway (see "Street Feat," Sept. '10, pgs. 38-46). By making only minimal hardware changes, such as relieving the car of its interior and any other non-essential components, and through stealth PCM tweaks that came at the mind and fingers of tuning guru Jon Lund the manual-six-speed Kona currently makes 465 at the feet and is oh-so-close to eclipsing the 9-second barrier. While Evo's flagship 5.0 Pony is awesome by anyone's standards, we're more intrigued with finding out how good a new 'Stang can be when it doesn't take the path toward becoming a drag-specific race car. Evolution shares our interest in learning more about '11 'Stangs that are destined for the street. To conduct this research, the shop owns a second '11 (a Grabber Blue GT with a six-speed automatic transmission), with which Jon has been making serious inroads in manipulating the 5.0's Copperhead PCM to unleash what appears to be tons of additional performance from Ford's latest V-8. The more things change, the more they are the same indeed. Evolution's entry-level performance theories for the new GT are no different from those of Mustangs from years past: Maximizing the efficiency of air (intake and exhaust), fuel and spark will improve a 'Stang's performance. To see how effective those methods are, your tech editor recently parlayed a trip from SoCal (coverage of the NMRA event in Milan, Michigan) and continued further east to participate in the massive bolt-on dyno-and-track test with Evolution's street 5.0.  Stout, girdle-style diff covers...  Stout, girdle-style diff covers like this lid from Ford Racing Performance Parts usually mean a ring-and-pinion swap has been made in a Mustang's 8.8 rear. Yes, the Evolution crew did make the change to 4.10 gears (from the OEM 3.15 cogs) in its Grabber Blue '11 'Stang, which brought rear-wheel power down by about 20 ponies.  Magnaflow is first with an...  Magnaflow is first with an after-cat exhaust system for '11 Mustang GTs. The 3-inch Competition after-cat setup features mandrel-bent tubes with stainless-steel mufflers.  The '11 GT's stock exhaust...  The '11 GT's stock exhaust system's inconsistent layout certainly is a hindrance when it comes to horsepower. Starting at the catalytic converters, tubing progressively reduces from 3 to 23/4 inches, and down to 21/4 inches just before the H-pipe. It then steps back up to 23/4 inches after the H. The stock resonators are listed as 21/2-inch. However, we believe their actual inside diameter may be as small as 2-inch (to suppress noise). The pipe size once again jumps to 23/4-inch after the resonators and into the mufflers.  Mufflers for the '11 are much...  Mufflers for the '11 are much heavier than those used in earlier S197s and SN-10s, so a provision for a third hanger has been added to the new 'Stangs to compensate for the additional weight. While the new Magnaflow mufflers are much lighter than the OEM cans, they also are outfitted with the extra hanger and fit perfectly in the stock location.  While a knee-jerk thought...  While a knee-jerk thought about the "crush" in the factory resonator is that it got there by improper jacking or a ground obstruction of some sort, we're told that it is "normal" (and the reason why we think the ID is actually 2 inches instead of 21/2 inches).  All of the stock and Magnaflow...  All of the stock and Magnaflow exhaust pieces were weighed upon removal and before installation. The new hardware, minus resonators, is considerably lighter.  Magnaflow's gear weighed in...  Magnaflow's gear weighed in at a total of 43.62 pounds, versus the 71.40-pound collective weight of the factory resonator tubes and mufflers (the H-pipe was weighed separately during the header installation).  Chuck made quick work of fitting...  Chuck made quick work of fitting the Magnaflow tubes and mufflers. The system is slip-fit at the H-pipe, as well as at the mufflers and each exhaust tube.  Here's the Magnaflow 3-inch...  Here's the Magnaflow 3-inch axle-back kit, fully installed beneath Evolution's Grabber Blue '11 Mustang GT. The round-style mufflers are exclusive to this Competition system.  Magnaflow also offers a street...  Magnaflow also offers a street kit, which features standard-shaped (oval) cans, with a mellower sound.  C&L Performance has developed...  C&L Performance has developed the a dual-mode cold-air-induction system for '11s; a 95mm setup that can be installed without requiring a custom tune or opened up and used with a tune. In this photo, Chuck slips the reducer insert into the mass air. This step-down tube is the same diameter as the stock mass-air tube.  There's nothing extra or out-of-the-norm...  There's nothing extra or out-of-the-norm about the C&L cold-air setup. After removing the factory... After removing the factory airbox and ductwork, Chuck sets the new C&L air tube and conical filter in place. We hit the dyno with the system set up with and without the stock-diameter insert. While Evo's flagship 5.0 Pony is awesome by anyone's standards, we're more intrigued with finding out how good a new 'Stang can be when it doesn't take the path toward becoming a drag-specific race car. Evolution shares our interest in learning more about '11 'Stangs that are destined for the street. To conduct this research, the shop owns a second '11 (a Grabber Blue GT with a six-speed automatic transmission), with which Jon has been making serious inroads in manipulating the 5.0's Copperhead PCM to unleash what appears to be tons of additional performance from Ford's latest V-8. The more things change, the more they are the same indeed. Evolution's entry-level performance theories for the new GT are no different from those of Mustangs from years past: Maximizing the efficiency of air (intake and exhaust), fuel and spark will improve a 'Stang's performance. To see how effective those methods are, your tech editor recently parlayed a trip from SoCal (coverage of the NMRA event in Milan, Michigan) and continued further east to participate in the massive bolt-on dyno-and-track test with Evolution's street 5.0. We took Grabber and installed the first basic aftermarket products (and tuning) that are available for '11 GTs-a Magnaflow after-axle exhaust system, C&L Products' CAI, and American Racing Headers long-tubes. This stuff is so new, it wasn't even part-numbered as of this writing. Along the way, we discovered a few interesting things about power, weight, and the all-important dragstrip e.t., which are detailed in the following smorgasbord of photos, captions, charts and graphs. Props to Evolution's owner Nelson Whitlock, shop manager Fred Cook, tuner extraordinaire Jon Lund, and Evo's head wrench, Chuck "Broadway Show" Wrzesniewski, for accommodating our tight time schedule and giving us this landmark first look at some cool 5.0 Mustang tech concepts.  Removing the slip-in reducer...  Removing the slip-in reducer sleeve yields a power gain; however, tuning is required when this change is made. With the throttle body now being the lone restriction (it's smaller than the 95mm tube), air/fuel ratio still considerably leans out due to the increased airflow. It will be interesting to see what-if any-additional performance increase will come when larger throttle bodies are developed for Coyote engines.  The final component in our...  The final component in our suite of new 5.0 parts is a set of 1 7/8-inch long-tube headers from American Racing Headers. Although '11 Mustang GTs are equipped with Tri-Y-style exhaust manifolds from the factory, opening up the exhaust with American's longer pipes will increase the overall efficiency of the engine through better breathing, and we anticipate it also will show us a nice torque gain.  As we learned in a previous...  As we learned in a previous long-tube exhaust project, installing the headers on S197/SN-10 Mustangs is no easy task, if you're doing it the traditional way (jacking up the engine). Evolution's Chuck Wrzesniewski and Kent Kiehl demonstrated their cool technique for header swaps; supporting the engine on a pole jack and removing the K-member, which dramatically cuts labor time for the operation.  As you can see, removing the...  As you can see, removing the K-member, engine mounts, and starter (on the passenger side) promote a clear shot to all of the exhaust's fasteners.  Once the manifolds are unbolted,...  Once the manifolds are unbolted, they're removed from the 'Stang with the cats still attached, while the OEM catalytic converters bolt directly to the manifolds and feed into the H-pipe, the new X-shaped crossover from American Racing Headers features high-flow cats that are incorporated at the end of the crossover's 3-inch tubes.  As we did with the after-cat...  As we did with the after-cat bits, factory manifolds/catalytic converters and H-pipe were weighed to determine the amount of poundage the new exhaust hardware removes from our test '11 'Stang.  Evolution adopted the practice...  Evolution adopted the practice of weighing components when it started experimenting with its Kona Blue 5.0.  When you're being as granular...  When you're being as granular as we are about the amount of rear-wheel power the new engine can make in naturally aspirated trim, weight becomes a critical variable.  After weighing everything,...  After weighing everything, the stock pieces totaled out at 50 pounds; American Racing Headers' new setup tipped the scale at a svelte 44.86 pounds.  Again, with the K-member out...  Again, with the K-member out of the way, installing long-tubes in a new Mustang is not as much of a nightmare as it is with the cradle still in place. Securing fasteners on the passenger side has a small element of "fight," but the overall effort can be accomplished in about five hours.  The American Racing Headers...  The American Racing Headers 3-inch X-shaped crossover tube slip-fits over the header collectors and is secured with clamps that are provided with the tubes. Wire extensions for the O2 sensors are not necessary, as bungs for both the front and rear sensors are placed perfectly on the headers and X-tube.  For a brand-new system on...  For a brand-new system on a brand-new Mustang, the headers are impressive from a look-and-feel standpoint. With this leg of the project completed, we headed off once again to the chassis dyno to record results of the upgrade. On The Dyno
| Baseline | Gears | Exhaust | 7,000 Rpm | Tune |
| RPM | HP | TQ | HP | TQ | HP | TQ | HP | TQ | HP | TQ |
| 3,500 | 219 | 323 | 209 | 304 | 202 | 294 | 205 | 298 | 210 | 305 |
| 4,500 | 292 | 337 | 281 | 322 | 274 | 313 | 276 | 316 | 287 | 328 |
| 5,500 | 336 | 318 | 320 | 302 | 320 | 301 | 321 | 302 | 334 | 314 |
| 6,500 | 351 | 290 | 333 | 280 | 333 | 280 | 338 | 270 | 352 | 283 |
| 7,000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 339 | 262 | 353 | 274 |
| CAI | 7,000 RPM | Tune | Tune 2 | Headers | Gears vs. Headers |
| RPM | HP | TQ | HP | TQ | HP | TQ | HP | TQ | HP | TQ | HP | TQ |
| 3,500 | 206 | 299 | 205 | 298 | 210 | 305 | 212 | 308 | 231 | 336 | 22 | 32 |
| 4,500 | 279 | 320 | 278 | 318 | 287 | 328 | 291 | 333 | 312 | 356 | 31 | 19 |
| 5,500 | 325 | 306 | 324 | 304 | 338 | 317 | 340 | 320 | 358 | 337 | 38 | 35 |
| 6,500 | 342 | 287 | 343 | 275 | 358 | 287 | 361 | 290 | 372 | 298 | 39 | 18 |
| 7,000 | n/a | n/a | 346 | 268 | 361 | 280 | 363 | 282 | 369 | 286 | n/a | n/a |
A gear swap was our first upgrade. Automatic-equipped '11 GTs receive a freeway-friendly 3.15 rear end gearset at the factory, which does absolutely nothing for the quick acceleration most enthusiasts want from their rev-happy, street-prowling 5.0 'Stangs. Making a change to 4.10s is recommended, but keep in mind that the lower gear ratio does lower rear-wheel horsepower. We saw a 20-horse drop, which comes in addition to the 20-fewer ponies that the automatic trans brings. After-cat exhausts typically are among the first bolt-on upgrades that are added to late-model Mustangs of any heritage. Magnaflow has jumped to the front of the pack for Coyote-powered '11 'Stangs, and we didn't waste any time installing its new 3-inch setup on Evo's Grabber Pony. Dyno testing was performed in three modes (6,500-rpm limit, 7,000-rpm limit, and 7,000-rpm limit with a custom tune), with only slight gains showing after rev limits were increased to the new 5.0's maximum and Jon massaging the processor. From a sound perspective, the free-flow design of the kit's Competition mufflers gives the Coyote a nice growl at idle, and a deep, deep bark when the hammer drops to wide open. Cold-air induction systems top the list of easy first mods for EFI 'Stangs. Thinking back to how well they worked on pushrod 5.0 engines, we approached our exclusive opportunity to try C&L Performance's brand-new CAI with confidence that we would see significant increases in power and torque (over the previous mods). Again, our dyno procedure included tests with the PCM calibration returned to factory stock and a 6,500-rpm rev cap, then increasing the rev limit to 7,000 rpm, creating a custom tune with the no-tune reducer sleeve still installed (Tune), and then removing the tube altogether and dialing-in a final calibration (Tune 2). Jon's custom tune (basically a fuel increase to compensate for a lean air/fuel ratio with the reducer sleeve removed) brought on the normal gains we've seen with such systems, and really ramped our excitement about making big steam when the long-tube headers were installed. In our opinion, long-tube headers have always been a necessary evil for late-model Mustangs. The bigger, smoother-routed tubes are necessary because as a system, they allow exhaust to exit an engine more efficiently. This helps bring up rear-wheel-torque levels. With almost all of the bolt-on products we're testing being "firsts" for '11 'Stangs (with the exception of the gears), we closed out the project with American Racing Headers' 1 7/8-inch long-tubes. Installing long-tube pipes is the heavy-lifting portion of this exercise, but the result definitely is well worth the work. With tuning (richening fuel), which is mandatory with this upgrade because of huge scavenging effect of the headers, Evo's Grabber '11 put nearly 375 ponies down at the feet, which we consider to be remarkable all-motor horsepower when you consider the fact that approximately 20 horses were gone at the outset of our experiment (due to the automatic trans and 4.10 gears). 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. Drag testing proved to be... Drag testing proved to be somewhat futile on the '11's stock rubber, so a pair of sticky Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials (265/40R-18) were strapped on the Pony's hind parts.
Although we count on the chassis dyno for performance data, the dragstrip has long been thought of as the ultimate proving ground for late-model Mustangs. After bolting-on parts and dyno testing ad nauseum, we also spent a day testing Evolution Performance's street-driven '11 Pony on the quarter-mile at Atco Raceway. As Internet-video fans know, Atco has been the official track for Evolution's '11 tests. Prior to our trip, the Grabber 'Stang was taken to the track and baseline runs were made with the car on stock tires, with factory 3.15 gearing (12.93/113.43), and in the same trim with a custom tune (12.61/114.78). Nelson Whitlock is Evolution... Nelson Whitlock is Evolution Performance's owner and resident test driver, and according to everyone who attended our test session at Atco, he's a big fan of engine revs and smoky burnouts. 'Ya think? Since "what did it run" data is the thing most of you crave, here are the numbers with the car in its bolt-ons/custom-tune/drag-radial setup. This data comes directly from the timeslip of what officially is the "first in the 11s" run for a naturally aspirated '11 5.0 Mustang with an automatic tranny:
| R/T |
0.219 |
| 60-foot |
1.870 |
| 330 |
5.102 |
| 1/8-mile |
7.754 |
| MPH |
92.450 |
| 1,000 |
10.053 |
| 1/4-mile |
11.985 |
| MPH |
117.300 |
 Our mission at the drag strip...  Our mission at the drag strip was to get the upgraded, street-driven, Grabber '11 into the 11s. Jon joined us at the test session, and only needed to make small changes to the shift calibration in the transmission for it to happen.  How does 11.98 at 117.30 sound...  How does 11.98 at 117.30 sound for a naturally aspirated, auto-shifted, fully loaded, driven-to-the-track '11 GT that's equipped with basic bolt-ons? Launching at only 1,800 rpm, Nelson pushed the Grabber Blue 'Stang to this landmark number in 93-degree South Jersey heat.  Of course, there was no way...  Of course, there was no way your tech editor was leaving New Jersey without taking the '11 for a spin. Having driven a bone-stock GT shortly after they were introduced to the media, I have to say that the seat-of-your-pants difference between a stocker and a GT with bolt-ons is night and day, even with the air conditioner at full crank. Prior to our test, Evolution gave the 'Stang a subtle rear-end lowering with Steeda springs. The change did not alter ride comfort one bit. As Big Steve warned me after he tested the new Mustang GT, I returned the car with a strong sense of wanting one.
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