CHAPTER 6

Copyright 2006 Richard Holdener All rights reserved. All text and photographs in this publication are the property of the author, unless otherwise noted or credited. It is unlawful to reproduceor copy in any way resell, or redistribute this information without the express written permission of the publisher. See the copyright page of this book for further limitations and warranties.

2-VALVE SUPERCHARGING
Though superchargers certainly predated the fuel-injected 5.0L Mustang, it wasnt until Ford replaced the carburetor in 1986 with a long-runner fuel-injection manifold that Mustang supercharging came of age. Modern 4.6L enthusiasts have the 5.0L to thank for the current crop of superchargers available for the modular motors. Those of us with a few years under our belts remember when the Paxton planetary drive blowers were the only game in town and actually running across one on the street was a real surprise. Those early planetary drive Paxton blowers have since given way to such impressive offerings as the gear-driven Novi 1000, 1200, and (my favorite) the ever-impressive Novi 2000. Where the early Paxton blowers were hard pressed to support 500 hp, the modern Novi 2000 is capable of more than doubling that number. In this chapter, well test systems from Ford Racing, Kenne Bell, and Vortech, not to mention supercharger offerings directly from Ford. While Ford offered Paxton supercharged motors back when Carroll Shelby was putting the hurt on Ferrari, the modern era probably started with the Eaton M62 supercharger in the Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe. The 3.8L V-6 was equipped not only with modern fuel injection, but also a positive displacement roots supercharger and intercooler gave it 5.0L performance. Ford supplied truck owners with an impressive gift in the form of the supercharged 5.4L Lightning truck. An easy 14-second machine right off the showroom floor (13s if driven well), the 5.4L Lightning mill demonstrated that the 2-valve mod motors really responded to boost (what motor doesnt?). Ford would later add an Eaton M112 roots supercharger to the 4.6L 4valve Cobra in 2003, and then apply an even more impressive 2.3L twin-screw blower to the all-aluminum 5.4L 4-valve mod motor used in the Ford GT. To date, this is the ultimate Ford modular motor, and quite possibly the most impressive (if not most powerful) motor Ford has ever offered in a production car. Rated at 550 hp, the supercharged 5.4L 4-valve motor has been tested to produce that 550-hp power rating at the wheels. Id pit this supercharged mod motor against any stock 427 Cammer (though not technically a production motor), 428 Cobra Jet, or Boss 429 any day. Though the 5.0L can be credited with introducing the modern performance world to supercharging, the 4.6L has continued to expand the popularity of forced induction. Currently there are a minimum of 10 different supercharger manufacturers that offer kits directly for the 4.6L Ford family. The number of manufacturers involved (and their success) should give you an idea about the popularity of the supercharged mod motors. In the end, its the enthusiast that benefits from the proliferation of available kits, as competition improves the product line and decreases the cost to the consumer. Having 10 different manufacturers also provides variety. This is an important fact and contrary to some of

This 4.6L 2-valve mod motor cranked out 800 flywheel hp running a Vortech YS-Trim supercharger and a custom dual-core air-to-water aftercooler.

110

Building 4.6/5.4L Ford Horsepower on the Dyno

2-Valve Supercharging
the propaganda you read on some of the Web sites there is not one ideal form of supercharging for the 4.6L 2-valve motor. Were there one form that excelled above all others and provided the very best of every comparison variable, no other form would continue to exist. Fortunately for us, this is simply not the case. Variety allows you to pick and choose the best combination to meet your particular needs. Centrifugal superchargers perform a certain way, as do roots and twin-screw blowers. Which one is right for you depends on what you want. If you are looking for maximum (peak) power production from your (hopefully suitably built) 4.6L 2-valve motor, then you will probably be best served by a centrifugal blower. If instantaneous boost response is more important, then you should be leaning toward either of the positive displacement designs (roots or twin-screw). There are obviously positive and negative attributes offered by each type of supercharger, but in the end, the choice will likely come down to more variables than just peak power; things like cost, kit completeness, ease of installation, availability, customer service, and (very important) tuning. Does the supercharger kit come with an ECU program designed to provide maximum safe performance on pump gas? Does the kit include the necessary injector upgrade, fuel pump upgrade, or ignition amplifier? Once installed, how difficult is it to further increase the power output? Is it more involved than a simple pulley change (it almost always is)? I have just scratched the surface in terms of considerations when choosing a supercharger for your 4.6L Mustang, but know that all superchargers offer a significant power gain, just be sure that the tune (air/fuel and especially timing) are spot on before putting your foot in it. While not quite on par with the 4valve 4.6L, the 4.6L and 5.4L 2-valve motors respond very well to supercharging. Whether the blower kit is a simple M90 from Ford Racing or an intercooled YS trim from Vortech, adding a blower kit to your mod motor will yield impressive dividends. One convenient way to calculate the power potential offered by any supercharger is to take the power output of the naturally aspirated motor and multiply it by the boost pressure as a function of atmospheric pressure. Since a naturally aspirated motor runs at an atmospheric pressure of 14.7 psi (or 1 BAR), all we have to do to double the power output of the motor (in theory) is to double the pressure to the motor. By this I mean that if the naturally aspirated 4.6L 2-valve motor produced 300 hp, all we have to do to reach 600 hp is to double the pressure or supply 14.7 psi using a supercharger. If we supply only 7.35 psi, we should see a corresponding power gain of roughly 50 percent, since 7.35 psi is 50 percent of 14.7 psi. Using 10 psi, we see that the power gain will be 68 percent, since 10 psi is 68 percent of 14.7 psi, while 20 psi should provide a gain of 136 percent. The simple math formula is as follows: Supercharged HP = NA hp x (Boost pressure/14.7 +1). Now that I have extolled the virtues of the boost/power formula, I can tell you why motors usually do not reach the stated power outputs. The first problem is that the formula does not take into account the parasitic losses associated with driving the supercharger. In the case of a high-horsepower application, the supercharger may consume 50 to 100 hp (or more) and this power is subtracted directly from the output. If the boost pressure of 10 psi were to supply a mass flow gain able to support a 68-percent increase, then you would still have to subtract the parasitic losses associated with driving the blower. Due to the increase in heat associated with the increase in compression (to 10 psi), the number of oxygen molecules per volume is less than it would be at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the increase in pressure of 68 percent (to 10 psi) will not likely yield a commensurate gain in power, though intercooling can improve the air density (number of molecules per volume). Despite these seemingly insurmountable odds, we often reach the power suggested by the power/boost formula on 4.6L 2-valve motors by combining a healthy (and powerful) naturally aspirated combination with an efficient supercharger.

Want to make your 281-ci mod motor feel like it just gained another 100 cubic inches? This roots blower kit from the Ford Racing catalog will provide big-block-like torque from your 4.6L.

Even on a mild 4.6L, a centrifugal supercharger like this T-Trim unit from Vortech will add an easy 100 hp. The air-to-water aftercooler provides the necessary cooling to allow you to run elevated boost levels on pump gas.

The twin-screw supercharger from Kenne Bell combines the immediate response of the positive-displacement blower with improved efficiency (and power potential) over a typical roots blower.

Building 4.6/5.4L Ford Horsepower on the Dyno

111