Tech

This Thing Just Keeps Getting Better | 2020 Ford Ranger FX4 Review

I have to admit, the more I drive the Ford Ranger the more I like it. The Ranger is currently Ford’s smallest pickup truck (keep an eye out for the upcoming Maverick), and it excellently combines throwback style ride and handling with modern safety and convenience. A bit over a year ago we had the opportunity to spend a week with a Sport Appearance Pack equipped Ranger Lariat, and we really enjoyed our time with it. Fast forward ~13 months and we were once again placed behind the wheel of 2020 Ranger FX4, but this time we got to let it flex its off road abilities quite a bit more.

First, I have to say that every positive aspect we noted in our previous Ranger review has only improved. The Ranger is one of those vehicles where the more time you’re given to...

IATs Terminated |VMP's 3100 TVS Supercharger and Intercooler for 2003-04 SVT Cobra Mustangs

For nearly twenty years the SVT Cobra Terminator has roamed the streets; dispatching its challengers without pity, remorse, or fear. It is a machine designed for a single purpose, to terminate the competition. Two decades later, there’s still nothing quite like the 2003-04 Cobra. The unending march of technological progress has produced cars that are faster and more powerful, but at the cost of the soul which made the Terminator so special. Owners of these cars know exactly what I’m talking about.

However, the advances in technology that have benefited newer Mustang models can also be used to enhance the already capable Terminator platform. VMP Performance has long provided TVS supercharger upgrades to the...

VMP | Destroying High IATs in the 2020+ Shelby GT500 Mustang

The 2020+ Shelby GT500 Mustangs are a marvel of modern V8 performance. It’s 2650 TVS Supercharged 5.2L Predator engine cranks out impressive power while still being completely docile during every day around-town driving. However, when you lay your foot into the skinny pedal you better be ready to go for a tide. This is especially true if you happen to be on a road course. But that’s also where you’ll find one of the GT500’s weaknesses.

Spinning that blower hard enough to create the boost needed to produce 760HP creates a lot of heat. Elevated intake air temperatures leads power loss, it’s just a fact of hot rodding. Unfortunately, the GT500’s intercooling system can quickly be overwhelmed in prolonged WOT situations. It can be easily see in datalogs from dyno...

4-Digit HP | VMP 3100 TVS Superchargers for Coyote and GT500

We’ve known this was coming for over a year, but that passage of time hasn’t seemed to reduce the fevered interest in the forthcoming slate of TVS 3100 based superchargers. Of the manufacturers that will be releasing kits based on the 3100 rotor pack, VMP Performance has to be the one garnering the most interest. We’ve heard talk of VMP 3100 blower head units testing out in the wild for some time now, but we recently got a chance to check out a couple such setups at VMP’s HQ in FL.

The two engines in question are heavy hitters in the field of modern Ford performance mills, a 5.0L Coyote and a 5.8L Trinity. The Coyote was instrumented up for testing. On top of several pressure sensors located throughout various sections of the intake tract, VMP placed one very...

VMP Product Development | Stage 3 Odin 2650 TVS Supercharger & Ice Tank

Few things get my inner scientist going like seeing practical engineering advancements being tested, and the crew at VMP Performance do that on the daily. We recently stopped by and found them working away on several projects that will soon be coming to a Mustang near you. One car on the scene that should be familiar to anyone in the Coyote Performance World is VMP’s own Chuck Harter’s 2019 10R80 equipped Mustang GT. It has been a VMP Odin blower test car since the program began, and they are far from finished with it.

As it sits, Chuck’s car is not sporting VMP’s latest Stage 3 Odin 2650 TVS Supercharger featuring Magnuson’s DFT port design. Magnuson is VMP’s manufacturing partner for the Odin line of blowers, and they bring over 60 years of supercharger design...

Ford's 7.3L Godzilla V8 Gets American Racing Headers

We’ve been saying it for years; the holy trinity of bolt-on mods consists of intake, tune, and exhaust. With Ford getting better and better at designing high-flow/low-restriction intakes that gulp in cool outside air, aftermarket CAIs have become less of a necessity. However, there’s still plenty of performance to be found by feeding the ECU a new calibration and few things personalize a ride quite like a new exhaust. But if you really want to liven things up on the back end, few ways do it with more style than a quality set of long tube headers.

This particular set brings us back out to 5 Star Tuning in Florence, SC; and quite possibly the most viewed 2020 7.3L Super Duty in the interwebs. Josh’s Godzilla truck has been featured so many times on the site that I have a hard time...

2020 Explorer ST Gets Modded – Borla Exhaust and 5 Star Tuning

A few weeks back we were passing through Florence, SC on our way to I-95 and decided to drop in and see what was going on at 5 Star Tuning. They happened to have a new project that we’re really looking forward to getting more coverage on in the future, a white 2020 Ford Explorer ST. They had already been hard at work developing some 93 octane and EtOH tuning (currently making over 411 AWHP and 525+ AWTQ with just a tune and E-50), but what really caught our eye was the freshly installed Borla Cat-back Exhaust.

Boral was one of the first companies to release an exhaust system for the latest generation of Explorer SUVs, and with good reason. Borla has long been the Tier 1 supplier of aftermarket exhausts for Ford Performance Racing Parts (Ford Racing). Many...

First Supercharged 7.3L Godzilla V8 | Procharger and 5 Star Tuning Crank Up The Power

At long last, the day we have been waiting for is finally here. You can now own a supercharged 7.3L Godzilla V8 Powered Ford. The first to market with a kit for Ford’s latest Super Duty engine is an established player in the industry, Procharger. They’ve been setting records on the strip for decades, and now they are setting their sights on the highly competitive heavy duty truck market. However, this is not Procharger’s first time building a kit for the Super Duty. They produced a 6.8L V10 kit nearly a decade ago.

This time around, Procharger is working with a completely different beast. The new 7.3L Godzilla V8 has already proven itself to have massive power production capabilities in stock form. We’ve seen gains of...

Install Video | 7.3 V8 Godzilla Powered F-250 Tremor Gets an MBRP Exhaust

One of the most basic mods everyone seems to tackle first is an exhaust upgrade, and with good reason. A more aggressive tone gives a ride more personality, and when your brand-new truck is equipped with an engine known as Godzilla you know you’re going to want to let it roar. We recently dropped in on the guys at 5 Star Tuning in Florence, SC just in time to catch them buttoning up the install of a slick new MBRP Cat-Back on a 7.3L Godzilla V8 powered 2020 F-250 Tremor.

This truck no only looked great, it was about to get an exhaust sound to match. The MBRP kit is precisely constructed from high quality stainless steel, and has impeccable fit and finish. The muffler is a straight through ‘bullet’ design that will certainly liven things up...

Install | EcoBoost S550 Mustang Gets a Ford Racing Strut Tower Brace

I was looking through some old vids the other day and noticed I hadn’t posted this one yet. A few years back Ford Performance Racing Parts (FRPP at the time) sent over their S550 Mustang Strut Tower Brace kit for me to bolt on our project EcoBoost Mustang. They only had the part number listed as fitting the V8 cars, and wanted someone in the field to try adding it to a 4-Banger. I was more than happy to oblige.

Interestingly, it doesn’t appear that I took any pics of the install. All I have are a handful of screen-caps from the video footage. But after bolting it on and letting the guys at Ford know it fit, I never really followed up to see if they did anything else with it. In any event, here is the install video. It’s pretty straight forward, and...

More EGR Coolers for Ford EcoBoost Engines

A few months back we took a look under the hood of the 2019 Ford Ranger and found something that appeared to be a bit out of place. It appears that Ford Engineers found that the mid-size truck’s 2.3L EcoBoost engine required an EGR Cooler in order to meet modern emissions regulations. Turns out that EGR Coolers are finding their way onto all sorts of new Ford engines.

Recently, we were taking a look at a 2020 F-150 equipped with the 2.7L EcoBoost and tuned by 5-Star tuning. While it was an awesome little ride, we couldn’t help but notice that Ford had snuck an EGR Cooler under the hood. It appears that these direct-injected turbo engines may be a bit dirtier than their “Eco” name would lead you to believe. Considering that the dead-nuts simple 7.3L gas V8 gets by without the need for EGR at all (yes, I...

Heavy Metal | F-350 Super Duty Odyssey Battery Install

Sooner or later, the unending march of time is going to kill your factory flooded-cell batteries. Sure, you can prolong their life with proper storage and maintenance techniques; but in the end time always wins. That was the issue I found myself facing a few years back with the factory Motorcraft batteries in my 6.4L Powerstroke equipped 2009 F-350. After ~7 years of used the originals were showing the “Red Dot of Death”. All-in-all, they lived a good life. It’s hard to ask for more than service life they provided, but it was time for an upgrade.

Over years of motorsports and off-road/marine experience I’ve come to trust the Odyssey brand of AGM batteries. They can be somewhat expensive; but they deliver massive cranking amps, deep draw capabilities, can last over a decade, and...

S&B Super Duty Cab Mounts | Never Install OEM Junk Again

For over two decades the Ford Super Duty line of trucks have continued to raise the bar for heavy-duty work truck performance and comfort. And while there have been a few stumbling points along the way (6.0 cooling system and 6.4 flame thrower come to mind) the Duty has marched steadily towards higher levels of performance and quality throughout the years. Unfortunately, the issue that leads us to this review is one of those engineering quality missteps I mentioned. Thankfully, the guys at S&B have created the ultimate solution to this particular problem.

For the 2005 model year, Ford switch from using traditional rubber cab mounts to a new style made from urethane foam. The impetus from this change was the reduction of NVH, and while there may have been some nearly...

S550 Supercharger Shakeup | From Edlebrock 2650 TVS to Whipple Gen 5 3.0L

Hey everyone. It has been a minute since I have been on here so to everyone knew, good day! And to those who know me from before, hey hey. But I wanted to share my experience on something I did with my 2018. Recently made a swap from the Edlebrock E-force 2650 TVS to the Whipple Gen 5 3.0L Twin-Screw on my Mustang. And before I hear both sides of ‘why” or “good”, I want to give a real story behind this. This isn’t a bash or complaint. This was a honest change and being I have ran both systems I can offer honest feedback.

When I picked up the E-force, I went full-retard on it with options. Stage 2, larger throttle body and 8-rib upgrade with a 15% OD balancer. But the issue I ran into right away was that I only did injectors and a fuel pump swap as...

Tested | Prototype JLT Intake for the 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang

In case you guys missed it, let me catch you up. SVTP has been working with VMP Performance to test the performance increases we can squeeze out of the recently released 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang with some typical bolt-on parts and tuning. After seeing some impressive stock boost level gains, both at the track and on the dyno, it was time to test out a classic Mustang mod; a JLT Cold Air Intake.

The SVTP community is well aware that a CAI is a member of the holy trinity of basic bolt-on mods for any car (intake, tune, and exhaust for the uninitiated). And for close to twenty years the folks at JLT have been churning out some of the Ford Performance Nation’s favorite kits. The styling and materials of the kits may have changed some over the years, but JLT’s share...

2020 Shelby GT500 | Modding and Testing VMP's Project Snowbird

I know you guys have been waiting for this. The 2020 GT500 has already proven to be a supremely impressive addition to Ford Performance family of vehicles. But this is SVTP, you know we never leave anything stock for long. So we teamed up with the supercharger experts at VMP Performance to cover some up the preliminary build up of their project Predator. When we arrived, the car was already equipped with a ported supercharger courtesy of Jokerz Performance. Other than the blower, the car was stock.

So the first order of business was to strap the Twister Orange Mustang to rollers and set a baseline. He above setup netted us 680 RWHP, but the interesting thing we noticed was the power starting to drop off once the engine reached 7,700 RPM. VMP’s Justin Starkey...

MT-82 Manual Transmission Oil Change | Amsoil MTF

Love it or hate it, the MT-82 is the transmission that brought six gears to the masses in the Mustang market. Before it, buyers were required to step up to one of the halo performance model Pony cars in order to row through more than five speeds. The Getrag box has plenty of pluses, but it did get off to a bit of a rocky start. Thankfully, we like modding here on SVTP.

One of the biggest complaints the MT-82 received early on was sketchy gear engagement that differed based on temperature. It seemed that the factory synchros were particularly sensitive to oil viscosity, and Ford filled the MT-82 with a fairly lightweight oil from the factory. That was fine for cold weather and average daily driving. However; during hot summer months, and especially on the road track, the oil would get so...

WTF??? | Ford EcoBoost Engines Now Have EGR Coolers

Well this is a new one. We recently had a 2019 Ford Ranger FX4 in for testing. For those unfamiliar with the specs of Ford's reborn small'ish truck, it is currently only available with a 2.3L EcoBoost 4-Cylinder engine and the 10R80 10-Speed Auto. That mill has proven to be pretty stout in tuned Mustang application dating back to 2015, and there are a few guys turning them up in Rangers too.

However, as I was poking around under the hood of our test truck I noticed something odd. Ford is equipping the Ranger's 2.3L with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation ("EGR") system that also includes a tiny EGR Cooler. By now you probably know that clogged EGR Coolers have led to the early death of countless diesels over the years, and I've never seen one fitted to a Ford gas motor. Nonetheless, there it...

Justin Starkey Fills Us in About VMP's Odin 2.65L TVS Supercharger

We just got back from PRI 2019 and we have a lot of information to share with you. On top of Ford Performance releasing thier new 'Werewolf' Iron Coyote Block, this year's show was the first chance for many to lay eyes on @VMP Performance's 2.65L TVS Supercharger. We were on hand to get some pics of the blower from a few angles you may not have seen. Plus; the man behind the product, Justin Starkey, took the time to share some design details with us. If you like massive intercooler cores and serious power potential I think you'll be pleased. Check it out:

Whipple or Kenne Bell? | What Are We Looking At?

If you’ve been in the performance community for any decent period of time some things just become instantly recognizable. To a gearheads ears here’s no mistaking the sound of a blow-off valve bleeding off some boost pressure or the piercing tones of a Coyote powered Mustang with some Borla Stingers. Similarly, we all know that Kenne Bell blowers are massive blocks of billet aluminum bolted to your favorite engine, while a Whipple Supercharger features a ribbed cast aluminum case. And then there’s this:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. What we have here is a relic of the past, from a time when Whipple and Kenne Bell were just starting in the supercharger business. A time when the two companies were more closely related than you might think. The founders of each company, Art Whipple and Jim...