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Lethal Performance Exclusive: Whipple 2018 Mustang Gen 5 3.0L Supercharger Kit

LethalPerformance

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2018 Whipple: A Lethal Performance First Look



The new Stranger Things season just dropped this weekend, prompting fans to flood social media with excitement in the form of memes, watch parties and theories. What does that have to do with Whipple & Lethal Performance? Nothing, really... or does it? In the show, an alternate universe exists parallel to the human world called The Upside Down (RIP Barb). Here’s where the tie in comes... ready?? Perhaps the engineers over at Whipple Superchargers used their own Netflix binge as inspiration for their latest & greatest 3.0L Whipple supercharger for the new 2018 Mustang GT because the supercharger is UPSIDE DOWN. Mind blown, right? Just like its entertainment counterpart, this upside down creation houses quite a monster....a 900+ horsepower monster to be exact.

Do we have your attention now?

When Ford first revealed their latest 2018 Mustang revamp it was met with a mix of both good and bad criticism. The new front end was not winning any “most popular” awards from the internet critics (side note: the team here at Lethal Performance love it and can’t wait for our own 2018 to be delivered). Behind that front end, however, was the familiar Coyote platform now making 25 more HP and 20 lb/ft more torque than its 2017 predecessor. The biggest change there is the new dual-fuel direct injected fuel setup. That plus better flowing heads & other tweaks makes the Gen 3 Coyote the most powerful yet. In the general sense it’s still a Coyote so you just tweak the current 2011-2017 2.9L and slap it on, make a few extra ponies and have some fun, right? Wrong.

There’s no room!

The infamous new front end and new dual-fuel direct injection fuel system posed some issues for the engineers & designers over at Whipple Superchargers. “The 2018 Mustang proposed multiple packaging problems” says Dustin Whipple, “The hood line was dropped, posing a potential issue with hood clearance with the supercharger drive pulley.” Whipple faced these issues before when the S550 body style was released, prompting their switch from a rear feed to a front feed 2.9L design, however the 2018 hood line is even more aggressive. “The [other main] issue was the implementation of the direct injection system...this took critical space in the valley of the block where we made such tremendous gains on the previous year.” The new direct injection setup “took up valuable real estate for the down facing intercooler of years past.” When they switched to the front feed setup in 2015, not only was just the inlet relocated but Whipple redesigned the intercooler and manifold to be larger and more efficient than the previous years’ design, increasing both horsepower and flow exponentially.

Now what?

The front feed design that had been working so well, setting records & taking names all while tucking itself under the lower hood line of the 2015-2017 body would no longer work. The first option: lower the supercharger itself for clearance. It would work but Dustin said they would need to “shrink the intercooler core nearly 60% to fit, along with smaller passages, thus creating extra back pressure, increased temps and overall performance loss.” NOPE. Another option proposed was to lower the motor using engine mounts, a solution briefly discussed with the previous model. This was passed over again as it would increase NVH and Whipple did not feel it “ideal for a standard production kit.”

“We had to go upside down.”

Whipple decided to turn the supercharger upside down, placing the intercooler on top of the rotors rather than below, like previous models. The decision to flip over the supercharger wasn’t extremely difficult. Whipple’s engineers had already been developing a new rotor design that features a 3/4 rotor combo, which is 3 lobes on the male rotor and 4 valleys on the female rotor vs the current and well-known 3/5 setup. This new, high-tech design is dubbed the Gen 5. Last month, Lethal Performance brought you Whipple’s new Gen 3 rotors, which featured “precision, robotically sprayed conformal PTFE coating” and also “featured a profile change, along with tighter tolerances that minimize power consumption and leakage.” The Gen 3 rotors alone when installed into the previous 2.9L setup added anywhere from 30-50hp in a stock configuration (adding more in modded setups). The Gen 5 rotor design, to be used in the 2018 setup, builds upon these features. “The 3/4 [design] has a 33% step up, vs the 66% of the 3/5” Dustin says, “lending itself to better performance at higher rpm ranges by slowing the male rotor speed and its work.” There is also a new rotor profile in which the female rotor is much stronger and the male much lighter, lowering deflection and moment of inertia. Whipple was also able to lighten the gears, shorten the rotor shafts for increased strength and designed a more robust timing method allowing for “more secure rotor position control.” The current 3/5 rotors are “generally better for lower RPM power where the 3/4 has a wider RPM range,” which Dustin says is a “perfect fit for the Mustang,” whose Coyote motor is revving higher, making more power and being used in many, many race applications. Whipple adds, “The Gen 5 3/4 will really shine the harder its pushed, giving ample room for growth as power demands increase.”

Upside Down is Way Cooler

Dustin further explained to us that the profile of their new 3/4 rotors “fit perfectly above the DI system and allowed for an even BIGGER intercooler than the last model.” Dustin tells us that “to maximize surface area and cooling efficiency, we felt a dual pass intercooler would be the best. This gives us significantly more surface area and cooling time.” So there’s that, coupled with Whipple stepping up the size of their fittings to a high flow 1” size vs. the previous 3/4” sized fittings, and you’ve got one cool mamma-jamma. The 3.0L’s new shorter stance also allowed for a much larger plenum on the feed side of the supercharger to “help maintain incredibly high volumetric efficiency”. The shorter sizing also allowed for the use of their new, larger 150mm inlet for “massive power potential.”

The Tomahawk?

Ford is making the computers on their cars harder and harder for the aftermarket to crack. Top that off with the fueling strategy of the DI/PI system being “extremely complicated” and Ford introducing a new 10-speed automatic, it poses some obstacles for performance tuners. Whipple, however, and their Ford-based calibration team have developed what Dustin tells us is “something special.” Dustin elaborates, “While the aftermarket has to use aftermarket tools, this limits you as they only have access to sometimes less than 5% of the actual calibration data. This limits the ability to fix certain issues such as surging. Our calibration is using actual supercharger logic, meaning part of its predictive strategy is based on the supercharger. Therefore it doesn’t fight the SC, it works with it and uses tables differently than a naturally aspirated engine. This is how we get close to OEM drivability and reliability.” This is all done via their latest calibration tool: The Tomahawk. “The new Tomahawk flash tool is a very robust, OE platform based tool that has the ability to flash any module in the vehicle. It has built in data logging and an SD card for easy updates via our cloud based server. It features user adjustable features including tire/axle size, crank relearn and many other features” Dustin says, “It’s very robust and extremely reliable.”

Numbers, man, numbers!

“The new Gen 5 features all of our latest technology, new port design, length to diameter ratio, new rotor profile, new 3/4 rotor combination, new rotor shaft design, upgraded oil seals and upgraded oil vent system…The supercharger is superior with significantly higher efficiency, along with the new manifold, lid, intercooler and inlet system…This means more power, lower temps, and less boost which is key to truly making reliable big power” explains Dustin. How much more power? In their testing, the new 3.0L Stage 3 setup on a 10-speed automatic 2018 Mustang made 755rwhp and 580 rwtq, which equates out to about 940hp and 725ft/lb, ALL ON 93 OCTANE. How about them apples? If that’s a wee bit too much for you, the Stage 1 base kit still makes 775 engine horsepower and even comes standard with a 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty. The Mustang kits will be available in Stage 1, 2 or 3 as well as a Tuner kit sometime in December (as always, Lethal Performance will be THE place to get them!).

What if I have a 2018 pick-em-up truck?

Don’t worry, Whipple didn’t forget about you when working around the new 2018 DI/PI setups. The 2018 F150 will use the new Gen 3 3/5 design, since there weren’t any size constraints like it’s Mustang brethren. However since there is a lack of limitation Whipple was able to include an even LARGER intercooler than previous years (which was already 33% larger than the competition). The Gen 3 increased power by 30-40 horsepower in the 2015-2017 F150s with zero changes, couple that with the even larger intercooler, the new DI fuel setup, new cylinder heads and cams and you have a very powerful new package. In their testing, the 2018 F150 made 650rwhp and 580rwtq through a 10-speed automatic, equating to 812hp and 725ft/lb on 93 octane. Whammy.

(Oh and for those that live in the super-eco-strict lands of CARB certification, Whipple has your back and is sending both the F150 and the Mustang in for CARB certifications. Winning all around!)

Lethal Performance + Whipple = A powerful team

“It's really awesome to see what Whipple has done over the last decade with their kits. They have evolved making their kits the most well thought out, best fitting and best performing kits on the market. Seeing their changes to the 2018 kit is just another example of Whipple wanting to offer only the best but also to stay ahead of the competition. While most manufacturers will simply adapt their current 15-17 kit into their 18 one with minimal to no changes Whipple designed a completely new setup while also launching their gen 5 rotor design at the same time. Whipple is gonna crush it and we're very excited to be a part of it.

We'll be installing one of their kits on our 2018 GT 10 speed auto car which is currently being built. As with all of our cars Whipple is always a big part of our game plan. We'll start off with the kit just how they designed it using their complete system with the Whipple calibration. We know how well their calibration did on the 11-17 models and are confident the 2018 cal will be just as good or better.

We hooked up with Whipple back in 2005 just as they were just getting their gen 1 systems into production. We've seen the progression of their systems the entire time since then. That's almost 13 years of continual improvements and the strive to be the best.”

-Jared Rosen
Head honcho @ Lethal


So there it is, folks. If you are planning on purchasing, or already have purchased, a 2018 Mustang GT (or a 2018 F150 5.0L) the new Whipple 3.0L Supercharger with its new rotors, bigger intercooler, better tuning & more can make it one badass ride.

For more information, email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 877-2-LETHAL.
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LethalPerformance

LethalPerformance

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I just binge watched Stranger Things, season 2. It was awesome! So is this whipple, good work!
I'm 2 episodes in. :headbang:
 

Quarter Horse

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Finished up ST2 yesterday with the family. Eagerly waiting to see if they can continue the storyline.

As for the Whipple. Damn my car cant get here fast enough. Already ok'ed with the wife a Whipple add-on come April.

Thanks Lethal for the info.
 

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v8hgt

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Only a matter of time I guess before they all copy the Harrop inverted packaging design.
 

Kong76

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Where did Whipple get 93 octane? Based out of Fresno, Ca. All we have is 91.
 

stanglife

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Any plans for 15-17 or GT350s?
 

sigintel

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E85? 97,98, 101 octane numbers?

Congrats!
Torsen 3.55 or use the 3.15?
Fuel system needed?
Any >93 numbers?
Any way to make this E85 capable?
Kit options w catted/noncatted headers?
Comes w Free set of 335 ET R for rear?
Looking to set a lap time vs dollar spent record at COTA.
 

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stanglife

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UAmach1

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Not a big fan of the flat top. I like the rounded shape of current ones, this reminds me of the top of a Dodge engine.

I get WHY it is like that.. just saying.
 

Vernichtung

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Only a matter of time I guess before they all copy the Harrop inverted packaging design.
Which one of Harrop’s kits are you referring to? I’m asking to satisfy my own curiosity.

Thanks.
 

stanglife

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Only a matter of time I guess before they all copy the Harrop inverted packaging design.
How far does that go back? I know they had this design on the zr1 in 09.
 
 




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