2016 GT Engine Upgrades for Road Course

[Bumzo1]

I've had my 2016 GT PP for nearly 10 years now and for the last 7 it has been primarily a track car. The car has been very good to me with a few seasons of AutoX and upwards of 100 track days with only normal maintenance and a few sets of wheel bearings. I upgraded the suspension early on and have pretty much only spent money on tires and brakes since then. Now I'm at the point where I'm wanting a little more power and more importantly more RPM. I was originally interested in the Ford Power Pack 3 with the GT350 intake but now it appears that is discontinued. I'm now looking to piece together a kit with the 2018 intake manifold and an aftermarket tune but I have quite a few questions. I've scoured the site and read a lot of opinions but it seems like most of those are geared toward street or 1/4 mile times. This car is 70% road course and 30% street.

When looking at aftermarket tuning companies are there any that are more roadcourse focused? Are there any tuning differences that I should consider for road course vs a drag car?

From the videos I've seen, it appears the power peak of the 2018 mani is around 7200RPM. I would really like to shift around 7500 and there are some spots at the local tracks where 7600 or 7700 would save me from a shift at the end of a straight. Are there any concerns with setting the Rev limiter at 7900 with the intent of never exceeding 7800?

A lot of the 2018 manifold power packages I've found online include the JLT 120mm "cold air intake". The consensus seems very mixed as to whether this style of intake is actually a benefit or if it will just lead to increased IATs. Most of this concern seems centered around idling/sitting in traffic. Is this still a concern on track when you're constantly moving or should I just try to source an OEM 2018 airbox with a good drop in filter? It seems like with the sales going on right now the cost is pretty similar between the 2 options.

I do intend to add some hood vents, has anyone had good luck with just the side vents that replace the stock GT vents or should I plan to do a center vent as well? I did add a mishi oil cooler a few years ago but the car still hits 250F CHTs within 10-15 mins during a summer session. I know that revving it higher will only increase the heat load so more cooling is necessary. I'm leaning towards doing the trackspec center vent with the wicker bill. Does a 170F thermostat help at all in this situation?

Thanks for the input, there seems to be an overwhelming amount of options available for these cars!

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[Ewheels]

No input on the power mods but when it comes to hood vents, I'd recommend Race Louvers over Trackspec.
Race Louvers wind tunnel tests all their products and puts the data on their website. You can look through that to decide which is best for you but I'd recommend the center and the side vents combo for the best results.

 

[Howitzer]

It seems you have a lot of experience already.

And i think what you've found is correct. For reference, I have a 2015 with a ported 18 manifold, headers, dyno tuned and my peak power is about 7200rpm.

if you really want to push RPM, the GT350 intake is the one to get, but to actually make power higher you'll need cams. And at those higher RPMs, I'd be concerned about the oil pump gears.

Tuning...I don't think there's really a difference in application. Power is power. Just make sure the logs look good. More timing = more heat, but I don't know how much difference that really makes.

As for air intake, I don't think it really matters. Just get the one with the largest tube that'll fit. I'd recommend a closed box one if you're thinking of vents (and I would recommend those too). I only run side vents (trackspec) and they do a decent job. I saw some good initial temp drops when I installed them. I think you'll see a good drop with any venting option.

I don't think a lower thermostat is going to do anything. You want the car at proper operating temperature. And the stock is already 190. If you're hitting 220+ coolant temps on track, it's not doing anything the stock isn't. I don't see how it would help.

Since you are mentioning heat here - you can also run e85 as that will burn cooler. Comes with its own separate challenges though.

 

[WItoTX]

With regard to temps, when I had my new motor built, temps were my primary focus. I don't make a ton more power, but it's all much lower in the rev range, helping with temps. On track you are constantly moving, so I wouldn't worry about iats when going to a cai.

Get the center vent, and ideally go to race louvers. If you look at their data, the way they are designed, they suck more air out of the engine bay then the competition. My personal experience though, it's not going to significantly affect oil temps. But my chts barely rose with the vents, it was quite impressive. Granted it was on a cool day in texas, but heat is always my no 1 concern.

In regards to the thermostat, yes going to a 170 definitely helps, and is the route I'm going as well, and going to water wetter instead of antifreeze. Just read up on the downside of that method first.

Which cooler did you add?

 

[robvas]

Have you done a radiator yet?

 

[Bumzo1]

And i think what you've found is correct. For reference, I have a 2015 with a ported 18 manifold, headers, dyno tuned and my peak power is about 7200rpm.

if you really want to push RPM, the GT350 intake is the one to get, but to actually make power higher you'll need cams. And at those higher RPMs, I'd be concerned about the oil pump gears.

I originally set out to get the GT350 intake but something is going on with that part because prices are a lot higher than they were just a year or two ago. My quest for RPM is less about maximizing power as it is having more headroom to optimize my shift points on track. It seems like the 18 manifold still carries power to 7500 and doesn't fall off too badly. At my local track there are 2 or 3 spots where I'm shifting 4-5 to avoid hitting the 6800 redline. Raising the rev limit to 7500 or higher would eliminate multiple shifts per lap on top of the HP benefits.

As for air intake, I don't think it really matters. Just get the one with the largest tube that'll fit. I'd recommend a closed box one if you're thinking of vents (and I would recommend those too). I only run side vents (trackspec) and they do a decent job. I saw some good initial temp drops when I installed them. I think you'll see a good drop with any venting option.

I'm definitely interested in adding vent(s) and also creating a radiator shroud. A single center vent with some type of wicker seems like it would be very effective and then I wouldn't have to worry about running an open air intake.

Since you are mentioning heat here - you can also run e85 as that will burn cooler. Comes with its own separate challenges though.

I'm definitely curious about e85, there's a racetrac gas station near my work that carries e85. I don't think a flex fuel tune is a good fit for a track car though and I am concerned about fuel quality for a full up e85 tune. I need to get a test kit and start taking some samples from that station and see if I can rely on it.

 

[Bumzo1]

With regard to temps, when I had my new motor built, temps were my primary focus. I don't make a ton more power, but it's all much lower in the rev range, helping with temps. On track you are constantly moving, so I wouldn't worry about iats when going to a cai.

Get the center vent, and ideally go to race louvers. If you look at their data, the way they are designed, they suck more air out of the engine bay then the competition. My personal experience though, it's not going to significantly affect oil temps. But my chts barely rose with the vents, it was quite impressive. Granted it was on a cool day in texas, but heat is always my no 1 concern.

In regards to the thermostat, yes going to a 170 definitely helps, and is the route I'm going as well, and going to water wetter instead of antifreeze. Just read up on the downside of that method first.

Which cooler did you add?

I'm conflicted on the race louvers, I understand the science behind them but the appearance is a little hard to get past. The trackspec vent looks much nicer and is nearly twice the size. With the wicker bill add on the performance is pretty similar and cost is as well. Which vent did you go with?

I added the mishimoto oil cooler with an improved racing sandwich plate so my oil temps and coolant temps stay in a decent range but my CHTs still get pretty high. I think part of it may be just ambient air temp under the hood and the vent should help a lot with that. Coming off track after a cool down lap I have to use gloves just to open the hood and yet my radiator fans are barely spinning. On my way to the paddock I usually turn the A/C on just a little bit to kick the rad fans into high gear. I'm hoping my tuner will be able to adjust the fan to come one at a much lower coolant temp.

 

[Bumzo1]

Have you done a radiator yet?

I have not, I still have the stock performance pack radiator. I will reevaluate if I need to upgrade after I do the hood vents and radiator shroud.

 

[WItoTX]

I'm conflicted on the race louvers, I understand the science behind them but the appearance is a little hard to get past. The trackspec vent looks much nicer and is nearly twice the size. With the wicker bill add on the performance is pretty similar and cost is as well. Which vent did you go with?

I added the mishimoto oil cooler with an improved racing sandwich plate so my oil temps and coolant temps stay in a decent range but my CHTs still get pretty high. I think part of it may be just ambient air temp under the hood and the vent should help a lot with that. Coming off track after a cool down lap I have to use gloves just to open the hood and yet my radiator fans are barely spinning. On my way to the paddock I usually turn the A/C on just a little bit to kick the rad fans into high gear. I'm hoping my tuner will be able to adjust the fan to come one at a much lower coolant temp.

I'm more curious which mishi kit you are talking about. Is it right in front of the radiator? Have you boxed the radiator?

Yes, once you go to 170, the tuner can pretty easily adjust fans to kick on then too. A friend did that mod on his, and while his poil temps still rise, his water temps and chts hardly move. He's on a CAN system of some sort, and is pulling actual temps, nothing inferred.

 

[Bumzo1]

I'm more curious which mishi kit you are talking about. Is it right in front of the radiator? Have you boxed the radiator?

Yes, once you go to 170, the tuner can pretty easily adjust fans to kick on then too. A friend did that mod on his, and while his poil temps still rise, his water temps and chts hardly move. He's on a CAN system of some sort, and is pulling actual temps, nothing inferred.

Yes, I have their standard GT kit where the cooler covers most of the upper grill opening. I should really add an actual temp gauge to the sandwich plate because I know that the dash gauge is inferred. That guage normally shows right on the edge of green/yellow so I've assumed it is at least lower than that.

I have not boxed the radiator yet but that is in the plans. I will probably also see if there is any room to open up the grill a bit more but I know that doing it too much can be a detriment.

That's good to know about the 170 thermostat, I will probably do that as well. Thanks for the insight!

 

[robvas]

If you're running "hot" you're not going to see much with a 170 thermostat

They are more for keeping your car in the 180-190's, you still need the cooling capability to keep the car from going over the 200's

The louvers would be a help

 

[WItoTX]

If you're running "hot" you're not going to see much with a 170 thermostat

They are more for keeping your car in the 180-190's, you still need the cooling capability to keep the car from going over the 200's

The louvers would be a help

Theoretically...but if your starting 20 degrees cooler, your ending cooler as well in a 20 min session. Now if your doing racing, or even TT, I could see it being less of a "fix".

 

[robvas]

Theoretically...but if your starting 20 degrees cooler, your ending cooler as well in a 20 min session. Now if your doing racing, or even TT, I could see it being less of a "fix".

It's only going to need about a minute to get hot.

You're not going to see a 20 degree difference anyway. The stock stat is a 180. After doing a 170, cruising I will see an easy 10 degrees lower but once I start pushing it, it goes right back to 200. Have a radiator sitting in the garage to put in and I might do hood vents after that.

 

[WItoTX]

It's only going to need about a minute to get hot.

You're not going to see a 20 degree difference anyway. The stock stat is a 180. After doing a 170, cruising I will see an easy 10 degrees lower but once I start pushing it, it goes right back to 200. Have a radiator sitting in the garage to put in and I might do hood vents after that.

Stock is 190, and fans kick in a little above that. Move both to 170, it improves cooling. Add vents, even better. Go to water wetter, even better.

I agree, your route is the ultimate fix though.

 

[GTP]

My opions are based on a couple dozen track days at 9 tracks over 10 years...

• Keep your PP radiator, but drain a gallon of coolant and replace with distilled water. Should put you at 63% water ratio.
• I drilled several circles out of my radiator shroud. It's a compromise between street and track performance. The fans don't run when on track, but they will in the paddock.
• After inspecting your cooler stackup closely you may find that there really are not many air leaks. (Not so with 2018+ cars.)
• Lower Tstat is a waste of time and money.
• Hood vent(s) help, a little.

As for increasing redline... Yes it is nice to not have to upshift and then immediately downshift again as @Bumzo1 said. But there will still be tracks and corners out there where that happens anyway, so where does it end? Our engines are not like slot car motors with a super wide rpm range. Take into consideration the previous corner as well. Perhaps you can have just as high of apex and track-out speed in the next higher gear, which solves the upshift/downshift issue. That has worked for me, but of course it depends on the exact situation.

A few hundred more rpm will definitely increase your CHT, and so I can't recommend that. There is also an increased chance for early engine failure. You need to get a handle on your current overheating first. Although I had CHT licked for a season, I still had to short shift 6th to 7th and then even 7th to 8th at Road America because of the long hard pulls there. That's when I drilled holes in the shroud and diluted my coolant.

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