Less Common or Obscure Bolt ons

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I'm curious if there are any less common or obscure bolt-ons that are available for the Gen 3 Coyote that can be done to increase hp. I'm not referring to the common ones such as: tune, aftermarket air intake, ported TB, intake manifold (ported, CJ, etc.), headers, and catback.

I haven't dug deep enough into the less common ones yet on the Mustang as I've just recently started considering bolt ons for my 2018 GT. I'm curious what else is out there and available.

Back in my LT1 F body Trans Am days, I did a lot of these less common or obscure bolt-ons in addition to the ones I list above that most of my buddies weren't doing that when combined together, made for a more powerful LT1 compared to others that stuck with the more common bolt on approach only. I did all the common bolt ons and an aftermarket Comp cams 305 (w/ aftermarket valve springs/lifters/hardened push rods, etc.). I was beating full bolt on LS1s with my setup.

I also did the following: Electric water pump, high ratio roller rocker arms, TB coolant bypass, radiator manual/auto fan control switch, 160 deg F temperature thermostat, underdrive pulley (slows the accessory drives, reducing accessory drag) and maybe others I can't think of off the top of my head right now. I loved having the electric water pump and manual fan switch (low/high/auto). Between passes at the drag strip, while others were icing their intake manifolds, I'd simply turn my engine off, but turn the water pump on and the radiator fans on high. I could drop the coolant temp. a large amount in just a few minutes. The Electric WP also added a bit of power since the pulley losses were gone (the stock water pump ran off the camshaft).

Sponsored

 

[kevinvan6000]

I also had a number of LT1 F-Bodies. Had 5 of them over the years, so I know what you mean. These Coyote motors are much better designed then the old LT1s, and there isn't much left of the table. In one respect, it is nice as there's less needed to do to "fix" what they came out of the factory with. On the other hand, if you like to tinker with things, there isn't much you can do, outside of the standard stuff as you have mentioned. There are 160 and 170 F thermostats available for our cars, I believe a retune is required to get them most out of them. Oil catch cans are a good idea as well. Thank God there's no optispark we no longer have to deal with lol.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I also had a number of LT1 F-Bodies. Had 5 of them over the years, so I know what you mean. These Coyote motors are much better designed then the old LT1s, and there isn't much left of the table. In one respect, it is nice as there's less needed to do to "fix" what they came out of the factory with. On the other hand, if you like to tinker with things, there isn't much you can do, outside of the standard stuff as you have mentioned. There are 160 and 170 F thermostats available for our cars, I believe a retune is required to get them most out of them. Oil catch cans are a good idea as well. Thank God there's no optispark we no longer have to deal with lol.

Ha, I was fortunate in that I never had a single problem with the Opti-spark on my Trans Am. Owned my 1995 Trans Am for over a decade (daily driver for about 7 of those years). But yeah, there was a lot of minor things that could be done to improve that engine and I did them and they all added up to a big advantage. Plus, I knew how to shift gears better (quicker) than most taking full advantage of my Hurst short shifter.

I owned every Mustang GT in town with that car in the early 2000s. On the street I used to pull a car or so on a FBO LS1 Firehawk w/ aftermarket camshaft that was running 12.4 in the 1/4 (pretty quick at the time). I was known to be the fastest NA LT1 in town at the time. New LS1 guys always looked down on me, until I beat them on the street. That was back in college, young and dumb.

What's amazing is back then, the heads/cam LS1s were pushing over 400 rhwp, less than a Stock 2018 GT. Amazing.

 

[Htk084]

Interesting question, I would work on getting the car a bit lighter maybe?

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Interesting question, I would work on getting the car a bit lighter maybe?

Yeah, I've thought about that, too. i.e., Lightweight wheels and front brake rotors on stock PP1 tire sizes (larger wider tires = heavier). Reducing 1 lbs of spinning mass is like reducing 3 lbs of sprung weight for acceleration. However, I really like the black PP1 wheels. But beyond that it gets expensive or pretty inconvenient. I don't want a stripped down interior or to remove my strut tower brace. And switching to a CF hood or trunk lid doesn't save very much.

 

[16_GTot]

MMR and meizire(?) have electric water pumps. ~10hp and some weight off the nose of the car. MMR, Steeda, and someone else has lightweight water pump pulleys, not really worth much, but every bit counts. Jpc has an under drive alternator pulley. Aerospace belt driven crankcase evac system- claims 20-40 hp, but risk running the pins dry. There’s a bit out there, but unless your max effort, it’s really not worth the small gains for such high price.

 

[Htk084]

You could do battery, rear seat delete, and maybe some things that add up

Yeah, I've thought about that, too. i.e., Lightweight wheels and front brake rotors on stock PP1 tire sizes (larger wider tires = heavier). Reducing 1 lbs of spinning mass is like reducing 3 lbs of sprung weight for acceleration. However, I really like the black PP1 wheels. But beyond that it gets expensive or pretty inconvenient. I don't want a stripped down interior or to remove my strut tower brace. And switching to a CF hood or trunk lid doesn't save very much.

 

[SheepDog]

I'm curious if there are any less common or obscure bolt-ons that are available for the Gen 3 Coyote that can be done to increase hp. I'm not referring to the common ones such as: tune, aftermarket air intake, ported TB, intake manifold (ported, CJ, etc.), headers, and catback.

I haven't dug deep enough into the less common ones yet on the Mustang as I've just recently started considering bolt ons for my 2018 GT. I'm curious what else is out there and available.

Back in my LT1 F body Trans Am days, I did a lot of these less common or obscure bolt-ons in addition to the ones I list above that most of my buddies weren't doing that when combined together, made for a more powerful LT1 compared to others that stuck with the more common bolt on approach only. I did all the common bolt ons and an aftermarket Comp cams 305 (w/ aftermarket valve springs/lifters/hardened push rods, etc.). I was beating full bolt on LS1s with my setup.

I also did the following: Electric water pump, high ratio roller rocker arms, TB coolant bypass, radiator manual/auto fan control switch, 160 deg F temperature thermostat, underdrive pulley (slows the accessory drives, reducing accessory drag) and maybe others I can't think of off the top of my head right now. I loved having the electric water pump and manual fan switch (low/high/auto). Between passes at the drag strip, while others were icing their intake manifolds, I'd simply turn my engine off, but turn the water pump on and the radiator fans on high. I could drop the coolant temp. a large amount in just a few minutes. The Electric WP also added a bit of power since the pulley losses were gone (the stock water pump ran off the camshaft).

IMHO, If your going to stay NA, then spend your money on reducing weight, especially unsprung weight and rotational weight. Super light wheels, rotors, driveshaft, flywheel, etc . Add to that some sticky tires and a good suspension, and your car will be really fast. If you do only one power adder, do a tune and E85.

As far as adding power goes, don't even bother with bolt on's. Save you money and go forced induction when you can afford it. Chasing 10hp here and there adds up quick financially. purchase boost and fueling, then decide if an electric water pump or other "non-typical" items are even necessary. Otherwise you will purchase all of that stuff anyway, then inevitably be drawn to the darkside of FI because all of those fancy whiz bangs won't mean shit compared to a blower or turbo. Trust me, I've seen this movie a hundred times.

 

[Htk084]

I would agree with that assesment

IMHO, If your going to stay NA, then spend your money on reducing weight, especially unsprung weight and rotational weight. Super light wheels, rotors, driveshaft, flywheel, etc . Add to that some sticky tires and a good suspension, and your car will be really fast. If you do only one power adder, do a tune and E85.

As far as adding power goes, don't even bother with bolt on's. Save you money and go forced induction when you can afford it. Chasing 10hp here and there adds up quick financially. purchase boost and fueling, then decide if an electric water pump or other "non-typical" items are even necessary. Otherwise you will purchase all of that stuff anyway, then inevitably be drawn to the darkside of FI because all of those fancy whiz bangs won't mean shit compared to a blower or turbo. Trust me, I've seen this movie a hundred times.

 

[Nuked]

If I had an 18+ my mods would be an E85 tune, longtubes that are "free flowing" and a panel filter for the stock airbox. That would be it for power. Rest would be used on suspension and wheels/tires. This gives you a solid platform to work with and if you decide to go boost all the parts (besides possibly the panel filter) are compatible.

 

[Htk084]

Another small mod you could do is maybe the Velossa big mouth? Could get you another 1 mph or 2 in the traps perhaps.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

MMR and meizire(?) have electric water pumps. ~10hp and some weight off the nose of the car. MMR, Steeda, and someone else has lightweight water pump pulleys, not really worth much, but every bit counts. Jpc has an under drive alternator pulley. Aerospace belt driven crankcase evac system- claims 20-40 hp, but risk running the pins dry. There’s a bit out there, but unless your max effort, it’s really not worth the small gains for such high price.

This is the type of response I was looking for. Not really an opinion of the value or worth of a given mod, but just what's out there for the Coyote. I think the electric water pump is a doable option, but it isn't very cheap. I'm undecided on its value at this time, though. I've done it before, but it was much cheaper back in the early 2000s for the LT1. It took me a while to find a reliable relay with my LT1, so I had to carry a pack of relays to replace when they blew while driving. Eventually I found a reliable relay that stopped giving me problems. I don't remember that brand of relay, so I'd be starting over.

IMHO, If your going to stay NA, then spend your money on reducing weight, especially unsprung weight and rotational weight. Super light wheels, rotors, driveshaft, flywheel, etc . Add to that some sticky tires and a good suspension, and your car will be really fast. If you do only one power adder, do a tune and E85.

As far as adding power goes, don't even bother with bolt on's. Save you money and go forced induction when you can afford it. Chasing 10hp here and there adds up quick financially. purchase boost and fueling, then decide if an electric water pump or other "non-typical" items are even necessary. Otherwise you will purchase all of that stuff anyway, then inevitably be drawn to the darkside of FI because all of those fancy whiz bangs won't mean shit compared to a blower or turbo. Trust me, I've seen this movie a hundred times.

I'm not really interested in FI. I don't take it to the drag strip so monumental amounts of torque aren't as usable on the street. Plus, I can piecemeal lower dollar mods over time coupled with reasonable weight reduction, and be pretty quick on the street when desired, esp. w/ the A10. Besides, many bolt-ons you can continue using w/ FI, if I ever decided to go that route.

Another small mod you could do is maybe the Velossa big mouth? Could get you another 1 mph or 2 in the traps perhaps.

Is it really worth 1 or 2 mph in the 1/4 mile? Do you have to remove the front fascia to install the big mouth mod?

 

[Htk084]

Regarding the velossa tech, a guy on here tested it and picked up some mph. His name was mazman I believe.

Also, a guy with a 6th gen camaro picked you 2 mph with it on a stock car and even showed more airflow through the stock box. I’m skeptical and wish there was more data

 

[AZ18yote]

LTH + e85 tune are obvious ones. But items that decrease parasitic hp loss to the wheels add up. Light weight rotors, light weight wheels, carbon fiber drive shaft are a few examples.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Regarding the velossa tech, a guy on here tested it and picked up some mph. His name was mazman I believe.

Also, a guy with a 6th gen camaro picked you 2 mph with it on a stock car and even showed more airflow through the stock box. I’m skeptical and wish there was more data

I read that you have to remove the bumper to install it. I don't think it would be worth it. If it was a simple bolt on, I might try it and measure the MAF readings to see if it's indeed getting more air.

Sponsored