TheLion
Well-Known Member
The street IC is adequate for the highest power levels the stock Rods, Crank, Heads, Sleeves, Block and Head Gasket can handle. It seems the factory turbo and integrated manifold support up to around 400 hp / tq, moving to 500 typically seems to require a slightly larger turbo.
The factory IC is absolutely worthless. You can't even call it adequate, it's not. That IC size is only good for about 250hp on say something like a turbo diesel. Not only is it undersized, but it's very poorly designed. Plastic end tanks reduce an already low thermal mass of tube and fine.
Further more if you look at the end tanks, there's a pressure drop due to the 90 degree change in direction AND the majority of flow is concentrated at the bottom 1/3 of an undersized and under massed IC...that's more than 3 strikes, so it's out! The biggest consideration of the stock IC is cost, nothing else. Make it as cheap as possible.
I have a big post on the history of the IC design as well as many documented sources illustrating real data proving it's inadequacy. After only a single pull charge outlet temps are around 140~150F. PCM safe guards (retarding timing and limiting throttle) kick in with charge temps exceeding 150F. So you get 1 gear pull before you start making less than rated HP / TQ.
Why would Ford have done this? Is it because their engineers are stupid? Not a chance, it has to do with V8 sales and project requirements. The 2.3L development project required that the power output not come within 125HP of the V8's power output. Hence a series of de-tuning efforts went into an engine originally speced to make around 360~400 hp. However in order to drop the HP and TQ to meet requirements, Engineering was forced to also make it un-reliable. You can only do so much to de-tune an engine before you affect reliability.
The PCM safety keep it from blowing up (most of the time), but it also gets slower pull after pull. It's very noticeably by time you hit 3rd gear where the 2.3L just falls on its face. Lower ambient temperatures help mask the issue quite a bit, which is why Bama ran a 13.6 on a bone stock EB Auto only with drag radials, I think their ambient was only 54F however. It also explains perfectly why Motor Trend, Car and Driver etc. have noted that EB's are getting slower and slower. The best stock time's I've seen from a magazine for the EB are 13.9, which C&D ran on both their Auto and MT EB's. The Camaro and WRX both ran 13.7 for comparison, so pretty close, but the stock EB being edged out.
Ford states their PCM software and engine design has not changed in terms of power output since the car was released in 2015. But we have 2016 EB PP models running 14.3's and up to 14.5 from the same drivers...that's quite a big difference and while driver error can certainly come into play, going from a 13.9 to 14.5 is quite a bit of error from an experienced driver. These are NOT one time phenomena either, they are repeated attempts.
Scroll down and take a look at this post I did providing documented proof of the issue (last post on that page): http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59116&page=2
Replacing just the IC will make a world of difference in an otherwise bone stock EB. It will drive like you expect it to drive from the factory and I"ll bet my bottom dollar your 1/4 times will not only be consistent even in higher ambient, but they will also be notably faster, I'd expect times on par or slightly better than the WRX or 16 Camaro V6. Not only will the EB make about 20 to 30 more HP / TQ, but it will make that in each gear for the whole run, time after time.
The next weak link to fix would be adding an oil cooler, but for drag and street use that's not really necessary, just run a good quality oil like AMS OIL Signature 5W-30 or something of similar quality. Oil cooler is really only needed for track use where sustained WOT or near WOT is the norm for hours at a time. Factory cooling system MAY or may not need to be upgraded depending on weather you have a PP or Base.
Sponsored
