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For greasy-shirted gearheads like those of us here at CMOC, leaving well enough alone is simply a trait we don’t possess or choose to actively employ. Sure, something may be great right out of the box, but the only thing that means is some how, some way, we can improve upon it. Just picture Tim “The Tool Man” doing his little grunt here. This quite possibly rings true for the Mustang faithful more than any other, who have made the legendary Blue Oval pony car the alpha hobbyist vehicle for much of the last 46 years. You’d be hard pressed to find any Mustang, anywhere, that hasn’t had some sort of performance modification done. It might as well just be a requirement for purchase.

The newest iteration of the Mustang has been headlined by the glorious return of the five liter engine that fans have sorely missed for the last 15 years since the original was retired with the 1995 model year GT. The new 5.0L-equipped models, less than a year into their production, already stand poised to become one of the greatest versions of the car to ever wear the Mustang badge. The buying public and subsequently the aftermarket manufacturers can’t seem to get enough of it, and that spells good news for everyone.

The 412 horsepower, 302-cubic inch “Coyote” engine, with it’s 11:1 compression ratio and strong internals, proved its capability to take some boosted punishment right out of the gate, which has led to an astounding number of boosted 2011′s running around on the street and the strip. Supercharger and turbocharger manufacturers have jumped on board to satisfy the demand, but with so many quality options on the market, deciding on the right purchase can be a tough ordeal. To take some of that headache away, we’ve compiled a handful of the top forced induction kits on the market designed specifically for the 2011 and up 5.0 Mustang, right here, in one place. And to accomplish that, we’ve spoken with some of the most revered names in the business.

Hellion & Fastlane – Represent the turbocharging side of things, represented by NMRA champ John Urist and Nick Field. They are two of the most respected up-and-coming names in the performance aftermarket, and each have produced single turbo kits that take the 5.0L to new heights with incredible performance potential. Meanwhile, the rest of our guide is composed of seven supercharger manufacturers, all with a rich history in the Ford and automotive high performance market.

ProCharger – One of the leading drag racing and street supercharger manufacturers, has been producing units for the venerable Mustang since the fox body era and in 2011, has delivered three differing kits all aimed at specific segments of enthusiasts with their HO, Stage II, and Cog Race units.

Ford Racing – With their direct R&D connection to Ford has done likewise with three kits that produce 525 and 624 horsepower, as well as a Tuner kit for the do-it-yourself crowd. The kit comes with a 2.3L twin-screw supercharger and heat exchanger. When installed by a Ford dealer, the 525 horsepower kit will retain your factory engine guarantee.

Paxton and Vortech – This famed duo have brought a double threat to the 2011 Mustang market via a centrifugal supercharger, with Paxton producing a kit based on their NOVI 2200 compressor, while Vortech is utilizing their V3-Si Trim supercharger to get the job done with over 600 horsepower. Both kits come with a front mount intercooler, which is different from their previous water-to-air S197 intercooled kits.

Edelbrock’s E-Force – The kit features an Eaton TVS rotor-based supercharger, along with a large intercooler, intercooler water pump, fuel injectors, fuel rails, a handheld calibration module with preloaded tunes, and all belts, tensioners, hoses, and other necessary components that make this a complete, ready-to-install kit.

Magnuson – Magnuson Products started from a clean slate with their new supercharger offering for the 5.0 Mustang, which uses a high-helix MP2300 TVS supercharger, derived from Eaton’s “Twin Vortices Series” rotating unit. All other components in this kit were designed and created by Magnuson and includes everything necessary for installation. All the belts, hoses, electrical connectors and harnesses, bolts, pulleys, brackets, intercooler, and reservoir are all part of the kit. As well, Flashpaq tuning is supplied.

Roush – The newest offering from Roush for the 5.0 is the RoushCharger system. Largely a carryover from the 2010 package in terms of hardware, the new Roush supercharger system for the 2011-2012 GT utilizes an Eaton-based TVSR-2300 roots-style RoushCharger and features a high flow fuel rail, 47 lb/hr fuel injectors plus more. As well, it incorporates a high efficiency, full face air-to-water intercooler with a large degas bottle like that found in the 2010 kit.

This article is the first installment in what will be a multi-part guide to performance upgrades for the 2011 and up 5.0 Mustangs, so keep it tuned right here for everything Coyote. With that said, let’s move on and take an in-depth look at each of the forced induction systems mentioned above.

ProCharger's Three Headed Attack

The Kits

ProCharger has developed not one, not two, but three self-contained supercharger kits available for the 2011 Mustang. “All of these kits are built around our self-contained supercharger head unit and are built around our effective air-to-air intercooling system that are less complex and more efficient. As well, they also feature a dedicated drive belt system. No one else offers this kind of coverage; from an entry level kit with no trimming on up to a fully race-designed kit,” said Jeff Lacina, Marketing Director with Procharger.

Base kit – The HO Intercooled System, utilizes the proven P-1SC-1 supercharger making 7 pounds of boost in conjunction with an air-to-air intercooler and a dedicated 8-rib drive, meaning the drive belt isn’t shared with any other engine-mounted components.

Said ProCharger’s Jeff Lacina, “The HO requires no cutting or trimming of any factory components. It is a pure bolt-on, and it’s our entry level kit, if you will. That is, if you want to call 624 horsepower entry level.”

Stage II kit – Incorporates a larger front-mounted intercooler, fabricated cooling tank, a specially designed radiator fan shroud, and a larger air filter. It uses the very same P-1SC-1 supercharger with 7 pounds boost, but is capable of producing more horsepower over the HO and makes a great kit if you plan to upgrade the blower size down the road.

Cog Race - Designed for more dedicated racing machines with built engines. This particular kit can use one of Prochargers’ many units, including he f-1D, F-1, F-1A, F-1C, and F-1R with ratings between 1,000 and 1,300 horsepower. Other features include a billet aluminum bracket and tensioner pulley, cog crank pulley, and a 50mm dedicated cog drive belt.

Installation Notes

The base HO system, with its smaller intercooler, fits into the front grill as if it belonged there, with a simple bolt-on installation requiring no cutting or aftermarket parts for fitment. The stage II, with its larger intercooler and revised piping layout, requires some trimming to the inside of the lower front fascia and the use of the included fan shroud and coolant overflow tank. The hardcore racing Cog setup requires no extra trimming.

Minimum installation time is around four hours, and will require the use of a small saw for cutting the front fascia on the Stage II kit. The HO kit requires no cutting.

Horsepower Claims

Crank Horsepower – HO: 600, Stage II: 615, Cog: 1,300+
Rear Wheel Horsepower – HO: 523 HP, Stage II: 615+, Cog: 1,000-1,300

Pricing

HO System: $5,986; Tuner: $5,196
Stage II System: $6,396; Tuner: $5,696
Cog: $7,196

Fuel/CARB Requirements

All three kits are non-CARB legal and require the use of 91-93 octane fuel.

Real World Testing

SpeedLabMagazine recently published a complete installation and dyno test of a Procharger HO unit on a 2011 Mustang, producing 523 RWHP for an increase of 165 horsepower on the otherwise stock engine.

Magnuson Products’ Magnacharger

The Kit

Magnuson Products started from a clean slate with their new supercharger offering for the 5.0 Mustang, which uses a high-helix MP2300 TVS supercharger, derived from Eaton’s “Twin Vortices Series” rotating unit. All other components in this kit were designed and created by Magnuson and includes everything necessary for installation. All the belts, hoses, electrical connectors and harnesses, bolts, pulleys, brackets, intercooler, and reservoir are all part of the kit. As well, Flashpaq tuning is supplied. “The core assembly is based on an Eaton-manufactured rotating assembly, and so we’ve aligned ourselves with the largest manufacturer of original equipment superchargers,” said Michael Hewitt. “And as a result, having the reputation for durability that goes along with an OEM manufactured part, we feel that our role in attacking the Ford market is simply piggybacking on some history that’s been well established.”

Installation Notes

A relatively skilled technician or mechanic can install this kit in about 8-10 hours. No specialty tools are required, although a right-angle drill motor will be needed for pinning the crankshaft, of which the necessary bits are included. Standard hand tools and a torque wrench will do the trick. You will have to supply your own coolant and water.

Horsepower Claims

Because this is a very new-to-market kit, Magnuson hasn’t yet performed any concrete dyno runs. However, they have designed the kit to produce about six pounds of boost out of the box, which should create in the neighborhood of 120 additional horsepower and 120 ft-lbs of torque as a starting point.

Pricing

Pricing is anticipated to be $6,500-7,500 depending on powdercoat or chrome finish.

Fuel/CARB Requirements

Magnuson is presently seeking CARB approval and once granted, the Magnacharger kit will meet 50-state legal regulations. The minimum octane requirement is 91.

Real World Testing

The Magnacharger 5.0L system has only been installed on one in-house vehicle thus far, and once testing is completed and CARB approval granted, those numbers will be made public. Stay tuned to the Magnuson Products webite for further developments.

Hairdrying the 5.0 with Hellion

The Kit

Hellion Power Systems recently released their new single turbo system for the 2011-2012 Mustang that is fully stainless steel and is a 100% complete kit, including ECU re-calibration. They system can be supplied with turbos ranging from 64mm to 78mm in size, or can be upgraded later for additional power gains.

With this kit, you can produce astounding horsepower numbers with one kit that requires no extra exhaust components or headers. The expected release date for the kit is Q1 of 2011. “The advantage of a Hellion turbo system is that outrageous horsepower numbers are possible with just one kit. And it’s one price, the first time, with more horsepower per dollar than any other setup,” said Hellion’s John Urist.

Installation Notes

Turbo systems may seem complicated, but Hellion has made it a snap. After removal of the factory H-pipe (or aftermarket X-pipe), the Hellion piping attaches to the factory manifolds. Installation of the turbo and intercooler will require removal of the nose of the car. The cold side (intercooler to the engine) consists of three short pipes and plumb directly into the factory throttle body. Injectors are supplied as part of the kit, and no additional fuel system modifications are necessary. Also comes with a hand held tuner for ECU programming with Hellion customer support just a phone call away.

The Hellion single turbo system installs in 8-12 hours and doesn’t require the use of any of special tools or equipment.

Horsepower Claims

At a base setting of 6 pounds of boost on a stock 5.0, this system produces over 600 horsepower, with the capability of making upwards of 950.

Pricing

Kits start at $5,995.

Real World Testing

John Urist and the guys at Hellion have installed the kit on two cars thus far in its development, one those an automatic-equipped ride (pictured) belonging to former NMRA racer Matt Case, which has pulled 520 horsepower to the wheels and 600 at the crank on 6 pounds of boost.

Edelbrock’s E-Force Supercharger System

The Kit

Hot off the printing presses is Edelbrock’s new E-Force Supercharger System, designed exclusively by the performance masters at Edelbrock to provide instant, reliable, and safe horsepower gains for a stock 5.0L Mustang. With minimum air restriction in and out of the supercharger, along with its 15-inch long intake runners, it’s a recipe for the utmost in low end torque and produces the most horsepower with the least amount of boost for safe operating levels on an otherwise stock engine. The system is available with Edelbrock’s 5-year, 60,000 mile warranty for added peace of mind.

The kit features an Eaton TVS rotor-based supercharger, along with a large intercooler, intercooler water pump, fuel injectors, fuel rails, a handheld calibration module with preloaded tunes, and all belts, tensioners, hoses, and other necessary components that make this a complete, ready-to-install kit.

“The features that we feel make our system a winner in the marketplace is the ability to bolt on the full package, complete with calibration, with no need to source any product from anywhere. It is as complete a kit as you will find in superchargers,” said Edelbrock’s Jason Snyder. “Our design philosophy with our supercharger systems is to minimize boost and increase airflow so you can essentially create more power on less boost than our competitors.”

Installation Notes

Installation of the new 5.0L kit is very similar to that of the 4.6L on a 2010 model car, with the use of basic hand tools that should take around 10 hours to complete.

Horsepower Claims

As this is also a brand new system to the market, concrete horsepower and torque figures are not official, but Edelbrock estimates final numbers to be in the neighborhood of 550 horsepower at the crank at 5.5 pounds of boost.

Pricing

Retail MSRP has not been finalized yet, however the price is expected to be between $6,000 and $6,500.

Fuel/CARB Requirements

Edelbrock’s E-Force system will be 50-state legal upon CARB certification and requires the use of 91 octane fuel.

Real World Testing

Because this brand new system is not yet in production, Edelbrock has only tested the unit on their own in-house test vehicles, of which dyno figures will be released in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to Edelbrock’s website for further news on the kit.

SNAKEBITE

Can you imagine 1300hp=craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy