Feature: Twin-Turbo Coyote

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Feature: Twin-Turbo Coyote

Countdown to Extinction

Michael Ellan left import cars behind in his Armageddon turbo’d 2014 Mustang GT

By Steve Turner

Photos courtesy of Michael Ellan and Motiva Performance

It’s not often that you think of Armageddon as a positive thing. You might associate it with everything coming to an end. In the case of Michael Ellan, it was the combination of the Coyote engine and an Armageddon turbo kit that brought him back to Mustangs from the import dark side.

Michael tweaked his bad, black GT with a few minor mods. Roush front and side splitters enhance the car’s side lines, while a GT500 rear valances rounds out the look out back.
Michael tweaked his bad, black GT with a few minor mods. Roush front and side splitters enhance the car’s side lines, while a GT500 rear valances rounds out the look out back.

That’s definitely an Armageddon with a happy ending, but it is kind of sad to hear that Michael moved from Foxes to imports. Like the second act to any three-act play, there have to be struggles before we arrive at the happiness.

“My 2014 GT’s (aka Rumblebelly) journey began years ago when the Coyote platform hit. By then I had already owned two Mustangs, an ’89 LX and a ’91 GT,” Michael confessed. “However, I was swayed to the dark side of turbocharged imports for a while and then dabbled with a few European cars. During that timeframe my fastest car was a mid-10-second Evo VIII. I liked the 4G63 platform but truly missed the low-end grunt of my Mustangs.”

Ah, we know the feeling. If you haven’t driven your Mustang in a while, the glory that is the torque of a V-8 is something that brings a smile to your face every time. Still, a stock Mustang is never the end of the road. Rather, it is the beginning.

During his dalliance with imports, Michael developed an appreciation for autocrossing and high-performance driving events on road courses. As such, he enhanced his GT’s suspension with Ground Control caster/camber plates, Ford Racing P springs, Metco adjustable upper control arm, Metco lower control arms, and a J&M adjustable Panhard bar. Those fetching rims are 19x9-inch SSR GTV-0s wearing 285/35-19 Hankook Ventus V12s.
During his dalliance with imports, Michael developed an appreciation for autocrossing and high-performance driving events on road courses. As such, he enhanced his GT’s suspension with Ground Control caster/camber plates, Ford Racing P springs, Metco adjustable upper control arm, Metco lower control arms, and a J&M adjustable Panhard bar. Those fetching rims are 19×9-inch SSR GTV-0s wearing 285/35-19 Hankook Ventus V12s.

“I knew it was only a matter of time before I had one. Fast forward to mid-2013 when we all started to see production-ready variants of the 2015 Mustang,” Michael added. “I wasn’t a fan, rather than go into why, I’ll just say that within three weeks I sold my Porsche 997 C4S (a.k.a. Rumblebutt, with her rear-mounted six) and picked up my 2014 GT base manual with the Performance Pack and Recaros.”

Ford was obviously looking to attract Euro buyers with the S550, but that styling sent a Euro fan straight into a 2014 Mustang. We certainly can’t argue with following your heart, and that’s just what Michael did. Of course, after years of playing with turbo imports and euros, Michael needed to boost his Coyote.

“Coming from the import scene I expected to find a plethora of supporting kits for such a potent platform,” he said. “Combine that with what I experienced with the finely crafted aftermarket parts for my C4S and as you can imagine my expectations were high.”

Obviously the main mod on Michael’s engine is the comprehensive Armageddon twin-turbo kit. However, he further enhanced the combo with a Boss 302 intake, a Fluidyne radiator, and Steeda engine mounts. Pushing 8 pounds of boost on pump gas, this combo put down 637 horsepower and 524 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels on TruDyno’s Mustang Dyno. Two TiAL Sport 44mm MV-R wastegates and two Tial Q 50.5mm blow-off valves support those two Garrett turbos.
Obviously the main mod on Michael’s engine is the comprehensive Armageddon twin-turbo kit. However, he further enhanced the combo with a Boss 302 intake, a Fluidyne radiator, and Steeda engine mounts. Pushing 8 pounds of boost on pump gas, this combo put down 637 horsepower and 524 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels on TruDyno’s Mustang Dyno. Two TiAL Sport 44mm MV-R wastegates and two Tial Q 50.5mm blow-off valves support those two Garrett turbos.

Having considered numerous power adder options, Michael kept coming back to turbocharging as his booster of choice. In the end, his appreciation of quality and this love of turbos led to his selection of the Armageddon Turbo System, as it featured top-notch construction and parts from the likes of Kooks, Tial, and Garrett. After the decision was made, all he had to do was have the kit installed.

“I had purchased it a few months prior but didn’t end up having it installed until just over a week prior to the 50th Mustang Anniversary in Charlotte. My wife, son, and I had already planned on going and it turned out that Jeremiah Hussey (a.k.a. QCKSNAKE) and TruDyno were in North Carolina and preferred installers and tuners for the kit. They were able to rock the install and the tune prior to the show,” he said. “We shot down there early and were on the dyno in no time. At 8 psi, on TruDyno’s Mustang dyno, she put down 637 hp and 524 lb-ft. I was shocked at how brutally fast the car was while behaving like a stock car below 3,000 rpm. Pop open the hood and everything looks as clean as can be.”

The beauty of modern Mustangs is just how driveable they are when they have been properly modded. Michael didn’t think twice about hopping in his newly turbocharged ride and driving it from the 50th Anniversary show in Charlotte, North Carolina, back to his home.

It was the quality of the kit and the included parts that ultimately led Michael to choose the Armageddon system. “The base configured Garrett GT3076Rs are a perfect match for our cars in stock form while still being 1,200hp capable,” Michael said. “The parts are custom made by the likes of Kooks, Goodrich, Fluidyne with components sourced Garrett, Tial, Vibrant, etc. and the system itself was designed by folks with decades of relevant experience who've spent gobs of time and money in R&D to get this kit right.”
It was the quality of the kit and the included parts that ultimately led Michael to choose the Armageddon system. “The base configured Garrett GT3076Rs are a perfect match for our cars in stock form while still being 1,200hp capable,” Michael said. “The parts are custom made by the likes of Kooks, Goodrich, Fluidyne with components sourced Garrett, Tial, Vibrant, etc. and the system itself was designed by folks with decades of relevant experience who’ve spent gobs of time and money in R&D to get this kit right.”
One of the companies with that experience is Kooks Custom Exhaust. They create all the tubing for the Armageddon kit by CNC-mandrel-bending them from 304 stainless steel. That includes the headers, downpipes, and charge tubing.
One of the companies with that experience is Kooks Custom Exhaust. They create all the tubing for the Armageddon kit by CNC-mandrel-bending them from 304 stainless steel. That includes the headers, downpipes, and charge tubing.

“After the show, we drove the car nearly 9 hours back to Philly with only four stops and zero issues with the exception of an overly eager late-’90s Viper owner who thought he was going to pick on Rumblebelly,” Michael enthused. “Keeping in mind I had a full trunk-full of luggage and 200 extra pounds of human family in the car, we destroyed him on each of our three pulls…”

It sure sounds like Michael made the right choice returning to the Mustang fold with a twin-turbo Coyote. As much fun as the car is in this form, we don’t expect it to stay at this power level for long. He has his sights set on running the car in standing-mile events and eventually making Rumblebelly one of the fastest Coyote ’Stangs in the standing mile.

We’d definitely say his Blue Oval renewal is providing many happy returns.

The heart of the Armageddon system is this duo of Garrett GT3076R turbochargers. These dual-ball-bearing units feature turbine wheels hewn from Inconel to withstand severe-duty applications. Each turbo is designed to support an 1.8- to 3.0-liter engine and 310 to 525 horsepower. Combined as a pair they excel at enhancing a 5.0-liter engine from 600 and beyond.
The heart of the Armageddon system is this duo of Garrett GT3076R turbochargers. These dual-ball-bearing units feature turbine wheels hewn from Inconel to withstand severe-duty applications. Each turbo is designed to support an 1.8- to 3.0-liter engine and 310 to 525 horsepower. Combined as a pair they excel at enhancing a 5.0-liter engine from 600 and beyond.
The Armageddon intercooler core measures 25x9x3.5 inches and features 3-inch inlets and outlets. It will tame the turbo discharge temps for up to 1,000 horsepower.
The Armageddon intercooler core measures 25x9x3.5 inches and features 3-inch inlets and outlets. It will tame the turbo discharge temps for up to 1,000 horsepower.

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4 thoughts on “Feature: Twin-Turbo Coyote”

  1. The Ford Coyote with twin turbos is amazing. Chris Escobar of Chris Escobar Racing USA is running in the 7’s and pushing close to 1400 hp with his street legal Mustang.

  2. NOW THAT’S A PIECE OF ART! I WILL SEND THAT POOR VIPER OWNER A BOX OF KLEEN-X . MY BUDDY’S O2 L-SCREW-TWIN 6.OL VGT GARRETTS,DON’T ASK? SMOKED A VIPER LIKE IT WAS A ONE-TRUCK RACE. IS A L SUPPOSE TO HAVE 18PSI HUM? I KNOW MINE DOESN’T

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