Boost Works pushes a new GT beyond 700 rwhp with a 3.2-liter Kenne Bell
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Boost Works
For performance enthusiasts, the desire for more power is rarely about need. That desire is all about want. When it comes to bolting on more horsepower, there is no such thing as too much. In fact, what is too much for most people might not be enough for SVTP readers, and that hasn’t changed with the arrival of the 2015 Mustang.
As if a 2015 Mustang with the 50 Years Appearance Package wasn’t enough, the owner of this unique S550 wanted more power—a lot more power. Boost Works upgraded the car with is BW850S package based on Kenne Bell’s 3.2LC supercharger.
“Over the last eight months, we’ve learned a great deal about the second-generation Coyote, and the S550 in general. We’ve probed to find the limit with our shop car, and at 850 horsepower, we still haven’t found it,†Travis Burelle of Boost Works explained. “Having our own shop car early on allowed us to really get a jump on things. Having built a 750-horsepower car back in October of last year, and running low 10s at full weight was a big plus. But, it’s the ability for us to constantly flog on our own vehicle day in and day out that has really shown what these cars are capable of doing.â€
A living manifestation of this insatiable desire for more horsepower is Jeff Kircher, a customer of the Katy, Texas, shop. He didn’t want to add just a few more ponies to his new 2015 Mustang. Jeff wanted the whole stampede. Seeing the success that Boost Works had with Kenne Bell superchargers on the latest Coyotes, he ordered up one of the company’s new 850S packages (PN M-15850S; $8,795), which as you might guess, increases the flywheel horsepower of a new Mustang well past 800 ponies.
The Boost Works crew started the process by removing the stock induction system, including the airbox, inlet tube, throttle body and intake manifold. It’s worth noting that the Kenne Bell 3.2 fits under the stock hood, but it does require installing billet motor mounts to lower the engine.
Based on the new Kenne Bell 3.2-liter, liquid-cooled supercharger (which we covered in detail here), these packages include the necessary supporting upgrades to safely facilitate massive performance. Not only are the needed fuel system enhancements and colder spark plugs included, but for this combo Boost Works also upgraded the fragile oil-pump gears and lower timing chain gears with stouter stuff from Modular Motorsports Racing. Moreover, Boost Works teams up with Lund Racing to provide that all-important PCM calibration to deliver a harmonious and powerful combination.
“Earlier this year, when our customer, Jeff came to us, he wanted to build a wicked fast street car out of his 50 Years GT,†Travis explained. “We quickly turned him onto our 850s Package. Utilizing Kenne Bell’s 3.2LC supercharger, in combination with Lund Racing’s tuning prowess, we’ve been able to build a solid pump-gas system.â€
Before taking the stock 5.0-liter engine over 800 horsepower, Boost Works upgraded the oil-pump gears and lower timing chain gears with rugged, billet replacements from Modular Motorsports Racing.
If you don’t need that much power, Kenne Bell has standard supercharger systems that will still give you plenty of power, and these same systems may soon be emissions legal across the nation.
“The 3.2LC system has been great, and we’ve consistently seen it make just south, and north of 700whp in our Boost Works packages,†Travis added. “Kenne Bell’s shelf-stock system is capable of making 625 to 650 rear-wheel horsepower on a good day with 8.5 psi of boost or so on regular old 91 octane. They’re also in the process of getting their system 50-state legal, which should be very soon.â€
Of course, the 850S package on Jeff’s car goes way beyond the standard kit to deliver over 730 horsepower at the rear wheels, which is apparently enough to shred any tire at 60 mph…
If that kind of performance gets your speed need revved up, keep reading to see how to add that tire-slaying power.
The Kenne Bell lower intake manifold bolts right in place of the stock intake and accepts all the factory sensors and fuel rails. The lower intake’s fasteners are torqued to 16 lb-ft in an alternating pattern. It includes an efficient air-to-water intercooler, which is cooled by the kit’s included water pump and heat exchanger.With over 11 pounds of boost coming from the supercharger, it’s a wise idea to run a cooler spark plug to ensure there are no misfires. Boost Works includes a set of NGK LTR7IX-11 iridium plugs, which are one heat range cooler than the stock plugs.To feed the blown Coyote, Boost Works pumps up the fuel system with one of Kenne Bell’s 17-volt Boost-A-Pump fuel pump voltage boosters and an optional set of Injector Dynamics ID1000 1,000cc injectors (650cc units are standard in the Boost Works package). These upgrades will safely take the stock fuel system to past 700 rear-wheel horsepower.The Kenne Bell system includes the necessary idlers and tensioners to add the supercharger into the Front End Accessory Drive. As you can tell from this billet idler bracket, the Kenne Bell additions to the belt drive system are robust.The Kenne Bell system requires relocating the EVAP solenoid with this adapter, which mounts to the shock tower.“Since the 3.2 shares the exclusive Kenne Bell 4×6 lobe rotor concept, which will pump more air and boost at a lower temperature than 3×5 or 4×4, it can match our 3.6 up to 24 psi in both power consumption and charge temps,†Jim Bell of Kenne Bell told us. Configured with the free-breathing Mammoth inlet, it is ready to make big power.To tame the temperatures in the gear case, Kenne Bell superchargers that wear the LC designation feature liquid cooling of the front drive. Not only is this said to increase gear and bearing durability, but it is also said to increase the rpm potential of the blower and further reduce those discharge temps.Taming discharge temps is critical for consistent power production, and Kenne Bell doesn’t cut corners on its intercooling system. The standard heat exchanger in the kit is quite large and features a two-pass design.Positive-displacement superchargers abhor inlet restrictions. The freer flowing the intake is, the more efficient the blower will be. Kenne Bell’s Mammoth inlet provides a low-restriction path to the 110x168mm blower inlet. The Mammoth will allow for a twin-bore or mono-blade throttle body, but Boost Works obviously opted for the 168mm mono blade, which flows up to 2,350 cfm.Here’s a look at the finished install, which gives a good look at the massive inlet tube included in the kit. This 4.5-inch Ram Air pipe ensures the 3.2-liter’s Mammoth inlet is well-fed by fresh ambient air flowing into the fender well, not hot underhood air.Set up for 11.8 pounds of boost and burning 93-octane fuel, Jim’s 2015 Mustang put down 732 horsepower and 674 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. According to Travis at Boost Works, this is as far as you can push the stock in-tank fuel pump with the Boost-A-Pump.Now, we told you that too much was never enough, and even this much power isn’t enough for Jeff. He commissioned Boost Works to continue the saga of this project with a Kenne Bell 4.2LC supercharger and a Coyote engine built to withstand up to 1,500 horsepower. A Tremec Magnum XL will bolster the drivetrain. It should be a beast, so stay tuned.
