302 Intake

[BlackBuggy]

I see that the Boss 302 intake manifold can be purchased and is supposed to be a direct bolt on for the normal GT 5.0 Mustang. Is this true? I would like the additional top-end gains associated with such. I am going to add Magnaflow mufflers to get a little more sound out of the exhaust, don't see the reason to upgrade the factory exhaust other than that.

Any other simple Boss 302 upgrades on these motors?

 

[beviking]

Yes it is true. You'll want a tuner with it too and might as well do the CIA. Several offerings out there sold as a package. Personally I'd go with Steeda but that's just me. If you're upgrading the intake, you would benefit from upgrading the exhaust too. More air in, more air out. I don't know what the limits are as far as stock exhaust restricting all the boss intake/cia can deliver, but most of the free breathing exhaust upgrades advertise hp gains so the stock must be somewhat restrictive.

 

[SpartaPerformance]

You'll need one of these BOSS POWER PACK and one of these BOSS SERVICE INSTALL PACK

 

[BlackBuggy]

From what research I have done so far, with the 302 intake and proper tune, peak HP is a little higher and peak torque is a little lower, BUT the key to this is really that the intake keeps the high-end torque and horsepower from rolling off between 6.5 and 7.5 kRPMs?

 

[tjsteeda]

Here is a good write up from Gus that will give you a good idea of what the Steeda CAI/Tune and Intake will offer:

http://forums.themustangsource.com/f800/boss-intake-dyno-numbers-discussion-492636/

Best Regards,

TJ

 

[Bojingles]

This is another good read. However remember that the RWHP and torque is lower due to the auto tranny on this particular Mustang.

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/techarticles/m5lp_1202_coyote_5_0_bolt_ons/index.html

 

[Harold Haynes]

I like the Boss intake and agree that should upgrade the entire exhaust system. I have the Borla cat back with x-pipe which really sounds good and helps overall performance.

 

[BlackBuggy]

I have the middle of the road 3.55 gears and manual transmission, so it should work pretty well.

As far as exhaust, for the time being, I am going to put on the Ford Racing Touring axle-back exhaust made by Borla. They sound super beefy without the cackle/rasp.

I appreciate all of the help. I am coming in to this from the Nissan/ricer end where there aren't a lot of legitimate tunes and upgrades, so I am always careful when I see people advertising HP gains with programmers and intakes. Having so many write-ups, dyno videos, and forum input really substantiates the legitimacy of these upgrades. There seems to be soooo much more you can do with a car built by one of the Big Three.

 

[BlackBuggy]

Also, I am seeing a lot of these pictures of the Boss 302 with the 90mm throttlebody that says "Ford Racing" on it. To my knowledge, I haven't seen anyone experiment with that throttlebody stating whether it is worth the $700 and calibration. Anyone messed with this?

 

[BlackBuggy]

Sorry, just read the latter-posted article. It confirms a lot of the stuff that I assumed would be true:

a) the real meat and bones of the bolt-on power upgrade is coming from the tune, the CAI, and exhaust upgrade
b) the throttlebody really doesn't help this motor much as a bolt-on unless you are changing internals (cams, pistons) and need significant air increase
c) the Boss 302 intake is mostly a visual upgrade, BUT it could be the difference between winning or losing a race if you utilize each gear to its fullest (given that you use a tune that removes the 7k redline) since the power doesn't drop off; as a daily driver, most people won't notice the gains. When I go balls to wall with the car, I have noticed that the powerband slips off after the 6k mark, so the 302 intake- to me- seems like a worthwhile upgrade since the car will keep pulling until you are forced to shift at red line. We are talking fractions of seconds here!

With THAT said, what is the best CAI? I definitely want something nice that fits properly AND keeps in mind that the car has sensors that need plugged in at certain airflow points.

 

[Harold Haynes]

To me the nicest one for looks and performance would be the Steeda CAI which is what I am purchasing with their tunes.