Autoblog

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Here's Top Gear's cure for their idiot dyno test that proved nothing. As much as we love Top Gear, their derision of the GT500 for producing a "mere" 447 horespower on a chassis dyno is pure BS. A 10-percent loss through the drivetrain is stellar, yet the spin from our snarky British friends was that it was somehow subpar. Kenne Bell has the antidote, and it's available in several stages of tune, from streetable to antisocial.

Since the GT500 is factory-equipped with a supercharger, the engine internals have been beefed up for boost, and a water to air intercooler is in place. The Kenne Bell system replaces the stock Eaton blower with its trademark Twin Screw system. The throttle body is also upsized to 75 millimeters versus the stock 60, but the rest of the intake tract remains stock. Rounding out the Stage 1 tuning is an ECU flash, and the end result is 606 horsepower at the rear wheels. Take that, Hamster and Clarkson! Changing out a few other intake components and fiddling with the drive pulley's diameter will net you Stage 2 or 3 tuning, delivering up to 692 horsepower on the rollers. Maybe this kit will serve to quiet some of the carping from the Top Gear pundits, but we think they just don't understand muscle cars. It's a different flavor of performance, that's for sure, and the Kenne Bell upgrades add even more spice.

Thanks for the tip, Drew

[Source: Mustang Life]

Even with Ford's GT making 550 HP (somewhat underrated) courtesy of a supercharger, of course we all know that there will still be owners out there who seek more power. Once the route of pulley swaps has been explored, where to go next? Stage 6 Motorsports thinks that it has the answer in the form of a twin-turbo kit.

The stock Eaton blower is replaced with a pair of Garrett GT35R scrolls from Precision Turbo, which are mounted behind the engine and inboard of the shock towers. Custom exhaust work brings up the hot gases from the low-mounted stock manifolds, and new downpipes dump the spent exhaust through the stock bodywork opening. A custom "hat" adapts a 95mm throttle body and routes compressed air through the stock intercooler (which is built into the intake manifold), and the OEM fuel system remains intact.

The video shows the car putting down over 830 HP on the dyno, and Stage 6 claims that this same vehicle has put down 1012 RWHP with further work. A kit involving fuel system upgrades and internal engine modifications is said to be under development, with potential for several hundred more HP.

While not all of us can identify the effort it takes to fabricate a twin-turbo install for a Ford GT in five days, the terse "I'm staying at the shop and won't be home until much later" phone call with a significant other that occurs at the 9:30 mark in the above video is something to which most of us can relate.

[Source: Streetfire.com; a hat tip to Dubbedinenglish]

Warning: a bit of NSFW language is sprinkled throughout the clip

Click pic for higher rez version

We’ve been without an SVT Lightning for years now and may be without one for a few more, so news of the ROUSH Stage 3 F-150 has found a happy home in our ears. Like the Stage 3 Mustang mentioned below, the F-150 gets a ROUSHcharger system that increases power of the truck’s 5.4L V8 up to 445 hp and a nice round 500 ft-lbs. of torque. The truck gets the visuals included with the Stage 1 kit and the suspension upgrades that come with Stage 2. A set of 20-inch rims, carbon fiber hood scoop and dual side outlet exhausts give the ROUSH pickup an extra dose of bravado to back up the newfound power.

Follow the jump for ROUSH’s official press release and an additional highrez pic.

[Source: ROUSH]

GM Performance Parts announced yesterday the availability of two performance upgrade kits for the supercharged 2.0L Ecotec engine found in the Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged and Saturn Ion Redline. The Stage 1 kit retails for $500 and adds 31 hp to the engine’s base 205-hp through higher-flow injectors and a new ECU calibration. The Stage 2 kit goes for $750 and includes both components of the Stage 1 kit and adds a smaller supercharger pulley and drive belt to fatten up the powerband’s midsection and increase power to 241 hp and 218 ft-lbs. of torque. Both kits require premium fuel and are available now at all GM dealerships.

[Source: GM]