2015 Mustang GT 5.0L Coyote V8 Whipple Prototype
If you happened to stop by the SVTPerformance display at Mustang Week 2014 you probably know that we were the one-stop-shop for 2015 Mustang goodness at the show. Not only did we have the only 2015 S550 Mustang on display (not a easy thing to pull off BTW) we also happened to have the little gem pictured below, Whipple Supercharger’s Prototype 2015 Mustang GT Blower.
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the twin-screw awesomeness that is the 2.9L Whipple. That particular head unit has powered many 5.0L Mustangs to sub-10 second ETs and 800+ RWHP numbers. Well the fine folks at Whipple were kind enough to send over this partially 3D printed rapid prototyped version of their 2015 Coyote kit for our inspection.
Upon first glance it is instantly apparent that Whipple made a concerted effort to use every cubic centimeter of space in the engine valley. The result is a lower manifold with basically the largest volume as possible. That should certainly help with power production. However, the 800-poung-design-aspect-gorilla in the room has to be the switch from the traditional (for Mustangs) front-drive/rear-entry setup to the new front-entry/jack-shaft setup on the 2015 kit.
According to Dustin Whipple, the changes were made for the following reasons.
"Rear to Front Feed (Jackshaft):
With the newer body styles and shrinking hood lines, we decided we did not want to sacrifice performance with the later vehicles by shrinking the inlets and intercooler sizes. We also extensively studied the flow path of the air, finding that the front inlet has less inlet losses than rear feeds in most applications. While you can make a rear feed massive in some applications, such as the mid-engine Ford GT, most have severe firewall clearance issues cutting down the actual plenum volume, lowering the supercharger volumetric efficiency. When one studies the amount of "bends" in an inlet system, the front feeds simply have less which results in lower losses.
The front feed also allows us to move the compressor where we want it, vs the normal, slide all the way forward and try to clear the firewall. This puts the discharge of the compressor very far forward, which requires a deflector to move the air back over the intercooler core. Again, this makes the air do more "work", each resulting in lower efficiency levels and certainly lower effective use of the intercooler core. The front feed compressors have very near center discharge ports, allowing for far greater distribution of air above the intercooler core and better overall air distribution to the motor.
When designing the front feed, we had two choices. First was the jack-shaft style and second was the rear shaft driven style. While we have designs for both and have some new product with the rear shaft driven style, the jack-shaft version has by far the best efficiency level since it does not have a shaft or extra casting material around the shaft that disrupts the airflow and lowers supercharger efficiency. To make the jack-shaft work the way we wanted, we designed a tapered stainless steel jackshaft that allows torsional twist as well as being significantly lighter than a solid shaft. To drive the SC, we came up with 2 more precision helical gears to keep noise to a minimum and offer precision operation. We also lowered the shaft centerline nearly 3/4" to keep the SC pulley down, away from the shrinking hood line which allowed us to run a bigger intercooler. During testing, the jack-shaft version of the W175ax compressor required less than 1.5hp more to operate at peak speeds yet gained significant efficiency levels that required lower SC speeds, lower power consumption and lower temperatures.
Higher Volume/Manifold:
The previous generation intake manifold for the 5.0L was designed with minimal plenum volume as a main goal. With Whipple always going for maximum power, it was imperative to open the intake manifold volume for the amount of the air the larger compressor and larger intercooler will pass. The increased plenum decreases pumping losses and "stack-up" which significantly fights the supercharger as it tries to force more air into the manifold. Because the Ford's are unique with the deep valley, the air must make roughly two 180deg bends, creating the chance for significant air stack-up. Whipple added more area below the intercooler core, giving the air a much nicer, slower rotation back up while the larger intake runners allows for less stack-up as the volume of air makes another sweeping turn. The larger intake gives far less pumping losses by making longer turns and less stack-up, resulting in higher power potential at the same boost levels, as well as significant gains at even higher boost levels.
Other Notes:
With the bigger intake manifold, front feed compressor and lower SC pulley centerline, we were able to put a significantly larger intercooler core in our system. The intercooler core surface area is incredibly important to the cooling capacity, which gives us a significant advantage to adding more power per psi of boost then other positive displacement systems. With cooler air charges, we can run more aggressive air fuel and timing curves, resulting in significant power gains. We also are coupling that with our massive oversized IC coolant reservoir which features over 2 gallons of water capacity in the reservoir itself, nearly 4 times larger than others! The larger volume allows more consistent power levels from consistent coolant temps.
The Whipple 5.0L system is also fully compatible with our 10-rib belt system, and because we are running on the forward belt loop, a standard passenger car or truck can upgrade to a 10-rib without sacrificing. It's also a very simple upgrade, including a belt, pulleys and balancer."
It's always great to get a behind the scenes look at an upcoming product, but rest assured that we will not be stopping here. SVTP will be covering the installation, tuning, and ultimate performance of the new 2.9L Whipple Supercharger System on a 2015 Mustang GT's Coyote 5.0L engine. Remember to check out the SVTPerformance.com Front Page every day for articles from Editor Turner covering the latest SVT, 2015 Mustang, and Ford Performance news, reviews, and installs.
Those familiar with the Whipple Supercharger for the SVT Raptor will recognize this front inlet system.
This gives you a good look at the rear gear drive.
This cover hides the stainless steel jackshaft. Word is that Whipple will have carbon fiber version available.
The front jackshaft bearing is housed inside a casting that is integral to the intake plenum.
Whipple moves the IAT sensor from the MAF sensor to a intake runner.
Whipple created this prototype using 3D printing, which is far less expensive than working with aluminum.
The 2015 Mustang Whipple kit will include a stock Shelby twin-bore throttle body.
It's good to know that the jackshaft only absorbs about 1.5 HP more at full tilt vs. a traditional front drive.
Here's a top-down view of the kit. I think it will look great on the engine.
It's a shame that this great cast-in logo will be all-but hidden by the firewall.
Whipple includes this breather in the gear case to help release excess pressure.
Whipple has taken great pains to make sure that the intake port transitions are as smooth as possible.
You can see here that the lower intake manifold is designed to take up as much real estate in the engine valley as possible.
The inlet and outlet ports for the intercooler fluid are massive, and designed to flow copious volumes of coolant.
As with previous Whipple models, this one allows for quick and easy pulley changes.
Here you can see the IAT sensor protruding into the airflow path in the intake port. This should give a very accurate IAT reading.
Whipple includes this sight-glass to make monitoring to the supercharger gear oil as simple as possible.
Whipple superchargers are replete with quality machined aluminum fittings.
This gives you a good look at the rear gear drive.
This cover hides the stainless steel jackshaft. Word is that Whipple will have carbon fiber version available.
The front jackshaft bearing is housed inside a casting that is integral to the intake plenum.
Whipple moves the IAT sensor from the MAF sensor to a intake runner.
Whipple created this prototype using 3D printing, which is far less expensive than working with aluminum.
The 2015 Mustang Whipple kit will include a stock Shelby twin-bore throttle body.
It's good to know that the jackshaft only absorbs about 1.5 HP more at full tilt vs. a traditional front drive.
Here's a top-down view of the kit. I think it will look great on the engine.
It's a shame that this great cast-in logo will be all-but hidden by the firewall.
Whipple includes this breather in the gear case to help release excess pressure.
Whipple has taken great pains to make sure that the intake port transitions are as smooth as possible.
You can see here that the lower intake manifold is designed to take up as much real estate in the engine valley as possible.
The inlet and outlet ports for the intercooler fluid are massive, and designed to flow copious volumes of coolant.
As with previous Whipple models, this one allows for quick and easy pulley changes.
Here you can see the IAT sensor protruding into the airflow path in the intake port. This should give a very accurate IAT reading.
Whipple includes this sight-glass to make monitoring to the supercharger gear oil as simple as possible.
Whipple superchargers are replete with quality machined aluminum fittings.
-SID297:beer:
