2014 Taurus SHO - Stunning Dyno Results Baseline + K&N

[14SHOCAR]

Ever since I was old enough to drive... I was tweaking my cars. To that point, I always speculated about the horsepower gains I would receive from putting in a K&N intake system into a car. To my logic, I took the factory horsepower rating and added in the "K&N" claims (such as 12+hp) to the power at the crank and claim that's how much my car was "approximately making". I also knew that the horsepower/torque to the wheels is vastly different than crank and all-wheel-drive systems took away 20-30% away from the wheels.

After visiting http://www.latemodelthrottle.com in Waukesha, Wisconsin... I had a serious eye opener. See the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHYvOFn6aUs

To recap my findings:
*I had 3 runs without the intake and 3 runs with the new intake.[/list]
* My car was consistently making a maximum of ~316 WHP and ~328TQ.
*After installing the K&N Intake system, I found that my car made only about +2 maximum WHP. It lost (yes, LOST) approximately 4 WTQ.
*After digging deeper into the DYNO results, I noticed that while maximum horsepower was basically unchanged -- the power held out for LONGER in the RPM band. This means that while I hit maximum horsepower at 5000RPM, the rate at which I lost horsepower between 5000 and 6000 RPM was slower.
*At 5820RPM, I had +28WHP and +28WTQ MORE than the stock baseline!
*Per the end of the video, I can now have turbo spool and blow off sounds, which makes that inner 16 year old kid gitty.

So to this point, I learned a very valuable lesson. Just because you throw on an intake, it doesn't mean your maximum horsepower and torque goes up. It means that there is more capacity for air to be sucked into the engine during the higher demand of higher RPMs.

My next experiment or theory: I expect that maximum WHP and WTQ will go UP after downpipes, 3 bar sensor, 170 degree thermostat, exhaust, and tune. (ok, this is a given). Moreover, I expect the rate at which the horsepower is lost in the higher RPMs will be less, due to there being less restriction on the backend of the car.
Feel free to subscribe to the forum and youtube channel feed to keep up with the story over the next month as I get the remaining tunes.

 

[BiGMaC]

Very cool 14!  Most of these only make about 290-300 WHP stock... You have a great starting place!

 

[PokerMunkee]

Very cool to see, thanks for sharing.

The verdict on this forum is the K&N sounds good but hurts performance.  Multiple people have backed this up with time slips, where it matters.  They swap intakes while at the track and consistently get better times with the stock airbox over K&N and others.

It will be interesting to see some MDesign time slips now that quite a few people have this intake installed.

 

[Spartn27]

It will be interesting to see some MDesign time slips now that quite a few people have this intake installed.

Considering the fact that the MDesign outperformed the K&N intake it is going to be an exciting season for track times!

 

[SHOdded]

Planning on a step-by-step dyno/track time comparison?  Very interested

 

[FoMoCoSHO]

Looks like you got yourself a factory freak!

That being said, put the hood down on any day over 60 degrees and I will bet you lose power with the K&N.

I love how they look and sound but once the heat begins to build under the hood, it's game over.

Mine is laying on my garage floor.

I would sell it, but after my experiences with it, I can't do it in good conscience.

 

[BiGMaC]

My next experiment or theory: I expect that maximum WHP and WTQ will go UP after downpipes, 3 bar sensor, 170 degree thermostat, exhaust, and tune. (ok, this is a given). Moreover, I expect the rate at which the horsepower is lost in the higher RPMs will be less, due to there being less restriction on the backend of the car.

When my car was used in the development of the PPE DPs... yes we found overall increases in WHP and torque on stock tuning... about +12 WHP for catted and about 17 WHP for non catted... all dynos (9) done BTB with just enough time to change the DPs.... what was most impressive was not power later in the curve... but the turbos were spooling effectively at 1500-1700 rpm with the PPE DPs as opposed to about 2100-2200 OEM DPs... this created a longer power band and more WHP/TQ quicker when the throttle was opened.... I will be interested in your findings.

One other note... On the CAI, I am not surprised... I have a MDesign because it's the only one you can buy that doesn't hurt performance (some had good luck modifying the AiRaid... We also did pulls with each set of DPs comparing completely stock CAI to absolutely no CAI or intake (just the 3.5" opening into the "saxophone").... it was +/- 2-3 WHP variable... That is to say the presence of the stock intake was about the same as absolutely unrestricted air flow... OEM superiority to K&N has been shown in real life at the dragstrip in BTB runs same car and driver by multiple people ... so please do the dyno work stepwise .... I am also interested in your findings here.  More info is good!

 

[14SHOCAR]

Sorry for the delay on the reply here guys. I thought that the forum would have given me a notification on any replies on this post-- it didn't.

Anyway -- I am planning on doing a side-by-side comparison of each of the tunes to see what the end result will be. I know everyone is talking about the "temperature differences" between the ABS Plastic and metal intakes. With the configuration of the ecoboost engine, I have a really hard time believing there will be much of a difference. The metal intake tubing connects to the ABS plastic which is then run to the turbo. While the metal heats up faster, it also cools down faster when you are at Wide Open Throttle.

I have two friends who are going to help me test this theory. Friend #1 has the accessport. I am going to run this with the hood down and taking temperature readings between the stock and K&N intakes. Friend #2 has an IR temperature sensor. I will be taking temperature readings of the ABS plastic parts and aluminum intake tube after a run.  My "theory" is that given the distance the intake is from the engine, the abs plastic parts that are running closer to the engine and the rate at which aluminum heats up and cools off, I will have VERY little difference, if not a non-existent difference in temperature of the air.

Just a man and his theories.

 

[14SHOCAR]

PS Whats this "MDesign" everyone is talking about?

 

[FoMoCoSHO]

The k&n isn't even close to being sealed off. All you need to see the difference is the three iat sensors ford provided, torque pro, and a Bluetooth dongle. On a hot day, the k&n will never recover to ambient. This platform creates a ton of heat with nowhere to go.

 

[SHOnUup]

PS Whats this "MDesign" everyone is talking about?

Was looking good until recent test #'s.

Rich

 

[SHOdded]

There is definitely a need for more air at higher rpm's, and maybe MDesign can come up with an alternative that will provide that boost.  I would also like a) comparisons with the hood down and b) track data, both "real world" conditions.  Hope we can get some of this soon, now that the weather is clearing up (I think)

Do we know of any other intake that has had a positive effect on soot emissions?

 

[SHOnUup]

There is definitely a need for more air at higher rpm's, and maybe MDesign can come up with an alternative that will provide that boost.  I would also like a) comparisons with the hood down and b) track data, both "real world" conditions.  Hope we can get some of this soon, now that the weather is clearing up (I think)

Do we know of any other intake that has had a positive effect on soot emissions?

Track testing is a must I feel too. Maybe a dual MDesign setup to feed both turbos. That sounds nice.

Rich

 

[SHOdded]

Track testing is a must I feel too. Maybe a dual MDesign setup to feed both turbos. That sounds nice.

Fer sure (nodding sagely)!

 

[Spartn27]

PS Whats this "MDesign" everyone is talking about?

Was looking good until recent test #'s.

Rich

Which recent test are you referring to? The below is our most recent dyno test which showed a gain.

2014 SHO dyno session, the car is completely stock with the exception of the intakes.

K&N Intake vs MDesign Carbon Cold Air Intake

http://youtu.be/krbdZtCr9mU

http://youtu.be/n-P-sZV3Ex0

K&N vs MDesign:

 

[SHOnUup]

http://www.shoforum.com/index.php?threads/129761/

This one

Rich

 

[SHOnUup]

Still, I want to see some track time testing where the enclosed setup may help out with the enclosed design helping keep heat entering at bay.

Rich

 

[Spartn27]

Still, I want to see some track time testing where the enclosed setup may help out with the enclosed design helping keep heat entering at bay.

Rich

There seems to be different variables factoring into that dyno testing, one being that the dyno test was done with the hood up. Every dyno test we've had done thus far at unbiased shops have shown a gain with the MDesign intake. Here are two dyno's specifically against the AirRaid/Windstorm:

On a relatively stock car MDesign had better IAT, spark and knock readings with similar power gains.

http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,4326.msg67104/topicseen.html#msg67104

On a modded car (3BAR, downpipes, catback and tune) there was a 11whp and 17.1wtq gain.
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,4034.msg63108.html#msg63108

 

[SHOnUup]

Not to be a negative Nancy, but the tests on the XSport carry little to no weight with most people because of the open hood, closed hood testing. On top of that the Airaid design for XSport just fails miserably at closing off heat from engine bay...which would be an instant non purchase point for me if I owned an XSport.

Not trying to attack your product, just sharing all info possible to keep the community up to date.

I'll let you and the gurus discuss the technicalities of it all.

I know of a few members I've talked with about wanting to track test it, just don't want to spend the $350 on a test project.

Please don't take it the wrong way, as I think I've probably shared and advertised your product more than anyone out there.

Rich

 

[Spartn27]

Not to be a negative Nancy, but the tests on the XSport carry little to no weight with most people because of the open hood, closed hood testing. On top of that the Airaid design for XSport just fails miserably at closing off heat from engine bay...which would be an instant non purchase point for me if I owned an XSport.

Not trying to attack your product, just sharing all info possible to keep the community up to date.

I'll let you and the gurus discuss the technicalities of it all.

I know of a few members I've talked with about wanting to track test it, just don't want to spend the $350 on a test project.

Please don't take it the wrong way, as I think I've probably shared and advertised your product more than anyone out there.

Rich

Not taken in the wrong way at all! With the weather finally warming up I plan on many runs at the track, I'm eagerly waiting for April 11th actually!