Installed a boost controller on the Cougar........

[Schlodes]

And all I can say is WOW.

A little background. This motor has in the neighborhood of 9-9.5:1 compression because someone installed an N/A head on it. So for the entire summer the setup was 6* base timing, 8-9 PSI max boost, and 91 octane from town.. In this trim, as long as it was cool out, it would pretty much hang dead nuts even with a stock 4.6 GT of the 99-04 variety. Once it warmed of after a few hard pulls it was ping city on the 91 octane.

This fall I started using Sunoco 94 Ultra and the pinging went away. Soooo.. my buddy who bought my old T Type, gave me my old Turbonetics Dial a bost in car boost controller. Wanting a bit more passsing power without having to basically drag race my way around cars, I installed the controller and set it to 12 -13 psi, on the 94 octane, and didn't touch timing.

My first real test was this morning in the cool dry air around 4 am. Had all my tools in the trunk, and a passenger [both of us are around 400 LBs together] and I drove for a few mins to let it warm up, and I turned onto a long desolate road and got a slow roll on in 1st... matted it... boost wound up, and it obliterated the rears.... and tached out... snagged two quick, and it sorta fishtailed, and wheelhopped mildly up to about 45 MPH then hooked for a split sec at the top of 2nd and at 50 MPH, I bagged 3rd and it pulled out to 85 MPH.... FAST.... it was a whole different car.

These huge gains from only 3-4 psi must be due to two things, it was running pig rich on the lower boost, BUT adding 3-4 PSI on the higher compression motor it reacted much differently then when I have added 4 psi on my SVO. This thing diesn't even have a ported E6 and has a crush bent stock downpipe 2 1/4" diameter..

I can say with out a doubt, that when I build a strong shortblock for the SVO or Capri, whichever, seeing as how I run race gas anyways, it's going to be a 9.5:1 motor. [with good rods, pistons, arp stds etc...]

That little 2.3 had to be making some good HP to haul 3700 LBs up the street like it did this morn..

[ashley roachclip]

So how much do you pay for Race fuel up there ?
Currently 7.45 a gallon here ......

[StangBoy]

The general consensus on high compression over at turbo ford is OMG NO! YOU WILL BURN IN HELL! but dsm guys do it all the time with great results. I run a bone stock 87 Mustang motor with good results. Im limited to 91 octane so boost is llimited to 10psi and 6* of timing. it hauls though.

[martin0660]

This fall I started using Sunoco 94 Ultra and the pinging went away.

So THAT's where our 94 went lol.... We lost our 94 here early this fall, we can only get 93 at Sunoco now (and that is still the best we can get). I sure hope they arent slowly working us back to that 91 stuff they get other places as premium.

Bob Myers

[Schlodes]

So how much do you pay for Race fuel up there ?
Currently 7.45 a gallon here ......

Depends on what fuel you are buying... 1 full tank of C 16 lasts all summer, and thats cruising around town, a street race or three, and two track trips.

IN the above thread though it was all done on Sunoco 94.

But in the SVO when I build a shortblock, you can bet it will have some compression, regardless of what anyone else thinks, or says, because I can see for myself what it DOES.

I think one of the reasons Ford went to 8:1 was because they knew people wold buy these cars, fill up with 87, have a Camaro pull up to them and flip the switch into premium, "just this time" ....... it was a reliability/warranty thing. Even Jack Roush said the first thing these 2.3Ts needed was more compression.... Keep in mind even though it's small amounts, I have an N/A head which happens to be the crummiest flowing stock head out of the box yet this thing still wails at low boost..

[Chuck W]

I liked my 9.0:1 comp motor when it was running.

If I can salvage enough and have enough money to get a block bored (my slugs are +.030") then I'll build the new shortblock for the 83 as 9.0:1 again.

I have a MegaSquirt, so I'll be able to get the maps dialed in better.

[mfpmax]

Yeah if anything i'd do 9.0 but not 9.5. Even though 302s have no problem, I like big boost #s on my boost gauge

And the DSM guys start off with 7-7.5 CR

[Schlodes]

I raced my buddies 84 GT Turbo vert... it's quick, has exhaust, LA3, browns, large VAM, ported E6, .48 T3, T5, etc.. Anyway he's around 17-18 psi, and we removed all the sound deadener, front sway, and it has weld big n littles on it... I'd guess 13.60s a little over 100 MPH on his radials.

I had a passenger, he was alone, and my Cougar is my daily so full sway bars, sapre, tools, etc, and we went at it 4 times he pulls on me but not too badly, the last race I had my friend Linda crank in the controller 2 turns, and I saw 13 psi and we pulled neck and neck to about 60 when we let off.. the first couple runs I was making 11-12 psi and he'd start to slowly walk. His car will pull a bit on stock LT1s, w/ not much problem, and so I guess I was just surprised the Cougar hung.... Overall he would have pulled me in 3rd on the last race.. but..

I'd like to have lost my front sway bar, threw some skinnies on, and ditched my passenger and spare tire LOL.. even w/ only running 13 psi I think I would have done real well then. My Cougar is probably pushing 3700 w 2 people, the spare, my tools, etc and the extra compression definitely makes the car run so well for such low boost.

Yeah Chuck you are 100% right though because I have to keep base timing at 6* to keep the car out of detonation. I'm going to run it in the spring with good gas, skinnies and slicks & some weight redux.. and about 16 psi boost.

[martin0660]

I'm going to run it in the spring with good gas, skinnies and slicks & some weight redux.. and about 16 psi boost.

Here we go again

Bob Myers

[ashley roachclip]

that is funny that you quoted my question about how much race fuel was , then went into some other tirade that you could last all summer on a tank ....
Boy you got me lost ...
I run a tank of fuel every weekend , that is between 5 and 10 gallons race fuel , the nice reed stuff , and 5 more of plus .....that is for week ends that I run the spray.
The rest of the time , just crusing I will only use 5 gallons of the race , and top the rest off with plus.
12* timing 18lbs boost in an 86 T.C.

[Schlodes]

Ashley sorry about the tirade, I really do distract easy... I look away from the monitor for a second and then look back and everything is gone and I have to start fresh LOL....

I can't remember exactly what I paid for C16 but it's expensive up here, I think like 16 bucks a gallon for ther 16.. I didn't drive the SVO as much this year as I did prior years so I did.. I almost got a summer from a full to the rim tank of C 16. Was over 120 bucks to fill it I remember that.. but like I said.. three times to the track and a buncha zips around town, and a cruise night here or there..

Bob, I know, I am falling in love with the Cougar all over again, in a bad way. It was supposed to just be for going to the store, now look