A question for the experts

VnMJack said:

I hope this is the right place for questions like this. I have a 2007 Shelby GT Mustang, and I was wondering if I can put a supercharger from a Shelby GT 500 on it. Anyone know if it will fit, or what mods I may have to do? Thanks guys.

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The GT500 supercharger will bolt on top of a Roush TVS 3V intake manifold which will fit your 4.6.

Roush isn't too keen on just selling the Roush TVS intake manifold as they want $3,200 for just the intake manifold. I'm not too sure just anyone can buy them either.

I don't care what kind of deal you get on the GT-500 blower, the hassell of and expense of "making" it fit is not worth it.

VnMJack said:

Actually thats just the type of information I was hoping to get. Thank you. I didn't know if it was worth it or not. I guess if I got the intake and the blower for less then $1500 it would be a good deal.

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Even then it wouldn't be..

Blower for $1500 + lower Roush manifold for $3200 and you're looking at $4700.. you would still need injectors, the intercooler & heat exchanger, IC pumps, fuel pump(s), misc fittings & hoses, the CAI or tubing to make the factory stuffs work, a tuner with a custom tune, etc.

Most PD / TVS blowers can be had for around $5500-$6500 complete with tune.

VnMJack said:

I don't have that kinda cash. Any advise on what I can do to boost the horse power a bit here and there?

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CAI, tune, and gears (4.10's for N/A, 3.73's if you're going FI in the future or drive alot of highway miles). It's surprising how that will wake your car up.

VnMJack said:

I don't have that kinda cash. Any advise on what I can do to boost the horse power a bit here and there?

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Save your money for a supercharger... I suspect you'll be less-than-satisfied with anything else.

To save some $$$, you might find near-new/returned kits from major suppliers (i.e., Vortech). Find reputable installers in your area... aborted projects or take-off systems might be available.

Also, it's not unheard-of for an owner to remove & sell a s/c kit before trade-in. With luck, you might find a local owner willing to help with your install while he removes his kit. So get the word out to your local Mustang clubs.

And I bet some s/c owners are VERY interested in the new 2011 5.0 -- so your odds of finding used kits is better than ever.

Your bargain is out there. Enjoy the hunt!

If you're considering a supercharger be very realistic about your budget before you even start. Most people look at the cost of the kit and forget that you'll probably want additional gauges (boost, fuel pressure, wideband AFR for example) and a pod to put them in. Depending on the kit, you might also need a handheld tuner to access better mail-order tunes or a dyno tune. With more go, you want to consider some better "whoa". The stock brakes on these things suck. With extra horsepower, suspension limitations will also be exagerated. Wheel hop that's annoying N/A can be a real problem with F/I. Then you also have to consider installation. If you do it yourself and get into trouble you might have to take it to a pro. If you use a pro that turns out to be less than reputable, unexpected costs can mount while he has your car held hostage. Check out my garage, I've been down this road a few times. I don't recommend even considering F/I with a limited budget. Itemize all the costs you can think of and then add at least 50% (or double it if you're new to the process). As an example, my first stage supercharger on this car was the FRPP Whipple HO on the stock engine. I think the kit cost $6500 and I did the installation myself and everything went smoothly. By the time I had the supercharger in the car with an AIT relocate, the three gauges I mentioned above, a Diablosport Predator, and a custom dyno tune I had over $9000 spent and I hadn't yet started upgrading the suspension/brakes.

Another thing that people don't often plan for is the extra fuel consumption and tire wear. At 8 psi boost, you've increased the potential airflow by about 50% - at the same AFR, you've also then increased the fuel consumption by the same amount. Now you're not always into the boost but you didn't put all those parts on your car to then constantly nurse the throttle. If you're a car guy and have 400+ HP available, occasionally your tires are going to feel the heat. At several hundred dollars each, burnouts aren't free.

With F/I you also run the risk of melting a piston or breaking a rod. Depending on the kit, tune, driver, and the quality of your local gas supply this risk can run from low to a virtual certainty. Engine builds for these cars are a whole other level of expense.

Don't get me wrong - I've done two stages of F/I build on my car and it's a total blast to drive. I'm only trying to encourage guys that try to do F/I on a limited budget to plan very careully and to realistically assess the potential complications and resulting potential additional expense.