Choosing an Intake Plenum for Your 2011+ Mustang GT

The air intake assembly, located between the engine and the driver’s side fender of your Mustang near the front bumper, contains the air filter. The intake system then allows air to flow towards the engine through a specific diameter sized tube, inside this tube on the end closest to the filter is the MAF sensor(mass air flow), this sensor is read by the ECM (electronic control module) to determine exactly how much air is flowing through the entire intake assembly. On the other end of the intake tube (closest to the motor) lies the throttle body. The throttle body allows the ECM to control the amount of air flowing into the engine by opening or closing the intake system with a valve. On the other side of this valve, sitting directly on top of the motor, is the intake plenum.

As you can see in the picture above, a lot of time, effort, and engineering were put into making this intake work within the parameters of the stock coyote's designed operating range. One of the main differences on this intake plenum versus those of prior modular motors is the lower location of where the air comes into the plenum in relation to the internal tubing. This design is called a bottom feeder and helps move the air efficiently into the cylinders, especially in the lower RPMs.

BOSS 302 Intake

As previously stated, the factory intake plenum works very well within the stock environment, however, not quite as well as the plenum provided to assist getting air into the BOSS 302. The best part about the BOSS intake plenum is it allows the GT mustangs from 11+ to become visually identical under the hood to the BOSS. As an added bonus, the installation of this intake is fairly straightforward and does not require any other expensive components to be changed for the plenum to function at 100%. The clean lines and factory badging of the BOSS intake plenum make this an appealing modification not just for performance improvements, but also for those looking to improve the aesthetics under the hood as well.

As you can clearly see in this picture of the BOSS intake plenum, it has longer runners, and a top feed design for incoming air. This design allows for more air to flow into the cylinders for combustion and more power during high RPM situations, at a cost of slightly less performance down low in the RPM range when comparing it to the stock coyote plenum. It is also important to remember that in order to take advantage of the increased airflow the BOSS plenum provides, an aftermarket tune is required.

COBRA JET Intake Manifold

Another option for those with the need for even more airflow, and who also have a sufficient supply extra cash lying around, is the Cobra Jet Intake Plenum. This item is included on the factory produced 2013 Cobra Jet Drag Car, and is available as an add-on accessory to the coyote motor. It produces power very similar to the BOSS plenum but produces more top-end horsepower while sacrificing slightly more low-end torque than the Boss Intake. For those with a major need for more airflow, go with the Cobra Jet. 5.0’s with mild mods or minor plans to add power would be better suited with the Boss intake. The Cobra Jet plenum also requires the use of a GT500 throttle body, and other supporting mods such as an intake tube and air filter.