5/5
Installation Time: Weekend
July 03, 2013
Roush Power and OEM Quality
After suffering a humiliating defeat to my buddy's Coyote-powered '12 GT/CS, I decided to do something about it. After considering many options, I settled on a Roush supercharger. I have stock internals, so I figured the Whipple would be a bit much...plus, what Ford guy doesn't like Roush?
I had a tough time deciding between the safer (less boost) M-90 Roushcharger and the R2300, so I called Roush's tech line. The tech told me that while I would like the performance of the M-90, the first time I encountered a Coyote 5.0 with cold air and a tuner, I would be upset because I would lose to it. Further, the tech told me that there was nothing else that could be done to the M-90 to upgrade it. Meanwhile the R2300 could be upgraded to Stage 2, 550 hp 500 lb-ft if I decided to get forged internals down the road.
Well, alright then. R2300 it is.
Things to be aware of with this kit:
1. You have to send your PCM (computer) to Roush to be tuned. An overnight box comes in the kit. I got my supercharger kit in on Wednesday morning. sent the computer off Wednesday afternoon, and had the computer back from Roush Friday morning. The computer comes back with a set of colder heat range olugs to prevent detonation.
2. You cannot have any aftermarket parts. Underdrive pulleys kill boost and prevent proper belt tension. Headers will lead to a Check Engine light and dangerous conditions for your engine. Any non-stock parts other than upgraded coil packs and catback exhaust will require a custom dyno tune.
3. You will need a grinder, band saw or chop saw to cut metal, and a good jack with jackstands for installation, as well as some good torque wrenches. The alternator's upper bolt tabs have to be cut off for repositioning the alternator. A small tab on the passenger cylinder head has to be ground down for belt clearance.
4. You will probably need some extra hose to more easily mount and route the intercooler, as well as some plastic body clips to replace all the ones in the radiator cover and fender liners you will invariably break during installation.
5. Personal installation can be done, but it WILL take a while.
I installed this supercharger kit myself with some off-and-on help from friends. it took probably a total of 30 hours for us to install the supercharger. It's a very involved process, and there's a lot of wiring and hose modifications necessary that many people will find too tedious.
My ONE complaint about the R2300 is the hardware packaging. Hardware for several different parts is packaged together, and it is VERY hard to figure our which bolts go where. Having a better organized hardware packaging system would have probably cut our install time by a third.
One thing I was really impressed by is how comprehensive the R2300 kit is. It even comes with a new belt tensioner and a GT500 throttle body, among other things. Very few stock parts are reused. The instructions are very thorough, I just wish they had a bolt chart in them.
Now for the fun stuff...this blower will give your Stang quite a major boost in power, no pun intended. Even better, if you did not know a blower was on your car, you would never suspect it. Even at WOT the supercharger is pretty quiet, with almost none of the blower whine Terminator Cobras are famous for.
Since the supercharger install, my car runs like a dream...it's FAST, it's even easier to just cruise around town in than stock, and I'm still averaging between 24-27 mpg on the highway. Hard to beat that.
If you are considering a positive-displacement supercharger, the Roush R2300 is a very good buy. I wish the supercharger had been the first thing I bought instead of messing with bolt-ons. You will NOT be disappointed.
Year: 2007
Submodel: GT
Texas
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