Free Mods... I found one, it works...

[SHODWN]

The Snorkel does get its air through the little slit on the top cover of the rad support, but it all gets air thats being pushed the grille.

You could have just removed the rubber seal on the hood that closes off the scoop area somewhat and done the same thing.. Id like to see the slips, before and after and temps, time of day and weather reports..

Day 10 of ownership I tested a huge cone filter vs the air box at the track and it made no difference. Sure plenty of sound but no difference in times at the track.

Presently running a Hennessey kit (now called a NESHO kit because all of the work i had to do to it to make it fit, and fixed the air flow issues) and dont notice anything.. but noise..

Im pretty doubtfull that this works. But for anyone trying this, you can remove this section without chopping up your new car for a test. I always suggest a K and N anyway, this alone will do more that taking the hot air blocker off.

 

[MilkMan]

That's kind of what I was thinking SHODWN.

I'm going to try and either cut the bottom of the snorkel off or maybe add another hole in the air box or something... so I can have the cold air from the snorkel and a bit more air flow, I already have a K&N filter in there...

I'd like to get another one to mess with that way I could just drop the original in if needed. Anyone know a good place that sells ford parts? I found the part number for the snorkel and air box (comes together) 9A600 .. but I don't want to buy it from the dealer.

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

The only change I have noticed with my custom CAI is that my IAT temps are both recovering (lowering) quicker and are down from stock airbox with flat K & N filter installed. My observations were at 90 + deg temps also.

Perhaps because I have been driving with no engine cover, and with rear Magnaflows, I really don't hear much noise difference with round AEM filter. Main reason I did mod CAI was to prove I could do it, and because it visually looks better. Because I had the Roto-Fab CAI tube due to their recall, I spent less than $70.

Another difference....., on my EB Flex, I have a Carriage Works Grille which required me to remove the nearly completely upper sealed plastic stock grille panel. So, I may be getting more air into engine compartment. From what I can visually see with snorkle off, the air opening for it (at least on my Flex), is equivalent to oval size in stock airbox.

While I haven't parked my Flex next to a new SHO with engine bays open for comparison, I did take some pix of SHO which seem to confirm that our bays are almost identical from radiator back.

And thanks to you all for letting me comment.... Most of the guys on the Flex board are very utilitarian, and not into engines. Guess I just haven't grown up yet.

 

[93rev2sev]

Ford engineers must be a bunch of challenged fools...

The purpose of all engineering is not performance increases. Ford takes cabin noise very seriously. This snorkel (as well as the snorkels in the old gen1/2s) were put there to make the vehicle cabin more quiet.

Anyone that's done this mod (no matter the model of car) will tell you that cabin noise increased.

 

[SHODWN]

The purpose of all engineering is not performance increases. Ford takes cabin noise very seriously. This snorkel (as well as the snorkels in the old gen1/2s) were put there to make the vehicle cabin more quiet.

Anyone that's done this mod (no matter the model of car) will tell you that cabin noise increased.

Sure will and they will also say that performance has increased as well and it has not..

EB FLEX guy, really you cut up your truck (its not a car ) to install a grill? when did all of this change? Back in the day (like last year) no one would hack up thier cars and trucks for mods. People paid for what fit.. I guess to each thier own but the Henecrappy intake for the SHO requires you to hack off part of the main headlight support! and guys are still doing it..

The Grill that Bill put on his car required that you cut off half of the factory grille.. I just dont get it..

Anyway thanks for the write up.. its good to see people trying things, just bad that you have to hack stuff up.

 

[darreli]

Kirk, the Hennessey CAI has to be worth something. My car makes more power and is consistently quicker than Livernois car and that's the only difference. Not saying it's worth a ton, but, maybe 10-12 hp.

How'd the car handle at Waterford? I really wish I could have hung out more but that was a really busy week for me. It was great to meet you though and you have some great ideas!

EB Brick, since I have both vehicles I can attest to the fact that the engine compartments are near identical.

I wouldn't call it "hacking" up the car, just massaging it a little!

 

[SHODWN]

Kirk, the Hennessey CAI has to be worth something. My car makes more power and is consistently quicker than Livernois car and that's the only difference. Not saying it's worth a ton, but, maybe 10-12 hp.

How'd the car handle at Waterford? I really wish I could have hung out more but that was a really busy week for me. It was great to meet you though and you have some great ideas!

EB Brick, since I have both vehicles I can attest to the fact that the engine compartments are near identical.

I wouldn't call it "hacking" up the car, just massaging it a little!

I massaged my intake to fit, not the car...

Car handeled extremely well! Well enough that I might sell my 95 race car.. I passed all the normal people that I would in that car so I dont see the sense in having two good track cars.. Im still undecided though.. Im going to get a day in at VIR this year and see how the new brakes hold up there.. they did fantastic at Waterford but you have lots more speed at VIR.

I did and will admit losing to James Pappas in the V, I did real well and hung in there for a while but the good years were just no match for his Pilot Sc2's.. the Good Years went away after 4 laps each session and drifting the new car around was fun but not something I wanted to learn on the first day..
Very agile.
So Pappas its 1 to 1.. Just you wait till I add the 200hp and better tires to be in your class of cars!

Darell it was great to meet you! I wish you had came around more it was good talking to you.. Im sure we will see each other again this year..

But Im still dumbfounded that the parts that are available for the car require a sazall to install.. For the longest time all parts were direct replacements.. Shit I can come up with thing that require a saw in a heartbeat!

 

[illSHOyou]

On the Mercury 1200s dual screw compressor motors I used to install in power boats. They where designed to make there rated power on the coldest day or hotest.

You 2010 SHO owners sure that the computer is not designed to make its rated power no matter what mods you throw at it?

Cause if it is, the only mod thats going to work is a chip, or nitrous...



Might want to check out the new Lexus LFA. The car uses the front hood lip as a air intake, much along the lines of what Kirk mentioned about removing the rubber to the hood...

 

[SeanMc]

I massaged my intake to fit, not the car...

Car handeled extremely well! Well enough that I might sell my 95 race car.. I passed all the normal people that I would in that car so I dont see the sense in having two good track cars.. Im still undecided though.. Im going to get a day in at VIR this year and see how the new brakes hold up there.. they did fantastic at Waterford but you have lots more speed at VIR.

I did and will admit losing to James Pappas in the V, I did real well and hung in there for a while but the good years were just no match for his Pilot Sc2's.. the Good Years went away after 4 laps each session and drifting the new car around was fun but not something I wanted to learn on the first day..
Very agile.
So Pappas its 1 to 1.. Just you wait till I add the 200hp and better tires to be in your class of cars!

Darell it was great to meet you! I wish you had came around more it was good talking to you.. Im sure we will see each other again this year..

But Im still dumbfounded that the parts that are available for the car require a sazall to install.. For the longest time all parts were direct replacements.. Shit I can come up with thing that require a saw in a heartbeat!

I was impressed when I saw you keeping up with him on the bends. I'm sure on another track, the V would have a major advantage, but on a short tight track like Waterford, it was darn close.

 

[SHO U UP]

I don't know guys. If an SHO can keep up with that Caddy James has, you'll doing something right. I can't see the SHO really hanging on though myself. Jags and M series Bimmers yeah, but the SHO may just get it's butt handed to it. Don't get me wrong, I luv the SHO but a Caddy CTS-V, thats simply bad ass! There's one around here that I handed his tail right to him in a straight away in my L, but that's all. Maybe if Kirk gets his SHO dialed in right, I feel he might be able to give him a good run on the track. I would have loved to see that "SHO down" myself so you guys need to duplicate it at next years convention. What do ya say fellas??

 

[thebigjimsho]

To be honest, Kirk and I never seem to line up in ideal situations. At Grattan, in '07, I was ready to run as Paul Nimz's SHO had issues and Kirk followed him in.

At Waterford Hills, we went the very first session of the day. I'm sure both of us were monumentally better by the end of the day. That first session, my PS2s were squealing on EVERY corner. I was running 42 hot and had to bump them up to about 46 hot to get them to bite well and not plow. Then, I forgot to put the suspension in sport mode the first 2 sessions. Some of those hard compressions were tamed a bit once I did.

I've been to VIR and know how to run the Grand Course. Hopefully, Kirk can get some seat time, too, and we can get in a truly fair race...

 

[SHODWN]

I don't know guys. If an SHO can keep up with that Caddy James has, you'll doing something right. I can't see the SHO really hanging on though myself. Jags and M series Bimmers yeah, but the SHO may just get it's butt handed to it. Don't get me wrong, I luv the SHO but a Caddy CTS-V, thats simply bad ass! There's one around here that I handed his tail right to him in a straight away in my L, but that's all. Maybe if Kirk gets his SHO dialed in right, I feel he might be able to give him a good run on the track. I would have loved to see that "SHO down" myself so you guys need to duplicate it at next years convention. What do ya say fellas??

****, depends on the course, drivers and cars.. James has goobs more HP then I do and a shorter track like waterford Hills the SHO can compete (any SHO) with any street car pretty much. If I had better tires or had time to play with dialing in pressures I could have done better, but the other down fall if you want to call it that with the new SHO is the seat.. Going into turns at 60-90mph the car was sticking, just starting to push on the front tires but my ass was up on the door handle then would slide onto the console. I need harnesses! I would have pushed much harder is I was not affraid of losing my wallet

Plus you have different driving styles, I know how to drive real well, almost good enough to out drive the car, at waterford hills I was I would say 8/10th already in that car. I was working real hard to manage seat position, tire slip and fight off the little sway the car had.. This track was certainly to the SHOs advantage and thats why it did so well.. James is a AWESOME driver, and the V is like the cats meow! But imagine trying to man handle 636hp on a tight track.. (or taking your SC v8 out in the snow)

VIR will be a different story.. The V will be too quick to keep up with, the SHO being roughly 200hp short, I will sure try again and I will have race rubber and harnesses and Ill be bringing back the idontgiveafuckaboutthiscar helmut out of the closet.. plus by then im sure Ill have extra parts, bodies, motors on the shelf and I wont worry about the car as much.

Plus seeing Tim hit the wall, in a area that i was pushing the car out on made my touchhole tighten up everytime

PS. to 12s owners.... to Operate Advanced Sport track properly the car must be stopped when sellected.. This ****** me off after a sesion of trying to figure out what was going wrong with the car.. Dont get me wrong, it did its job, but everytime the car would push the front tires a bit it would cut power down till all 4 wheels were turning at the same speed.. My fault on that one.


James, did you forgot to mention NHIS where we did line up PERCECTLY? Those two cars are a perfect match, v has more power and the SHO was lighter..

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

Sure will and they will also say that performance has increased as well and it has not..

EB FLEX guy, really you cut up your truck (its not a car ) to install a grill? when did all of this change? Back in the day (like last year) no one would hack up thier cars and trucks for mods. People paid for what fit.. I guess to each thier own but the Henecrappy intake for the SHO requires you to hack off part of the main headlight support! and guys are still doing it..

The Grill that Bill put on his car required that you cut off half of the factory grille.. I just dont get it..

Anyway thanks for the write up.. its good to see people trying things, just bad that you have to hack stuff up.

The piece I mostly removed can be replaced for around $300. The stock grille with the 9" Ford Oval and 3 gaudy 2" wide chrome stripes was the thing I disliked most about EB FLEX. (My opinion - others love it...) I understand the solid backing is supposed to help direct air over hood, so may have hurt vehicle from an aero standpoint, but not planning on doing Miami Mile any time soon. Will likely keep for 3-5 years as this is our people mover & hauler.

As for Flex being a truck... Ford wants people to think that way, especially those looking for a big crossover. But. believe platform is shared with Taurus.
AWD, Engine, and many parts are common. Flex is shorter than SHO, but has a 4-5" longer wheelbase and weighs 300-400 lbs more. Certainly drives like a car compared with the Suburbans and Explorers I have owned but have no problem with you calling it a truck. With my 18" Conti Extreme DW's this thing drives like it's on rails!

Thanks again fellas for letting me post here. You all obviously have a passion for cars ( & trucks). Not so on Flex forum, where they think I'm an idiot for ever having bought a no- Ford. ( over 50 new vehicles since 63' - about 40% Ford). 4 SHO's from 89-93.



Side by side pix of Flex with 255-45-18"s vs G8 GT with 285-35-19" on rear.
G8 is considerably shorter than a new SHO. Now... If I get some new H & R springs????... will have to change my handle to "Lo-rider Rob"!

 

[SHOspazz92]

I want to play!

I just don't think I have the power tho...

I need your 3.3 Kirk! :sun:



-Sam

 

[SHODWN]

No problem Bob! anyone can post here pretty much about anything.. Its what makes the SHO community so great...

Sam you can play too.. Start saving though because that 3.3 might be available soon.

 

[thebigjimsho]

James, did you forgot to mention NHIS where we did line up PERCECTLY? Those two cars are a perfect match, v has more power and the SHO was lighter..

You're right, that was a great session. But my old V the previous year would've spanked how it was setup last year. The QA1 shocks were underwhelming and my PS2s hit 49psi on that run we had on the LF. I was working it. The Hoosiers probably get me an extra 2-3 seconds a lap...

 

[PhantomX]

Wow talking about gettin off topic

Anyway, do this mod if you wish or don't just passing along some information. Little tweaks may not add a ton of HP at the top end but 5hp under the curve is usable and the little things add up, those little 5hp bumps here and there add up to 15-20hp changes when you add them all up.

My car in the same weather now consistently sprints to 60mph an avg of .2 quicker. The intake opening is (the slot vs the actual opening) is over 50% larger. That = more air flow, faster spooling on the turbos, air in easier (albiet a maybe a couple degrees warmer in stop and go traffic, but who's flooring it in stop and go traffic, at speed, no difference).

An engine is a big air pump the more efficiently you get it in and out the better it runs. If you choke the intake and the exhaust you don't get air in/out efficiently. The car is designed from the factory to be whisper quiet and operates on a basic set of parameters to provide the performance the manufacturer specs have declared. The current factory config allows you to meet that spec, that's all they care about.

I've won many a race because I made those little tweaks that made the difference. I used to drive a 600HP Cobra and in many occassions beat cars that had more peak HP than I did, only because I did those little things and tuned the car to make a lot of power everywhere, not just peak.

It would be fun if Rick would throw his SHO on the dyno full airbox, let it cool and then sans airbox and see what the curve looks like, I would venture a guess that the really big hole lets it make a little more power everywhere vs the little tiny hole from the factory.

As I said do this or don't it made the difference for my car, even when I ran my buddy's 135i, I was closer this time. The app data trends the sprints to be quicker. The data says it works, the choice is up to you... All I can say is bring on the 60 degree weather cause this things gonna run like a scalded dog!

 

[thebigjimsho]

It's nice to throw out acceleration times and all, but that's easy to do. Actual, documented results are needed. And I don't see 15-20hp getting you .2 seconds on a 4300lb car...

 

[SeanMc]

To be honest, Kirk and I never seem to line up in ideal situations. At Grattan, in '07, I was ready to run as Paul Nimz's SHO had issues and Kirk followed him in.

At Waterford Hills, we went the very first session of the day. I'm sure both of us were monumentally better by the end of the day. That first session, my PS2s were squealing on EVERY corner. I was running 42 hot and had to bump them up to about 46 hot to get them to bite well and not plow. Then, I forgot to put the suspension in sport mode the first 2 sessions. Some of those hard compressions were tamed a bit once I did.

I've been to VIR and know how to run the Grand Course. Hopefully, Kirk can get some seat time, too, and we can get in a truly fair race...

Hmm, there had to be a couple times where he was behind you...at least that's what I thought I saw...

 

[thebigjimsho]

Hmm, there had to be a couple times where he was behind you...at least that's what I thought I saw...

Kirk had his TC full on. I had underinflated front tires and had my suspension on Tour. I passed him and then he pushed me...on the first few laps of a new track. I had nothing right on any corner and I know he didn't either. I guarantee I didn't have to push as hard the rest of the day as I did with Kirk behind me. But I also guarantee both Kirk and I were running laps 3-4 seconds quicker by the end of the day...