TECHNOLOGY SADDLES UP 300 HORSEPOWER

"We are very proud of the new Mustang V-8," says Terry Wagner, manager, Ford modular V-8 engines. "Enthusiasts are thrilled at how it takes the MOD V-8 to a new level, and brings 300 horsepower to the masses."


The V-8's deep-skirt, lightweight aluminum engine block provides optimum stiffness and strength, saving 75 pounds compared with a cast-iron design. Computer-aided engineering was used to reinforce key areas of the block, adding rigidity without the increased weight.


With 281 cubic inches of displacement, the Mustang GT engine generates more than 65-horsepower per liter. This compares with the 42-horsepower per liter that wowed enthusiasts when Ford first wedged a small block 289-cubic-inch V-8 and four-barrel carburetor into the Mustang in 1964.


One of the keys to producing 300 horsepower from this relatively small displacement is Mustang's new single-overhead-cam, three-valve cylinder design with variable cam timing. The new head gives the engine a higher compression ratio than previously possible on 87 Octane gasoline.


Because more airflow means more engine output, the V-8's heads use two intake valves per cylinder to move more air into the engine. A new, tuned-length exhaust manifold offers optimized exhaust flow to help scavenge burned gases from the cylinders.


The center-mounted sparkplug is placed to provide a symmetrical flame. Longer and narrower than previous designs, it can extend to the center of the cylinder head, while leaving as much room as possible for the valves. The compact coil-on-plug ignition system frees space under the hood and allows more precise spark control.


The three-valve heads are smaller than the previous two-valve heads, reducing weight, but offering a more direct, "ported" style path to the valves for better airflow at peak engine speeds. Magnesium cam covers suppress valvetrain noise and reduce weight. Taking weight out of the top of the engine helps to lower Mustang's center of gravity and improve handling.




VCT - THREE LETTERS THAT MEAN MORE POWER

Variable camshaft timing (VCT) was the key technology to wringing more power out of the engine, while simultaneously improving efficiency and reducing emissions. VCT allows the valves to operate at optimum points in the combustion cycle, tailored to the engine's speed and load at that instant.


Ford Mustang VCT system allows up to 50 degrees of cam variation in relation to the crankshaft angle. Ford's "dual-equal" variable cam timing design shifts the timing of both the intake and exhaust valves together, with a single camshaft per cylinder head. This provides all the benefits of - but creates far less complexity and adds less weight than - VCT systems that actuate the intake valves separately.


The cams operate both sets of valves using low-profile roller-finger followers, helping reduce friction and keeping the overall engine height - and thus, Mustang's distinctive hoodline - low. Cam position is controlled by an electronic solenoid that modulates oil pressure to advance or retard the cam timing based on input from the engine's electronic control computer.


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