BOSS 302 Intake Manifold - Worth it?

[Slider]

I'm wondering if anyone has added the Ford Performance BOSS 302 Intake Manifold to the Standard Coyote in the MkIV. I've had the Coyote in the Cobra for the last 4 years and love it, but miss tinkering so am thinking for a few hundred dollars I could add this. My questions are 1) Does this fit under the MKIV hood without any other adjustments? If adjustments are needed, what are they? and 2) What did you notice as a difference in performance?

[Gromit]

I don't have any first hand experience but...

The 20th anniversary edition had the BOSS intake and the power block guys on TV did an upgrade to one https://www.powernationtv.com/episode/MC2012-05/427-cobra-and-factory-five-roadster

So I would say it fits is it worth it and what other changes you need to make is going to be the big debate.

Chris

[q4stix]

With these light cars, it may not make a difference, but the BOSS intake will lose some torque in the lower RPM range.
A supercharger is also a great way to tinker :)

[Railroad]

There was a comparison dyno test on the different intakes for this engine, Boss, CJ, stock, etc. I have the A50XS engine that has a raised intake. I think it is the CJ. Depending upon your gears and driving style, you may want to consider tq rpm relation. A big tq loss on low rpm, might make it feel like a dog. You might google and find it, or one of the members might dig it up.

[Svtfreak]

As far as changes, you will need a custom tune, or retune if you already have one.

[edwardb]

Previous posts pretty much say what I learned when looking at the Boss 302 option. (1) Fits under the hood of a Roadster, (2) Certainly is way better looking than the stock setup (and one of the main reasons some choose it), (3) Requires a custom tune, which is recommended anyway, (4) Has less HP and quite a bit less torque than the stock GT manifold below 6,500 RPM, (5) Above 6,500, both torque and HP improve over the stock manifold, (6) Will rev higher.

There are lots of reviews on-line that go into the performance comparisons in detail. Whether the differences matter, either at the low or high end, depends on how you drive your car. For me personally doing mainly street driving, I'm very rarely at or above 6,500 RPM. So it would mainly be a takeaway versus an improvement for me. In theory anyway. But as stated, given the high power-to-weight of these cars, maybe not noticeable or important.

[Dave Howard]

There you go.

I installed my BOSS 302 on the 2012 MkIV/Coyote after the first driving summer. Reason was purely to improve the appearance of the Coyote. IMO, painting the dress up kit on the stock Coyote doesn't make it look much better or much different than all the other Coyotes out there. There's lots of tech info on the internet about performance gains/losses. As stated by others, the intake is designed to increase breathing at high end. So there is a loss of some low end torque. A tune is recommended/REQUIRED on these things anyways. I my case, 490HP was more than acceptable. Besides, I'm just touring and cruising. The intake installation on the engine is easy. 60 minutes tops. And the fit in the car required NO mods.

Like q4stix said, if you want some real tinkering, install a supercharger. If I had $10K Canadian mad money I'd have installed already.

[q4stix]

I should also point out for anyone with a 2015+ engine, the GT350 intake has the low end performance of the stock coyote intake but the high end performance of the Boss intake. The caveat is that you only get that benefit with the CMCV setup.

[JMan]

Also, putting this on your radar if it isn't already, but the 2018 GT manifolds are making big power gains even over the gt350 manifolds in the 2015+ mustangs. I'm debating getting one for my s550. They definitely don't have the looks of the Boss 302, but I'm for sure a function over form guy...

[Slider]

Thanks Dave. I think your installation looks great and with more and more people putting Coyotes in the FF's, it is nice to have a different look. I don't need a super charger... I'll save that for when I build the coupe... but I am intrigued by this manifold. Did you notice much of the low end torque loss?

[Straversi]

If it makes you happy, it's worth it! No one needs a blower sticking through the hood of their 33 but I'd sure want one.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79157&d=1515778396

Mine is an aftermarket aluminum version of the Boss. Never drove it without this manifold so I can't comment on loss of low end anything. I can say, it's ridiculously fast.

-Steve

[Dave Howard]

I'm not on the track so I have no data to back up performance. There was no noticeable difference in how it drove after the installation. I was happy with the look and didn't care about the handful of lost HP or FTLBs at lower engine speeds. I still need to be careful of cutting the rear wheels loose.

I've commented before on Steve's custom aluminum BOSS 302 knock off. Simply beautiful. Good job

[Slider]

Steve, that is RIDICULOUS!!!! I love the look of that aluminum! Very nice

[TMScrogins]

OP,

I also run an A50XS and have had the Boss, CobraJet and an InnoV8 ITB intake manifolds. All easily fit under the hood on a MkIV. The A50XS comes with the CobraJet IM however, I run an aftermarket ECU and do my own tuning. The CobraJet IM utilizes an oval TB and I have ran both the twin 65mm and the SCJ oval monoblade throttle bodies. Both attempts were unsuccessful. The primary problem I had was in tip-in and idle/off-idle driveability. I think it just gets too much airflow for such minor throttle blade movements and with the car weighing in at 2,400 lbs. it was just too twitchy and had poor drive-ability. I ditched the SCJ in favor of the Boss. The Boss utilizes the round port 80mm throttle body which I ran for a while but opted for a larger 84.5mm aftermarket Accufab TB. Both ran fantastic and were very easy to tune and dial in the idle, off idle, tip-in and tip-out driving characteristics. My early tuning focused on dyno gains and getting the most torque and power. Over time, I realized that that didn't necessarily equate to the best driveability. I now tune almost strictly using over the road driving datalogging (even at the expense of power and/or TQ). Honestly, I can't feel the difference between 15-20 HP in my car (really I can't detect the difference between 440WHP and 460WHP, or even the torque). Lastly, I have moved on to ITBs and that is my current setup. My point to all this is that if you make any changes to the air flow characteristics such as a throttle body change or in your case an intake manifold change, you will certainly want to have it tuned for best driveability for the revised setup FWIW.

For me, it was all about the drive-ability first, the aesthetics second, and the HP/TQ third. As for the answer to your question in your title... Was it worth it? Based on my priorities, absolutely.

86429864308643186432

[Slider]

I've been off line for a couple of weeks, but thanks so much for all that detail. All those options LOOK great, and appreciate the detail about how they actually operate. My biggest issue at this point is that I do not have anyone to tune in my area. Everything is about a 3-4 hour drive away... oh welll

[wareaglescott]

I've been off line for a couple of weeks, but thanks so much for all that detail. All those options LOOK great, and appreciate the detail about how they actually operate. My biggest issue at this point is that I do not have anyone to tune in my area. Everything is about a 3-4 hour drive away... oh welll

Lund racing can tune your car by you sending them data logs. With today’s technology proximity to a tuner is not really a barrier. I did my tune with Lund this way and am very pleased.

[Railroad]

On tuning your engine, you can data log and send it to a tuner, ie Jon Lund. He will assess the file and send you a tune in a tuner or by email to install in your hand held. If all of this is Greek, just start with contacting Jon Lund. I went through Revan Racing, after buying bolt on parts for my GT500 Shelby.
Both guys are super to deal with and are there when you need an answer.

[Dave Howard]

Thanks Dave. I think your installation looks great and with more and more people putting Coyotes in the FF's, it is nice to have a different look. I don't need a super charger... I'll save that for when I build the coupe... but I am intrigued by this manifold. Did you notice much of the low end torque loss?

A 3-4 hour road trip in the roadster sounds like a nice little road trip to me. I'm partial to a tune on a dyno. If it was me, I'd drive the car down to the dyno shop. It won't take more than 2-3 hour for the work to be completed. Make the appointment in the afternoon and book it back to Fargo before dark. That would give you a nice before and after comparative drive also.

[Slider]

A 3-4 hour road trip in the roadster sounds like a nice little road trip to me. I'm partial to a tune on a dyno. If it was me, I'd drive the car down to the dyno shop. It won't take more than 2-3 hour for the work to be completed. Make the appointment in the afternoon and book it back to Fargo before dark. That would give you a nice before and after comparative drive also.

Dave, this might be a stupid question... but after building this car I guess I'm getting comfortable with asking stupid questions. here goes... If I replace with the 302 Manifold in my garage at home, am I okay to drive it 3 hours to go get it tuned? I just want to make sure I wouldn't be hurting anything during the trip. I agree... it would be an awesome little drive (so long as it isn't raining)

[Dave Howard]

Dave, this might be a stupid question... but after building this car I guess I'm getting comfortable with asking stupid questions. here goes... If I replace with the 302 Manifold in my garage at home, am I okay to drive it 3 hours to go get it tuned? I just want to make sure I wouldn't be hurting anything during the trip. I agree... it would be an awesome little drive (so long as it isn't raining)

Yes. That's what I did. And I would hazard a guess you won't notice a difference while driving to the tuner shop. Good luck with installation. With the factory manifold off you get a good look at the top of the intake valves. Also, some guys route the control cable loom in the valley under the manifold. Have it exit out the rear of the engine to keep things clutter free in the engine compartment.

[Slider]

Yes. That's what I did. And I would hazard a guess you won't notice a difference while driving to the tuner shop. Good luck with installation. With the factory manifold off you get a good look at the top of the intake valves. Also, some guys route the control cable loom in the valley under the manifold. Have it exit out the rear of the engine to keep things clutter free in the engine compartment.

Pulled the trigger and ordered the manifold today!

[chrisarella]

If I swapped my 2017 manifold for a 2018 manifold, would I need the 2018 manifold cover, and would the 2018 cover fit my 2017 motor?

[edwardb]

If I swapped my 2017 manifold for a 2018 manifold, would I need the 2018 manifold cover, and would the 2018 cover fit my 2017 motor?

I've seen where the 2018 intake is being swapped onto 2017 and prior Coyotes and is apparently a nice power adder. Haven't seen where the 2018 cover is used though. Haven't seen anything on either forum here relating to the 2018 Coyote, intake, cover, etc. The crate version is supposed to be out next month so that maybe will change over the next months. I have seen the 2018 crate in person at the 2018 Detroit Autorama. Took a bunch of pictures and looked it over very closely. I couldn't see how the new cover is attached. So can't help there. I did take some pictures with a tape measure. I don't think the 2018 cover will fit in a Roadster. It's 31 inches wide and that's exactly how wide the hood opening is at the front of the Coyote in #8674. Then there's the matter of what it looks like. :( Possibly it could be used if the side "wings" are clipped. Might look better too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=89585&d=1532885572

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=89586&d=1532885602

[Clover]

Thanks Pual. I can't wait until you get your Gen3 Coyote and document the install. I am going to be following in your footsteps and knowing that you will be documenting the process is what has given me the confidence to go for it. The new engine sure seems to be making power easily. I have seen videos online of 2018 Mustangs with modified intake, exhaust, and a tune running 475rwhp and 450lb/ft. at the wheels with 93 octane and over 500rwhp on e85. I figure that is plenty of power for me to start with in such a light weight car.

[Adrian1281]

Coyote intake manifold dyno tests:

https://youtu.be/DO8N-wRcVPk

[1932]

On the cj intake it is the monoplate TB that does't like on or off throttle. The twin 65 TB with tune worked very well, 435 rear wheel HP, but going twine turbo with stock boss.