Mustang Supercharger Comparison: Which is Best?

The rundown:

•- 7-9 psi boost
•- Air-to-air intercooler
•- Minimum 91 octane

The ProCharger Stage II kit is a complete bolt-on kit featuring the polished P-1SC-1 centrifugal supercharger head with a 4.10:1 step-up ratio. The unit is self-lubricated, with no messy oil drain or feed lines to install. Bolting north-east of the Coyote’s alternator, in stock trim, the P-1SC-1 peaks at 9 psi of boost. Included with the stage II kit is 52 lb/hr injectors, an upgraded air-to-air intercooler, a custom computer programmer to re-calibrate the stock ECU for the new fuel demands, a ProFlow bypass valve, a new (fabricated) coolant tank, and of course all necessary supporting installation hardware. With everything working as one, the stage II kit from ProCharger will net an extra 180 horsepower over stock. Overall, it is a well-pieced kit with only one catch – the intercooler.

The intercooler included in the Stage II package is a larger dimension with higher capacity than we’ve previously seen in the High Output kit. As such, the front bumper requires trimming in order to accommodate the front-mounted intercooler. It is also important to note that this kit absolutely specifies a fuel with minimum 91 octane be used.

The rundown:

•- V-3 head unit
•- 7-8 psi
•- SCT SF4 programmer

The offering from Vortech comes in the form of their centrifugal V-3 SI charger, painted black with what Vortech is calling their 20th anniversary black finish. The V-3 SI is a self-lubricated unit, featuring helical gears and a 3.6:1 step-up ratio. High flow injectors with accompanying SCT tuner take care of the ECU and fuel management, whereas an air-to-air intercooler keeps intake charge temperatures down. As configured, the Vortech Supercharger system supplies 8 psi of boost at engine red line, which grants our 2011-2014 GT Mustang an additional tire shredding 193 horsepower and 83 ft-lbs of torque. Charger blow-through is incorporated into the replacement 98mm (I.D) MAF housing included with the package.

While an air-to-air intercooler is perfect for daily driving and street use, the more race minded Mustang owner might opt for an aftermarket liquid intercooler which will allow higher boost levels. Finally, like the ProCharger stage II, being a centrifugal type charger, expect to feel more pull as the engine spins up.

The rundown:

•- 3.25” pulley
•- Eaton Gen VI 2300 TV assembly
•- Air-to-water intercooler

The Edelbrock E-Force is a strangely attractive looking piece. Combining the supercharger and the manifold into a one piece unit, the Edelbrock E-Force Stage II is quite different from the norm. Using an Eaton Gen VI 2300 TVS rotating assembly as the core, this roots style supercharger is actually inverted, sitting untraditionally low in the valley of the Coyote 5.0. This lower placement allows for long, 15” intake runners, which help produce great low end torque.

With a 3.25” pulley driving the 2.3L charger, on top of the 5.0L, the E-Force is capable of producing a heart-stopping 636 horsepower and 538 ft-lbs of torque – 216 HP and 148 ft-lbs over stock figures. Included with the E-Force Stage II Track kit, like the others before, is everything necessary for the install. 50lb/hr injectors, ECU calibration tool, intercooler.

It is interesting to note, however, that Edelbrock chose to include a 110 sq-in air-to-water intercooler (with accompanying electric pump), as opposed to the air-to-air versions we’ve seen with the previous two supercharger kits.

Finally, a self-contained oil system with a 100,000 mi supercharger service interval, the Edelbrock E-Force Stage II Track system looks very promising.

The rundown:

•- Twin 60mm electronic throttle body
•- 2.3L Eaton TVS Mustang Supercharger
•- For manual transmission 2011-2014 Mustang GT only

The Roush R2300 Phase 3 supercharger kit is another roots style setup. Complete with upper and lower intake manifolds, the Roush R2300 uses the same 2.3L TVS 2300 core that we saw with the Edelbrock E-Force kit. This time around, however, Roush has maintained the conventional supercharger-on-top-of-manifold look that is accustom to roots style blowers. The R2300 kit comes with a custom Roush cold air intake system that features twin 60mm electric throttle bodies and a 110mm MAF. Fuel is fed via 47 lb/hr injectors and regulated via a unique Roush fuel pump voltage regulator. Air charger temperature is kept low with an air-to-water intercooler. Roush computer calibration and a 3.15” blower pulley result in this setup producing an extra 255 horsepower and 195 ft-lbs- equating to 675 horsepower and 585 ft-lbs of torque at the crank!

Unlike the other kits, there is no computer tuning tool included. Rather, the Phase 3 kit comes with a ROUSH PCM Flash voucher. With this, owners are expected to remove the stock ECU and send it to Roush (pre-paid) with the voucher inside. Once at Roush headquarters, the PCM will be re-calibrated and sent back to the customer overnight for re-installation. For the price, this definitely isn’t the smoothest process possible and is a little cumbersome. The performance, on the other hand, speaks for itself.

The rundown:

•- 2.3L twin screw Whipple bower
•- 50 state emissions legal
•- 9 psi boost
•- Intended for manual transmission 2011-2014 Mustang GT

The last of the offerings are made available from none other than the in-house performance division, Ford Racing. Their contender is a polished 2.3L twin screw Whipple blower. Maxing out at 9 psi from the box, the Ford Racing system is good for 212 additional horsepower and 146 ft-lbs of torque. 47 lb/hr high impedance injectors and an air-to-water intercooler support the push for 600+ horsepower. Like the Roush unit, Ford does not include a programming tool with the kit. Rather, they issue a voucher to obtain their Ford Racing ProCal tool. Visiting a local dealership or sending in the voucher will prompt Ford Racing to issue a ProCal tool programmed for your Mustang.

What is most interesting about the Ford Racing kit is their claim to be 50-state emissions legal. Having a blower setup pass a sniff test is a rarity. If you live in an emission-testing state, having an emission legal supercharger is akin to hitting the jackpot.