Drag racing has been part of American auto culture since time immemorial, and it has been evolving through the decades. Proof of this is the arrival of various categories including the X275 class, which is primarily defined by big power, small tires, and short race distance. This 1996 Ford Mustang GT is quite ready to flaunt its wares, after it was recently dyno-tested by FuelTech when it delivered 2,303 horsepower to the wheels.
Goal: Eighth Mile Drag Race Time Of 4.20 Seconds
Owned by Mike Lauffer and piloted by Grady Underwood, this 1996 Mustang GT is out to contest in X275 competitions, where entries must have their drives ride on either 275 drag radial tires or 28" x 10.6" bias slick rubbers. However, to win races, ample power is needed, and this Mustang GT's 380-ci Ford small-block engine (with Hammerhead Hemi cylinder heads) has been massaged to greater power.
The aim is to complete the eighth-mile drag race at around 4.20 seconds. Just like most X275 drives, this Mustang GT is boosted by a combination of centrifugal superchargers, turbochargers, and nitrous shots. For starters, its PSI Speed Solutions-updated engine features an 88-mm turbocharger ignited by FuelTech's FTSPARK-8 Gen I CDI system and a set of CDI Racing Ignition coils.
Amplified By Turbo, Supercharger, Nitrous And New ECU
This combination of an 88-mm turbocharger, centrifugal supercharger, and nitrous system is certainly working wonders for Lauffer's Mustang GT. As tested on the dyno, the X275 pony car was already delivering 200 hp to the wheels on the baseline. Not enough? Wait until the turbocharger, supercharger and nitrous are plugged in.
To make everything work properly without a hitch, this 1996 Mustang GT now employs a FuelTech FT600 ECU plus a number of related accessories. FuelTech ECU offers both sequential injection and ignition, Data Logger, Delay Box, Boost Controller, as well as Nitrous Controller. It can display real-time data, thereby allowing adjustments even without a PC connection.
Boosted To 2,303 Horses On The Wheels
When everything was brought into play, the dyno numbers surged drastically to 1,630 whp. Few adjustments were made by the team, and the Mustang GT's 380-ci engine saw its power jump massively, registering 620 hp more (2,250 hp) on the wheels. But the team wasn't done yet. So after a few massages, the Mustang GT registered a peak of 2,303 hp on the wheels.
Source: FuelTech on YouTube