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Roush Max Cooling kit

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106
52
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
So CA
Anybody using on top of the Phase 2 kit, all of this installed by a Ford dealer with warranty? I'm not concerned with any race classing, just for your typical HPDE and track days. I want to keep my factory warranty for now, need the CARB cert. Any inputs, performance, reliability, temp maint, warranty claims, thanks!!

I know that their warranty 3/36000 is applied to your 'in service' date, not the SC install date, correct me if I'm wrong.

 
303
251
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
25 min. to 1½ hrs. from Sonoma (ugh... traffic!)
Anybody using on top of the Phase 2 kit, all of this installed by a Ford dealer with warranty? I'm not concerned with any race classing, just for your typical HPDE and track days. I want to keep my factory warranty for now, need the CARB cert. Any inputs, performance, reliability, temp maint, warranty claims, thanks!!

I know that their warranty 3/36000 is applied to your 'in service' date, not the SC install date, correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know anyone that has firsthand experience with this cooling kit. It sounds like a step in the right direction, but my opinion is it's still not enough to meet all the demands of road course conditions. Roush claims "+28% Engine Cooling Capacity" which helps but doesn't match the +60% more horsepower (heat) you'll be making. And "+22% Supercharger Cooling Capacity"?...
Knowing what their baseline is I think that'll still prove to be insufficient on a road course too.
IMO the intercooler in the manifold is the weakest link and needs more coolant flow to be very much more effective. This added cooling kit still retains 3/4" plumbing throughout. I doubt that any amount of added auxiliary cooler capacity will allow the intercooler to effectively extract enough heat through 3/4" plumbing. The theoretical best case scenario is if the heat exchangers could reduce intercooler coolant to ambient temp. I'm sure this kit helps get closer to that, but, ambient coolant restricted to 3/4" flow rates will not keep up with 20min. of repeated WOT boost demands.
No one likes to hear this and I had to learn the hard way myself. It's no easy or inexpensive task to increase flow but there's no other way to get an intercooler that is dimensionally limited by the manifold to effectively cool better. Increasing pump capacity will only help a little and quickly reaches a limit with diminishing returns. It takes swapping every component for ones with larger ports, and all the associated plumbing to get a significant gain in flow and more sustainable cooling.
That being said, I've run my 3/4" intercooler system on track and it will work, to some extent. Beware of engine temps and know that you'll start off with the 750hp you paid for but heat soak will take over quickly, IAT2 will rise and the engine will pull timing in self-defense. You will end your session far short of 750hp.
 
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100
109
Utah
I have run a supercharged Mustang on the track for the last 5 years and what "Stangra" said about cooling and the internal SC intercooler is all true. The key heat/cooling factors are exchanger size, intercooler size, diameter of intercooler lines,, pump size/flow/pressure rates and the big one... huge horsepower in a track use scenario makes huge heat gains..period! One of my many solutions was to install much higher flow intercooler pumps......and install TWO intercooler pumps.....in series....! "Two equal intercooler pumps in series provide double the pressure but the same flow and two same size intercooler pumps in parallel provide double the flow at the same pressure." The two biggest restrictions to coolant low are the heat exchanger and the intercooler. So I installed the first high flow pump just before the heat exchanger and the second identical pump just before the intercooler. The result was a big increase in actual, realtime system coolant flow of about 80%, or not quite double the flow. Just the same, high HP is your enemy!
 
98
143
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Olsburg, KS
I've contemplated getting this kit, too. I don't know if I'm ready to drill holes in the side of my car yet, so I would probably forego that part for now. I haven't driven mine hard enough to really have issues with heat yet. I wrapped the exhaust around the differential area and just drove it like that. Does anyone know how much hp you typically lose when it starts pulling timing?
 
106
52
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
So CA
I don't know anyone that has firsthand experience with this cooling kit. It sounds like a step in the right direction, but my opinion is it's still not enough to meet all the demands of road course conditions. Roush claims "+28% Engine Cooling Capacity" which helps but doesn't match the +60% more horsepower (heat) you'll be making. And "+22% Supercharger Cooling Capacity"?...
Knowing what their baseline is I think that'll still prove to be insufficient on a road course too.
IMO the intercooler in the manifold is the weakest link and needs more coolant flow to be very much more effective. This added cooling kit still retains 3/4" plumbing throughout. I doubt that any amount of added auxiliary cooler capacity will allow the intercooler to effectively extract enough heat through 3/4" plumbing. The theoretical best case scenario is if the heat exchangers could reduce intercooler coolant to ambient temp. I'm sure this kit helps get closer to that, but, ambient coolant restricted to 3/4" flow rates will not keep up with 20min. of repeated WOT boost demands.
No one likes to hear this and I had to learn the hard way myself. It's no easy or inexpensive task to increase flow but there's no other way to get an intercooler that is dimensionally limited by the manifold to effectively cool better. Increasing pump capacity will only help a little and quickly reaches a limit with diminishing returns. It takes swapping every component for ones with larger ports, and all the associated plumbing to get a significant gain in flow and more sustainable cooling.
That being said, I've run my 3/4" intercooler system on track and it will work, to some extent. Beware of engine temps and know that you'll start off with the 750hp you paid for but heat soak will take over quickly, IAT2 will rise and the engine will pull timing in self-defense. You will end your session far short of 750hp.
I have run a supercharged Mustang on the track for the last 5 years and what "Stangra" said about cooling and the internal SC intercooler is all true. The key heat/cooling factors are exchanger size, intercooler size, diameter of intercooler lines,, pump size/flow/pressure rates and the big one... huge horsepower in a track use scenario makes huge heat gains..period! One of my many solutions was to install much higher flow intercooler pumps......and install TWO intercooler pumps.....in series....! "Two equal intercooler pumps in series provide double the pressure but the same flow and two same size intercooler pumps in parallel provide double the flow at the same pressure." The two biggest restrictions to coolant low are the heat exchanger and the intercooler. So I installed the first high flow pump just before the heat exchanger and the second identical pump just before the intercooler. The result was a big increase in actual, realtime system coolant flow of about 80%, or not quite double the flow. Just the same, high HP is your enemy!

Thanks guys! Huge considerations on the limitations of intercooler and exchanger sizes needing lots of additional mods. Since I've talked to the Ford Perf tech at the dealer, they really haven't pushed the upgrade for my use, so it looks fruitless to proceed without the above major mods. I was hoping that Phase 3 would work given the warranty and canned package which thought went through full R&D.
 
303
251
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
25 min. to 1½ hrs. from Sonoma (ugh... traffic!)
Does anyone know how much hp you typically lose when it starts pulling timing?
How much timing is pulled will depend on your IAT2 (inlet air temp downstream of intercooler)
An inadequate intercooling system can allow IAT2 to rise significantly in a matter of seconds during sustained full throttle.
There are many variables at play but your set-up, ambient conditions, and the demands being put on the system are big ones.
Over 100 HP loss is possible.
 
Last edited:
98
143
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Olsburg, KS
How much timing is pulled will depend on your IAT2 (inlet air temp downstream of intercooler)
An inadequate intercooling system can allow IAT2 to rise significantly in a matter of seconds during sustained full throttle.
There are many variables at play but your set-up, ambient conditions, and the demands being put on the system are big ones.
Over 100 HP loss is possible.
I've got a "stock" phase 2 Roush setup . Didn't know if it was common knowledge how much that setup typically drops under given conditions. I'm used to the 315hp my other car puts out, so even if it's down to 500hp it still feels pretty fast compared to what I'm used to. I don't particularly like it that everything gets so hot, though.
 
4
9
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Milwaukee, WI
I don't know anyone that has firsthand experience with this cooling kit. It sounds like a step in the right direction, but my opinion is it's still not enough to meet all the demands of road course conditions. Roush claims "+28% Engine Cooling Capacity" which helps but doesn't match the +60% more horsepower (heat) you'll be making. And "+22% Supercharger Cooling Capacity"?...
Knowing what their baseline is I think that'll still prove to be insufficient on a road course too.
IMO the intercooler in the manifold is the weakest link and needs more coolant flow to be very much more effective. This added cooling kit still retains 3/4" plumbing throughout. I doubt that any amount of added auxiliary cooler capacity will allow the intercooler to effectively extract enough heat through 3/4" plumbing. The theoretical best case scenario is if the heat exchangers could reduce intercooler coolant to ambient temp. I'm sure this kit helps get closer to that, but, ambient coolant restricted to 3/4" flow rates will not keep up with 20min. of repeated WOT boost demands.
No one likes to hear this and I had to learn the hard way myself. It's no easy or inexpensive task to increase flow but there's no other way to get an intercooler that is dimensionally limited by the manifold to effectively cool better. Increasing pump capacity will only help a little and quickly reaches a limit with diminishing returns. It takes swapping every component for ones with larger ports, and all the associated plumbing to get a significant gain in flow and more sustainable cooling.
That being said, I've run my 3/4" intercooler system on track and it will work, to some extent. Beware of engine temps and know that you'll start off with the 750hp you paid for but heat soak will take over quickly, IAT2 will rise and the engine will pull timing in self-defense. You will end your session far short of 750hp.
Installed the Phase 2 SC on my 2020 GT PP1. Couple of laps at HPDE and the temps shoot up putting the car in limp mode until it cools down. Huge disappointment. Can't really track it anymore. Looking at the Max Cooling kit but skeptical there is enough cooling. Looking for solutions. Does anyone have experience with the Max Cooling Kit? Car runs great when it's cool, but no so much at the track. I have not heard of these issues with GT 500 or Roush stage 3 mustangs. Thanks in advance.
 
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