Home /
Blog /
Archives /
December 2014

Monthly Archives: December 2014

Headers Give Your Ford Mustang More Power

Headers Give Your Ford Mustang More Power—that’s a fact.

Aftermarket exhaust headers improve exhaust flow and cylinder scavenging compared to stock cast manifolds or tubular shorty headers. With that, most aftermarket headers (long-tube or short-tube) feature larger-than-stock and often longer primary tubes, and a performance collector design.

If this style header makes more power, why doesn’t the factory use them? Fact is, very few factory vehicles are equipped with an exhaust system that’s optimized for power. That’s because tubular headers are more expensive to produce and they generally don’t fit as tight to the engine, which would slow assembly at the factory.

And while every engine is different, a typical set of high-quality aftermarket headers, like those sold at BrothersPerformance.com can be worth 25-40 horsepower depending on your combination.

In this example, we installed BBK 1 ¾-inch long-tubes which feature 1 ¾-inch primary pipes that are CNC-mandrel bent, a thick 3/8-inch flange for solid sealing, and clean welds for strength and durability. In addition, they have a 2-bolt lower flange with a ball-and-socket collector so you never have to worry about old-fashioned header leaks. And all BBK header kits come with new gaskets, installation hardware, and detailed instructions.

If you’re Coyote is really pumping out the power, you should consider the larger BBK 1 7/8-inch headers. These are more suited for max-effort naturally aspirated engines, supercharged engines or nitrous applications. It’s important to mention that BrothersPerformance.com sells header and exhaust kits for all 1979-present Mustangs, including those with engine swaps.

When you make the move from shorty to long-tube headers, you’ll need a shorter mid-pipe. Fortunately, BBK Performance sells a dedicated X-pipe to mate its long-tubes to virtually any Mustang exhaust. BBK’s mid-pipes feature 3-inch Mandrel Bent Aluminized Tubing, oxygen sensor bungs. Unfortunately, they can’t be sold or shipped to California residents.

Simple modifications that compliment headers on a 2011-2014 Ford Mustang GT are cold-air kits, throttle bodies, flash tuners, gears and exhaust mufflers. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to click on the video to see how much power we gained with our 2011 Mustang GT test car.

This entry was posted in News, Ford Mustang, Great Videos You MUST See!, Ford Mustang Video and tagged 2011 Ford Mustang, 2012 Ford Mustang, BBK Performance, Mustang GT, ford, mustang, 2013 ford mustang, evan smith, 2014 ford mustang gt, evan j smith, headers, long-tubes, horsepower on December 15, 2014 by Evan Smith.
Mustang is Still Rolling After 50 Strong Years

Mustang is Still Rolling After 50 Strong Years

The Ford Mustang has been around for 50 years—it’s been the talk of the automotive media now for months. There have been 50-year celebrations of great magnitude, Ford even recreated the feat of assembling a Mustang atop the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The cake-topper was the introduction of the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang. Yes, Mustang is still rolling after 50 strong years. In fact, it just keeps getting healthier.

Having a nameplate last 50 years, puts the Mustang in rare air. Other vehicles that survived half a century (or more) include the Porsche 911 (1963-present), Chevrolet Suburban (1933-present), Ford F-series truck (1948-present), Ford Thunderbird (1955-2005), Corvette (1953-present), okay we know there was no ’83 Vette, and the original Mini (1959-2000) to name a few.

From its humble beginnings, Mustang has grown to become a world-wide icon and a timeless item for pop culture. There are hundreds of Mustang clubs, web forums, dedicated websites, magazine and even aftermarket companies, which specialize in Mustangs. Ford Mustang currently has over 8 million Facebook followers and Mustang is one of the most commonly modified vehicles. Mustangs have graced the silver screen, you can find an endless supply of Mustang toys, collectibles, RC Mustangs, even bands sing about them—who can forget Vanilla Ice’s drop-top 5.0? The power of Mustang will just grow stronger with the announcement of Ford’s new Global Performance Team.

Racing history has been covered in countless books, too. The Ford Mustang is unrivaled on track, as they have won races all over the world. And Ford’s racing involvement continues today, as Mustangs can be seen winning in NASCAR, NHRA, IHRA, NASA, NMRA, NMCA, World Challenge, and there are thousands of weekend warriors who bracket race, autocross, or compete in time trials or open track events. You can even buy a Cobra Jet or Boss 302 racecar straight from Ford. And let’s not forget how popular Mustang have become in Drifting.

Of course other Ford models like the Fiesta compete in Rally, its Daytona Prototype Sports Car program is very strong with the Roush-Yates twin-turbo EcoBoost engine, and rumor has it that Ford will return to Le Mans with a new Supercar very soon. Mustang fans will soon get a new Shelby model, the GT350 and an “R” model is likely to be announced soon. Ford also recently announced plans to sell the Focus RS world-wide.

Through the years, the Ford Mustang has remained affordable, it possesses style, performance, and has a racing pedigree that is historical. Just look at social media— everyone wants to be the “first” to do something with a Mustang. According to Ford, over 50 years, of the more than 9.2 million Mustangs that have been produced and sold, most of them originated close to Ford’s home base in Dearborn, Michigan. And I think many will be around celebrating 100 years of Mustang.

This entry was posted in Ford Mustang, 2015 Ford Mustang News and tagged Shelby, ford, mustang, nmra, 2015 Mustang, corvette, NMCA, nascar, empire state building, dearborn, global performance, social media, Michigan, shelby ft-350, daytona, Facebook, first, 50 years, thunderbird, chevrolet, mini, focus, fiesta, manhattan, nhra on December 12, 2014 by Evan Smith.
Ford Introduces New Global Team and 12 New Vehicles

Ford Introduces New Global Team and 12 New Vehicles

It’s no secret that Ford is taking a global approach to performance. It’s introducing the iconic 2015 Mustang to customers worldwide, and Ford Introduces New Global Team and 12 New Vehicles through 2020—including the much-anticipated Focus RS—to be available globally.

Ford is finally uniting it’s wide array of regional performance engineering and racing teams as one global team, which will fall under the Ford Performance umbrella. This team will deliver to enthusiasts more new vehicles and parts, and do so in quicker fashion than ever before. New vehicles include an all-new Focus RS that will be available to customers in major markets around the world for the first time. And we're anticipating the announcement of a Shelby GT350 "R" at the Detroit Auto Show this winter.

“Ford remains committed to innovation through performance,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “Our new global Ford Performance team ties together racing, performance vehicles and parts. It will allow us to more quickly introduce products and accessories that meet the needs of customers around the world on-road and on the track.” Focus RS, which builds on a pedigree of driving excellence dating to the first Ford RS in 1968, was last introduced in 2009.

“To earn the RS badge, the vehicle has to be a no-compromise driver’s car that can deliver exceptional performance on the track when required while providing excellent every day driving,” said Nair.

Current performance vehicles from Ford include the Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Shelby GT350 Mustang and F-150 Raptor. Not to mention the EcoBoost Mustang and Mustang GT.

This is all part of Ford’s “One Ford” plan for profitable growth, and to ensure product excellence and innovation across the board. Of course, the performance models will excite enthusiasts, but there's so much more. Currently, performance vehicle sales are growing around the world. Ford stated that sales are up 70 percent in the United States and 14 percent in Europe since 2009 in the performance segment.

Ford’s hugely popular ST lineup, is a hit with a wide range of buyers, as it delivers an phenomenal driving experience, plus economy, at a price point in the mid-$20,000 range. Additionally, Ford claimed that in the United States, more than 65 percent of ST customers made the switch from other brands, and more than 50 percent of Ford performance vehicle owners’ next vehicle purchase is a Ford. It also stated that Millennials are purchasing ST vehicles at a rate twice that of other Ford-branded vehicles.

The heart of the ST lineup is the award-winning EcoBoost® engine family. Amazingly, Ford has produced more than 2 million EcoBoost engines globally since 2009. “EcoBoost is a strong example of how we are migrating technology and engineering across our lineup, ensuring our vehicles are fun to drive—not just our Ford Performance lineup,” said Nair. “From our most nimble Fiesta to our hard-working full-size pickups and racing vehicles, our lineup benefits from the innovations we deliver at the track and at the limit.”

On the track, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine powers the IMSA TUDOR Championship series racecars, including a record-setting Daytona racing prototype sports car. The team also designed the soon-to-be-released Shelby GT350 Mustang. It features aerodynamic innovations developed through Ford’s investment in racing that were applied to help downforce and cooling.

Ford understands that racing provides a proving ground for cultivating passionate engineers—allowing them to innovate in top-level competition as they face challenges that require successful solutions in very compressed time frames. This trickles down, and is passed on to every Ford and Lincoln product.

New Global Team

According to Ford, the new Ford Performance organization unifies Ford SVT, Team RS and Ford Racing globally, serving as an innovation laboratory and test bed to create unique performance vehicles, parts, accessories and experiences for customers. This includes developing innovations and technologies in aerodynamics, weight reduction, electronics, powertrain performance, and fuel efficiency that can be applied more broadly to Ford’s product portfolio.

The Global Team will utilize racetracks around the globe to develop new vehicles and technologies at Ford’s engineering centers—including the new technical center in Charlotte, North Carolina. That fully modern facility will help deliver racing innovations, as well as advance tools for use in performance vehicles and daily drivers alike.

And Ford enthusiasts will be excited to learn that the Ford Performance organization is led by Dave Pericak, who has been appointed director, Global Ford Performance.

This entry was posted in News and tagged ford, 2015 Mustang, evan smith, evan j smith, global team, performance, dave pericak, svt, new vehicles on December 11, 2014 by Evan Smith.
2015 Mustang Convertibles Will Ship This Week

2015 Mustang Convertibles Will Ship This Week

Fans of open-air driving will be keyed up to hear that the 2015 Mustang Convertibles Will Ship This Week to dealers. The 2015 Mustang is marching forward with terrific sales and the convertible models will add to this impressive launch.

Like coupe owners, drop-top enthusiasts of the Ford Mustang can select between the V6, 310-horsepower EcoBoost and 5.0L Coyote engine, along with the selection of trim packages. Ford is also making heated seats and remote start available. This allows the all-new Mustang convertible to be enjoyed year-round, even in the chilly climates. Further enhancing cold-weather driving are selectable drive modes that features a snow/wet setting that tunes your Mustang to perform well in inclement weather conditions.

“Cold weather may have come unseasonably early this year, but with available heated seats, remote start and selectable drive modes with a snow/wet setting, Mustang is the perfect offering for the season,” said Melanie Banker, Mustang brand manager.

“Heated seats, which is standard on all Premium Mustang convertibles, allow the driver and front passenger to stay warm even when the temperature drops. While these seats also have a cooling feature, we suspect customers won’t be using this function for a few more months,” added Banker.

Another great piece of technology, Remote Start, will be standard on all automatic-transmission Mustang models. This allows customers to start the engine from the comfort of your home or office, or as you approach your car. According to Ford, when remote start is used, Mustang not only warms up its engine, it also warms the interior of the car to a comfortable temperature.

“Mustangs are made for year-round practicality and enjoyment,” Banker said, “so it’s exciting that customers are taking delivery of their convertible Mustang models—regardless of the season.”

Many Mustang owners crave additional performance and personalization. And Brothers Performance is your number one connection to the aftermarket. We stock your favorite parts and your favorite brands. So be sure to browse our site and check out our great deals.

This entry was posted in News, Ford Mustang, 2015 Ford Mustang News and tagged Brothers Performance, ford, mustang, 2015 Mustang, evan smith, mustang parts, evan j smith, convertible mustang, Ford Mustang on December 10, 2014 by Evan Smith.