Those DH owners with Ford Performance SC Weigh in

[cobra4548]

For all of you with the SC from Ford Performance :

For those that haven’t modified your car once the SC has been installed, have you had any issues since installation? I am looking for serious answers please.

I am ready to pull the trigger and my local Ford dealer is ready to install it. As I will be daily driving it I wanted to see if anyone had any issues or regrets.

I have had several SC mustangs but they have all had built motors.

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[Ninjak]

I have the Ford Performance SC system. It was stage 1, with the Whipple tune. I had zero issues. CAr drove stock until you smash the vertical pedal on the right.

I now have a stage 2 setup with a custom tune. The car still drives very well until the go pedal is pressed. Well now, it just goes a lot faster

 

[Q6543]

I’m stage 2, I would skip the stage 1 and go directly to stage 2.
And get the cats off EITHER WAY, immediately!

Throw the warranty in the garbage, a stage 2, catless is far less likely to experience failure than a stage 1 warranty WITH cats.

 

[cobra4548]

What do you mean Stage 1 and Stage 2?? The Ford Performance website doesn’t mention anything about Stages

 

[ZXMustang]

You will need to remove the cats at some point. Just know that.

 

[Ken H.]

How do you guys, with cats removed, pass inspection? Won’t it fail when they stick the tail pipe sampler in?

 

[Ninjak]

<------------------------Has no inspections.

The Whipple setup, regardless of who you get it from, has a Stage 1,2,3 and 4.

Stage 1 is the setup with the Whipple calibration (Ford approved), with the smaller Y-tube, 3.8 pulley, and the 92mm GT500 TB. You will have a warranty for this setup, but from what I have been told, it will not cover cat failure, which is usually the cause of your other issues when it happens.

Stage 2 has the 112mm whipple TB, along with a 120mm Y-tube and the 3.75 pulley. It also has the WIpple calibration (not Ford-approved) for more boost and airflow, or get a custom tune.

Stage 3 is the 120mm TB and the 3.6 pulley. Now you need to use a boost-a-pump with the setup and a custom tune.

Stage 4 is the 3.5 pulley, 132mm TB, and you will need a fuel system along with quite a few other mods. Will truly need a custom tune with this setup, as you are now over the 1k WHP mark.

With any of the stages, you can get a custom tune. Using a custom tune will pull more power out of any of the stages you are running. While the tunes do have cat protection and other safeties in them, it is recommended that you go to HI-Flow cats or just remove them altogether.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

How do you guys, with cats removed, pass inspection? Won’t it fail when they stick the tail pipe sampler in?

There is no tail pipe sampler where I live, but they do two things. One, any check engine light is an automatic fail (i.e., any OBD-II codes). Two, they visually inspect for a catalytic converter using a mirror.

Some folks have a test pipe fabricated long enough to install for driving and then for testing they swap the catalytic converter in. It is just some work when the annual testing time comes around. Exhaust shops are not usually willing to do this work, however. It can result in big fines, $25,000 per violation.

I do not know the current state of tunes with respect to the S650 and turning off the check engine light and any codes to fool the first failure cause. Anybody making this tune available is risking fines from the EPA. Even if this is available, however, the visual inspection will catch you, and you will fail.

 

[Ken H.]

Thanks for that info. Sounds like too much hassle to me. So, is Ford installing these superchargers & not telling customers that their cats are going to be trashed? Or are they removing them? And, what about all these factory cars with superchargers? The hellcats, C7 Z06, C8 ZR1, CTS-V. What are the doing about cats & emission testing? I had a 2019 RoushCharged Mustang bought new from dealer with 720 hp but I don’t know what it did for cats. Didn’t have to renew registration before I traded it. I just can’t understand putting these superchargers on in states that test emissions & having your cats destroyed & not having a major pain in the ass.
Any insights would be appreciated before I put one on & regret it.

 

[Ninjak]

@Ken H. :For some of the vehicles, like the GT500, I think they may have cats from the factory that are designed for the SC. From my understanding, even the cats like on my Darkhorse can stand up to the boost of the SC, but it is not advised to do back to back to back pulls often. The tunes have built-in protections, but nothing is 100%.

This is why most either get LT headers with high-flow cats, or some just cut the cats out and pipe it instead. Your mileage may very o the longevity of this, but it is something to be aware of.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

@Ken H. :For some of the vehicles, like the GT500, I think they may have cats from the factory that are designed for the SC.

The cats are different from the standard GT for the same year.

From my understanding, even the cats like on my Darkhorse can stand up to the boost of the SC, but it is not advised to do back to back to back pulls often. The tunes have built-in protections, but nothing is 100%.

I don't know if the Dark Horse cats are different from the standard GT, but if the advice is not to do back to back pulls, then this tells you all you need to know about tracking with those cats. a normal HPDE day of 4-5 sessions at anywhere from 20-30 minutes on track is going to exceed the designed performance of the catalytic converters that are currently on the car.

This is why most either get LT headers with high-flow cats, or some just cut the cats out and pipe it instead. Your mileage may very o the longevity of this, but it is something to be aware of.

Even some of the "high flow cats" are not really up to the task of surviving forced induction Coyote horsepower. There are catalytic converters that are up to the task, but not many want to pay the cost of buying those.

Pay attention to the horsepower ratings. Then check out the cost. The solution exists. It just costs more than many are willing to pay. There are options up to 1,200 hp:
https://www.gsportbygesi.com/g-sport-emissions-systems-products

 

[Junkyard Dog]

I’m stage 2, I would skip the stage 1 and go directly to stage 2.
And get the cats off EITHER WAY, immediately!

Throw the warranty in the garbage, a stage 2, catless is far less likely to experience failure than a stage 1 warranty WITH cats.

Do you drive around with a check engine light and a code thrown?

Google tells me that the Detroit area stopped emissions testing of cars over 30 years ago. Is this true? How to I get the state of Georgia to do this for the Atlanta area?

 

[smurfslayer]

@Ken H. :For some of the vehicles, like the GT500, I think they may have cats from the factory that are designed for the SC. From my understanding, even the cats like on my Darkhorse can stand up to the boost of the SC, but it is not advised to do back to back to back pulls often. The tunes have built-in protections, but nothing is 100%.

This is why most either get LT headers with high-flow cats, or some just cut the cats out and pipe it instead. Your mileage may very o the longevity of this, but it is something to be aware of.

Maybe someone else will remember more, but I recall reading that even the cats you get with the headers are good for maybe 500hp, which I am assuming is crankshaft hp. Stage 1 whipple is putting out about 800 crankshaft hp, and more. Stage 2 can be 700+ to the wheels or more.
Mine put down over 800 to the wheels. That's a lot of crankshaft hp. You could buy cats for this level of power that would live, but, you'll lose some hp and noise, and they are expensive AF.

I think even the GT/Dark Horse cats with just the occasional pull or drag run will eventually kill those factory cats, not just back to back pulls. BtB will definitely kill them faster.

 

[Ken H.]

The cats are different from the standard GT for the same year.



I don't know if the Dark Horse cats are different from the standard GT, but if the advice is not to do back to back pulls, then this tells you all you need to know about tracking with those cats. a normal HPDE day of 4-5 sessions at anywhere from 20-30 minutes on track is going to exceed the designed performance of the catalytic converters that are currently on the car.



Even some of the "high flow cats" are not really up to the task of surviving forced induction Coyote horsepower. There are catalytic converters that are up to the task, but not many want to pay the cost of buying those.

Pay attention to the horsepower ratings. Then check out the cost. The solution exists. It just costs more than many are willing to pay. There are options up to 1,200 hp:
https://www.gsportbygesi.com/g-sport-emissions-systems-products

Thanks JD. Great info. If I pull the trigger, I’ll definitely go with one of the cats. Very helpful.

 

[Ken H.]

Maybe someone else will remember more, but I recall reading that even the cats you get with the headers are good for maybe 500hp, which I am assuming is crankshaft hp. Stage 1 whipple is putting out about 800 crankshaft hp, and more. Stage 2 can be 700+ to the wheels or more.
Mine put down over 800 to the wheels. That's a lot of crankshaft hp. You could buy cats for this level of power that would live, but, you'll lose some hp and noise, and they are expensive AF.

I think even the GT/Dark Horse cats with just the occasional pull or drag run will eventually kill those factory cats, not just back to back pulls. BtB will definitely kill them faster.

Good to keep in mind - flywheel vs wheels. My 2019 RoushCharged had 720 hp. Not sure if flywheel. Probably at wheels. It was just a GT Premium with supercharger & Roush mufflers. No problem with cats for street driving which is what I do with occasional romps for fun. Thanks for the tips. Issue clearer now.

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