Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance 2.5L with 200FWHP??

I could be wrong here, but maybe a better flowing intake manifold would help .. it may be an illusion, but the stock manifold looks restrictive ... check out the photos of the new Jag manifold its much taller and provides more of a straight shot to the ports .. problem is the 'tour's hood is too low. Also, if the manifold was made from carbon fiber or phenolic (sp) to provide heat isolation .. that would also be of benefit. Thoughts???

The only thing I know is that I've never owned a car that's so particular with gas!! My 2000 SVT only has 1500 miles on it, and one tank of gas has made it run like s**t. Also, WTF is up with Ford telling folks to run 5W-20(?) in their cars? Where the Hell do you get that??? No place around here that I've seen. I feel like the just taking the POS back to the dealer and asking for my $ back.I just don't get it, that one tank of gas(unless it's more water than gas)could totally ruin the performance of a car that bad. Should I just dump some 104+ Octane Boost and hope for the best?

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"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things"

I found my 00 SVT only runs well on high quality 91 octane or better. No generic gas (total, quik trip, mom & pops, etc) I use ONLY Amoco 93 octane. Makes a huge difference.

READ your owners manual.
It states 5W30 oil. The 2001 models are going to 5W20 oil so the car companies can get better CAFE ratings (Gas mileage) because they all have far too many SUV's.

BTW - Advance Auto sells 5W20. I'm sure other parts house may as well.
I wouldn't use it though. Get past the break-in period (5-6k miles) and switch to Mobil 1 5W30.

"Also, if the manifold was made from carbon fiber or phenolic (sp) to provide heat isolation .. that would also be of benefit. Thoughts???"

I'm not sure if the intake design could be improved or not but I agree with increasing heat isolation. I was considering sending my intake to Swain Coatings. They will coat the underside of the intake with a thick heat barrier ceramic coating for about $125. This may well be worth a few HP.


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Dan
99SVT - Tropic Green
#554/2760
Stock - except minor intake, exhaust, & motor mount enhancements

Here's a thought. The 3L valves are larger than the 2.5L valves. If theres enough meat in the heads, have the 3L valves installed in the 2.5L heads. I think Mirko did this.

Doubt that's going to help anything. The upper intake is sucking a great deal of its heat from the lower intake through conduction. The rest is mostly convection from air moving around the engine compartment--this is where a coating may help, but all it will do is buy you time.

I certainly think the air path could be less circuitous..but as Gramps mentioned, we don't have the clearance for it (too bad there wasn't room in the front end to tilt the engine back--Toyota style--for a less cramped intake).

Show me some trumpets sticking through the hood and I'll be tickled pink...

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Brinn Riley
Melbourne, FL
'00 Black/Tan SVT Contour #560
www.mindspring.com/~cdw27
cdw27@mindspring.com

"The upper intake is sucking a great deal of its heat from the lower intake through conduction."

Maybe, but there is a 3mm thick plastic gasket separating upper & lower intakes which may serve as a conduction barrier. I think the underside of the upper intake (next to the engine) recieves much more heat than the upper surface. The air must travel a good distance through those runners and I think is picking up a fair amount of heat. Each 10 degree reduction in air temp is worth 1% or 2 HP. Hard to know if this mod will work until someone does it, then measures manifold temps before & after runs with standardized conditions.

Hey Greg,
Your right -3L valves would be great, especially if you did head/manifold porting to match. Mirko and Chris Reinke both did this on their race cars, and both were at 260 crank HP reportedly. Now, David Z has Chris's big valve/hot cam heads on his 3L. Lucky stiff.

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Dan
99SVT - Tropic Green
#554/2760
Stock - except minor intake, exhaust, & motor mount enhancements

True, the gasket may help. But its low conductivity might do very little to offset its thickness. Doubtful you'd see more than a 15 degree gradient across that interface.

Rather than a coating (which may also inhibit the intake's emissive behavior) you might have more luck with a non-contacting radiant barrier between the bottom of the intake and the hot folks beneath.

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Brinn Riley
Melbourne, FL
'00 Black/Tan SVT Contour #560
www.mindspring.com/~cdw27
cdw27@mindspring.com

I did use 5W-30 with the 1st oil change, and I had 93 Octane gas in the car, but why the huge drop-off in low-end power?

Having a composite intake manifold DOES increase flow characteristics. My stock '02 4.7L Dakota has this option right from the factory. At first I was kinda iffy on the idea of having a composite intake, but now that I've gotten to know my truck better, I'd say it definitely helps. When I add my exhaust and CAI (or Ram Air kit) to the truck, it'll open up a world of N/A power. Then I'll just add a custom programmed chip and this thing will be a beast. The same can be said for the Contour's 2.5L. I really believe that this mod could make a difference.