The 25 extra ponies come from a bit more than a different air intake . Here
is a clip of some of the differences.
They raised the output of the 2.5 liter V-6 from 170 bhp at
6250 rpm to 195 bhp at 6625 rpm. Peak torque remains 165 pound-feet, but at
5625 rpm instead of 4250 rpm.
Much of the extra power comes from better engine breathing. That starts
with
a reshaped air cleaner, which is 30 percent less restrictive, and a
larger-bore throttle body - its redesigned linkage requires less pedal
effort
for full throttle. there are also larger diameters in the primary and
secondary port throttles.
The exhaust system has been opened up, its piped split into dual mufflers
leading to dual chrome outlets. The result is 40 percent less back pressure
at 6000 rpm and a nice, aggressive exhaust note.
Besides better breathing, another source of added power is new camshaft lobe
profiles on both the intake and exhaust cams. A reshaped piston with a
taller dome bumped up the compression ratio from 9.7:1 to 10.0:1.
A lighter flywheel helped achieve the second goal of a more free-revving
engine. This is especially important because the V-6's extra twenty-five
ponies don't come out of the corral until 4500 rpm. To handle the higher
engine speeds, a larger radiator core and an oil cooler - both from the
European Ford Mondeo - have been fitted.
So how does it go? In SVT's tests - which are run with some ballast and two
people aboard - the SVT knocked about a half second off the Contour SE's
0-to-60 time (7.9 versus 8.3 seconds). You can feel the extra pull asa the
tach needle climbs to its 6750-rpm redline. The engine's growl is the devil
on your shoulder goading you to use the extra power. Given enough road and
a
Policeman's Benevolent Association card, one can run the SVT all the way up
to 143 mph - 31 mph faster than the speed-limited Contour SE.
A more serious engine requires more serious brakes. The Mondeo helps out
here, too, donating its larger front rotors and calipers.
Chris
95 rc 318
13.9@95
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:19:10 EDT