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Ford Racing Boss 302R:
The Prototype in Plain View
NEW 2012 MUSTANG BOSS 302 TRACK-TESTED THANKS TO
FORD RACING BOSS 302R
- All-new 2012 Mustang Boss 302 benefitted from
extensive racing telemetry and real-world experience gained from the
Ford Racing Boss 302R
- Racing experience helped Boss team engineer
vehicle aerodynamics, oil control, brakes, engine cooling and suspension
for durability and peak performance on the street and track
- To ensure repeatable results between race car
and street car, many Boss components are identical between competition
and production versions
MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 13, 2010 – It’s no secret
that, near the end of 2009, Ford Racing announced the Mustang Boss 302R, a
full-race, off-road-only vehicle complete with roll cage, race seats,
safety harness, data acquisition, race dampers/springs and Brembo brakes.
Since its first start at Daytona, the 302R has been proving itself to Ford
engineers and the competition alike, with two pole positions in seven
races so far this year.
What racing fans haven’t known is that the Boss 302R has also been serving
as a very public test bed for the all-new road-going Mustang Boss 302, a
car that, until recently, has been secret even to many people at the
company.
“The old adage that ‘racing improves the breed’ held true as we were
building the production Boss 302,” explains David Pericak, Mustang chief
engineer. “Since the Boss 302R race cars used many of our planned
production parts, we had the advantage of six months’ worth of racing
telemetry to add to our standard battery of environmental tests pulled
from the 2011 Mustang program. The track experience was helpful in
identifying improvements we could make on the production Boss –
particularly the Laguna Seca model – to provide a competitive race car
right off the showroom floor.”
Identical parts, repeatable results
Collaborating with Ford Racing, the Mustang team decided if they were
going to use the 302R for full-scale testing, then the race car would need
to use planned production components to get valid data. As a result,
engineers installed the first Boss 5.0-liter engine that came off the line
directly into the 2011 302R development mule for track testing.
“The 302R engines come straight off our production line with the same
short block,” explains Mike Harrison, Ford V8 engine program manager. “The
forged pistons, stronger connecting rods and all the other refinements
were already designed for racing, so it was straightforward to take what
we learned on the track and apply it to the production car.”
The results using the initial engine design were encouraging, though the
data pointed out potential concerns with both engine cooling and oil
control. Specifically, the car needed more of both, so aerodynamic
elements in the front of the car were revised to improve airflow
efficiency.
Also, under the hood the Boss radiator was redesigned and plumbing changes
were implemented to more effectively use the additional airflow the new
fascia aero treatment was able to supply – all changes that have been
implemented on standard production Boss models and the race-ready Laguna
Seca cars.
Using software that plotted oil pressure at specific g loads and at
particular parts of the track, engineers isolated the motions causing oil
starvation. Based on the track telemetry, baffles were added in specific
locations, eliminating the issue without adding any more weight than
necessary.
To aid the brakes, an aggressive engine braking algorithm was employed in
the powertrain control module (PCM) – the engine braking allows the driver
to brake later in turns, reducing wear on the friction brakes. Brake
cooling ducts from Ford Racing were found to dramatically improve fade
resistance – the ducts became standard on the 302R and the Boss Laguna
Seca, and are available over the counter for standard Boss models.
“Racing can serve as a technical proving ground for production cars,” said
Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “The 5.0-liter block and
architecture in the Mustang Boss 302R is the same as the 2011 Mustang GT,
and many of the 302R components and much of the engineering knowledge
shared between our teams will soon be available to customers in the 2012
Mustang Boss 302. The tradition and the spirit of Boss, a car born for the
track, remain today and you can bet more than a few Ford Racing employees
will have a Boss 302 in the garage soon.”
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