Jessie Ringley’s 2015 Mustang On An Ecoboost Mission

The biggest hurdle for Ecoboost performance has always been surpassing the 800 horsepower mark without the use of laughing gas. The current “plus nitrous” asterisk record hovers at only 860 horsepower. After breaking into the 800 horsepower range, Engineered Motorsports Solutions’ owner Jessie Ringley decided it was time to lead the way with his build.

Ringley’s Roots

Ringley was no stranger to boosted four-cylinder applications. His first car was a turbocharged 1990 Ford Probe. He then switched to pushing the limits of the Mitsubishi 4G63 engine. However, he had always wanted to convert his Probe to rear wheel drive. This made the jump to a 2015 Ford Mustang Ecoboost an easy choice. The new platform offered enormous aftermarket chassis support and cross compatibility with its V8 brethren from transmission back. The turbo four-cylinder would continue to maintain Ringley’s turbo roots too.

Ringley originally earned his stripes working at Mahle as a technician and engineer. Mahle provided him with the knowledge of precision measurements and machining that allowed him to begin making his own parts. This knowledge was further honed throughout his time at the University of Tennessee, where Ringley obtained his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and is currently finishing his PhD.

An Opportunity Of Passion

Where the OE and aftermarket motor support stopped, Ringley saw an opportunity. He branched further past block swaps and started to develop his own CNC-machined parts. Ringley started simple with CNC intake manifold adapters to replace the factory plastic unit. While his stock plastic one has seen 50-plus lbs of boost, it’s only a matter of time before it has had enough. The new adapter conveniently allowed him to run a 4G63 Magnus Motorsports V5 intake manifold with extra fueling options, corrected bore alignments between the two engines, and enabled tuning of the RPM range to suit the Ecoboost.

At first sight, Ringley’s Mustang appears as nothing more than a drag-pack loaded S550. The deep impact blue metallic factory paint is only offset by a set of black Drag Stars. The rear wheels are wrapped in Mickey Thompson ET Street R and the fronts use Hoosier Front Runners. Baer calipers fill in behind the wheels and bring this boosted pony to a stop. What doesn’t meet the eyes is the engine that pushed past the 805 horsepower mark.

Engine Of A Champion

Ringley started by changing the foundation of the engine to a 2.0-liter Ford Fusion block. The Fusion block is a semi-closed deck and is less prone to cracking than the 2.3-liter Ecoboost engine. When it came time for assembly the 2.3-liter crank made its way into its new home. The crank was paired to a set of forged rods and EMS-spec high compression Mahle pistons. Ringley decided on utilizing ARP’s technology and threaded in a set of CA625+ studs to prevent head lift.

A stout bottom end is nothing without the ability to breathe. To change from factory flow to performance mode, Ringley sent the head to Phil Meinzer of Max CFM Motorsports. Phil worked his magic and finessed maximum amount of flow while still maintaining port velocity. After the head returned to Tennessee, it was fitted with a set of Piper Stage 3 camshafts and BC springs and retainers. Finally, Rob Collins fabricated a turbo setup to hold the Precision 6870 snail in place. The Precision turbo routinely pushes 47-pounds on the dyno and 52-pounds on track testing.

Ringley knew that where power is made: fuel is needed. To maintain proper fuel flow, an XDI high pressure fuel pump was installed to push fuel into a set of 2050cc injectors. An EMS port injection fueling kit supplements the direct injection fueling system. All that was needed was a solid tune to bring it together. Ringley decided to leave tuning to the master. Ryan from PD Tuning took the helm and tuned it remotely via a Cobb Accessport.

ecoboost

While the factory 6R80 shows its strength being untouched, Ringley added an EMS spec torque converter. The stock rear differential remains in place with the only addition being a set of GT350 axles.

What’s Next

So where does this build end? Well, in record setting it never does. The aspirations for entering the World Cup Finals in Maryland in 2022 are high, and the plans are already under way. The car just got back from fabrication as a transformed, dedicated drag car. The engine was outfitted with a Precision 6785 turbo and tuned with a Motec M142. The clean front bumper lines were masked off for aerodynamics, and a titanium exhaust juts out the side. The free flowing and open center space was sealed. The once prominently viewed intercooler was replaced by an in-cabin air-to-water intercooler.

The time of being a strip and street car is over – the new build will pave the way to demonstrate just how much potential the Ford Ecoboost platforms have. Dyno numbers will be replaced by time-slips. Strange looks will be replaced by dropped jaws as “just a 4-cylinder” continues to hurt feelings across tracks. We look forward to seeing what Ringley has up his sleeves and how far the Ecoboost nation progresses.

 

Photography by: Michael Loving

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About the author

James Elkins

Born into a household of motorsport lovers, James learned that wrenching takes priority over broken skin and damaged nerves. Passions include fixing previous owners’ mistakes, writing, and driving.
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