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Time to pull the trigger

11K views 51 replies 16 participants last post by  black00betty 
#1 ·
I'm finally going to get around to modding up my 2010 Sport. Only mod so far has been the shark fin which has been great because I'm surrounded by high-end Bimmers and Mercs and that stock radio controlled car antenna might have gotten me fired.

I've been holding off on modifying my car because I haven't been able to risk having an engine mod error leave me without a car for even a short period of time. Circumstances have recently changed and I now have the ability to risk the troubleshooting often associated with modifying and tuning the engine, but my window is about 2 weeks and I want to get a lot done all at once. I do plan on using a tuning house here in Anchorage with a good reputation but they have almost no experience with Fusions.

Tentative Mod list for the engine:
1) Steeda CAI, sleeveless.
2) SCT tuner…Probably the new Gen 4
3) Larger throttle body (70 mmish)
4) Throttle body Spacer?
5) Catalytic converter delete (ok in State of Alaska) The rest of the exhaust will remain unchanged
6) Steeda Motor mount

I have not seen how much horsepower and torque improves with this particular set of modifications but from the data that is available I think that I should be seeing an increase somewhere between 30 and 60 HP which puts the Sport somewhere between 293 and 323 HP.

Whether I really see that much horsepower increase isn't the main concern. It seems most who have had these modifications have been pretty happy with them. My main question is how much reliability am I sacrificing with this set up? And also, Is 2 weeks long enough time for a good tuning shop to be able to install the mods and get the bugs ironed out?

Are there any other pitfalls I should anticipate? Any combination of the above modifications a bad idea?

Your input is greatly appreciated, Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
you will not see any real HP gains from those mods, mostly throttle response.

But to look at your list:

1)Steeda CAI = Better throttle response, tiny non noticeable hp gain, adds some sound to the car too and a little increase in mpg

2) SCT tuner = except for sound it does the same as above, but galso gets you better responce through out the power band.

3) Larger throttle body = better throttle response, otherwise nothing.

4) Throttle body Spacer = scam, worthless mod, waste of money.

5) Catalytic converter delete (ok in State of Alaska) The rest of the exhaust will remain unchanged = Exhaust in general is not a huge HP gainer, you may free up a few hp, but nothing you will notice.

6) Steeda Motor mount = helps you put power to the ground better, better throttle response and firmer shifts from the transmission. You will notice more vibration from the engine in the car though.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for your response. I'm really just looking to make it respond better and hopefully get close 300 hp out of it. Not looking for turbos and what not because I know the car would need a lot of additional modification for all of that. Plus my car is FWD and torque steers plenty already.

Steeda put out a dyno result showing a 20-25 hp gain with their 93 octane SCT tune and sleeveless CAI and others have had a 1/2-3/4 second improvement in their quarter mile times. A couple on this forum have also admitted to the cat delete in addition and that gave them nearly a full second off their 1/4 mile times. That really makes it seem like there is about a 30-40 hp improvement from stock. I'm sure there is a significant amount of improvement associated with improved throttle response as well but it doesn't seem like that is the whole story.

I'm sure you're right about the throttle body spacer and larger throttle body.

Part of my reasoning for wanting to do this is because I've been wanting to do some modifications on this car for a while but due to a severe lack of money and time I have been unable to justify it. I've been reading up on this intermittently since I bought the car in 2010. Now the money situation has improved quite a bit and the time situation has improved slightly. I'd just like to experiment with this car and hopefully that results in a motor with better response and a bit more power. If not I guess I'll learn a valuable lesson. I also plan to add a front tower support and a larger rear sway bar but leave the ride height unchanged at least for now. The snow sometimes accumulates here in Alaska.

I just don't want to get myself in a situation where I am able to set aside 1-2 weeks but I've bitten off too much and getting the tune right with these mods becomes too complex for a shop that has never tuned up a fusion and I'm without the car for a month. The guys at the shop say its no problem but it wouldn't be the first time I was told "piece of cake" and then 3 months later it still wasn't functional.
 
#6 ·
I'm not sure why that is hilarious. 60 hp is probably out of the question but others have done the CAI, tune and cat delete and dropped their 1/4 mile time by nearly a second. That sort of translates to a 30 hp increase at the wheels, which with driveline losses should translate to well over 30 hp at the crank.

But you go and laugh it up funny man. I'm sure you had a rough day and needed a chance to troll it up. Glad I was able to entertain you.
 
#5 ·
You should see decent increases in power. With the Steeda intake and larger throttle body with the tune especially. Anytime you can burn more fuel/air, you make more power. Dont do the throttle body spacer, thats an old trick that only worked on old carburated and throttle body injected engines, used to help keep the fuel atomized throughout the intake manifold by giving the fuel/air mix a wider turn down into the heads and into the cylinders. Our cars are port injected and our intake manifolds are entirely different now, so that mod really doesnt do anything for us. I'd becareful with the converter delete as well. Unless you plan on having the shop just gut the brick right out of the converter shell (which is integrated into one of the exhaust manifolds), plan on custom header manifolds as its not as easy as simply straight pipes with these cars.
 
#9 ·
Be sure you do the 93 octane custom tune.

A larger or ported throttle body probably wont give you any high RPM hp, But it might give you 10+ hp in the low rpms. That means faster acceleration. I plan on doing this, but I need to measure the intake hole to see if I need to make a custom adapter plate.

Another option that could give you some more HP would be porting the exhaust manifolds. Maybe 5 hp. It's not much but it all adds up.

Custom headers will give you a hair more. Port the engine intake? That's a lot of work for 5hp, and probably not worth the time.

I would Ditch the stock mufflers. The magnaflow catback exhaust says 10 whp. And all they are doing is replacing the mufflers, a different resonator, and the pipes that are in front of the mufflers are 2.25", instead of 2" The stock mid piping is 2.25" already.

Remember the Aisin transmission has a 26% loss in HP from the drive train. This guy dyno'd 231 at the wheels. All he did for the engine mods was the 93 steeda tune, CAI, and MRT catback exhaust with resonator delete. I believe he is on the forum here and posted about the 231 at the wheels.

Stock sport FWD run about 194 at the wheels.

That's 37 whp, with just those mods. Guess what, that's 49 flywheel HP. 263 stock +49 = 312 Hp at the flywheel.

(312 x .26 = 81.12)
(312 - 81.12 = 230.88)

I could see a fusion with 45-50whp gain with the right mods and tuning.

Remember any other mods other than exhaust and the CAI you will want to do logs with the SCT and send them to Steeda to update your tune.
 
#19 ·
Be sure you do the 93 octane custom tune.

A larger or ported throttle body probably wont give you any high RPM hp, But it might give you 10+ hp in the low rpms. That means faster acceleration. I plan on doing this, but I need to measure the intake hole to see if I need to make a custom adapter plate.

Another option that could give you some more HP would be porting the exhaust manifolds. Maybe 5 hp. It's not much but it all adds up.

Custom headers will give you a hair more. Port the engine intake? That's a lot of work for 5hp, and probably not worth the time.

I would Ditch the stock mufflers. The magnaflow catback exhaust says 10 whp. And all they are doing is replacing the mufflers, a different resonator, and the pipes that are in front of the mufflers are 2.25", instead of 2" The stock mid piping is 2.25" already.

Remember the Aisin transmission has a 26% loss in HP from the drive train. This guy dyno'd 231 at the wheels. All he did for the engine mods was the 93 steeda tune, CAI, and MRT catback exhaust with resonator delete. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOQdpqX1Uc8 I believe he is on the forum here and posted about the 231 at the wheels.

Stock sport FWD run about 194 at the wheels.

That's 37 whp, with just those mods. Guess what, that's 49 flywheel HP. 263 stock +49 = 312 Hp at the flywheel.

(312 x .26 = 81.12)
(312 - 81.12 = 230.88)

I could see a fusion with 45-50whp gain with the right mods and tuning.

Remember any other mods other than exhaust and the CAI you will want to do logs with the SCT and send them to Steeda to update your tune.
I would think putting a bigger throttle body on would increase top end HP more than the low end HP and Torque. Smaller the hole typically=better the velocity at lower RPM's. Bigger the hole hurts the velocity at lower rpms but because its not such a drastic size increase it would still help low end outpute, but since it would then breath more air at higher rpms it should move the power band up in the RPM's. That coupled with valve overlap is why race engines dont like to idle at lower rpms.
 
#22 ·
Click on the picture of the dyno results once you arrive at the below link.

http://www.steedafusion.com/parts/steeda-ford-fusion-sport-power-package-555-3937/.

Data verifying 25 hp gain with Steeda's CAI with sleeve removed and 91 octane tune. Essentially the same mods I'm planning on. That would be data, not hearsay.

I do realize that this is Steeda's own data so there is a chance it was manipulated or otherwise falsified. But if after I have installed this CAI and tune and I don't get the gains I expect I will take it down to the local speed shop, have it dyno'd and if the gains aren't there I will shake down Steeda and let everyone know Steeda falsifies their data.

So, now that I have come up with data and not just hearsay, I don't suppose you'll come up with dyno results of a fusion sport with a CAI and Tune that had no gain in HP or torque. I imagine you'll just keep running your mouth wallowing in hypocrisy.
 
#12 ·
That's 10sbmsport in that video, who sold his Fusion Sport for a brand new Focus ST.

Look into the Injen CAI - it's a true CAI versus the Steeda (Steeda's product is more of a short ram intake): http://cd3performance.com/Ford-Fusion/FF-Engine/Injen-Fusion-Sport-MKZ-True-Cold-Air-Intake

A cat delete alone with stock exhaust won't buy you much of a HP increase. Best bet would be a complete custom exhaust setup with upgraded piping. Unfortunately headers do not exist for the Sport engine. Also, porting the throttle body alone will not buy you much either. You'd have to pair it with porting the upper/lower intake manifolds along with a custom tune.

Check out my mod thread to see what I've done to my Sport. For the most part, I have the majority of bolt-on mods. I don't have any dyno data to provide as I never had an opportunity to have my car dyno'd.
 
#25 ·
Wow. All I can say is wow.

Modding a fusion for power is like modding your lawn mower.

The fusion is a family car. The sport trim is for the spirited driver who wants a little fun from a family sedan. It's not made for being a badass. You want to be a badass? Dump a ton of money into your fusion or buy a good platform car. A stock hemi charger will still best your car. Yeah, that guy in the rental car next to you just beat you in a race.

Throwing expensively cheap parts on your fusion is just shitty money out looking for a way to fit in.

Now if the mods are geared for actual driving, say you live in the mountians then sure I get it. Better handling and a bit more throttle response from the vehicle due to extensive hills.

I'm not trying to be mean. That's the cool part. It's so easy. I'm also just trying to be realistic in why someone would modify a fusion performance wise..
 
#26 · (Edited)
What is going on? Public, you've been making sense in some of your recent posts.

By the time you have put 5-10 grand worth of performance upgrades into a fusion, you could have gotten a 335i or G37 or some other SPORT sedan. Don't get me wrong, our fusions are good little cars and the 3.5 is reasonably fun to drive, but you're right; they are family sedans. Put some money into a sound system, nice tint, some wheels, brakes, suspension, whatever you're fancy, but trying to turn a fusion into a something it's not isn't worth the money.
 
#27 ·
For the same reason, that's why I've only a Steeda 93 octane engine tune (much better drivability, as power is delivered lower and quicker in the RPM band), a Borla cat back exhaust (primarily for sound and slightly more free flowing compared to the half crush half mandrel bent stock exhaust), a K&N panel filter, and dark-ass window tint on every single window.

Investing in much more in these cars isn't really worth it. I'm not saying that because of the cost, but because it's not a tuner platform.
 
#28 ·
Exactly, a lot of people are making these cars out to be more than they are. The sports are super fun for a 4 door family sedan but they are still a heavy 4 door family sedan. They aren't meant to be super fast or anything. So you got idiots out there straight piping their 4banger SEs and trying to make them something they are not.

It's almost kind of annoying but it aint my money they are wasting. Most I'm doing to my sport is handling mods (springs/shocks/sway bars ETC) and the CAI/tune and that's it. Who knows I may not even do the handling stuff, not like I need it and I like how it handles already.
 
#29 ·
I did my fair share of mods..

HID Retrofit - to see better at night
SharkFin - because that goofy looking “remote control” antenna was an eye sore
Clear bumper markers - gives a much sleeker look. Needed white LEDs to blend in better
Window tint - because privacy and comfort are key
LED bulbs for rear plate - because the first set was free and it just looked amazing. Makes finding it in a dark parking lot easier with the bright white bling bling!
LED bulbs in the mirror puddle lamps - because they are twice as bright as OEM bulbs which is nice for night time.

I have a reason for my modifications.
 
#30 ·
Most of that is just making the car "yours". The HID retro is another thing i'll be doing because I'm a light snob. The LED headlights/lightbar I had on my Jeep are the only thing I miss about it hahaha. Seeing at night, especially on my back roads around here is something that is very important and something one shouldn't skimp out on. That's why I cringe every time someone throws some HID bulbs into a halogen projector or reflector housing.
 
#32 ·
I'll believe it when I see it. But it's still trying to make a potato act like a lemon. Or in your teems a badass looking biker driving a prius.

And I'm talking in reference to the 2010-2012 sport. Not echo boost motors so no need to try selling it..
 
#33 ·
I shouldn't have said "easily". But I think if you buy the Fusion sport with the idea I want a "fast" car you may be mistaken but if you just want to add onto it's performance some bolt ons and a really good tune will get you into the 13's. And that's impressive for what it is.

I agree that building on a cars natural capabilities is always the most efficient way of modding it but straight line performance is not completely excluded from that.

Anywho, I'm done.
 
#41 ·
#42 ·
People can think what they want, but it is not a CVT. It is a conventional automatic with a torque converter and seven speeds (ratios, gears, whatever you want to call them). Even your links confirm that. Sorry bud, but no Infiniti has ever been equipped with a Nissan, or any other, CVT. And despite your seat of the pants experience, a G37 is a damn quick sedan. Even in base trim it hit 60 in less than six seconds. An S model will do so in 5.2.
 
#43 ·
Trolls gonna troll

I hate to resurrect a dead thread, but seeing as I started it, I will anyway. I had actually given up on this thread because of how many people were seemingly irate at the thought that someone would spend any money to modify a "POS" Fusion. Somehow if you're going to pay $600 for a cold intake and tune, you're a wannabe badass and an idiot for not just buying G37 or a Charger. I'm not sure how that's comparable cost-wise or why there are so many fusion haters on a fusion forum.

All I can say is the $600 for the CAI and 91 oct tune was worth absolutely every penny. I have no doubts about the 25 hp gain that Steeda published on their website for that setup on a Sport. The intake noise is substantially improved as well. I would feel good about recommending it to anyone.
 
#45 ·
This ^^^ Personally they can all piss off. I modify cars because I like to, not because I'm trying to please my buddies or complete strangers.

I've had lots of people tell me my cars are too loud, or rough, or whatever else but when it comes down to it I can still make them have a sh!t eating grin by the time they walk away from my car.

Even my brother was telling me how my exhaust is too loud on the highway but every time I gunned it to pass someone he was giggling like a little school girl. Too loud eh?



Those people the b!tch and complain about modding a Fusion and say you should get a G37 or whatever would never modify their G either. It's a G37 why would I want to modify it?

They're not car people, and non-car people will never understand us. They will never understand that there is a weird connection between you and your car, they would never say their car has a soul. They might like to go fast but they don't see it in the same way as we do. Sure a rollercoaster is fun but I would much rather open up the car on a track then go on the rollercoaster. To them it's the same thing.
 
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