Effect Shop -The Roush Effect - Shop Tour
Andy and Jay of Roush Performance invited me down to take a look at the new facilities and some of the new cars they have lounging about. The company is changing directions when it comes to customer interactions. The production area is completely viewable from the main customer service desk. Roush parts and products occupy the large floor space and they added a customer lounge area. They are really encouraging customers to immerse in the experience of owning a Roush vehicle or even just stopping by to have parts installed.
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Roush Performance remains a big name for the Ford Mustang enthusiast. With every new model year of Mustang released, many aftermarket companies are racing to engineer the next best upgrades, modifications and improvements. Roush has continually stayed ahead of the game and provided some of the best upgrade options since they opened up shop in 1995. Roush as a company is actually more than just a simple “tuning” shop. The engineering and modifications are extensive enough that Roush becomes the Manufacturer of Record. Basically, It’s considered a Roush vehicle though and through.
Enter the 2013 Roush Mustang Stage 3 SEMA car. Roush teamed up with Ford Racing and Sherwin-Williams automotive paint systems to bring this car to show. In all honesty, in the realm of show cars it’s modestly decorated. The green paint catches the eye but nothing overtly insane about the looks of this car. This is typically the case of cars that actually perform and work, rather than look good and do nothing. When i realized that this vehicle puts out 700hp, it could be painted hot pink and I would still drive it to the roughest bar in town. Its not simply horsepower, but reliable horsepower that makes me tingle. Ford racing donated it’s Alluminator crate motor, which is a modern 5.0 engine optimized for boosted applications. Sporting Manley H-beam connecting rods with ARP bolts and a reduced compression ratio, you could beat this engine all day long and it would ask for seconds. Roush then added it’s top of the line, Phase 3 supercharger kit and tune to bring on the insanity factor. Interestingly enough, the car is not an untamed beast; it’s very drivable and smooth. That’s the importance of good tuning and development. I would not hesitate to drive this vehicle on a daily basis and that’s something you can’t say for many cars in this power range.
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Then, Roush decided to get into the Ford SVT Raptor truck market. The Raptor is one of those vehicles in which very few people found anything wrong with it. It was ahead of its time, plenty of power and very capable off-road suspension. Adding extra horsepower is never a bad thing so Roush bolted on and tuned a supercharger and exhaust system package. This bumped the Raptors power numbers to 590hp and 590lb/tq, which is an insane amount of power for an otherwise stock motor and it appears that the truck still has room to grow. Roush is currently ramping up its product offerings for the Raptor, so you can expect more in the near future
