Ford 5.0 or 302 - Whatever You Call Your Mustang, K&N Has The Filters You Need

No one knows more about Mustang intakes, or has more 5.0 intake products available, than K&N

Here’s a trivia question for you Ford enthusiasts. What was the first model to carry the 5.0 label? It’s a car than makes many Mustang enthusiast cringe: the 1978-only Mustang King Cobra. The 5.0 name appeared alongside each side of the hood scoop.

Its history goes back to 1968. The Ford Windsor small block debuted in 1961, and was increased in steps from 221 CID, to 255 CID, to 289 CID, and in 1968, Ford introduced the 302 version of the Windsor V8, but without any sporting pretense. Most Mustangs delivered with a 302 V8 were fitted with a two-barrel carburetor, producing from 210 to 230 horsepower, depending on the carburetor. Right up until 1983 the base 302 came with a stock two-barrel carburetor.

The Ford 302 is technically called the 302 Windsor and was first manufactured in Ford's plant in Windsor, Ontario. It was a modern improvement from the older Y-block Ford V-8s. Not all 302s were manufactured in Windsor plant, but all carry the same name.

K&N offers a high-performance replacement filter element for early Shelby oval air cleaners

While the 1968 Tunnel Ram never made it to the street as an option on factory Mustangs, Carroll Shelby did create his own version of the 302 in 1968, using both aftermarket and Ford high-performance parts. It didn’t sell well, wasn’t continued in 1969, and are pretty rare today. If you should happen to own one, K&N offers a replacement air filter, part number E-3505.

So while the Tunnel Ram didn’t succeed, it did open the path for one of the greatest Muscle Car engines of all time – the Boss 302.

The original version of this legendary engine was installed in 1969 and 1970 Boss 302 Mustangs and Mercury Cougar Eliminators. The Boss 302 featured a special thin-wall high nickel content engine block casting with four-bolt mains, screw-in freeze plugs, and cylinder heads based on the canted valve design being developed for the 351 Cleveland. The cam and lifters were high lift, solid mechanical units, while the connecting rods came from the 289 HIPO design. Compression ratio was a premium-guzzling 10.5:1 compression ratio. Finally, in 1970, Ford won the Trans Am Championship with the Boss 302 Mustang.

The first K&N FIPK air intake system for the 5.0L was for the 1986 - 1988 model years

While the 1970s were spent mostly trying to meet emissions requirements, the Mustang had gotten bigger then shrunk significantly. Named the Mustang II it carried a 302 from 1975 to 1978. Oddly enough those model years were among the most successful in Mustang history. For the 302 V8 Mustang II, K&N makes the E-1550 replacement air filter for 1975-1976 and the K&N E-1180 for 1977-1978 302 V8s.

In 1979, Mustang moved back to its traditional size, based on the Fox platform originally developed for the Ford Fairmont, which would carry the beloved pony car until 2004, counting the redesign. Now clearly identified as the 5.0L engine, refinements continued to be made through the 1980s and its eventual replacement in 1995. For 1979 only, the 5.0 used the carry-over E-1180. While K&N doesn’t manufacturer a filter for the 1980 and 1981 5.0, an E-1290 is available for the 1982 5.0, and a E-1535 for 1983, 1984, and 1985 versions.

In 1985, the block was fitted with revised, taller lifter bosses to accept roller lifters, while a steel camshaft and electronic sequential fuel injection were introduced in 1986. The EFI system is characterized by a large, cast-aluminum manifold and was fitted on 5.0L engines through 1988. The filter for this system is 33-2015. This is also the first Mustang for which K&N makes a FIPK air intake system, part number 57-2501.

When Ford shifted to a cone air filter, K&N developed it's own high flow, high mileage version

While most enthusiasts thought they’d seen the last of the 5.0L V8, the name simply added too much marketing cache to the Mustang and other Ford vehicles to be ignored. And while the 302 lives on at Ford Motorsports as a crate engine, it just wasn’t the same as seeing those gleaming 5.0 numbers affixed to the flanks of a Mustang.

This new 5.0L had nothing to do with the original, but then again, a 2017 Mustang shares nothing but its name with the 1964.5 model. Based on Ford’s new Modular concept, which debuted in the 1991 model year, was so named because it allowed plants to change-over the engine they’re building in just a few hours.

For a brief period, a 5.0L Ford V8 was available again, but really just to meet the displacement limits of racing sanctioning bodies.

The K&N Blackhawk Intake System is a subtle and elegant addition to 1986-1988 5.0 Mustangs

In 2007, the Cammer R50 was upgraded to 550 horsepower for the Mustang FR500GT, intended for European racing and later renamed the FR500GT4. Ford claimed a top speed of 172 mph and a price tag of $225,000.

While a 4.6L modular V8 engine was fitted to the Mustang, it wasn’t until 2011 when the 5.0L returned to full production. While roughly based on the 4.6L to retain the production commonality, the new 5.0L started with a stronger engine block and went from there. It utilized a different firing order and all new four-valve-per-cylinder heads with roller-finger followers and high-flow intake ports. It was also the first application on a V8 of Ford’s Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT)system. Compression ratio was 11.0:1 and operated smoothly even on 87 octane fuel. Power was rated at 412 horsepower. The engine carried the internal code name “Coyote”.

Owners of 2011-2014 Mustang GT 5.0 models have a wide variety of K&N air intakes to choose from. The traditional-style K&N 63-2578 which adds over an estimated 20 horsepower, the stylish 71-3527 Blackhawk synthetic filter intake system, the flashy 69-3527TP Typhoon system and the 50 state legal 57-2578 FIPK intake.

The K&N Typhoon Air Intake adds an estimated 17 horsepower to 2012-2013 Mustang Boss 302 V8s

The Ford Mustang GT continues to be available with the 5.0L Coyote engine. From 2013–2014 the V8, now with an aluminum block, produced 420 horsepower. Further refinements for the sixth generation Mustang yielded additional power, the 5.0L now producing 435 horsepower. Interestingly enough that’s about the same horsepower as the 1970 Trans Am championship Boss 302 race cars produced.

Typhoon systems with polished intake tubes add an estimated 19 horsepower to 2015-2017 5.0 Mustangs

One last piece of trivia – the fastest production-bodied 5.0L ever. Modular Motorsports Racing developed a 2,000 horsepower 5.0L Coyote engine and installed it in a factory steel production Mustang body. With it, they set the world record with a quarter mile time of 7.02 seconds and 202 mph on November 13, 2012, at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California.

And of course K&N manufactures oil filters, cabin air filters, and replacement air filters for many of the 5.0L Mustangs so equipped, like the race-proven HP-2011 premium wrench-off oil filter that fits 2011-2017 Mustangs.

Best of all, any K&N intake systems can be installed in less than a Saturday morning, typically with only a few simple hand tools. All tools required are listed in the clear, step-by-step photo-illustrated instructions specific to your Mustang 5.0 that come included in the package. The K&N intake systems come with all necessary hardware for an OE fit and finish. These kit utilize OEM mounting brackets and hardware for quick and easy installation, with no holes to drill.

The only maintenance required for a K&N replacement air filter or air intake kit is a service you can do yourself in no time at all. At intervals of 100,000 miles (depending on your driving conditions) use the K&N 99-5000 recharger kit to easily clean your air filter, preparing it for another 100,000 miles of driving. The K&N replacement air filter or air intake system filter you purchase is designed to last for the lifetime of your vehicle, which K&N guarantees will perform for up to 10 years or 1,000,000 miles without requiring replacement. For full details visit the K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty page.