DETROIT, Mich.–Ford introduced the new 2.3L High Performance Package for the 2020 Mustang EcoBoost at the 2019 New York International Auto Show last month. The new package, comes with trick brake coolers.

When developing the 2.3L High Performance Package, Ford didn’t forget about slowing the car down. Improved stopping power and fade resistance were a priority, and the Mustang 2.3L High Performance Package adds larger four-piston fixed calipers with 13.9-inch front rotors directly from the Mustang GT. Big brakes are great, but big brakes that stay cool are even better. That’s why the package features unique cooling ramps mounted underneath the car. The feature is taken from the Mustang GT Performance Pack.

How they work:

“It’s bottom like a reverse NACA. In essence we pull [air in] off the bottom [of the splitter]”, Chief Engineer, Carl Widmann told FordAuthrity.com.

Any problem with front-end lift? “It actually is more effective than [traditional] brake ducts for [preventing] front end lift,” Widmann said. “It sucks air in off the bottom and doesn’t effect lift that much for the amount of air that you get to the brakes.”

When Widmann uses the term NACA, he’s referring to a NACA duct, which is essentially a way of directing airflow into a car for a number of applications, including cooling. The name comes from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Looking at technology, especially aerodynamic-related features, from airplanes has helped racecars and street cars improve their performance for decades.

The bottom line: NACA ducts on the Ford Mustang 2.3L High Performance Package and the Mustang GT with the Performance Pack cool the brakes during spirited driving on and off the track, resulting in higher resistance to brake fade when compared to vehicles without the cooling kit.

Ford has unleashed a vast array of products and power in recent months: 

  • 2019 Mustang EcoBoost, 310 hp
  • 2020 Mustang EcoBoost, 330 hp
  • 2019 Mustang GT, 460 hp
  • 2019 Mustang Bullitt, 480 hp
  • 2019 Mustang Shelby GT350, 526 hp

Soon Ford promises to emerge with a 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 designed to exceed 700 hp. That’s in the league with the insane 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, which has a 6.2 liter V8 engine that delivers up to 797 hp.