Only available from 2012 to 2013, the S197 Ford Mustang Boss 302 represents one of the high-water marks for fifth-gen Mustang performance. And though the Boss 302 package included vital upgrades to the Mustang GT’s suspension, aerodynamic, and other key systems, the real Boss 302 magic was found under the hood. That’s because the 2012-13 Boss 302 Mustangs got a reworked version of the 5.0L Coyote V8 developed by Ford under the nickname “Road Runner.”
After all—roller skates, ACME rockets, and giant slingshots aside—the only thing faster than a Coyote is a Road Runner.
Borrowing heavily from Ford’s 302R racing program, the end result of Project Road Runner was a 444 horsepower, naturally aspirated monster. If you’re keeping track at home, that made it the most powerful NA V8 motor to ever be stuffed into a Mustang.
In other words, the Road Runner was a perfect powerplant for the upcoming 2012 Boss 302.
But suffice it to say, the Road Runner is far more than a Coyote with a tune. It boasts significant differences from the typical 5.0L Ford Modular V8 in a Mustang GT. Take one apart, and you’ll find things like a revised intake, stronger internals, and totally unique cylinder heads—all necessary to accommodate the Road Runner’s performance diet of high rpm and high compression.
So the Summit Racing tech experts grabbed their notebooks and wrenches, and compiled all the specs and data they could find on the Ford Road Runner V8 engine. See it all below.
Click the links below to learn about the other engines in the Ford 5.0L Coyote family.
- 2011-14 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L First-Gen Coyote Engine Spec Guide
- 2015-17 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L Second-Gen Coyote Engine Spec Guide
- 2018-23 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L Third-Gen Coyote Engine Spec Guide
- 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 “Road Runner” Engine Spec Guide
- 2011-14 Ford F-150 5.0L First-Gen Coyote Truck Engine Spec Guide
- 2015-17 Ford F-150 5.0L Second-Gen Coyote Truck Engine Spec Guide
- 2018-23 Ford F-150 5.0L Third-Gen Coyote Truck Engine Spec Guide
Special Hat Tip to Summit Racing’s John Jones, Gary Vicich, and Matt Strebler for their hard work in collecting and organizing this vital information.
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2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Engine Spec Guide
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| 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Engine Performance Specs | |
|---|---|
| Compression Ratio | 11.0:1 |
| Horsepower Rating | 444 hp |
| Torque Rating | 380 ft.-lbs. |
| 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Engine Application & VIN ID | |
|---|---|
| VIN 8th Digit | U |
| Years | 2012 & 2013 |
| Make | Ford |
| Model | Mustang Boss 302 |
| 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Engine Block Specs | |
|---|---|
| Casting Numbers | BR3E-6006/6015 |
| Material | Aluminum, Steel Sleeve |
| Displacement | 5.0L (302ci) |
| Bore Diameter | 3.630 in. |
| Stroke | 3.650 in |
| Deck Height | 8.937 in. |
| Bore Spacing | 3.937 in. |
| Thrust Bearing Location | #5 Main |
| Main Cap Style | 4 Bolts with 2 Lateral Cross-Bolts (All 5 Mains) |
| Main Housing Bore Dia. | 2.851 in. |
| 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Rotating Assembly Specs | |
|---|---|
| Piston Material | Forged |
| Piston Style | Domed, Valve Reliefs |
| Piston Volume | 4.451cc |
| Wrist Pin Diameter | 0.865 in. |
| Connecting Rod Material | Sinter Forged |
| Connecting Rod Style | I-Beam |
| Connecting Rod Length | 5.933 in. |
| Connecting Rod Weight | 618 grams |
| Crankshaft Material | Forged |
| Crankshaft Casting Number | BR3E-XXXX |
| Crankshaft Main Journal Dia. | 2.657 in. |
| Crankshaft Rod Journal Dia. | 2.086 in. |
| Oil Squirters | No |
| 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Cylinder Head Specs | |
|---|---|
| Casting Numbers | M-6050-M50 (Left) M-6049-M50 (Right) |
| Material | CNC Ported Aluminum AL356 |
| Combustion Chamber Volume | 57.5cc |
| Intake Port Shape | Oval with Dimple |
| Intake Runner Volume | 193cc |
| Exhaust Port Shape | Round |
| Exhaust Runner Volume | 100cc |
| Intake Valve Diameter | 1.468 in. |
| Exhaust Valve Diameter | 1.252 in. |
| Cylinder Head Bolt Style | Torque to Yield (TTY) |
| Cylinder Head Bolt Size | 12mm x 1.75 (10) |
| 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Camshaft Specs | |
|---|---|
| Duration @ .050 in. | 263° (Intake) 290° (Exhaust) |
| Valve Lift | 0.511 in. (Intake) 0.511 in. (Exhaust) |
| Lobe Separation Angle (LSA) | 116° |
| Cam Gear Attachment | 1 Bolt |
| Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT) | Yes |
| 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Valvetrain Specs | |
|---|---|
| Valve Spring Style | Beehive |
| Intake Valve Material | Chrome, Sodium Filled Stem |
| Intake Valve Diameter | 1.468 in. |
| Exhaust Valve Material | Chrome, Sodium Filled Stem |
| Exhaust Valve Diameter | 1.252 in. |
| Other Key 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Road Runner Engine Specs | |
|---|---|
| Intake Manifold | Gray Composite, Fixed Runner |
| Throttle Body | 80mm |
| Throttle Control | Electronic |
| Fuel Injector Part Number | BR3Z9F593A |
| Fuel Injector Flow | 34 lbs./hr. @ 58 psi |
| Flex Fuel/E85 Capable | No |
| Fuel Injector Length | 1.900 in. Between O-Rings |
| Fuel Injector Connector | USCAR / EV6 |
| High Pressure Fuel Pump | No |
| Camshaft Sensor Location | Timing Cover |
| Oil Pan | Steel, 8.5 Quarts, Rear Sump |
| Oil Pump | Gerotor |
| Firing Order | 1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2 |
| Redline | 7,500 RPM |
Great, but can we trust this article?? Clearly they stated and I quote (7 quart oil pan) it’s 8.5-(article states (7000 RPM) it’s 7500, the 302R program spins to 8300rpm those were coyote specs for 2012,so summit got their notepads and took notes? Are you sure you didn’t read the wrong pamphlet? Of course CNC ported heads,2.5 hours per head of porting and forged Pistons,sinter forged rods all correct just saying do your own research.
Hey Robert, thanks for the heads up. I spoke with the Summit Racing tech team and they dug a bit deeper to confirm the specs you pointed out. We’ve made the update in our table to reflect that.
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Thanks for your comment, we strive for accuracy and we really appreciate your insight here.
Wow I sure didn’t expect that way to go summit hats off to you.
Also I hate to do this to you after the fact I noticed that you have piston squirters on the boss roadrunner engine and in fact does not have them the reason being is the oil squirting around cost too much windage and it robbed too much power the 7500 RPM which is one of the main reasons why they have forged pistons in there the pressures and everything else the hypertensive pistol is just way out of its League The Boss 302 roadrunner variant has no Pistons squirters it has a mahle forged piston and incidentally it borrows the Piston pin from the GT500 program it’s very very similar they needed that for the increased pressures yeah it’s all in Ford’s engineering documents sorry I just noticed that you had that in there, roadrunner is a very special engine just to get 32 more horsepower they required an awful lot from its generation 1 engine they’ve gone a long ways from that now but at the time that’s what it took..
Hey, another great call Robert. Thanks, I’ll make the update!
Thank you I love your app I keep up with you guys now. I’ve even been spreading the word to other people.
I do have a question that I’m trying to find the answer to I maybe you can help I have one with very low mileage and I would like to do a small boost but I’m not like everybody else I don’t want to just throw some supercharger on there and be all willy-nilly as that melting the ringlands and cooking my engine I know it has sports Pistons I’m not sure what materials were but I’m willing to take that chance providing the ring and GAP is correct but I cannot find anywhere what Ford would have assembled the 2012-2013 Boss 302 variant is there any way to find out what the specs were on piston ring end Gap, it has to be out there somewhere you would think right probably a service manual if I would just break down and buy one LOL thank you in advance if you find anything even if you don’t thanks for looking.
Hey Robert, I came across some good forum threads here that delve into ring gaps, with specific nods to the supercharged “Aluminator” Coyote. As you know, choosing ring gap relies on a few factors, so it may be a good idea to click here and contact the Summit Racing tech folks. You can walk through your particular project together and help you choose the best ring gap to for your specific application.
Good stuff thank you..
That is good stuff I appreciate it I just recently visited the summit store I thought I was walking through the North Pole in the the elves workshop I loved it I spent about $4,000 that day I’ve got to be careful going back I want to buy everything LOL love the article thank you..
Oh also if anybody’s interested the article on ring gaps is awesome but I recently got a hold of mahle North America, it took me some real doing to find out but apparently whenever Ford does predator the boss roadrunner engine anything special like that they have mahle, custom make every piston for so many per run anyway so I asked him about this naturally aspirated they have specs on all the Ford engines because they make the Pistons and ring packs and everything for ford, and what I wanted to know was a lot of people just throw superchargers and they boost these engines and what I found out typically when I build an engine I go 4000 per inch of piston diameter they’re recommendations are 4.5 thousandths per inch of bore diameter and the second ring 5,000 per inch of diameter so as we we know to put boost on the roadrunner variant Boss 302 hypo would be a big mistake the rings are probably hit each other and well ring lands and very bad things happen I thought about taking mine out and re-ringing it but then I I’m just going to enjoy it for what it is it runs great it’s powerful I’m going to tweak and peek the rest of the car and make it the best it can be and I’ll prepare a five two block for the next supercharged build but I thought it was really interesting how Ford contracts them and they custom order so many different engines and so many sets for for run so you right now you can buy sets of 8 GT350 Pistons from them, the boss is too far gone from date of its manufacture ‘but’ they’re happy to custom run a set of eight for you I mean if you have different sleeves different dimensions different you know I mean they’re a great company, Mahle is, whatever you want whatever your project they will do it for you, of course if you have enough money you can do anything like this, but they are making it easy,ok, right, thanks for the information again I love it. Keep it coming!!!
You seem very knowledgable-I have 2012 boss been spraying nitrous motor still strong pulling out this winter thought about bore .005 and put k1 or manley and manley back in am going supercharged so I go down to 9.5. I know heads compatible gen 2, what about block can not really find out. I was going to take heads to frankenstein to do more porting? Would you just get gen 3 5.0 or 5.2 block? Any info would help me.
Thanks
Great article and info. I wanted to share the Boss cam specs you have are the NA CJ cams or the Boss Racing Cams that became an over the counter purchase. Those cams were originally planned for the Boss production and were pulled and sold as a Ford Racing part.
The Boss cams share the same intake as the standard GT which is 12 mm lift and 260 degrees of duration, the exhaust cams were at 13 mm lift and 263 degrees of duration.
Another food for thought after all these awesome reviews FORD claimed it’s the strongest connecting rod they’ve ever made and I believe them I own 2, Grabber Blue and a Competition Orange (Orangastang) lol and these cars are amazing I drove a gt 350 and I would not trade for nothing the Boss is a driver’s car.