Livernois Motorsports and Engineering reports a big uptake of the Ford Coyote in motorsport. The latest evolution of the Blue Oval’s ‘modular’ Small Block V8, the Coyote is a 5.0 litre production engine that has 32 valves operated by double overhead camshafts, and as stock runs to 7000 rpm.
“These days it seems the racing market wants to take stuff learned in the street market and start applying it,” Livernois Motorsports and Engineering’s Andy Ricketts told RET. “We are currently doing a lot more Coyote engines. The [Ford Mustang] Cobra Jet [drag] class has really helped: racers are accepting it more and more as a worthy power plant.
“You can do some pretty impressive things, short of trying to make 4000 horsepower. It can make 1500-2000 horsepower, which is usually all most racers need. As well as drag racing we are seeing more and more usage of the Coyote V8 in drift racing and road course racing.
“We are seeing Mustang racers who replaced their engine with a GM LS moving to the Coyote to have a Ford power plant. Especially with how broad the power band is, that’s been a big reason a lot of people have come to embrace it.”
And if somebody wants to start using a Coyote for racing, typically would you provide the full engine, we asked? “We would at least provide a complete short block. About 70% of our customers purchase a short block and then assemble it themselves. The other 30%, they’re full long blocks from us.”
Are the block and heads you supply factory-modified items? “We often use production castings and add our own billet main caps, but in the case of the higher power Coyote builds we will use the Bear aftermarket block.
“Due to the complexity of a Coyote cylinder head, aftermarket companies have shown little interest in it. And in all fairness, when you can take production heads and make upwards of 2000 horsepower there’s not a whole lot of incentive for the aftermarket to enter that space. And actually, we worked with Ford Performance so that they now sell a Coyote cylinder head that is rough-machined only.
“So our Coyote cylinder heads are always based on production castings, which are CNC-ported by us. At the more serious race level, we’re putting in our own seats, guides and valvetrain.”
Do you do more than reshape the ports; do you change the port height or anything like that? “We do that sort of thing in the case of LS and Hemi platforms, where rules dictate the use of the production head casting rather than allow an aftermarket production. But not in the case of the Coyote, just because there’s not enough material there to do that. Even if you were to cut the intake face off and tried to put a new face on, there’s just not a whole lot of real estate to do that.”
What is the most potent Coyote you have done so far? “We recently built the engine for what is claimed to be the world’s fastest Coyote. That used a tall deck billet block. It was an existing engine that was brought to us, as the owner hadn’t had much luck with other engine builders for keeping the engine together. That engine uses a Procharger and makes around 3600 horsepower.
“I don't remember who manufactured the block but I know they only ever made five. That was a $25,000 block so that is a very narrow market. If I remember correctly, the complete cost of that engine was almost $100,000!”
When it comes to suppliers of internal components for a Coyote, Livernois uses a variety of companies. “For example, we get pistons from CP-Carrillo, Ross, Gibtech and [RWB companies] Diamond, JE, Wiseco and Ross.” Gibtech? “That is a small company making billet pistons. The owner is ex-Diamond. He offers a very fast turnaround time and he’s always done a good job for us.
“We know that certain companies’ components are better for brute force, such as high-boost drag race usage, while others are going to be better for endurance, as in road race applications. They’re going to be a bit less forgiving at the extreme levels, but they’re more durable over the course of time. So all our selections are very application-specific, except for con rods. I will always try to push somebody into a CP-Carrillo con rod if they can afford it. But that’s about the only selection that is a universal approach.”