Differences Between the Mustang 5.0 Coyote Engine | Gen1-Gen4

What is a Coyote Motor?

The introduction of the Coyote was Ford's chance to speak to the enthusiast by bringing back the iconic 5.0L. Ford's clean slated approach with the Coyote saw huge differences between the original pushrod 5.0L 302 engine and the new DOHC 5.0L engine. The new 5.0L coyote featured dual overhead cams, variable valve timing, higher compression, a strong aluminum block with deep-skirting, high flow heads, variable cam timing (Ti-VCT), a high flow composite intake, and tuned stainless steel header style exhaust manifold! These 5.0L Coyote engines produced lower emissions, better economy, more power, and less vibration than the old pushrod 302 5.0L engines. The 5.0 coyote engine has evolved over the years into the special variants versions powering some of the most legendary special-edition Mustangs. The Road Runner Boss 302 5.0L engine, GT350 VooDoo 5.2L engine, and GT500 supercharged Predator 5.2 engine remain some of the most powerful engines that Ford has ever produced. The all-new Coyote could make serious horsepower with many aftermarket parts while providing amazing driveability and reliability.

The Gen 1 5.0L Coyote Engine

The Gen 1 Coyote Engine | 2011-2012 Mustang GT

The Gen 1 set the stage for all Coyote-based engines to follow 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque.  With the first generation of the Coyote, there are very few specific parts from the other revisions. Below are some specific features unique to the 2011-2012 Coyote engine. 

• Piston oil squirters
• 12mm head bolts

The Gen 1 Coyote Engine | 2013-2014 Mustang GT

The 5.0L Coyote V-8 continued to make impressive numbers, increasing 8 horsepower to 420 while keeping the same 390 pound-feet of torque as the previous 2011-2012 Mustang GT model. Below are some changes and improvements on the 2013-14 Coyote 5.0L engine over the 2011-12 version. 

• Removed oil piston squirters
• 11mm head bolts 
• Phosphorous coating on the pistons
• Boss 302 piston rings
• Powertrain calibrations to improve power output

2012-2013 Boss Coyote Engine

With 444 hp, at the time, this was Ford's most powerful naturally aspirated engine they had ever produced. Achieving this was no easy feat, and Ford has made significant upgrades compared to the 5.0L found in the GT. The Boss 302 engine featured many revised parts to allow for an engine that could handle 7500 RPM track duty. This 5.0L coyote was a huge upgrade over the 2011-2014 Mustang GT Coyote of its time! The Boss 302 modular engine was code-named "Road Runner" by the Boss development team, giving this engine a special designation over the normal Coyote engine. Below are some changes and improvements on the 2012-13 Boss 302 engine over the 2011-14 Mustang GT version.

• Unique short runner composite plastic intake manifold
• Higher lift exhaust camshafts
• Sodium-filled exhaust valves
• CNC ported cylinder heads
• Forged connecting rods, pistons, and crankshaft
• Engine oil cooler
• Revised powertrain calibration

The Gen 2 5.0L Coyote Engine

The Gen 2 Coyote Engine | 2015-2017 Mustang GT

Starting with the 2015 S550 Mustang, we saw a version of the 5.0 officially called the gen 2 Coyote. The original gen 1 coyote received many upgrades and cues from the 12-13 Boss, making this Coyote cleaner, more durable, and more powerful! These changes include the following improvements and changes over the gen 1 Coyote variants. 

• Larger intake and exhaust valves
• Stiffer valve springs from Boss 302 
• Revised head casting for improved airflow and additional clearance for larger valves
• Sinter forged connecting rods from Boss 302
• Redesigned piston tops with deeper cutouts to clear the new larger valves
• Rebalanced forged crankshaft that supports higher-rpm operation
• Revised intake manifold with charge motion control valves (CMCV) for improved air-fuel mixing
• Addition of mid-lock phasers on the intake camshaft phaser for improved control of valve timing
• Standard oil cooler 
• New intake and exhaust camshafts - 13mm lift on both intake and exhaust, which is a 1mm increase over standard gen 1 coyote. 

The VooDoo 5.2L Engine

The Shelby GT350 and R variants introduced a completely new approach to the Coyote engine. This engine dubbed the VooDoo used many new parts to make a bespoke engine that made 20% more horsepower than the Gen 2 GT coyote. The engine increased displacement, all-new heads, and higher-lift cams contributed to the massive power increase. A new composite intake manifold uses taller ports, a larger plenum, and an 87mm throttle body. These changes include the following improvements and changes over the gen 2 GT Coyote variants. 

• 87mm throttle body on GT350 vs. 80mm on Mustang GT Coyotes
• Hollow intake valves for reduced weight
• Sodium-filled exhaust valves
• 12:1 compression on GT350 vs. 11:1 compression on GT Coyote
• CNC ported cylinder heads
• Composite plastic intake with large intake runners and increased plenum volume
• Beehive-style valve springs
• 94mm bore and 93mm stoke results in 5.2L displacement
• High-lift camshafts - 1mm increase in lift over Gen 2 Mustang GT engines 
• Forged flat-plane crankshaft on GT350 vs. cross-plane crankshaft on all other Coyotes
• Plasma Arch transfer cylinder walls

The Gen 3 5.0L Coyote Engine

With the release of the 2018 Mustangs, Ford further improved on the Coyote motor. This new Gen 3 5.0L features many improvements to increase power output 25 horsepower and 20 lb-ft of torque. While this does not sound like a huge improvement, the addition of the new 10-speed transmission perfectly paired with this new gen 3 motors to be the fastest factory Mustang GT ever! Ford added new technology and tweaks to make the most powerful 5.0L Coyote. These changes include the following improvements and changes over the gen 2 GT Coyote variants. 

• Direct and port fuel injection (PFDI) on the Gen 3 vs port injection on the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Coyote
• 12:1 compression on the Gen 3 vs 11:1 compression Gen 1 and Gen 2 Coyotes
• Improved flow intake manifold vs Gen 2 intake manifold
• Plasma Transfer Wire Arch (PTWA) cylinder walls
• Increased camshaft lift 1mm over stock Gen 2 Coyote engine
• Increase bore .8mm for overall displacement increase to 5.035L/307CI
• Rebalanced crankshaft to improve high RPM operation
• Revised cylinder heads for improved flow over gen 2 cylinder heads
• Increased intake (+ .4mm) and exhaust (+ .2mm) valve size 
• Viscous damper for increased RPM capabilities 
• Higher spring pressure vs Gen 2 Coyote
• Composite plastic oil pan 

The Gen 4 Coyote Engine

With the release of the S650 Mustang, it was only natural that the Mustang gets a revised version of the Coyote. This will mark the release of the 4th generation of the Coyote with improved horsepower and durability over the 3rd generation of the Coyote. The S650 Mustang carries over the 10-speed 10R80 transmission, but the Dark Horse manual transmission gets the improved Tremec 3160 transmission. Information will be updated as the release of the new S650 is coming. The Gen 4 Coyote has the following improvements over the Gen 3 Coyote engine:

• Revised 4 into 1 exhaust manifold
• Steel oil pan
• Dual throttle body intake manifold
• Revised camshafts (Dark Horse)
• Connection Rods From Predator Engine (Dark Horse)
• Revised Engine Cooling

The Predator 5.2L Engine

At this time, the predator engine is currently the apex version of the Coyote-based motors. It makes some serious horsepower, thanks to a 5.2L cross-plane crank and supercharger setup. On the new S550 Shelby GT500, these monsters of an engine were mated to a Tremec 7-speed dual-clutch transmission to help ensure smooth and fast shifts. 

This engine featured a 9.51:1 compression ratio and a 1-5-4-8-3-7-2-6 firing order. While it did borrow the same displacement as the Voodoo engine mentioned above, it did not bring over the flat-plane crank. Ford opted to use a cross-plane crank with a 94.0mm bore and 93.0mm stroke. Ford used forged-steel I-beam connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons to handle the 12 pounds of boost the supercharger throws at the engine. Below are the differences between the 5.2 GT500 Predator engine compared to the 5.2L GT350 Voodoo engine.

• Eaton TVS R2650 Supercharger with 12 psi of boost
• GT500 Forged steel cross-plane crankshaft vs GT350 forged flat-plane crank
• Grafal coated forged aluminum pistons for reduced wear and noise
• Dual thermostat water neck for improved cooling
• 92mm throttle body on the GT500 vs 87mm on the GT350
• Cast Aluminum valve covers for improved durability with underhood heat

To see what our 2020 Shelby GT500 did on the dyno, be sure to watch the following video: 2020 Shelby GT500 On The Dyno

Frequently Asked Questions

On all of Ford’s engine programs, they use code names because they want to keep everything under wraps in case there is a leak from any part of the company. For this specific program, they held a contest among a small group to come up with a name. It was as simple as sending out a mass email to the group for name ideas.

The one they decided to take was from John Norcott, who was one of their V-8 engine planners. He came up with “Coyote” because it originated with A.J. Foyt’s race team. Foyt had a four-valve V8 back in 69’ and was the 1st Ford 4 valve ever made. Since Ford’s main goal for the Coyote was performance, they liked the idea of it being linked to a high RPM Indy engine.

There was a big debate among the group between naming it either Road Runner, Coyote, or other versions of Coyote but ultimately settled on the Coyote name that we love today. Road Runner was eventually applied to the track-inspired Boss 302 in 2012 and 2013 with its revised 5.0L engine! This version of the Coyote engine would rev past 7,000 RPM with ease and produced 444 horsepower!

All of this new power was thanks to a new, sexy intake manifold stamped with “Boss 302” directly on top with velocity stack-styled runners. In addition to the intake manifold, revised cylinder heads undergo 2.5 hours of CNC machining with altered ports and stronger alloy. Increased lift on the camshafts, larger intake valves, and race-spec bearings were also added, getting peak horsepower to come in at 7,500 RPM!

This Road Runner variant of the Coyote engine made the Boss 302 strong competition for BMW’s M3 and Ford’s own GT500. With 0-60 times coming in at 4.3 seconds, one 0.2 seconds behind the 5.4L Supercharged Shelby! Considered by many to be the best solid axle, street-legal race Mustang to come off a factory showroom floor!

What Is The Difference Between A 5.0 And A Coyote?

This can be a confusing question… but it does not have to be! Traditionally, when you hear the phrase “5-Oh”, most will think about the 87-93 Mustangs. With the Coyote engine, Ford brought back the 5.0L fender badging made famous by the 87-93 Foxbody! It was a wonderful touch to connect the beloved 80’s and early 90’s Mustangs with the new technology of Ford's pony car power plant!

While both the old pushrod 302 engine and the Coyote engine share the same displacement, as you are learning from this article, the Coyote is vastly different from its older brother!

What Vehicles Have The Coyote Engine?

Unlike the pushrod 5.0L predecessor to the Coyote that was in almost everything Ford offered like the Crown Victoria, F-150 truck, LTD, Lincoln Towncar, Explorer, etc., the modern high revving Coyote was in two Ford Powered vehicles: Mustang & F-150.

While sharing the same name, these engines had some significant differences for their specific applications. To summarize their differences, camshaft profiles, changes in the intake manifold and other changes had the F-150 variant at 360 hp and 380 lb/ft of torque while the Gen 1 Coyote came in at 412 hp and 390 lb/ft. of torque. Not a terrible difference but notable nonetheless! To read more about the differences in the Mustang and F-150 Coyote motors, check out the following tech guide: WHAT MAKES THE F150 COYOTE ENGINE DIFFERENT?

What Is A Coyote Swap?

The Coyote Motor Swap is a great performance modification for not only Mustang owners, but any engine bay that can be modified to fit Ford’s high revving beast! We’ve seen this engine swapped into BMW’s and even Scion FR-S!

Swapping a 5.0 Coyote engine has become one of the most popular engine swaps over the last few years and adds a significant amount of horsepower and torque. 400 rwhp is easily seen with the use of long tube headers and a good tune.

What is needed to perform a coyote swap? It all starts with the Coyote engine. Next, you will need the crate engine control packs, Coyote swap headers, exhaust mid-pipe like an x-pipe, tubular k-members, coil-over kits, steering racks, flywheels, T-56 transmission with corresponding bell housing, engine mounts, oil pans, pedal brackets, and other additional accessories that will complete the installation.

For those on a budget, any transmission from 1996 to current will technically “bolt up” to the Coyote engine, but it is strongly recommended to upgrade to the aforementioned T-56 6-speed or the TKO600 for manual options. Now for the automatic guys, the 4r70w that is built to withstand the higher horsepower or even the 6r80 from 2015 to current Mustangs will be great options to put behind this impressive engine!

Is The Coyote Engine A Good Engine?

Ford’s Coyote engine is a real alternative to all of those who perform LS swaps in their cars. This engine is no longer the focus of ridicule like some of the 90’s engines found in the Mustang. The Coyote engine, with its high revving powerband and desire for boost, is a real force to be reckoned with!

Is it a good engine, you know it is!