Power by the Hour had a customer in with this beautiful 2010 Roush 540 Hammer ready for a dyno pull and K&N swap. They were gracious enough to allow us to document and share the results.
Roush took the benign factory 4.6L 3-valve V8 and beefed up the internals with the same forged pistons and rods that they used on the Roush “P-51”.
Pushing 20psi as delivered from the (Roush) factory, we were excited to see what this “540” put down. 540 indicates the crank horsepower and “Hammer” is the designation of their sleeper model that forgoes the flashy contrast striping and logos.
Roush has never been one to overstate their power claims. The “540” Hammer is another example of that. With an as-delivered baseline pull of 530whp and 512lb/ft of torque, this engine is making close to 600hp at the crank! The torque curve is pretty flat, staying within 50lb/ft throughout the revs with a linear power curve.
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Compared to the OEM paper filter, the High Performance K&N filter is once again shorter with less pleats. The higher tech filtration media ensures the K&N filter has equivalent protection and far greater flow when new, while having superior flow and protection when dirty. This panel filter is the same size (and part) as an OEM 2010 Mustang GT. Keep in mind the 315hp GT makes just over half the power this Roush put down. That’s a lot of air going through a little filter.
With the K&N panel filter installed, we were excited to see how much the improved flow of the K&N panel filter would make on an engine sucking nearly twice the air though it.
Our suspicions were confirmed. 20.07hp and 10.48lb/ft of torque increases are some of the greatest we have ever seen from a drop-in air filter replacement. Likely due to the under-sized air filter in a forced induction application. With significant gains across the board and a maximum gain of 24.32hp at 5,900rpm, K&N never ceases to impress us.
Overall we were extremely happy with a 13.84hp increase on our E90 M3 from simply changing the air filter to the High Performance K&N Filter. It’s not easy or cheap to increase the power of such a highly strung, fine tuned V8 and K&N never fails to deliver quality products and one of the best bang for your buck power increases out there.
We have seen some impressive back to back gains from K&N products:
13.84whp & 5.36lb/ft – Project E90 M3 – K&N drop-in cone filter
23whp & 7lb/ft – Project Lexus IS-F – K&N Typhoon High Flow Air Intake
14.55whp & 12.76lb/ft – Project Viper GTS – K&N drop-in panel filter
20.07hp and 10.48lb/ft – Roush 540 Hammer – Drop-in panel filter
K&N delivers superior flow and protection with a Million Mile Warranty, Engine Protection Limited Warranty, and a Consumer Protection Pledge. No other company or product offers this kind of confidence and support for their customers while delivering quick and easy performance increases. We highly recommend K&N products for any vehicle you own.
