Every Mustang enthusiast has researched ways to make more horsepower for his/her build at one time or another. Whether upgrading your exhaust system, cold air intake, or adding a forced induction power adder, such as a supercharger, there are many aftermarket options to get additional horsepower.
While there are many avenues to modifying your Mustang, one thing’s certain – the more air that flows into your engine the more power it will generate. 
An easy way to bolt-on an additional 5 to 8 percent rwhp, is to upgrade the throttle body. In fuel injected engines, the throttle body is part of the air intake system. It controls the amount of air flow into the engine in response to the driver stepping on the gas pedal.
Usually located between the air filter and intake manifold, the throttle body is a metal cylinder-shaped part. It contains a center bore with a pivoting flat valve, called the butterfly. The butterfly valve pivots open or close when the driver presses or depresses the accelerator pedal. This regulates the amount of air flow into the intake system at any given time.
The stock Mustang throttle body works great on cars that retain the factory style intake manifold. However, if too small, the factory throttle body can be a restriction in airflow. This is especially important when upgrading to a forced induction power adder such as a supercharger. Increasing the size of the throttle body will allow more air flow, resulting in more horsepower, and better throttle response to your build.
Seeking innovative ways to bring more horsepower to the market, VMP got into the Mustang throttle body game in 2009. Wanting to offer a throttle body solution for Mustang owners that’s ready to go right out of the box, all VMP throttle bodies come with electronics installed and calibrated. A feature many competitors don’t offer.
VMP’s current Mustang throttle body line-up comes in two series – the twinjet and monoblade.
VMP’s twinjet throttle bodies are for Mustang owners who want a power boost over stock but have concerns with idle and driveability. 600-800 rwhp is easily seen with VMP’s twinjet series. We made 1,000 rwhp using one of our VMP twinjets when mated to the VMP Gen3R blower.
The 163R is our large super-monoblade throttle body. Designed and built to work over the widest possible range of Mustang applications the 163R makes a ton of power. Best suited for Mustangs making over 1000+, the 163R is geared for high-horsepower race applications. The large semi-oval opening of the 163R flows a ton of air. Its elliptical shaped blade was made so that it’s not too
big for the Mustang throttle motor to control. We’ve found, through testing, that the blade shape helps idle and driveability. With the VMP 163R throttle body, we saw 1,141 rwhp SAE on our own “Track Attack” – a 2017 Mustang GT.
The VMP 163R Mustang throttle body isn’t for everyone. Designed to match the very tall blade (about 82 mm) to the opening on the VMP Gen3R supercharger, if used on anything else it may require port-matching. Due to different idle air requirements from Coyote to Coyote, the 163R requires proper tuning and some tweaks to ECU limits to function properly.
To bridge the gap between our twinjet and larger 163R monoblade, VMP offers a smaller 137 monoblade. The VMP 137 throttle body gives Mustang owners the power of a mono with better driveability and idle performance than many larger monoblades. The 137 throttle body is a great solution for racecar builds seeking 700-1000 rwhp.
VMP’s line of throttle bodies for Mustangs owners offers solutions for every build goal from mild to wild. Because there are so many options on the market, we recommend consulting with your tuner when picking a new throttle body for your Mustang. Your tuner will help you select what’s best for your current situation. Plus, he/she will thank you and you’ll be more satisfied with the results.
