Street Feat
Melissa Urist runs the first 8-second pass in an S550Â with a stock PCM &Â IRS
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Hellion Power Systems
With every new vehicle platform there is a drive to set milestones. People look to enter the zeitgeist by staking a claim to a record. In the world of Ford performance being the first to eclipse a quarter-mile e.t. or setting a high watermark on the dyno with a new Mustang are the most coveted records to attain. Doing both is a sure way to make a mark.
As we recently reported, Melissa Urist’s 2015 Mustang recently became the most powerful 2015 Mustang around by rocking the rollers at The Dyno Edge in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with an amazing 1,135 rear-wheel horsepower! This was hot on the heels of Melissa making her race debut in the Turbo Coyote Shootout at the NMRA World Finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky, back in October of 2015.
Over the weekend, Melissa and the Hellion Power Systems team headed to the Street Car Super Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she competed in the popular Mustang Madness class and achieved another 2015+ Mustang milestone.
In preparation for the event, her husband, John Urist, told us they simply upgraded the differential, tweaked the car’s transmission tuning, and raised the boost by a couple of pounds. From the driver seat it didn’t feel much different, but the mods were definitely an improvement.
“Everything in the car felt the same, it actually was really, really easy to drive. It still blows my mind how smooth such a fast pass felt!†Melissa explained. “Since the day we bought this car, I’ve always felt like the car and I have just fix together like a puzzle piece. It’s such a dream to drive and it’s even easier to race. It goes A to B smoothly, goes fast and most importantly, I’m having a ton of fun in a street car!â€
Clearly these changes were effective, as Melissa ran the first sub-8-second pass in a 2015 Mustang with a stock Powertrain Control Module, which seems to be a key factor for many people to consider an S550 a “real†2015 Mustang. It also features a stock Independent Rear Suspension bolstered by Steeda’s bolt-on upgrades. With this combo, she ran a stout 8.90-second run at 155.72 mph, and thanks to our friend Brian Warcup’s videography, you can watch the pass right here…
Here’s another angle from Redmaro Productions…
“Unreal! When I got the timeslip I couldn’t believe my eyes!†Melissa enthused. “I was so proud of the car, my team, all the people who helped make this happen. I immediately wanted to get back into the car and do it again. The best part of this whole ordeal? I don’t have to load my car at the end of the night when racing is done. I can take us out to dinner and to the store!â€
Now Melissa’s orange 2015 Mustang is the most powerful on the street and one of the quickest modern Mustangs around. And, it’s definitely worth noting that this car is still running the base Hellion Power Systems Eliminator turbo system with two 55mm turbos. We can only imagine what it is capable of with Hellion’s larger 64mm offerings boosting the car’s built Coyote engine.