I think it’s safe to say the 5.0L Mustang spawned several automotive movements. The Fox body Mustang gave the automotive aftermarket a much needed shot in the arm. With the aftermarket surge came horsepower claims aplenty. Of course, every one of us wanted to know if the claims were true so we took our Mustangs to the nearest dyno-equipped performance shop, which many times left us disappointed with the results. Not only that, but dyno sessions aren’t exactly the cheapest way of bruising our ego. A new product on the market, the Powertach (www.powertachhp.com) just might be what’s needed to keep our egos in check without return trips to the dyno shop. Check out more after the jump…

The Powertach is the idea of teenager Taylor Blackwood, who is busy going to college at the moment. No surprise, the Powertach could be one of those legendary tools that come along every few years to set the performance world on its ear. We don’t think the Powertach will render Dynojet or Mustang Dynamometer as has-beens, but for the everyday street car, it could be a really handy tool to see if the latest performance widget delivers the goods.

The Powertach, which is currently in the latter stages of development, can be used to reliably measure and display your car’s torque and horsepower. According to Powertach reps, installation is as easy as a universal joint replacement, a transmitter, and the Powertach’s head unit plugged into the OBD-II port. Once that’s done, mount the head unit to the dash or windshield, and you’re all set. The Powertach’s u-joint comes with an embedded pressure sensor that reacts to the torque transferred through your car’s driveshaft. The display unit combines data from the u-joint with performance data from your car’s computer in order to report real-time torque and horsepower. 

If you’re wondering if this product is Mustang-compatible, the Powertach was developed using a 2005 Mustang GT. Obviously, at this time the Powertach is designed for OBD-II cars so those of us with Fox and SN-95 pushrod cars, we’ll still have to resort to dyno sessions, and/or drag testing. We’ll be happy doing both.