Need advice on upgrades for 06 GT

CrzPny

New Member
Sep 22, 2006
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Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a supercharger in the next couple of months, for my '06 GT (auto). This is the first car I've ever had any interest in mechanically, so my knowledge on the subject of cars is very very limited.

I've been looking at the 445 HP Roushcharger. Is this a good choice for a car that is a daily driver? Any better alternatives at the same or lower price?

Before I get the supercharger, I want to get a new cold air intake. Any recommendations on one that will fit with the roush supercharger? I also need to mention that I have the Cervinis 68KR Concept hood, and if I want the air vents on the hood to function, I can't move the airbox.

With these kind of upgrades, are there anything else I should upgrade as well? Struts/Springs? Gears? Brakes? A tune?

Finally... I DO drive this car in the winter, and this winter (in Oregon) has been somewhat rougher than normal. Am I going to be able to drive something with all this extra power in future winters?

Thanks!
Tom
 
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Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a supercharger in the next couple of months, for my '06 GT (auto). This is the first car I've ever had any interest in mechanically, so my knowledge on the subject of cars is very very limited.

I've been looking at the 445 HP Roushcharger. Is this a good choice for a car that is a daily driver? Any better alternatives at the same or lower price?

Before I get the supercharger, I want to get a new cold air intake. Any recommendations on one that will fit with the roush supercharger? I also need to mention that I have the Cervinis 68KR Concept hood, and if I want the air vents on the hood to function, I can't move the airbox.

With these kind of upgrades, are there anything else I should upgrade as well? Struts/Springs? Gears? Brakes? A tune?

Finally... I DO drive this car in the winter, and this winter (in Oregon) has been somewhat rougher than normal. Am I going to be able to drive something with all this extra power in future winters?

Thanks!
Tom

It sounds like you made up ur mind to go with a non-centrifigal s/c( I love my Vortech though)..If you need to keep the stock positioning of ur airbox because of ur hood, I would consider the Saleen s/c. It makes more powerthan the Roush does and you can use a CAI kit that mounts where the stocker went and still use the s/c..I would find a good reputable tuner/installer shop near you to do the install and a custom dyno tune when its done so it makes safe horsepower..With the added power, I would definitly do some suspension upgrades(thats a whole other topic) to handle and plant ur extra hp..The stock brakes are ok, so you dont "have' to do that.I would mount boost, fuel pressure and oil pressure gauges along with the s/c to keep an eye on that. I love my 4:10 gears with my Vortech, but if I had a roots/twin screw s/c I would go with probably 3:73's.Good luck and congrats on deciding to go boost!!
 
Sounds liek you're fixed on a roots/twin screw charger...that is going to produce midrange power and if you upgrade to a steeper gear like a 3.73 thats going to transmit low end torque making snow driving very "interesting" to say the least. As for what makes best power I'm not too clear I haven't looked into that matter. I'ld go with whoever has best bang for buck along with best engine warranty. They all come with a flash tuner but I would find a dyno when all is said and done, also with a supercharger exhaust headers, H or X pipe upgrades would be a good idea.
 
Thanks for your comments! I am by no means set on a specific type of supercharger yet. I've just seen a few comments and articles about the Roush s/c lately so that's why I mentioned that one.

I also just learned that the hood I have's intake will only work with the factory airbox, and since I do want to switch that out, I guess the airbox location doesn't really matter anymore.

Thanks again!
Tom
 
Keep in mind...

Keep in mind, with SC you will need suspension and drivetrain upgrades, exhaust, and a good dyno tune.

This is NOT a bad thing, and Im in no way suggesting avoiding the SC; 'tis just a FUN necessary 'evil'. The more toys you get; the more you NEED!

Good luck.
 
If ur not woried about the position of the airbox, then you have alot of options..Im sure you will get some good responses from guys with different combos..And it depends on how much $$$ you want to spend, and what your horsepower goal is..I wanted(for now) 400-440 rwhp but on the less expensive side..I have a Vortech that hits peak boost higher up in the rpm band,yet still retains its street manners in the lower rpm range.$3,400 for parts shipped including the the s/c and all the hardware, 39 lbs injectors, 255 lph fuel pump, and a hand held tuner in case you dont already have one..If $$ wasnt my concern, I would have gone with a kenny bell...But m very happy for now...420 rwhp (MD dyno)with an automatic.. :nice:
 
I would look into the Saleen supercharger package deals at Brenspeed.com They have SC kits with everything you need and great customer service. But I would definatly upgrade your 3 link suspension to get better traction and get rid of wheel hop.
 
I'm just curious if you have any mods yet? Sounds like your looking to throw a s/c on your car to find some quick big power. If your car is stock I would think about getting exhaust, cold air kit/tuner combo, some suspension upgrades, aluminum driveshaft, gears and a converter for your auto. You will need all the above anyway to get optimal performance out of a s/c not to mention your car will be much faster then stock with the parts mentioned above. Plus I believe you said your new to the mustang game so I would get used to driving a car with a few mods rather than jump into a 450hp s/c car when your just used to stock (especially with snow). Either way good luck:flag:
 
Thanks everyone for your input! I have made some smaller mods so far. I have the MAC 2.5" Axleback Exhaust 4" Slashcut. I have a custom x-pipe from a local business here, and with my Cervinis KR concept hood, I have a functional ram air intake.

I do agree that it might be a good idea to start small, and gradually build up the hp. I just want to make sure that what I buy will leave a lot of options open for when I purchase the bigger parts; I don't want to build myself into a corner.

I'm looking to spend about maybe $7000 on this, knowing that if I said $8000, it would be closer to $9000, etc. And in the end, I would like between 420-450 hp. While still have the car be a daily driver. Does that seem realistic?

Thanks again!
Tom
 
Thanks everyone for your input! I have made some smaller mods so far. I have the MAC 2.5" Axleback Exhaust 4" Slashcut. I have a custom x-pipe from a local business here, and with my Cervinis KR concept hood, I have a functional ram air intake.

I do agree that it might be a good idea to start small, and gradually build up the hp. I just want to make sure that what I buy will leave a lot of options open for when I purchase the bigger parts; I don't want to build myself into a corner.

I'm looking to spend about maybe $7000 on this, knowing that if I said $8000, it would be closer to $9000, etc. And in the end, I would like between 420-450 hp. While still have the car be a daily driver. Does that seem realistic?

Thanks again!
Tom


holy ****ze:eek: l, can i have some money? I'm like only non-rich person on this board that cant spend multi-thousands of dollars in a pinch to soup up their ride.

I'm prob one of the youngest i guess too. Hell i just ordered my off-road hpipe finnally and ive had my car for about a year, and i finnally just did intake and tune lol... urgh, i bought a condo this year too.. just imagine the possabilities if i had 7000-9000 cash urgh... :ack:
 
A lot of people simply plan the cost of mods in with the cost of a car. The GT can be had for around 25k (less if you go with a base GT), considering a lot of guys might otherwise buy a 30k plus car the extra few grand in mods to make it the way you want it isn't a huge deal.

A CAI will likely be replaced with any supercharger, the sole exception being the Saleen unit. Given your ultimate goal, I would give the Saleen unit some thought, it has the end result you want right out of the box and with its 2.3l twin screw blower has plenty of head room if you decide you want more.
Dan
 
Sticker on my car was 29k, i took it for below that w/ xplan and such but i still owe 10grand on it..

So you got some good money flow if you can buy the stang cash out right and then dip 7-9grand in it, no questions about it.

I'm 25 years old, owell.
 
Sticker on my car was 29k, i took it for below that w/ xplan and such but i still owe 10grand on it..

So you got some good money flow if you can buy the stang cash out right and then dip 7-9grand in it, no questions about it.

I'm 25 years old, owell.

True, but I wasn't talking about buying it outright. Simply put a few less down, slightly larger note but you get the car that you want. It's all priorities... This is :OT: anyway.
Dan
 
Well, I'm more confused on what to do than ever before! :) The Saleen is very tempting as well as the Roush now. I'm also very impressed by Steedman07's 420 hp on his car.

How is driving different on the other types of gears, such as the 4:10s? Does the shifting happen earlier or later? I'm concerned about the winter driving and changing my gears.

I think I'm going to start with the suspension. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good starting point on that, now that you kinda know where I want to go?

Also, what exactly is an auto converter?

Finally, the only reason I have access to this kind of money, is that I'm getting a pretty nicely sized bonus this year, and this is what I was planning to spend it on, so all the other bills are paid! :)

Thanks again for everyones input, and the patience with my newbie questions!

Tom
 
Im bias to the Vortech cuz I have one, and I love 4:10 gears getting to the powerband very fast as the s/c builds boost..Its ALOT of fun!! If you can drive different set-ups before you buy, you will find out what you like.. Im not a suspension wiz, so I went with a matched package from Steeda(lowering springs,ft/rr sway bars with hd endlinks, g-trac and a panhard bar) and then a performance alignment at my local shop. Again, you will here some good responses from other guys and their suspension combo's, it all depends on what your goal is and how much $$$ you want to spend..I am happy with what I have now for normal driving, but, I will do some more upgrades this spring cuz im going to hit a few road coursetrack days, just to have some fun...Hope this helps..
 
Well, I'm more confused on what to do than ever before! :) The Saleen is very tempting as well as the Roush now. I'm also very impressed by Steedman07's 420 hp on his car.

How is driving different on the other types of gears, such as the 4:10s? Does the shifting happen earlier or later? I'm concerned about the winter driving and changing my gears.

I think I'm going to start with the suspension. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good starting point on that, now that you kinda know where I want to go?

Also, what exactly is an auto converter?

Finally, the only reason I have access to this kind of money, is that I'm getting a pretty nicely sized bonus this year, and this is what I was planning to spend it on, so all the other bills are paid! :)

Thanks again for everyones input, and the patience with my newbie questions!

Tom

Suspension:
- Lower Rear Control Arms (LCA's). Buy some. You can either get the race set which clunk alot or you can get a street set which are quieter. The race set will squat a helluva lot harder on launching than the street set.
- Upper Rear Control Arm (UCA). Helps reset your cars "instant center"
- Lowering springs of some sort. I have the Eibach Sportlines and I live in Louisiana. Anybody that tells you that you would scrap on a regular basis is lying to you. Everybody in the U.S. knows Louisiana has the ****ties roads in the nation and I RARELY scrape. *Sportlines only really work if you have 18's. If you go with 20's for wheels then you need to get the Pro kit.
- LCA Relocation Brackets. When you lower your car your LCA's are no longer perfectly straight like they were before. Buying LCA relo's will help bring that problem back under control
- Adjustable Panhard Bar. If you lower your car you need to think about buying one of these. I lowered my car and it actually "centered" my car. This is rare. Most cars turn to be off-center by UP TO 1/4". Adjustable Panhard bar will bring your car back to center on the axle if you adjust it right (it's easy, takes 5-10 minutes if you have a friend)

Engine:
Turbo:
You will remain with your stock daily driveability. You WILL make more TQ than even a Twin Screw s/c. You will definitely make more horsepower than a Centri S/C and a Twin Screw type. You can buy a full Turbo kit from Turbo Horsepower for 4k if you don't get any extras. If you get pretty much all the bells and whistles, it comes out to right at 5k. Same gas mileage as your car gets now with anywhere from 425-500rwhp with a turbo.

Supercharger:
Twin Screw:
Sits on top of the engine in the "valley" of the V. Puts out pretty crazy TQ (close to the turbo). A fun car to drive but the problem is that you pretty much are always in boost. Twin Screws are tire roasters due to the fact that they pretty much have full tq right when you mash the pedal. Usually faster on the street (compared to the centri)
Centrifugal:
It's weird, but they are similar to a turbo in the fact that they keep building HP/TQ as you go through the revs. Not as much TQ as the Twin Screw, but more HP and usually faster at the track.

I've ridden in both types of cars. Turbo and Supercharged. I've only ridden in a twin screw so take it FWIW. The turbo car pulled just as hard if not harder than the twin screw supercharger yet was incredibly mild when we were just driving around town. Didn't have to be careful what-so-ever with his right foot or anything. Twin Screw was fun because of the "insta-torque" but it didn't seem to pull as hard. I'm not saying the twin screw is necessarily more of an animal, but I would personally be a little more cautious with a twin screw than a turbo just because of the fact that it has the "insta-torque" capabilities.

Hope this sorta helps your decision and not make it any more difficult haha :)
 
Thanks Hoboattacker, for writing up all that. That is VERY helpful! Well, the turbo info, isn't really helpful, since I now am curious about that too :)

I do have 20s on my car so I guess the pro kit would be the way to go for me. Do you have any type of chin spoiler? I guess that's the only thing I'd be worried about scraping.

Tom


Suspension:
- Lower Rear Control Arms (LCA's). Buy some. You can either get the race set which clunk alot or you can get a street set which are quieter. The race set will squat a helluva lot harder on launching than the street set.
- Upper Rear Control Arm (UCA). Helps reset your cars "instant center"
- Lowering springs of some sort. I have the Eibach Sportlines and I live in Louisiana. Anybody that tells you that you would scrap on a regular basis is lying to you. Everybody in the U.S. knows Louisiana has the ****ties roads in the nation and I RARELY scrape. *Sportlines only really work if you have 18's. If you go with 20's for wheels then you need to get the Pro kit.
- LCA Relocation Brackets. When you lower your car your LCA's are no longer perfectly straight like they were before. Buying LCA relo's will help bring that problem back under control
- Adjustable Panhard Bar. If you lower your car you need to think about buying one of these. I lowered my car and it actually "centered" my car. This is rare. Most cars turn to be off-center by UP TO 1/4". Adjustable Panhard bar will bring your car back to center on the axle if you adjust it right (it's easy, takes 5-10 minutes if you have a friend)

Engine:
Turbo:
You will remain with your stock daily driveability. You WILL make more TQ than even a Twin Screw s/c. You will definitely make more horsepower than a Centri S/C and a Twin Screw type. You can buy a full Turbo kit from Turbo Horsepower for 4k if you don't get any extras. If you get pretty much all the bells and whistles, it comes out to right at 5k. Same gas mileage as your car gets now with anywhere from 425-500rwhp with a turbo.

Supercharger:
Twin Screw:
Sits on top of the engine in the "valley" of the V. Puts out pretty crazy TQ (close to the turbo). A fun car to drive but the problem is that you pretty much are always in boost. Twin Screws are tire roasters due to the fact that they pretty much have full tq right when you mash the pedal. Usually faster on the street (compared to the centri)
Centrifugal:
It's weird, but they are similar to a turbo in the fact that they keep building HP/TQ as you go through the revs. Not as much TQ as the Twin Screw, but more HP and usually faster at the track.

I've ridden in both types of cars. Turbo and Supercharged. I've only ridden in a twin screw so take it FWIW. The turbo car pulled just as hard if not harder than the twin screw supercharger yet was incredibly mild when we were just driving around town. Didn't have to be careful what-so-ever with his right foot or anything. Twin Screw was fun because of the "insta-torque" but it didn't seem to pull as hard. I'm not saying the twin screw is necessarily more of an animal, but I would personally be a little more cautious with a twin screw than a turbo just because of the fact that it has the "insta-torque" capabilities.

Hope this sorta helps your decision and not make it any more difficult haha :)
 
I do have 20s on my car so I guess the pro kit would be the way to go for me. Do you have any type of chin spoiler? I guess that's the only thing I'd be worried about scraping.

Tom

It seems too many people get caught up just saying they have 17s, 18s, 19s and 20s on their car and we're supposed to know if they will scrape or the tires rub...I don't care about the wheel size, I can be quite a bit of help if you just state the tire sizes:nice: You could have a 20" tire that is 26" tall or 28" tall and that would make a world of difference!
I'll tell you that I have a 255/45-18(27") on the front with 1.6" of drop and the CDC Classic Chin Spoiler which puts me about 5.5" of ground clearance and it scrapes quite a bit, but fortuneately it's only roughed up the underside. Nothing you can see looking at it from above:D