New to the game, Need Help!!!

LLeEeJJgG · Jan 7, 2004

Well I just got a brand new 2004 GT Convertible. I'm new to the whole mustang world and know jack s*** about cars, I'm lucky if i can change the oil. I just want some tips, ideas, suggestions on how to make my car stand out from the pack and compete with some of the fastest cars out there. Any suggestions on looks, audio, exhaust, and especially the engine feel free to let it all out...

Beau · Jan 7, 2004

the first thing to do is take it back right away and get a coupe...then what you could do is change your gear ratio by buying new gears, if you plan on getting a supercharger or turbos, most recommend buying 3.73 gears, if you plan on staying naturally aspirated, people say 4.10 or 4.30 gears. the next most common thing i see around here is the shifter, and people either go with steeda's tri-ax or the pro 5.0. after that, well theres the throttle body, plenum, cold-air intake, exhaust, headers, subframe connectors, porting and polishing, supercharging, performance chips, and tons more things to do, all costing varying amounts of money

Solid Snake · Jan 8, 2004

First off, congrats on the stang. You'll LOVE it! Since your questions are pretty broad, I'll tell you what I'd do in your position:

LOOKS:
-complete Saleen body kit (www.speedworx.com)
or
-complete Roush body kit (www.speedworx.com)
or
-mix and match..... Cobra R hood, STEEDA hood, STEEDA rear wings, Cervini's body kits, Cobra body pieces, Mach 1 chin spoilers, aftermarket wheels, etc., etc., etc.

PERFORMANCE:

There's a whole bunch of bolt-on modifications that are available for the GT. Exhaust mods like headers (from engine to mid-pipe), mid-pipe (from headers to catback), catback (from mid-pipe to tailpipes) can gain as high as 5-20HP each @ the rear wheels. Induction mods such as cold-air-induction (from air filter to upper intake), mass air meter (small electrical sensor located on the intake tube), throttle body (located between intake tube and upper intake), and the upper intake plenum (has the picture of the horse on it under the hood) can gain as much as 5-15HP each @ the rear wheels. There are also various electrical mods available (computer reprogramming, ignition control, etc.) as well. If money isn't an issue, then you could supercharge or turbocharge the car to as high as 400HP @ the rear wheels (almost 500HP @ crank).

I basically just touched on the very tip of the iceberg here. Best thing to do in your case is to just research and read up on cars and performance. I was in your shoes before and now I am pretty knowledgable when it comes to cars. Stangnet is a great place to learn!

BTW, congrats again!

Solid Snake · Jan 8, 2004

1990StangLX said:
the first thing to do is take it back right away and get a coupe

Beau · Jan 8, 2004

Volldamort said:

i was just messing with him

1999GTCONV · Jan 8, 2004

Yeah don't listen to these guys about taking back the convertible. I personnally have a 1999 35th anniversary GT convertible with 11,000 miles and my buddy just got a new 2002 gt 5-speed coupe. We raced one night and with just my two first mods which was a superchips microtuner and a borla catback I was able to hold my ground with him and heck I'm even 500 or so pounds heavier so don't let convertibles fool ya there are plenty of fast ones out there plus you get to enjoy the sun and the breeze with the top down. GO TOPLESS, lol. If you want to know some of my mods since then just ask.

jadesville · Jan 8, 2004

i wouldnt listen to them, don't start modifying it right off the bat if you dont understand much about cars. you first need to learn how you maintain your car (changing fluids, filters, etc..), then you really should learn how everything works on your car before you start modifying it, then YOU make those decisions on what you want to modifiy, with knowledge beforehand what you're getting yourself into..

speed means nothing to a car that isnt taken care of properly

but offhand, modification wise, you'll find pretty much everything you'll want to know by searching, everything pretty much has been covered, and for audio, check out the sound & shine forum

cronin49 · Jan 8, 2004

gt

1990StangLX said:
the first thing to do is take it back right away and get a coupe...then what you could do is change your gear ratio by buying new gears, if you plan on getting a supercharger or turbos, most recommend buying 3.73 gears, if you plan on staying naturally aspirated, people say 4.10 or 4.30 gears. the next most common thing i see around here is the shifter, and people either go with steeda's tri-ax or the pro 5.0. after that, well theres the throttle body, plenum, cold-air intake, exhaust, headers, subframe connectors, porting and polishing, supercharging, performance chips, and tons more things to do, all costing varying amounts of money

Why take it back? Coupes are everywhere. A beautiful convertible GT is much rarer. A vert weighs only about 140 lbs. more than a coupe. My '03 is Laser Red with 18" chrome bullit wheels, a light bar, and I get comments almost daily on how fine it looks, from complete strangers. With the few mods I have, my car is fast enough. [ 373's, magnaflow x-pipe, catback, superchip ].

1999GTCONV · Jan 8, 2004

cronin49 said:
Why take it back? Coupes are everywhere. A beautiful convertible GT is much rarer. A vert weighs only about 140 lbs. more than a coupe.

By the way, if that's the case why is does my car state on the Factory sticker inside the door that it weighs 4490lbs where most coupes weigh in around 3850lbs?

LLeEeJJgG · Jan 8, 2004

About the convertible, alot of my buddies have been saying things to me about the convertible how it weighs the car down and that if i'm gonna do anything to the car its worthless that i have to watch out with problems with the convertible at high speeds. I think the convertible makes the car look even more gorgeous, that is why i bought it right off the floor. Is there really any serious problems regarding the convertible top after I modify the car???

Jackie Chan · Jan 8, 2004

yeah take it back vert<coupe
any coupes wanna race?
as far as perf mods, i would get a few thousand miles on the car first and get all of the warranty stuff out of the way that may come up. do get a shifter right away though. just sit back and read some threads and choose your mods wisely.
Have Fun

Jackie Chan · Jan 8, 2004

FYI verts are in the 3400-3450 range and coupes are in the 3250-3300 range stock.

the sticker on the door jamb is for gross vehicle weight meaning. weight of vehicle+passenges=max weight rating

Spazilton · Jan 8, 2004

By the way, if that's the case why is does my car state on the Factory sticker inside the door that it weighs 4490lbs where most coupes weigh in around 3850lbs?

Becuse you are reading Gross Vehicle Weight. Not Actual. IIRC the GT Coupe weights in at around 3375 with a Manual and the Vert is around 200 lbs heavier.

Jackie Chan · Jan 8, 2004

Spazilton said:
Becuse you are reading Gross Vehicle Weight. Not Actual. IIRC the GT Coupe weights in at around 3375 with a Manual and the Vert is around 200 lbs heavier.

the difference for similarly equipped coupes/verts is only 150 lbs. at least that was the difference between between me and another guy at osw

Pootiestang · Jan 8, 2004

jadesville said:
i wouldnt listen to them, don't start modifying it right off the bat if you dont understand much about cars. you first need to learn how you maintain your car (changing fluids, filters, etc..), then you really should learn how everything works on your car before you start modifying it, then YOU make those decisions on what you want to modifiy, with knowledge beforehand what you're getting yourself into..

speed means nothing to a car that isnt taken care of properly

but offhand, modification wise, you'll find pretty much everything you'll want to know by searching, everything pretty much has been covered, and for audio, check out the sound & shine forum

I agree alot, before you go nuts with the modifying, I would get maintenance down. Once you modify a thing or two its over and youll go down hill finantially. I was ok till i start listening to people here hehe. Now Im broke but i dont regret it a bit! Once you get used to the regular things, start thinking what you want from the car. Like most people want to hear their mustang roar and wind up doing exhaust first. Maybe do some of the simple mods from www.mustangworld.com then think about more serious stuff. Just be sure to do plenty of research on something before going for something. Youll save a lot of money and get it right the first time. Stangnet.com is a great place for help and 99.9% of the people here will really help you with stuff and what you need help with.

Congrats on the purchase!

Spazilton · Jan 8, 2004

the difference for similarly equipped coupes/verts is only 150 lbs. at least that was the difference between between me and another guy at osw

Yea I was just pulling the numbers off the top of my head, I know there isnt a 500lb difference between Verts and Coupes.

edwardohaskillo · Jan 9, 2004

Thread hijack-
Volldamort! Dude, what happened to your avatar? They took away your BoUnCy AND made the site slower.

NNNOOOOOOooooo!!!

We now return you to your normal program...

...And as for audio, well get yourself some bitchin' exhaust and a 5 speed. Scrotum-tickling bass is for yahoos with automatics.

Jackie Chan · Jan 9, 2004

why did you buy a slow convertible

decoy562 · Jan 9, 2004

Visual:
-Lower it
-Mach 1 grille delete
-Mach 1 chin spoiler
-Remove trunk spoiler

Performance:

LT's, midpipe, catback, C&L plenum, TB, air intake, gears, U/D pullies, Timing adjuster, supercharger

LLeEeJJgG · Jan 9, 2004

Phase One

Alright to start off with I think the first step i'm going to take in modifying my car is an alarm. I don't want anybody messing with my car. No one has said anything about an alarm yet either. I was looking into the viper prestige. Its expensive but from what i hear its the best. Any ideas for alarm systems...???

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