I finally got around to getting dual exhaust put on my '00 mustang. I already have a K&N Filter in place. What would you say the next logical upgrade would be, preferrably not too expensive as I recover from the exhaust.
Probably an underdrive pulley. Cost about $170 and you'll pick up about 10 HP, 8 ft/lbs torque, and about 1 MPG. I just put one on, and I noticed the increase in power.
Plus, that annoying power steering pump whine is a lot less noticable!
If your car still has dinky-looking V6 wheels from the factory, get rid of those and get some nicer wheels on there.. that will make a huge difference in looks. Performance-wise, try 3.73 or 4.10 gears, or a superchip, those are not too much money.
On a 2000, for gears your have to get it tuned or flashed, and the costs can range from $700-$1000. UDP is just $155-180 depending on where you find it.
Just looked up what exactly a UDP was/involved... from my reading it slows the alternator, water pump, power steering, and a/c. Is this a good thing?? I understand the concept, but won't it mess with the performance of those components, some of which I'd say are pretty vita...?
This is a daily driver car, so I don't want to tinker with anything that might degrade my car in the end. Any issues with this change?
http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/pulley_tech.htm explains everything about the underdrive. It will slow them down, but everything will still work fine. Unless if you have a large stereo system or for some reason are just concerned with underpowering the car, you can get an 18% overdrive pulley for the altenator and everything will be good. On a 2000, you have to look at the stock balancer to see if it is a 99 or 01-04 style pulley. http://rpm-mustangs.com/cart/product_image.php?imageid=32 look at that image to see which you have. Just look for that larger part on the pulley balancer, if it is there you need a 99-00, if not you need 01-04.
Thanks for the tips. This seems rather straight forward, so I may actually end up doing this. Thus the beauty of the Mustang engine bay...nice and easy to get to, for a change!