True gains of basic mods

[WhiteDevil69]

I've been on these forums for a while now, been searching through threads for numbers on everything from CAI-pullies-TB/plenum... Anyways the pullies/TA idea sounds like the best idea but i've read that it gains everywhere from 5-15rwhp for the combo...Is there some dependent mod like intake that makes this much more effective or has anyone done it to a car with just exhaust like mine? Im ready to drop about 300 today and am just trying to decide which way to go. The other thought would be to just save the money until i got the 1100 i need for some Blower cams from Tim, what would you guys do next?

 

[GoBabyVroommm]

Just save your money and get something worth the money like those cams. Your just going to be wasting your money on crap that you install and can't really even tell the difference.

 

[Go HoTO!]

Here ya go. All hp values are rwhp. This might not answer your question directly, but may help. Some mods do work better together such as a plenum and TB. You really need both for a gain. It is really expensive to add hp if you think about it on these cars as they run so well anyway:

1 - Underdrive Pullies - ($150) 9 hp
2 - Plenum with larger TB - ($400) 9 hp
3 - CAI ($100 - $200) - 8 hp
4 - Cat Back Exhaust ($300 - $500) - 0 - 5 hp depending on which one
5 - Off Road X Pipe ($200 - $400) - 10 - 15 hp
6 - Catted X Pipe ($300 - $500) - 5 - 10 hp
7 - Timing Adjuster (about $200, I think) - 10 - 15 hp when advanced with premium fuel.
8 - Chip or programmer ($200 - $450) - 5 - 15 hp without a dyno tune and depending on wheich one.
9 - 4.10 gears ($150+ install) - loss of 2 hp, but big gain in acelleration
10 - After Market Shifter ($150 - $190) - 0 hp, but nice addition.


If you have $300 to spend now, add the shift and buy the geers. Then save the $250 - $300 for the install.

 

[Zinc03GT]

If your thinking of going s/c in the future don't bother with pullies or t/a...if that's your goal i'd save for the cams or the s/c itself...the pullies will be useless and when you get the car tuned for the s/c they can adjust timing as necessary

 

[StngStr]

Here's real world info (in order of install):

Bone stock best: 13.99 (2.1 60 ft)
o/r x w/magnapacks welding in stock catback best: 13.69 (2.1 60 ft)
4.10's, Steeda T/A, Pulleys, Shifter: 13.43 (2.0 60 ft)
26x10.5x15 ET Streets: 13.1 (1.81 60 ft)

Total $$$ for mods = $995

Cams & springs will cost nearly that much and there's no way you'll shave .87 seconds off you time with just those.

Check around and get the worthwhile bolt ons used. Find a used o/r X, get some mufflers, find a used timing adjuster, used pulleys, used shifter, nearly new but still used ET Streets or drag radials, get some FRPP gears from Summit for $138 (price matched), and install as much of it yourself as you can and you'll be a nut hair away from 12's with $1k invested.

That's what I did anyway.

 

[Stangster615]

wow those are some great numbers StngStr!!!!
I have the exact setup as you, but have 3:73 gears.
Do you think its possible for me to hit mid 13s with better tires? (not slicks or radials)
how do you launch your car, and where do you shift at?

 

[MAC[H]Z]

Here ya go. All hp values are rwhp. This might not answer your question directly, but may help. Some mods do work better together such as a plenum and TB. You really need both for a gain. It is really expensive to add hp if you think about it on these cars as they run so well anyway:

1 - Underdrive Pullies - ($150) 9 hp
2 - Plenum with larger TB - ($400) 9 hp
3 - CAI ($100 - $200) - 8 hp
4 - Cat Back Exhaust ($300 - $500) - 0 - 5 hp depending on which one
5 - Off Road X Pipe ($200 - $400) - 10 - 15 hp
6 - Catted X Pipe ($300 - $500) - 5 - 10 hp
7 - Timing Adjuster (about $200, I think) - 10 - 15 hp when advanced with premium fuel.
8 - Chip or programmer ($200 - $450) - 5 - 15 hp without a dyno tune and depending on wheich one.
9 - 4.10 gears ($150+ install) - loss of 2 hp, but big gain in acelleration
10 - After Market Shifter ($150 - $190) - 0 hp, but nice addition.


If you have $300 to spend now, add the shift and buy the geers. Then save the $250 - $300 for the install.

Those are some of the most accurate numbers I have seen posted on all of the mustang boards.

I am so sick of hearing "yeah I bolted a cat-back on gained 20-30HP on my mach" and so on...

 

[DBMSTNG]

3 - CAI ($100 - $200) - 8 hp

try 0-1hp.

 

[DBMSTNG]

The other thought would be to just save the money until i got the 1100 i need for some Blower cams from Tim, what would you guys do next?

$1100 for cams? i hope that includes new springs and install for that much. cams alone are about $550.

 

[BigHairyMonkey]

Id get gears...

 

[cougar694u]

9 - 4.10 gears ($150+ install) - loss of 2 hp, but big gain in acelleration

If accelleration is greater, how can it possibly be a loss of 2 HP? It's not possible, if accelleration increases, then HP (rwhp) increases, they are directly related. HP is what causes accelleration, there is no physical way to lose rwhp and gain accelleration on a flat surface.

Don't get me wrong, by no way does it amplify HP, but you lose more HP with stock gears. The HP drop is less, thus increasing rwhp. Basically, it frees up some HP & increases TQ.

Look at it this way, if your MPH increased in the 1/4 (or 1/8) mile, then your HP increased. They are directly related to one another.

However, going with the wrong gears can take you out of your powerband in the 1/4, causing you to run out of gear before the traps (causing a lower ET or MPH), but there's still an increase in rwhp, which your other numbers within that run will show.

All that said, Gears = more HP

 

[40th GT]

Would one gain about 3-5hp from a Magnaflow catback?

 

[Halcyon_Dolour]

All that said, Gears = more HP

 

[codyGT]

No matter what gears you have the horsepower out of the driveshaft stays the same. Gears just move a car into it's power band faster and since you shift more it stays closer to it's peak also.

 

[JonJon]

Forget the intake stuff, save for those cams.

 

[Bullitt_#1346]

If accelleration is greater, how can it possibly be a loss of 2 HP? It's not possible, if accelleration increases, then HP (rwhp) increases, they are directly related. HP is what causes accelleration, there is no physical way to lose rwhp and gain accelleration on a flat surface.

Don't get me wrong, by no way does it amplify HP, but you lose more HP with stock gears. The HP drop is less, thus increasing rwhp. Basically, it frees up some HP & increases TQ.

Look at it this way, if your MPH increased in the 1/4 (or 1/8) mile, then your HP increased. They are directly related to one another.

However, going with the wrong gears can take you out of your powerband in the 1/4, causing you to run out of gear before the traps (causing a lower ET or MPH), but there's still an increase in rwhp, which your other numbers within that run will show.

All that said, Gears = more HP

I think what he meant by a loss in horsepower with 4.10 gears is that on the dyno you will lose horsepower with 4.10 gears vs stock gears. I believe this is a result of the increased drivetrain loss due to increased friction as a result of the different ratio. I believe the optimal ratio for friction loss would be 1:1, which is why dyno pulls are done in fourth gear (1:1 transmission ratio). Any ratio higher than 1:1 increases friction, so a 4.10 gear has higher friction than 3.27 gears.

The reason acceleration increases is that horsepower isn't the same across the powerband. The 4.10 gears allow the engine to remain in the peak powerband longer, so overall the engine is making more horsepower through a run and therefore achieving better acceleration. So, in a manner of speaking, gears do equal more horsepower available during a run down the track, just not a higher horsepower level at any one point in the powerband.

 

[Go HoTO!]

BINGO! With 4.10's you loose HP!!! Because of friction loss. This is one good reason why it is silly to talk about hp sometimes, because hp does not mean **** if is does not translate into better 1/4 mile times ect...

4.10's make the car accelerate faster, but you loose a few hp on a dyno. Think of the gears as a trq multiplier.

Someone questioned my comment about CAI bringing in more HP. This is the one item that I knew would draw some contraversy. CAI works well if done right. I assumed a good "straight pipe" style kit for a 99+. They have been proven many times to add the hp that I claimed.

Thanks for agreeing with my numbers some of you guys. Too often, HP is way over-stated especially by the ricers. But like I said, it's the race that matters.

 

[Dark Knight GT]

Here ya go. All hp values are rwhp. This might not answer your question directly, but may help. Some mods do work better together such as a plenum and TB. You really need both for a gain. It is really expensive to add hp if you think about it on these cars as they run so well anyway:

1 - Underdrive Pullies - ($150) 9 hp
2 - Plenum with larger TB - ($400) 9 hp
3 - CAI ($100 - $200) - 8 hp
4 - Cat Back Exhaust ($300 - $500) - 0 - 5 hp depending on which one
5 - Off Road X Pipe ($200 - $400) - 10 - 15 hp
6 - Catted X Pipe ($300 - $500) - 5 - 10 hp
7 - Timing Adjuster (about $200, I think) - 10 - 15 hp when advanced with premium fuel.
8 - Chip or programmer ($200 - $450) - 5 - 15 hp without a dyno tune and depending on wheich one.
9 - 4.10 gears ($150+ install) - loss of 2 hp, but big gain in acelleration
10 - After Market Shifter ($150 - $190) - 0 hp, but nice addition.


If you have $300 to spend now, add the shift and buy the geers. Then save the $250 - $300 for the install.

I agree with most of this. However, I have seen dyno results where people have gained 7hp from a cat-back system and I dont know too many CAI kits that offer 8hp. The K&N will probably offer the best results IMHO.

 

[Go HoTO!]

One thing to consider with any bolt on is if the car is blown or not. Catbacks do better with blown cars. I know, for example, one dyno with an SLP that got 11.

 

[85GTlover]

Here ya go. All hp values are rwhp. This might not answer your question directly, but may help. Some mods do work better together such as a plenum and TB. You really need both for a gain. It is really expensive to add hp if you think about it on these cars as they run so well anyway:

1 - Underdrive Pullies - ($150) 9 hp
2 - Plenum with larger TB - ($400) 9 hp
3 - CAI ($100 - $200) - 8 hp
4 - Cat Back Exhaust ($300 - $500) - 0 - 5 hp depending on which one
5 - Off Road X Pipe ($200 - $400) - 10 - 15 hp
6 - Catted X Pipe ($300 - $500) - 5 - 10 hp
7 - Timing Adjuster (about $200, I think) - 10 - 15 hp when advanced with premium fuel.
8 - Chip or programmer ($200 - $450) - 5 - 15 hp without a dyno tune and depending on wheich one.
9 - 4.10 gears ($150+ install) - loss of 2 hp, but big gain in acelleration
10 - After Market Shifter ($150 - $190) - 0 hp, but nice addition.


If you have $300 to spend now, add the shift and buy the geers. Then save the $250 - $300 for the install.

This seems to be good information but I would have to mention
some of these mods merely free up HP not really add it. I can say for certain
the pullies are an example of this and there might be others.