Where should I begin to increase horsepower and handling

sdenorscia · Aug 18, 2004

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum. I have a 95 GT convertible which is completely stock at the moment. I am looking to have some modifications done to increase the horsepower and improve the handling. I do not have a ton of cash, so I'm looking for a list of where to begin cheaply. This car is my daily driver and I will not be tacking her out to any tracks anytime soon. Mostly I just love to drive fast on the beautiful mountain roads near my home in Arizona.

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Also, if anyone could recommend a good mechanic in the Sedona, AZ area that would be great.

Thanks in advance.

mystang94gt · Aug 18, 2004

Well it wont improve HP but IMO the best bang for the buck has to be there gears on a stock car. They make it get up and go so much better than the stock gears and make it a lot more fun to drive.

squall9393 · Aug 18, 2004

Remove the air silencer from the airbox and start doing the bolt on thing. You bolt on what you can afford as you go.

Here check this link out. It was intended for Fox body Mustangs but some of the stuff applies to ours as well. Some of the stuff has already been included in our cars stock that the article says to get, you just need to have a little knowledge from a Chilton's manual or something to know what's already there. Like a strut tower brace- should already be there for example. This a good starting point article though and the guys on here can help you out too.

Oh yeah and welcome to the best Mustang forum out there IMO.

Increasing the performance of the 5.0 Mustang

Jarrod

squall9393 · Aug 18, 2004

Oh yeah if you haven't already done so in another thread- Show off your car. You need to post some pics before we start hounding you to do that. Be prideful in your new purchase and show that baby to us.

Pics Pics Pics go a long way in a forum.

mo_dingo · Aug 18, 2004

My first mods were exhaust. Then I installed gears.

Next will be subframes and & springs/shocks, because I can't stop wheel spin.

If you start to do all your own work, you won't regret it. It is a horrible feeling when a mechanic gives you a bill @ $60/hour of labor, that you could have done yourself. And it's a wonderful feeling when you complete a project with time, patience, and patience, and patience...

I have a full set of sockets, extensions & a few other miscellaneous tools. With only that, and the will, I have done all of my own work. I wouldn't let another human being touch my car (unless they are a friend helping out, )

Start by searching the forums for topics of interest. You will learn everything/anything you need/want to know here.

Your first mod needs to be thought out. Do you want the nice mustang sound, do some suspension work to lower the car and improve handling/traction, or start out with motor work for performance.

Exhaust is really hard to get away from though. Anytime I see a 5.0L that doesn't have exhaust I am
Scott

toplessmustang · Aug 18, 2004

i agree with mystang94gt....gears will do wonders in the fun department. you might look into a homemade CAI

squall9393 · Aug 19, 2004

sdenorscia said:
Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum. I have a 95 GT convertible which is completely stock at the moment. I am looking to have some modifications done to increase the horsepower and improve the handling. I do not have a ton of cash, so I'm looking for a list of where to begin cheaply. This car is my daily driver and I will not be tacking her out to any tracks anytime soon. Mostly I just love to drive fast on the beautiful mountain roads near my home in Arizona.

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Also, if anyone could recommend a good mechanic in the Sedona, AZ area that would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Come on where are those pics at?

BlueOvalStangGT · Aug 19, 2004

subframes and a shifter!

sdenorscia · Aug 20, 2004

Thanks everyone

I really appreciate all of your feedback. I'll post some pics soon, I don't have any digital yet. I'll shoot some this weekend.

Just to give you a bit more info I realized that I forgot. The car is an automatic.

It sounds like the gears are a good place to start, and then exhaust and air filter.

Also, I must invest in a set of tools and overcome my fear of screwing up the car by doing the work myself.

Thanks everyone.

wytstang · Aug 20, 2004

Gears are an awesome first mod. But whats better than that is a free mod advance the timming to 14* but you must run a higher octane like 91 or 93 if thats available to you.

mystang94gt · Aug 20, 2004

Oh and dont forget there are some free mods to be had on a 5.0. Look into bumping the timing and make sure and remove the air silencer from your airbox(the rubber piece that goes into your fender) those are a couple of way to squeeze some free ponies outta your stang.

Let the modding begin.....

BnGRacing · Aug 20, 2004

I'd get some sticky tires (unless the ones are new). Next would be a good tune up, flush/fill and all the other stuff most people ignore. While that goes on, I'd check to see if you have any worn/broken stuff (like the balancer, tie-rods, shocks/struts, brakes, etc). That should keep your wallet busy for a while.

super302 · Aug 21, 2004

start with a k&n, remove air silencer, bump timing, then def. get gears (3.73-4.10)

super302 · Aug 21, 2004

and for handeling, get some subframes

sdenorscia · Aug 21, 2004

Here are a couple of pics of my 95 Gt

Thanks again for all the great feedback.

Here are a couple of pics of my 95 Gt. I love my girlfriend so much I let her drive it... once.

wytstang · Aug 21, 2004

Nice car looks very clean. Some chrome tri-bars would look good on their.

smokediver27 · Aug 21, 2004

Good looking car man, I've just passed my first year of mustang ownership. Like Everyone said, get the gears ASAP, kinda expensive, but well worth it. I believe the majority of guys on here recommend the 4:10''s on an automatic. A good set of shocks and lowering springs make for a nice ride as well.

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