Which mods don't kill your car?

[ZBTStang]

What's up guys,

I just bought my 02GT....am ordering every damn product in the world. I want to make it into a really fast...nice car...but at the same time...it has to last me a while.

So far I am sitting at:

Cold Air Intake
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Borla Stinger Exhaust System
Either Bassani Catted of Mac O/R X
3.73 gears
Diablo Chip

My next list of upgrades includes:

C&L Plenum and 75mm throttle body
Steeda U/D Pullies and TA
Eibach Springs
Other Suspension mods

My question is this. What kinda of impact do the C&L, TB, Pullies and such have on the wear and tear of the car? I assume they are also going to void basically every warranty that the car has as well. I may hold off on certain mods...till I hit 36,000 miles if it helps me keep the car under warranty.

Is there anything obvious that I am missing that I should definitely throw on there?

Thanks in advance.

 

[03gtmustang]

Well if you already have the chip and tri-ax then you pretty much already voided your tranny and whole engine warranty. But if you dont already have them then you can always take off the CAI, pulleys, t/a, and 75mm t/b. If your set on a chip then just have it programed to advance your timing and ditch the t/a. Personally I dont think the pulleys do that much from what Ive heard. And if your going with a blower some time in the future you will have to get rid of them anyways. Also Id forget about the CAI if you dont already have it. They are a waste of money. If I was you Id probably go with...

Cold Air Intake (C&L MAF instead)
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Borla Stinger Exhaust System (Magnapack cat back instead)
Either Bassani Catted of Mac O/R X (Mac pro chamber or Magnaflow catted or o/r X, Bassani cats are known to burn up)
3.73 gears (4.10 gears, unless your goin blown)
Diablo Chip (if your going blown then a chip comes with the blower)

My next list of upgrades includes:

C&L Plenum and 75mm throttle body
Steeda U/D Pulleys and T/A (C&L inlet tube and some nice 275 Nitto 555R Drags instead)
Eibach Springs
Other Suspension mods

 

[Routs]

Usually when you are doing mods to the engine, it does not void warranty on the engine, just the warranty for that specific part. The fun though is if something does happen to your car, the dealership will somehow try to pinpoint the problem on that aftermarket part. I would suggest you read through your entire warranty before making that decision.

As for "wear and tear". The biggest problem with wear and tear is a heavy foot and a poor maintenance schedule. Other than items like a Supercharger, Turbo or Nitrous, most items are not directly causing a lot of potential damage to your engine. In fact, power adders can be safe enough as well, as long as you aren't always on the gas...

 

[JonJon]

I don't think any part will actually hurt, it's the hard driving you put the car through day after day playing with the new toys that'll do the harm.

 

[jadesville]

fuzzy dice

 

[Atlanta_GTer]

Ford is busting balls these days. If you have a chip in the car, they will void the warranty. If you HAD a chip in the car and you take it out, the can tell by the prongs being scraped/damaged and they will void your warranty.

 

[FallenPhoenix]

Talk to some people that have modded cars that have had to have warranty work if you can find them. There are always dealers that are going to be
hard-asses about mods and then some that are reasonable.

 

[ZBTStang]

Okay....fair enough.

I already have the gears...and do not have the chip yet. It sounds like that is a big problem.

How can I get the odometer to be on par with the actual speed I am going without the chip or speedcal? Right now it is 14% too high because of switching from 3.27's to 3.73's.

 

[Routs]

Have you considered a reprogrammer like a Hypertech? It would allow you to make changes via your OBD II slot and it would be very easy for you to reset the computer to factory if you needed.

 

[01bullittstang]

so do the gears this guy has already ruin his warranty? Also if he does put the speedcal on his car would that work like a chip in which it would also ruin a warranty? thanks

 

[ScaryGT]

What's up guys,

I just bought my 02GT....am ordering every damn product in the world. I want to make it into a really fast...nice car...but at the same time...it has to last me a while.

Well, what is it that you really want? Do you want a really fast Mustang or a reliable car with a warranty? You are not going to get both. Plus the mods that you've mentioned are not going to make you a really fast car. If you do those mods you will have a lot of money tied up into a faster than stock Mustang; plus you won't have a warranty.

Once you start modding you'll start to lose interest in the warranty issue... look at my sig after just one year of ownership. Do you think I have a warranty any more? I don't. Do you think I'm done spending? I'm sure I'm not. On top of my sig I also have a new longblock on the way. So you decide what you want out of this car. If you want reliable than you should of purchased a Focus.

Don't get mad at my comments. I can remember a year ago I was posting on this site asking the same questions as you. Trust me, your going to get hooked by this need for speed.

Ralph

 

[Routs]

As for the gears, I believe they will only ruin the warranty on the rear end of the car since they have been replaced from the factory ones. I am not very familiar with the Speedcal, but I believe it is just like the Hypertech reprogrammer in that you only change some settings and can reset them. Again, if you needed to bring it into the dealership you could easily reset it to stock.

 

[ZBTStang]

Yeah. I totally see your point.

I can get that chip for $50 bucks from a friend of mine who just traded his Stang for a new S4. I'm liking that idea a whole lot more than paying 300 for a hypertech...plus...I'm racking up miles WAY to fast right now because of the gears.

So I think I'll just go with the chip...and pray nothing goes wrong anytime soon. =)

 

[ZBTStang]

Upon further reading up there.

Will the Steeda TA fix my problem with the Spedo reading too fast?

 

[JonJon]

A timing adjuster has nothing to do with your speedometer. It advances your ignition timing. With higher octane fuel, you'll gain power.

Oops, I missed the post about you not having the chip yet.

 

[MustangLife]

You need to seriously think about re-choosing your mods.

Like swich from the 3.73's to 4.10's. Everybody that thinks about gears before they have them believes 4.10's are to extreme until you get them. If you put 3.73's in your car you will wish you had 4.10's.

Don't get a catted-x pipe. get a off-road x-pipe.

Bolt-on mods don't kill your car. Superchargers, Nitrous, And Tubros kill your car along with racing.

underdrive pulleys and a short throw shifter along with some tire rubber voided my whole drivetrain warranty with only 800 miles on my car.

Josh

 

[Modular2v]

mustanglife, if i were u i would go to a different dealership, shifter and pulleys shouldnt void your warranty unless you have a dealership full of pricks. A guy i know that works at ford said the main things that ford voids warrantys over are k&n airfilters and chips

 

[Reimann]

...unless you have a dealership full of pricks. ...

Is there any other kinds?

 

[JonJon]

Is there any other kinds?

I've had good success at a dealer in MD by my house. They throw in free oil changes once in a while because 'they took too long'. I drop my car off overnight to save me the hassle of waiting so I have no idea how long it takes them.

Never mentioned a word about my mods and the service manager even tried to fix my seatbelts himself when I told him the mechanics didn't fix it. He was unsuccessful, but atleast he tried in his tie and suit.

 

[Routs]

Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but they cannot void your warranty because of the use of K & N Airfilters. K & N is a brand like anyone else and according to current laws you can choose what air filter, oil and oil filter you wish to use because the auto industry does not provide you with free replacements. A chip I can somewhat understand because you are changing how Ford has programmed the vehicle to operate, but an air filter is not reason to void a warranty.

Basically by doing that, they are saying that if I were to use a Fram filter instead of an OEM, I would be voiding my warranty? Please. Something like that would ensure I never bought a car of that make again...