Well it has been 5 years since I have owned a mustang and boy does it feel great to be back. I just picked up an 07 california special. I am however tying to figure out where to get the biggest bang for the buck. I already have an exhaust system thanks to a kid on craigslist selling an slp axle back for $150. However I really don't know where to go from here. I can't afford the big power adder at the moment and probably wont for some time. Do you guys have any suggestions to get me going? I have cruised many forums already and read a lot but I never had much luck with other mustang sites. The knowledge here always seems to be better. Thanks in advance for the recommendations!!
Your Thoughts
- Thread starter GT/CS07
- Start date
NastyStang113
New Member
I'd say these are the best mods to do for you.
I'm running these mods with a Pypes O/R X and Magnaflow Magnapacks and put down 304 rwhp and 316 rwtq on 93 octane with 10% Ethanol. Justin at VMP Tuning can tune Mustangs and even F150s like no other. I've been running his tunes on three Fords and couldn't be happier.
- Xcal3 custom tuned by someone like VMPTuning.com
- C&L or JLT Cold Air Intake
- Steeda UDPs
- Steeda CMCVs
I'm running these mods with a Pypes O/R X and Magnaflow Magnapacks and put down 304 rwhp and 316 rwtq on 93 octane with 10% Ethanol. Justin at VMP Tuning can tune Mustangs and even F150s like no other. I've been running his tunes on three Fords and couldn't be happier.
CAI/tune is the biggest bang for your buck. Just make sure you get a CAI that is big enough to require a tune. The ones that don't require a tune will not flow anywhere near as much as the ones that do. Personally, I like the Steeda/Ford Racing CAI. It was designed alongside Ford engineers, and it comes stock on the Shelby GT's and I think the Bullit's, too.
At set of gears does wonders, too.
At set of gears does wonders, too.
Thanks guys I really appreciate the info. I called around about installing the gears today and it is a joke. The local Ford Dealer wants $750 just to install and the local mustang club sponsored shop wants about a grand. I would do it myself but I don't have the needed tools plus I like the idea of being able to take it back to the shop if something doesn't sound right. I just moved so I am trying to find the deals at the moment. I must have called 10 or 12 shops today. All of them are in the same range. As far as the ud pullies go I am not sure if I even want to consider it until I can find a good shop. Anyone know of any good shops near charleston, sc?
Five Oh Brian
Member
Gear swaps (parts & labor) tend to run anywhere between $600-$1,000 around the Seattle area (I've called a ton of places and done a bunch of gear swaps on my cars. I got my 4.10's done in my 07 GT for under $500 (parts & labor) after shopping a LOT to find the right deal from a place I could trust.
CAI & Tune is definitely the biggest bang for the buck on 2005+ GT's, though. Gears are next, IMO. And any power adder is awesome, as budget allows.
CAI & Tune is definitely the biggest bang for the buck on 2005+ GT's, though. Gears are next, IMO. And any power adder is awesome, as budget allows.
Most mods in these cars require a tune, so that is implied. CAI is the first place to start, just the cheapest mod that gives good gains. After that, probably axle back, just for the sound not much power there. Then I would do LT's and an H/X-pipe, either off-road or high flow cats (personal choice), and with the LT's I would do the delete plates. And somewhere in hear new gears would help, but depending on your needs you may not want them. Underdrive pulleys are also a very common mod. All of these mods will increase gas mileage, with the exception of the gears which highway mileage. Now you could stop here...
For the real motor-head here is your first major choice, FI or NA. FI is easy enough, buy your supercharger of choice (or turbo for those of you with that wild hair). My personal favorite, for its co aesthetic and power, is the saleen supershaker (their supercharger that is combined with the mach-1 shaker). At some point you may want heads and cams.
NA is a bit trickier. Don't bother with the delete plates, cus the new intakes are going to hit the market, if you use a turbo or centrifugal supercharger this would also be a good mod. Now you need to decide who you want to port your heads and which cam you want. The cam market is starting to look pretty good, so now's a decent time start these upgrades. Personally, I like Livernois motorsports, everything I read and hear about them is the best.
Now, with either NA or FI you're going to want to look at a new bottom end (since everything else is about done). For FI, you can do a stroker or not, either way, and some big dish pistons for lower compression to let you run more boost. For NA, again a stroker is an option but some high-compression pistons really help power numbers everywhere, it should also help gas mileage. At that point you're pretty much done, with something like 10k+ in your engine!!
This, of course, doesn't even touch the suspension, which is just as important.
Dan
For the real motor-head here is your first major choice, FI or NA. FI is easy enough, buy your supercharger of choice (or turbo for those of you with that wild hair). My personal favorite, for its co aesthetic and power, is the saleen supershaker (their supercharger that is combined with the mach-1 shaker). At some point you may want heads and cams.
NA is a bit trickier. Don't bother with the delete plates, cus the new intakes are going to hit the market, if you use a turbo or centrifugal supercharger this would also be a good mod. Now you need to decide who you want to port your heads and which cam you want. The cam market is starting to look pretty good, so now's a decent time start these upgrades. Personally, I like Livernois motorsports, everything I read and hear about them is the best.
Now, with either NA or FI you're going to want to look at a new bottom end (since everything else is about done). For FI, you can do a stroker or not, either way, and some big dish pistons for lower compression to let you run more boost. For NA, again a stroker is an option but some high-compression pistons really help power numbers everywhere, it should also help gas mileage. At that point you're pretty much done, with something like 10k+ in your engine!!
This, of course, doesn't even touch the suspension, which is just as important.
Dan
