Hey all, got myself a 2008 Mustang GT Premium Coupe just recently. It's a black beauty with only 16k on the odo and it's all pretty much stock except it has an aftermarket X-Pipe (Car was purchased at a dealer, he said it was a "Dynamax" X-Pipe. Not sure if that's correct.). There was another car I was looking at but unfortunately I couldn't get that one worked out. Everything inside and out works great and it still has the factory warranty until August of this year. Debating on getting that extended...

Since it has the aftermarket X-Pipe, the exhaust is definitely louder than stock and I kinda like that way. But it sounds a little to raspy for my taste so I'm looking to find a different set of mufflers for it. It also has a tendency of having some sort of resonance (heard mainly when inside) that phases in and out at idle. I was looking to get something that's a bit smoother, especially at low RPMs and idle, but also isn't tame when I open her up. There's also a bit of rattle that I hear coming from the driver's side muffler that I can't seem to identify. I wasn't sure if it was something wrong with the muffler/hangers or something with the X-Pipe itself. Anybody have any suggestions?

I've only had her for a little while now and I've already compiled a decent list of mods that I'm gearing up to do. Here's my list, feel free to throw suggestions in!

Done:
X-Pipe (got it that way, not even sure if it's catted or non-catted)
Shorty Flex Antenna (autozone purchase...years ago. still better than the stock whip)
Escort 9500ix

Soon:
Exhaust
CAI + Tune
Replace Stock Plugs w/ Champions or Autolites
Fusion Key
Sub in Trunk (have Shaker 500)
Various interior appearance items

Later:
Pulleys
Delete Plates
4.10's
Chrome GT500 Wheels (18x9.5) or Chrome 2010 GT Premium Wheels (18x9)
NITTO NT555 Tires (Maybe)
New receiver (debating if I want touchscreen or not. don't need GPS.)

Eventually:
GT/CS Appearance
V6/GT500 Spoiler
New Hood (not sure which one)
Cams?

Possibly:
A blower of some sort. (3+ years, probably)

I'll be getting some pics taken in the next week or so and I'll throw 'em on here.

 

Nice buy! I've got an '08 Premium Coupe, Alloy that I bought new. Just broke 32,000 on the odo. Kinda wish I had bought used and saved the break in premium.

One thing you may want to do is look at some suspension components. A quick and relatively cheap mod is a pair of aftermarket lower control arms in the rear. BMR and CHE Performance make good arms. Really helps on the turns.

I've only heard great things about the NT555s.

Good luck and there are enough mods for these cars that you could be busy for years and never be disappointed!

 

congrats!!!! post up some pics..

 

Congrats! Yeah, get those pics up

 

Probably not what you want to hear, but forgo your entire mod list and go FI first.

Then do the suspension, wheels/tires, and appearance mods.

This would be my plan of attack if I did things over again.

 

For your exhaust, have you considered getting rid of the x-pipe all together for a new h-pipe (and maybe some new long tube headers)?? I wanted to avoid the raspiness as well so I went with Kooks LTs and catted h-pipe, the exhaust sounds incredible now with no raspiness.

 

Purely out of curiousity, why is this? I'm pretty much on the same track as the OP and was always figuring on F/I being last.

 

I've considered that, but right now I'd like to keep the $$ I put into it a bit lower right now. Plus, this vehicle might end up becoming my DD if I can't afford another vehicle come winter, so if I end up going FI, I need to make sure everything is working 100%. I'm looking at the possibility of extending the warranty on the car so that I can have that piece of mind if something were to fail. If I go FI, I'm throwing the powertrain warranty out the window. But, I am considering the option and I'll see how things go up until July/August.

No, I haven't thought about going that route, but I figured I could try new axle-back mufflers first as it's less intensive (and less expensive). At this point I'm just looking for something that will go well with the X-Pipe that I have and work from there.

I'm assuming this would be the best route because a lot of the mods that are done for an NA engine (CAI, for example) end up not being used when going FI and becomes excessive. You can only recoup so much by reselling your used parts. A CAI and tune will get you a good run for your money initially, but if you KNOW your ultimate goal is FI, I think saving your money and skipping the smaller engine mods will be better financially. Personally, I don't need it, I'm very happy with my stock Stang at this point but I'm sure I'll be yearning for more as time progresses. When those times come, I'll get the little things. But by the time I even start looking for a blower, I might just end up wanting to buy whatever new Stang is available at the time (2014/2015?) if I can afford it. If I can't, then I'll go for the blower. (I can just see myself if I DID get a blower right off the bat...next thing, I'm shopping for GT500's... )

 

Haven't taken any photos yet, the weather here has been dreary lately. I did get an opportunity to look underneath the car and see what kind of X-Pipe it has. I found the Bassani logo at the center of the "X" and after some digging online, I found out that I have the Bassani O/R X-Pipe. Anybody with this pipe on their car, can you give me axle-back recommendations? I've seen some videos on YouTube but they're not that great, it'd be nice if I could hear some in person.

Also, isn't it illegal to sell a vehicle (new or used) without cats in the United States?

 

If it was from a dealer, they more than likely had no idea it was on there. A lot of people aren't totally honest about what's been modded on a car that they trade in.

EDIT: technically it's also illegal for you to drive a catless car on public roads. Highly recommend you put at least a tiger or a lion in the trunk.