wlsz2

I just bought a 05 Mustang Gt Premium from an original owner. The only mods are Ford Racing lowering kit (1.5 inch) and deep dish bullitt rims from american muscle with 255-45-18. I want to add a 07 factory plenum cover, possibly a strut brace that will fit over plenum but would like peoples opinions on best bang for buck modes. Can't spend much, just dropped $12500 on the car. Thanks in advance for any responses to my newbie question

05GT-O.C.D.

Tuner w/ tune
CAI
Gears
UDP's
CMDP's

Welcome to TMS.

MTAS

100% agree with John there. And please don't ask which CAI/Tuner is "best". There is no best one. It's the one you like, that's the best one. They're all within a few hp of each other any way.

Antigini-GT/CS

I wouldn't go with pulleys, but that's my personal thing. A tuner will work wonders so that should probably be your first mod, and while you're at it throw an intake on there. You can find a used one for pretty cheap now. Gears help. After that i'd say suspension. Some nice Koni's and you'll be set!

05GT-O.C.D.

What is it that you don't like about pulley's Antigini?

ford4v429

John,
Ive always questioned the pulleys too(along with aluminum driveshafts)...in my thinking, the decreased inertia is so small that unless revving extremely rapidly (*could* be the case on a dyno?) the inertia seems to me like it could be negligable...a driveshaft on a dyno might hit 6k in 4-5 seconds, but at the strip it takes my car 14 seconds to get it up there...I tried the numbers once, and IIRC even if the shaft was over 100 pounds of solid steel it would take less than 1/2 hp to accelerate that mass/diameter to 6000 in 14 seconds...granted the weight comes into play, but still...asked on a few forums to see the 'WK squared' numbers on either udp w/acessories or driveshafts and noone has the numbers...I just saw so many old adds saying 20-30 hp gain on a part that couldnt lose .5 hp to begin with, just kept me a skeptic...I can see if a dynomomoter accelerates rpm faster than a car normally could, the 'gains' could become pretty dramatic.
My worry on pulleys is changes in belt pull- the shock at fast gear changes causes acessories inertia to try and backdrive the engine during the moment when its slowing down at upshifting- a smaller pulley has less contact, so can increase slip/decreasing the loads that way, OR if it still dont slip cause more pull to the shaft...Ive seen machines damaged by small pulleys- belt breakage/bearing failures...machine wise I always size stuff I'm ordering to run the belt as fast as possible for the belt...most big timing belts run 6500 surface feet /minute max...our big lathes I upped the pulley diameters from 6" to 13" which put the belt right at its max when at normal operating rpm- it cuts down the belt pull dramatically at the same hp/rpm, and belts last pretty much forever, bearings dont spin on the shafts nearly as often as before. yes inertia to start/stop the thing increases, but its a tradeoff...with regenerative braking on all the newer spindle drives the excess power consumed at starting is pumped back to the line at braking, so its not really consuming much more power...

on a car I DO think a aluminum flywheel would make a huge acceleration difference, especially in first/second gears- but look at the inertia of a flywheel compared to a alternator...just sayin

Shelby10'

Im with the others....

#1 thing I would save for and purchase is a Tuner/CAI package from one of the vendors. Brenspeed, bamachips, etc...I have the JLT II cai...and I also like the C&L Racer cold air kit, both are excellent choices.

Although like someone else said...they are all within a few HP of each other.

The CAI and tune was one of the biggest jumps in HP to date for me....only thing that might compare to it was when I installed the 4.10 gears.

Antigini-GT/CS

John,

i'm not totally convinced on the pulleys gaining power. I understand less rotating mass and whatnot, but for the price of them, i'd rather put that toward something else. I'm also a fan of suspension upgrades before maxing out the power. We could do so much more with our cars(and many others) if we just made a few tweaks at first like better airflow(intake/exhaust), gearing for whatever type of driving/racing you like to do and a tune, then suspension. How many people have commented on what a huge difference simple struts/springs were?

Either way..IMO pulleys aren't worth it.

05GT-O.C.D.

Yeah, LCA's may get added to that list next spring.

Truth be told, I think the best mod for the money is probably tires, but I don't know if that's the kind of answer he's looking for...

Antigini-GT/CS

All in the eye of the beholder!

delz05

CAI and Tune should be first on the list...ONLY if you have no other power adder plans (supercharger or turbo). Otherwise, work the rear gears, open up the exhaust, add performance tires, upgrade the brake pads (if able, ss/teflon brake hoses, fluid and rotors) and firm up the suspension.

If keeping the car N/A....CAI and high Octane tune. If you will be driving the car in a "spirited way", you should consider performance tires (285 series) and brake pads.

Do not spend on the underhood cosmetics until you have mapped out your plan for performance gains. This is where you will get your "Best bang" for your bucks!

5pointoh

What does CMDP's stand for?

Shelby10'

Charge Motion Delete Plates.

There are plates under the intake on each side of the intake just under the runners. They have butterflies that open and close and are basically for emmisions. When at full throttle those blades do not open all the way and also just being there limit air flow. The delete plates get rid of the butterflies and allow for a straight shot into the motor. They will require a tune once installed. Good for about give or take 10 HP

The Reverend

I have modified my Mustang extensively and I can tell you that certain mods are well worth the money. But at the same time certain mods change your car so much that I wished I had done it earlier.

My thoughts:
The best budget HP mod is Intake, Tune, CMCV plates, and Underdrive pulleys. $1k for 60hp. While more HP is nice, you rarely use it on a daily basis. My experience is that the additional 60hp will soon be unnoticeable and the seat of the pants get used to the extra horsepower. But there is a better mod sequence out there.

My first performance modification would be suspension. The car is transformed with new suspension parts. The car is converted from a straight line muscle car into a Sports car. I can't emphasize enough how amazing the Mustang drives with a decent suspension under it. People who ride with me, who drive sports cars, are more than impressed. The Mustang can take 20 mph turns at 75mph, and 90 degree turns at 65mph in 2nd gear at 6.5k rpms.

I would replace the shocks with Koni Sports @ ~$700 and the springs with FRPP K-Springs or Steeda Ultralights @ ~$200. When money allows, Eibach or Strano Front and Rear Swaybars @ ~$360. Followed by upper and lower control arms from Steeda/BMR/CHE for $300. Then get a nice set of tires, 275 or 285mm all the way around.

Suspension mods are where it is at. HP mods you get used to, brake mods are rarely necessary, exhaust mods are merely personal taste, looks mods are like armpits; everyone does them and they all stink.

SONICBOOST

CAI/Tune.. aside from a blower Longtubes have been one of my favorite.. The sound is awesome plus added power......

5pointoh

I am assuming you are referring to the most bang for the HP type mods....if so, I would have to agree with the general consensus of a tuner combined with a CAI.

69Mach1-409

CAI & Tuner would probably be the best for these cars. ..but a blower isn't far behind on the hp per $$$ scale.

Alum DS isn't a bad one either. I gained around .2ths with mine and a noticeable difference in SOTP while cruising.

ryan1112

Since the car is lowered, the best idea is to correct the geometry. Adjustable panhard rod, LCA relocation brackets, ball joints and bumpsteer kit. Then some shocks that can handle the lowering, like Koni str.t or sports. Then a rear bar would make a huge difference.

5pointoh

What is kind of strange is I lowered my car 1.5 inches all around with the FRPP K springs and I did not need the adjustable panhard bar. My car is almost dead center in the back. It may be off by 1 to 2 mm at most.

Personally, I think unless you are pushing the car hard or racing it.....the hype around the extra suspension mods everyone is talking about are not worth it. My car seems to handle much better with just the springs. It seems more solid and tight to the ground.

I did have to get the camber bolts put in to get the car properly aligned when I brought it into the shop for the wheel alignment. I even ended up buying the GT500 strut mounts which were probably not necessary. I only bought them because some guys on the forums were mentioning they were getting popping noises when going over bumps....or their stock ones would fall apart when the install was done. It turned out my stock strut mounts were in perfect shape when I took them out.

ryan1112

Well if all you're looking for is throttle mashing fun then the tuner, CAI, and gears are the best bet (that's how I started) but I got bored with just going in a straight line for 13 seconds.

As long as the rear is still centered after lowering a panhard rod is not needed but for the price its a good mod just to keep the axle under control. Even when drag racing the panhard rod helped keep things straight.

I know people think that fixing the front geometry is unnecessary after lowering but without either ball joints or control arm relocation the camber will actually start going back into positive under hard cornering. It helps braking, tire wear, and the car won't lean as much since it brings the roll center back up spec. You can even run less negative camber for better tire wear and get the same cornering results.

We all have different goals with our mods but there's just something about killing european cars in the corners with a heavy american brute that just does it for me.