Been a fan of mustangs since I was a kid. My uncle had a new one every year seems like. But I'm not so good with the modding and upgrading and all that.

Got my v6 in Feb. and have about 8700 m on it so far. And I'm about ready to make some changes.

All in all I'm looking to see what I can do to make it a little more spunky. Seems like the pickup lags just a little bit...I don't really know how to describe it, but when I trounce the pedal from a stop sign I feel like the engine is working but the car could go a bit quicker. What sorts of things can I do to change that? Talk to me like I'm a 6 year old.

 

Assuming you have the automatic? i would get a programmer like the xcal 2, should take care of that problem, plus add a lot more pep (especially under the curve)

 

X-cal is about the best thing to improve throttle responce, but I also noticed alot better responce when I changed mufflers and went to duals as well. It seems more responsive now throughout the entire range, as well off the line.

 

I agree with the exhaust whole heartedly! I also found that better tires sure helped my 05 to sit more solidly and improved the whole driving experience...

 

I agree with the others on the XCal-2. You'll need it for any of the other mods you do anyway. It improves the feel of the car and gets rid of the lag you're getting now on takeoffs. Plus, you don't have to know anything about cars to use one! It plugs in right under the steering column. BTW, I recommend www.bamachips.com . They sell theirs for $365 to members of this forum.

 

Sweet...that's an easy fix...(the chip, not the dual exhaust...I'll save that for later). I'll look into it...Thanks a lot

What exactly can I expect to find with this chip? No HP increase I assume...but how does it actually affect the lag issue I was talking about?

 

The caveat to remember with the X-Cal2 or other tuners is that SOME Ford Dealers will adopt the position that any re-programming of your ECU will invalidate your warranty.

 

You can just flash it back to stock before you take it to the dealer, so far i havent seen anyone that had a problem with it, and even one guy that didnt reflash it and the dealer said they couldnt tell.

And yes you will see a hp increase, between 5-10 and up to 20lbft of torque.

 

Its funny however to listen to the propoganda you sometimes hear at the dealership. A few weeks ago I took mine in for an oil change. The service writer and I got to talking about CAI's. During the conversation he made the comment to me that the dealers CAN tell when the ECU is re-flashed even if its re-flashed back to factory.

 

That IS funny!

 

==What exactly can I expect to find with this chip? No HP increase I assume...but how does it actually affect the lag issue I was talking about?==

It isn't a chip, it's a reprogrammer. You plug it into your system, upload the stock program, then download the new program. Since the Mustangs use "drive-by-wire" technology, when you push down on the accelerator basically you are telling the computer you want to go faster and it decides when and how much. Unfortunately Ford has seen fit to program in lag times, I don't know why. The revised program does away with this and you get instant response.

==No HP increase I assume==

It depends. You can download a program that alters the timing and runs more advance which does increase your HP. It also requires you to run higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. You can also download revised programs that take advantage of other mod's you might make, like intake and exhaust. Don't quote me on this, but from what I've seen posted, an upgrade of exhaust, intake and tune can net as much as +30 HP. That's not too bad for the price.

 

Welcome to the board, you will learn tons of new and esciting stuff!!

Matt

 

Whoa...this all sounds pretty cool. I'm definitely going to be getting my hands on the xcal soon...

Another question I had...and this is a long shot...My cousin...who's a car guy was telling me about converting an automatic tranny to a semi-manual using some sort of chip that wires the computer into paddle shifters...is this even possible? Or was he talking out of his hiney?


*Edit* Hiney??!!?? That's definitely not what I said...lol *Edit*