oceantracks

I'm a new 2014 5.0 owner, 1000 miles on it so far.

I'm not going to rush into mods, but I made a couple calls to two local Mustang racing shops based on things I've read, and based on some YouTube videos comparing the stock mufflers with the GT500 mufflers, which my wife and I both love the sound of.

Both shops said, that if we were thinking of increasing horsepower without spending a fortune, a better cold air intake would add 15-20 horsepower with a tune. I pointed out that up here I've read that on the track the cold air intakes only amounted to about a .05 increase in power and both shops said that was incorrect. Both these shops race Mustangs.

They also said, to do anything significant with horsepower you would need an X pipe (sorry don't even know what that is!), and you would have to take the cat converters off. They also said that taking the cats off would make the investment in the GT500 mufflers a bad one, because now they would be way TOO loud. So both shops discouraged the mufflers if in the future I was to want to go for a greater horsepower increase. He said that these cars generally get worked on by owners and get up to an actual 420 horsepower at the wheels....anything beyond that would be thousands.

420 actual horse would be great to me, but I'm really confused on the benefits of the cold air intake, and on the whole muffler thing.

Thoughts?

Thanks
Tom

Ltngdrvr

What do you want to do with the car?

Most of the HP they are quoting on the CAI/Tune are from the tune.

oceantracks

Oh I'm not racing or anything. I guess I just want it to be fast street car....

DavesGTCS

For what it's worth, I agree with the shops you've talked to. I've been dyno'ed at 419 at the wheels. I have an Airaid CAI with BAMA 93 octane tunes, a 90mm Throttle Body, and Flowmaster 3" American Thunder Cat-backs. My investment in these parts is less than $2k.

oceantracks

So, you have your cat converters off...? Sorry I'm a newbie at all this. I'm in FL and there are no inspections but something tells me taking the cats off is a bad thing...?? Is it true that if they are off the GT500 Exhaust will make things too loud?

14Glassback

Catalytic Converters reduce harmful emissions from your exhaust to help the environment. They are government mandated and would require a tune to not have a Check Engine Light once removed. To legally drive the car on the street you are supposed to have them. Having said that there is a fair amount of people who remove them. In a state that does not have emission testing it is not a huge deal. The issue is when you try to sell or trade your vehicle. Selling/Trading a vehicle without Cats is a big no no and can get you in trouble if caught. Not telling you not to remove them, but best to educate yourself before you do. Good Luck!

oceantracks

Yeah I don't feel good about removing them. It just seems like both shops said that was almost a given if you want to start working your car to a true 420 horsepower range....?

GrabberBlue5.0

A CAI is a waste of money. Your car came with one from the factory. A tune makes the biggest difference but if you're not willing to give up at least your drivetrain warranty then there's little you can do.

wheelman

It's already a fast street car! Upgrade some suspension parts to maximize the HPs you already have, while keeping most of your warranty and staying legal. When your warranty runs out or you don't care about it anymore, then increase your power with a tune (and CAI).

Ltngdrvr

Removing the cats will make any exhaust you have on the car louder.

You will need a tune if you do take them off though.

And as has been said, it's already a fast street car so think about doing mods that will allow you to more effectively use the power the car already has.

oceantracks

Sounds like good advice. Will probably get the GT500 exhaust just for the sound of it.

What mods would be smart in your opinion, that would make a noticeable difference?

Once there tires go (my previous V6 PP Mustang had P Zeros and they lasted about 12000).....I would get the Pilot SS tires, and maybe investigate the Brembo package which I hear is pretty great. I just didn't have the cash to add some of this stuff on my car, so mine is a base GT with the 3.73 rear...I had to keep the payments down to being just insane, rather than "You Have Got To Be Kidding" insane

Tom

Ltngdrvr

Rear upper and lower control arms to control axle tramp.

No regular street tire is going to be immune to traction issues so I wouldn't go with the high dollar michelins, lots of other more reasonably priced alternatives.

Brembos are great but you can upgrade the stock brakes and make them pretty good.

DinoDoc

Tom where in Florida are you. I'm in Kissimmee, if your in central florida pm me and we could get together and I'm willing to lend you a hand on the car along with helpful advise. I went with a Steeda CAI and tune from Steeda and I am very happy with it, the CAI really gives the car a great sound, it sounds like you could suck up small children and animals just by mashing the gas.

Lee

DavesGTCS

My Cats are still on. Cat-back systems replace everything from just after the cats all the way to the exhaust tips. One restriction in the factory system is that the exhaust goes down to 2.something inches after the cats, before it goes back up to 3" back at the resonators. The Flowmasters keep the size at 3" all the way, reducing some back pressure (and sounding incredible).

FWIW- As far as warranty, I spoke to a number of people, including my dealer, and was told that these mods (CAI, Throttle body, Exhaust) would NOT affect the warranty. What's more likely to get you in trouble is if you put a tune into the PCM and leave it there when you take it in to the dealer for some drivetrain service. They'll plug into the PCM and see it's been flashed and may give you trouble. However, and this is fact- not fiction, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states they have to PROVE that what you did caused the damage, or they have to warranty the problem. My dealer has had no issues with my mods OR my tune and it was in for an (apparent) tranny problem, which turned out to be a shifter problem. BTW- the BAMA tuners are great- you can call them up and talk to them and they know Mustangs so well and how to tune them, you can be sure you're getting a good, yet safe, tune for your pony.

Best suggestion, talk to your dealer and/or find one in your area that is more friendly to people who do Mustang mods.

My two cents.
Dave

CiniZter

before u take a decision on gt500 exhaust.. try to hit any of ur local mustang clubs n hear other exhaust alternatives... there are plenty out there.. once u hear them all u wil kwn wht suits ur ride n personality...

+1 I felt great change how the ride felt after these mods..

TheDivaDanielle

a catback isn't needed, as the stock exhaust diameter on the GT AND the GT500 is 2.75".

Axle back can be changed however you want for sound. GT500 AB's and no cats sound awesome, not insanely loud either. I had GT500 AB's and switched to Borla S-Types. They are quite a bit louder, but since I opted to keep my cats, it's the solution I wanted/needed.

CAI and a tune is a great combination not only for sound but the obvious horsepower boost.

My personal opinion is that everyone always just empties their pockets for nothing.

While you guys spend $1100 on a catback, and $700 on a CAI and tune and 2k on suspension upgrades and other crap, I went and spent $400 on used Borla S-Types, $550 on a Used CAI & Tune, and $350 on suspension.

The end result? I go just as fast, and my car handles just fine.

Everyone wants to do all this stuff to their Mustangs to make them unique and *theirs*

But in the end..... Sometimes you're just wasting money. Hard to talk a car person out of modding though, lol.

Five Oh Brian

Hi, Tom, congrats on the '14 GT. These are nice cars that go fast from the factory, and much faster with very few mods needed.

Mufflers add great sound, but no power. CAI's look nice, but add virtually no power. X-pipes and high flow cats are a great way to pick up a few horsepower and they're easy to install yourself.

Tunes add significant power and are a "must" if you want a faster car. Getting the power to the ground is our toughest challenge, so you'll want stickier tires and a couple of key suspension upgrades to harness all the power you already have.

The really big power comes from long tube headers, camshafts, power adders, etc. These are all quite expensive, but if you want big power gains, these will be the way to get there.

FromZto5

They come that way stock.

FromZto5

Diva I didn't know you finally switched to borlas been convincing you for a while now. Welcome to the dark (but great sounding) side... Hehe

TheDivaDanielle

I switch to Borla like.... 5 months ago, lol. No resonators and a factory x-pipe for me. same sound you'd achieve from a borla catback w/ an H instead of an X.

Only reason I'm avoiding the X-Pipe is because I had 7-years of having an X-Pipe on my GTO.