What are the Best Mods for the Buck?

[happy and angry]

More Power - Is It Always The Answer?

But first...

do it dude dont listen to them the car maybe fwd but who cares dude pull up to someone on a roll and put them in there place who doesnt love to do that to a fagget kid who thinks hes hot s*** driving a mustang gt oh wait we do that stock... in fact i did that last night. anyways dude intake/dp should be your first two then a bpv to hld boost moter mount maybe a short shifter then more exhaust work man

Wow man, I think that's just swell. Thanks for telling us all about how you tool those 'fagget' kids on the mean streets of... wherever the hell you're from.

Back to the topic at hand. I say this for almost any car, but most especially a 260 HP front engined front drive vehicle: why bother with power mods when the biggest problem we have is putting all the power we have down to the ground in the first place? Stiffen the motor mount, go to 225/R45/18s, get a subtle drop and better handling, and make better use of the power we have in a straight line and in the twisties.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

But first... Wow man, I think that's just swell. Thanks for telling us all about how you tool those 'fagget' kids on the mean streets of... wherever the hell you're from.

Back to the topic at hand. I say this for almost any car, but most especially a 260 HP front engined front drive vehicle: why bother with power mods when the biggest problem we have is putting all the power we have down to the ground in the first place? Stiffen the motor mount, go to 225/R45/18s, get a subtle drop and better handling, and make better use of the power we have in a straight line and in the twisties.

+1 except that I think an intake is a must simply because they are cheap and yield gains in both power and efficiency. I also think that if you intend to lower the car a little for better handling, you want to go with 40 not 45. Slightly smaller diameter tire will give a little better clearance in the wheelwell and the shorter sidewall will make for a little crisper road feel, if you are fanatical about your handling.

 

[dallasms3gt]

I really appreciate all of the feedback I have received so far. However, I do have to totally "DISAGREE" with the statement that this car is fast enough as is...!

This is very subjective statement, and in my opinion, the car is nowhere near fast enough as is. Does it have a lot of potential - Yes. Does it look good - Yes. Is it one of the best deals you can get on a vehicle with this type of performance for the money - Hell Yes.

I am no stranger to mdified vehicles. I still have an 03 Lightning that puts down 550 the rear wheel, and runs low 11's, and high 10's.

Basically, I will start with the following short list of mods for now, and see how it progresses.

CAI, or Cobb SRI - I have done a tremendous amount of research on this, but haven't made a final decision, and still would like more facts.

MM - I will definitely be installing MM's to put the power where it belongs

Shifter Bearings, and Short Throw Shifter - The shifting on this car is just unacceptable to me, and this seems to be a mandatory upgrade

BPV - Need to do more research, and more facts, but I am leaning towards the HKS

Gauges - Undecided, but want to make sure what I add in the future can be handled by what I install now as far as gauges. Later mods will be IC, Xede EMS, DCFP, RP/DP, etc.

Aesthetic Upgrades, I will start with the following:

HP Design Lightning SS 18" Wheels, and undecided on rubber, but will get the most perfomance with a balance of longevity, and price

Once again, thanks again for all of your feedback, it is much appreciated. Please keep the comments coming, and I will keep you posted on my mods over the next few weeks.

You can never have too much HP...!(alright)

 

[MS3077]

I really appreciate all of the feedback I have received so far. However, I do have to totally "DISAGREE" with the statement that this car is fast enough as is...!

This is very subjective statement, and in my opinion, the car is nowhere near fast enough as is. Does it have a lot of potential - Yes. Does it look good - Yes. Is it one of the best deals you can get on a vehicle with this type of performance for the money - Hell Yes.

I am no stranger to mdified vehicles. I still have an 03 Lightning that puts down 550 the rear wheel, and runs low 11's, and high 10's.

Basically, I will start with the following short list of mods for now, and see how it progresses.

CAI, or Cobb SRI - I have done a tremendous amount of research on this, but haven't made a final decision, and still would like more facts.

MM - I will definitely be installing MM's to put the power where it belongs

Shifter Bearings, and Short Throw Shifter - The shifting on this car is just unacceptable to me, and this seems to be a mandatory upgrade

BPV - Need to do more research, and more facts, but I am leaning towards the HKS

Gauges - Undecided, but want to make sure what I add in the future can be handled by what I install now as far as gauges. Later mods will be IC, Xede EMS, DCFP, RP/DP, etc.

Aesthetic Upgrades, I will start with the following:

HP Design Lightning SS 18" Wheels, and undecided on rubber, but will get the most perfomance with a balance of longevity, and price

Once again, thanks again for all of your feedback, it is much appreciated. Please keep the comments coming, and I will keep you posted on my mods over the next few weeks.

You can never have too much HP...!(alright)

You're headed in the right direction.

 

[happy and angry]

+1 except that I think an intake is a must simply because they are cheap and yield gains in both power and efficiency. I also think that if you intend to lower the car a little for better handling, you want to go with 40 not 45. Slightly smaller diameter tire will give a little better clearance in the wheelwell and the shorter sidewall will make for a little crisper road feel, if you are fanatical about your handling.

225/45/18 is closer to the stock wheel/tire diameter, the 45 profile tire will actually fit on the 7" wide stock rims, and with the Cobb stage 2, I don't think rubbing will be an issue when the drop is only about an inch.

Ideally I'll be running Cobb SRI/Stage 2 suspension kit and 225/45R18 RT-615 Azenis on stock rims and the CS insert. That's the goal, anyway. Subtle changes without changing the stock looks much if at all to keep it a bit of a low profile sleeper.

 

[happy and angry]

I really appreciate all of the feedback I have received so far. However, I do have to totally "DISAGREE" with the statement that this car is fast enough as is...!

It's not fast enough as is, but the major road block with this car is traction, not power.

If you consider for a moment that torque wasn't chopped in 1st and 2nd and we could put the power to the ground, this car would do 13.5 1/4 and a low 5s or 5.0 flat 0-60. Traction is limited in the front and it's hard to put power down while exiting a corner. Weight shift under acceleration leads to wheel hop which hurts acceleration. This car can't put the power it has to the ground as it is, so why make that worse?

 

[MS3077]

I agree and disagree.

If you add power mods it will go faster than stock regardless unless perhaps you're into autocross or something. Yes we have traction issues but after 2nd gear extra power from mods does help with achieving faster 1/4 times, etc (It's been proven).

However, an upgraded motor mount/mounts, short shifter/bushings, suspension upgrades and wider tires should be in order before adding a lot more power in my opinion. That's what I'm doing anyway.

In the end it really depends on what your goals are with the car.