03 GT

Going to start modding the Mustang. It's an '03 A4 GT bone stock.

First thing I was thinking of was Gears. 4.10's is what I would like after reading responses from people installing them. Do they actully wear the transmission and differential much faster? I need this car as a reliable daily driver. Gas Mileage is not a major concern... YET.. Speedometer changes, how can it be adjusted? What the average price for a gear install? Synthetic Lube needed?

Next thing I was thinking of was some Headers and Catback. I was looking in to Ford Racing Shorties. Are the Longtubes like BBK or Hedmen really as good as they sound? Can headers be installed on a stock exhaust?

As for Intake, is it worth it to just do a Cold Air or get the package with the Plenum and Throttle Body. Will any of these parts **** of Ford for warranty or emissions reasons?

With all these, is Tuning REQUIRED? I think I should go with the gears and keep the rest stock as to avoid power imbalances and tuning stuff...

Butters

Long tubes are horrible for e-check. I really want some but I also have e-check. Cleveland ftl.

meebix

Ok let me see if I can get all these answers here

Gears are a heated issue, theres so many different opinions on gas milage and wear and tear. The truth is they are not going to wear and tear parts any more than a regular set, and the gas milage difference is basically nothing. Synthetic lube is a VERY good idea to break in the gears too. I just hope you like to shift A LOT [8D]

Long tubes can be a bitch if you have emissions, but what sucks is shorties are NOT worth it on our cars. My mechanic told me I wouldn't fail e-checks here in NJ with LTs though, he just told me my o/r is the big problem. They do practically nothing, maybe 3-4 rwhp compared to 18 rwhp from LTs. I have BBKs and I LOVE them. Great quality and the sound is amazing. If you go with LTs the most popular are SLP, BBK, and MAC for the money. And NO LTs cannot be installed on stock exhaust, you have to change the midpipe to a "short" midpipe. Shorties CAN be installed on stock exhaust though.

CAI is fine, and you can build on it later. Nothing will void the Ford warranty, they are obligated to fix anything that has been broken regardless of your aftermarket parts. THE CATCH IS... They will NOT fix your aftermarket parts, and if an aftermarket part is the CAUSE of your engine blowing up, they won't touch it either. But if you have aftermarket parts and something goes wrong, just because it did, they can't say not because you have an aftermarket exhaust.

And NO tuning is not required for any of the mods you are talking about. However, with GEARS you will need a hand held tuner to fix the speedo... Just look for good deals on packages, they sell gears, lube, and a tuner in a package now because they know you need it.

-Hope this helps!