MrSimon

I'm brand new to the Mustang scene and have read TONS of info on wheels, cams, exhaust, tunes, intakes, superchargers, coilovers, control arms etc etc etc. The list of mods is ENDLESS.

Before jumping in, I wanted to get advice from guys who have "been there done that".

I plan to use my new-to-me 06 GT convertible as a cruiser. It's not a daily driver and it's not a track car. I want it to look, drive, and sound good ... but it doesn't need to be a monster.

My budget for mods is around $5k and I'd like to spread that out over a year or two. What would you guys suggest?

mustlemn

That's already must be a great car. Frankly speaking, I would use that 5K budget to go places with that car and enjoy life with good friends.

danzcool

Since you're not looking for a monster, and you don't really have enough to go forced induction, I'd say upgrade the exhaust and suspension and maybe get a tuner and call it good. As far as suspension budget say $2K for springs/dampers/sway bars (call Sam Strano [stranoparts.com] and he'll set you up with something that can handle very nicely). As far as the exhaust, that's up to personal taste, but I'm partial to Borla, even though I no longer have it set up that way.

Dino Dino Bambino

I've been there, done that, and I'm still doing it.
My car is mostly a weekend cruiser but I also drive it to work once or twice a week. Annual mileage is 6-7k.

Norm Peterson

Wider wheels and bigger/better tires than OE. The 2008 GT500 wheels (18x9.5, +45 offset) ought to work very well with Michelin's A/S 3+ tires in 255/45-18 (all around) and can be used at all four corners. The extra width over OE visually removes some of the gap between the tire and the fender. If the 255/45 is a bit too stretched for you, consider 275/40-18 (a little shorter of a tire, but not enough so to be obvious to most people).





I still haven't touched the exhaust - wasn't going to get on that treadmill of buying/not being satisfied/buying again. But I do have a Ford Racing cut/clamp X-pipe ready to go on once I get some other projects out of the way. I know the "X" isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I mention it mostly because it's taken over 8 years to decide that I wanted to do anything at all with the Mustang's exhaust badly enough to spend any money.

For suspension, I wouldn't bother with rear control arms unless either the bushings in the ones on the car are cracked/otherwise deteriorating, or you're going to do much hard launching from stop lights and such.

I would do shocks/struts, and with those, adjustable sta-bars (you'll likely want to replace the OE endlinks for the front bar as well). But not springs unless you absolutely have to lower the car to suit your own aesthetic needs. I ran Koni yellows with the OE springs on my '08 for years, and it is not a mismatch.

The Ford Racing cold air and tune kit has pretty mild claims but is a very "driveable" tune under any conditions I've run across (I'm over in NJ). And the above short list of mods has been entirely acceptable for DD, day trips, longer trips, and (with the shocks/struts dialed up a bit) at least halfway decent as an occasional track day car ↓↓↓. Could have easily served as a car to just cruise in, with the shocks/struts dialed back a bit and no other changes (take the helmets off the drivers and imagine this picture being a caravan on roads in and around the Poconos instead of at the track at NJMP).







Norm

MrSimon

Great feedback so far! Keep it coming.

Part of the reason I bought a used muscle car was so me and the kids could tinker with it in the garage together .... then take it out for ice cream. That's what good dads do, right?

How about general maintenance? Should I just do the standard stuff like change the fluids, plugs, belts, filters etc. Is there anything specific to this car that I should pay special attention to?

Right now I'm leaning toward the first stage being upgraded wheels/tires, a CAI/tune (still researching that - input is much appreciated), and new gears. I figure a supercharger isn't going to happen anytime soon, and if I put on 19s, some deeper gears might give the car some extra giddy-up.

Suspension and exhaust would be stage 2, which honestly will happen as soon as stage 1 is complete

Norm Peterson

There isn't any need to go with deeper gearing because you might choose to go with 19's. Just choose a 19" tire size with an outer diameter somewhere near 27" (such as 255/40 or possibly 275/35 or even 285/35) and it'll run just about the same as it does now. With forced induction, deeper gears aren't nearly as "necessary". Unless, perhaps, you pick up a drag racing habit on drag radials or better somewhere along the way.


Norm

tbear853

This above .... savings ..... maybe a different set of wheels, lower the rear an inch or so, look at stripes, details, and .... what he said. $5k over two years is $200 a month.

30 years from now what you'll look back on is the times you had.

Buy a good camera too.

drewsky

most important things in the 05-09 mustangs and the order I would do them if I went back when I first got mine
1. LOWER IT and upgrade the suspension ( these things look like monster trucks stock)
2. intake tune
3. exhaust ( axle back is fine)
4. 4.11's
5. shifter