petshark

up til approx. 30 ddays ago, I was driving a 2009 generic GT... Unfortunately, after being sandwiched between a speeding cab driver's limo and a UPS truck while stopped at a light, I had no choice but to find another ride. After many frustrating hours in front of a computer, I finally landed on a silver 2008 roush w/ 47k. The price was reasonable, the carfax was clean, and finally I wrangled a ride to the dealership 130 miles north of me. When I arrived, I learned that the mustang in question was/is a) stage 3 roush w/ all the bells and whistles, and that b) somehow it had managed to escape my notice that this car has a manual transmission (I learned on a stick, and my first car was one, but that was almost 15 years ago). I ended up buying the car, and re-learned stick on the drive home (thankfully I was alone in the vehicle).
I've been trying to find (online, mostly) as much info on my new car as possible, but I'm not coming up with much. I'd like to know mostly about potentially weak spots (ie brakes, transmission, etc) that I should concentrate on first when I start improvements. As far as I can tell, everything (except the tires) is stock. So far, I haven't detected any emergency-level issues, so I was thinking - barring some sort of preventative action I should be taking, but am unaware of - that my best course is probably just to keep all my perceptual sensors turned up as high as they'll go and try and get the jump on anything serious before it morphs into a catastrophe.
Lastly, I was wondering (this is for when I have money again...) where one begins the upgrade process with roushs'. Usually I start with exhaust/CAI/tuner and go from there.
Sorry to drone on for so long... Thanks for reading
- Lucy

09GT/CS

Well based on age and just general good practice for any used car I'd start with fluids. That's a good catch all and a fairly cheap investment to insure long life. Fluids break down from age not just miles especially if it wasn't driven often. Don't forget the blower oil either. It says 100k miles but you never know how the PO treated it. Also listen for any odd noises. Blown cars tend to get beat on. My knowledge on the Roushes is limited other than the supercharger kit I'm currently looking at for my 09. Under the skin it's pretty much the same as your old GT with some upgrades to suspension and engine so the normal stuff will apply to this one as well. Congrats on the new ride and hopefully some more knowledgable Roush folks will chime in!

kenthicken

Roush owner here. Congrats on the Stage 3! My car is nearly identical to yours (427Rs basically have the same gear as Stage 3 cars, but do not have some pieces of the body kit, etc.).

For a little piece of mind, my Roush is my daily driver and has 108,000 on the clock, and has performed flawlessly as far as the major repair issues go... but, I am the original owner, so I can vouch the car was not beat on since new. Roush did a great job modifying our cars, so you have a solid platform to begin with.

As you said, fluids first.

As far as the "weak spots" on a Roush, in my case, I had two that gave up pretty quickly: The intercooler pump (near the right front tire) gave out at about 30,000 miles. Also, check the radiator hose near the intake tube. My MAF sensor was rubbing against it, so it was cutting the hose. Fortunately, I caught it in time, but definitely something to check.

Another VERY important thing to check is the Ford factory build date on your car. If it is before 12/15/07, then you have the EARLY style spark plugs, which will require a very specific procedure for changing the plugs or you'll be in a world of trouble: due to the design, they can seize up in the head and break on removal. So, if before that date, buy the Lisle spark plug extractor kit, and a jar of nickel anti-seize. You will need these as long as you own the car. Follow the procedure for removal exactly, and there may not be an issue, but if one breaks, you'll need the Lisle tool. It's a pain, but necessary.

Also, when getting plugs, I'd go with the one-piece Brisk plugs for two reasons: The issue mentioned above is reduced, and the plug electrode is easily gapped (versus the horrible Ford design, which is nearly impossible to gap correctly).

Brakes, trans, etc. are very tough, and the M90 blower is not going to put a ton of extra stress on the engine, so you are good to go there. When it comes time for the clutch, I'd suggest the Exedy 350 and a billet flywheel. Stock feel, but grabs well. Also, your supercharger is good for 100,000 miles, but when you need a rebuild, I sent mine to Stiegemeier in Ohio. I will tell you that they told me when they opened it up at 100,000 miles, they said it was very clean still. But, better safe than sorry.

Something else I would invest in is an oil catch can. Goes on the drivers side between the blower and the valve cover. Keeps your intercooler clean.

Another weak spot is the Roush struts and shocks. If they have not been changed since new, they should be going bad about now. Do NOT buy another set - they are weak, and fail early (I have learned my lesson after going through two sets). Go with the Koni Yellows, which are on sale right now on American Muscle. Fully adjustable.

As for your next mods, what exhaust do you have? Round "Roush" mufflers should be on the car. Start there. If you want to squeeze more power, 500 HP is about as high as you can / should go, and Brenspeed and VMP both have upgrade kits to do this. Both very reputable. Can't go much higher on an M90 anyway... and shouldn't with the stock internals on the 4.6.

That's all I can think of offhand. As for Roush-specific info, join fnsweet.com. Also, you can look up the production numbers on your car there. Also, Roushperformance.com has a VIN lookup, where you can see the original stats on your car, where it was sold, etc.

Enjoy! Post some pictures!

09GT/CS

Hey you even answered some of my questions! I've had an eaton m90 pieced together on my ranger and wanted to add one to my mustang for some time. Glad to know its a good unit. My 09 GT/CS is my daily and that's what I'm going to put the kit on. The price is so attractive right now and if Ford/ Roush trusted it on a stock block I think I should be good to go! Thanks for giving the insight though it's hard to find good info from people that actually own them!

kenthicken

Great unit if you want to have a little bit of fun, and not worry (too much) about what the stock block will take. It's a smaller displacement blower, so less of a risk.

petshark

thank you so much!!! I was going to upgrade the brakes with the brembo kit (american muscle), but after reading all of y'all's posts, I think it would make more sense to do the spark plugs followed by the struts and shocks. I'm not sure I want to switch to the exedy, though - - I'm sure it's a superior unit, but I really like t he feel of the stock system. (also I'm broke as hell right now). I also want to replace the stock audio head with something that also provides bluetooth and GPS... Probably aiming for the jenson VX7022. I generally listen to audio books (yes, I'm turning into my parents), so the stock speaker system is fine. I also still have the racing seats and steering wheel that I intended to install in my previous mustang, so I'll probably put them in too (the stock seats are actually pretty comfortable, but at 5'3" the damn shoulder-seatbelt is both uncomfortable and potentially lethal - - not to mention that at my height, airbags are less of a safety measure than a death dealing irony.)
again, much thanks to everyone...

kenthicken

Sounds good. One thing to consider about the seats... do not sell the originals with the "Roush" upholstery. You've got a car that is more "rare" now, so keep the original parts around. Next buyer might want them.

Regarding the clutch, my original stock clutch went 90,000 miles before I changed it, so that should give you some piece of mind on that, lol! Stock unit is pretty tough!

Original brakes are fine - like those on your '09 - but, keep your eye out for the Stoptech ST-40s (which Roush used for their "Roush-brand" big brakes). I got a complete kit for $700, so the deals are out there.

Did your car have the airbag recall done already? If not, maybe wait on the steering wheel changeover when they do the bag. Save you some labor that way.

Good luck! Enjoy the car! By the way, which serial number is yours?

petshark

it's just about 4:30 AM and way too dark (hey, minus the last six months or so, I've lived my entire life in Manhattan and, as I'm sure many of you already know, the NYC sky is more of a gray-orange than actual night black) for me to go outside, locate my driveway, and retrieve my serial number... But as soon as I can see where I'm going (ie morning) I'll go write it down and message you with it.
As for the airbag recall, I did know about it, but as I intend to install seats and a new steering wheel in a few weeks (not to mention that at my height (5'3") airbags are more of a deadly smack than a lifesaving miracle), I'm totally fine with not having one. Same goes for shoulder seat belts: they almost invariably cut right across my neck, most often hitting every vulnerable area, from my trachea to my carotid to the sensitive zone under my jaw. So, if the airbag deployment doesn't kill me, seat belt decapitation would (or the other way around). I've been in several serious car accidents and I've always escaped alive (multiple fractures, concussions, lacerations, neurological damage - yeah... But, still not dead) with and without both seat belts and airbags. When it comes down to it, I'd rather enjoy a shorter exciting life than live to 100 so afraid of pain or death that I never dared anything risky. Heh. sorry, I have trouble staying on topic.
So, back to the subject: I'm happy to hear that your clutch lasted so long... I haven't owned a car with a standard transmission in, like, 8 (?) years and that was a $2000 used hyundai accent that didn't have power steering, automatic windows (or anything else), and the worst clutch I've ever encountered. I really like the short throw in my new ride, but at some point I probably will switch to an exedy or a hurst.