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Ford Mustang GT 1996-2004: How to Go Fast in the 1/4 Mile

The Ford Mustang GT is a very fast car, but there are a few things you can do to make it even faster. Read on to learn how to accomplish this goal.

By Bassem Girgis - October 15, 2015

This article applies to the Ford Mustang GT (1996-2004).

The Ford Mustang GT was designed as a performance vehicle. For street use, it's an absolute beast. However, when you take it to the track, all bets are off. Some modifications may be necessary to make it the fastest car on the track. Whether you occasionally visit the track or you like to go more often than you should, you can't go wrong with these simple, effective mods. We will go over some basic mods that are guaranteed to add horsepower to your Mustang without spending a fortune. Read on to learn how you can make your car go fast in 1/4 mile.

Figure 1. Ford Mustang GT on track.

Materials Needed (optional)

  • Cold air intake kit
  • Throttle body
  • Exhaust headers

Option 1 – Install a cold air intake

Cold air intake kits are the easiest mods you can do in your car. The cold air intake takes air from outside of the engine, and pushes it through the engine, which increases its performance when compared to warm air circulating around the engine. Cold air intake kits can vary in price and quality. The installation is rather simple; you have to remove the old air box and add the intake kit in its place. The result will be a better breathing engine and a Mustang with added horsepower.

Figure 2. Cold air intake kit.

Option 2 – Install a larger throttle body

A larger throttle body has been known to add extra horsepower as you modify the car more. A lot of forum enthusiasts complained that it doesn't do much to a stock car. Also, a larger throttle body won't add any torque to your car; in fact, you may lose some torque. The myth says if you tune your car to the larger throttle body, you may see some gains.

The throttle body is connected to the air intake. Removing it is rather simple, and the bigger it gets, the more air you allow in your engine. The 70mm throttle body is the most popular with this generation Mustang GT, because it's not too big to the point of affecting mid-range RPM.

Figure 3. Throttle body.

Option 3 – Install an exhaust header

Installing aftermarket exhaust headers have been known to be one of the most effective bolt-on modifications; however, they are not the easiest to install. Replacing the factory ones with aftermarket headers requires you to remove a lot of engine components and work in a very tight area. Although installation is hard, the results are immediate. Great exhaust headers allow the engine to push exhaust gases out easier and quicker. The engine tends to lose some of its power because of back pressure, but a good set of exhaust headers will get rid of any back pressure, thus keeping the engine running at its full potential.

Figure 4. Exhaust headers.

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