LanceH

Hi All, didnt get much response on the 4.6 drivetrain specific board so decided to repost it here:

Hi All, I'm new here and have a new 07 GT as well. I am looking for help/suggestions on what I could do for $1-2K that would not affect my warranty or resale value. I have never added anything to a car b4 so I'm fairly clueless.
Here is what I have looked at so far:
Superchips tuner $550: Does this really do anything? If there was more to be had from the motor, wouldn't have Ford already done it? They are claiming like 14HP and 15LBS of torgue on 91 octane. If this is actually true, does that little bit add anything to 0-60, 1/4 times, top end etc..? I am not looking for anything outrageous, just would like to be able to beat a stock GT if the chance presents itself.
Air Intake $???: I have no idea of a preferred manufacturer or price, again, would this really do anything without a new exhaust? Also, would it easily uninstall to return to stock if I decide to sell the car?
Gears $???: I know this is probably the best bang for the buck but I am worried about voiding the warranty and also about how high the motor is going to be revving on my daily highway commute to work.
Exhaust $???: I don't want it any louder and again am worried about the warranty.

Finally, if I did all of the above(which I know won't happen for $2K), what would I gain in 0-60, 1/4, top speed? Hell, I don't even know what the stock numbers are.
Any help/info/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Lance

cheftjpeck

I got the C+L CAI and Xcal 2 tuner, I bought the tunes from 3 pop guys to compare myself. I personally feel of all my purchases so far that was the best bang for the buck. You can easily go back to stock, keep the stock air box etc. the horsepower and torque is dramatic. I guarantee you that. You will notice it, night and day. Why didnt ford do this, well, because ford is like any other car maker, they want to be conservative to a deliver a good product and not chance it for liability purposes..to me the gears I was more worried about due to the install and all the problems that can go wrong. I did the gears but was hesitant...it definitely was an improvement but was worried about the install.
warranty issues are dealer based. My area dealer does not care. THe only way anything can void a warranty is if they can PROVE that your mod caused the problem. then they can not void the entire warranty, just the item and area PROVEN affected by the mod. as far as CAI, if you have a stickler of a dealer, you can change out the air box back to stock when it goes in for repair etc and change the tune back to stock. as far as exhaust. the only thing they can claim is the exhaust part of the warranty is void. if you do not want any louder, then dont mess with your exhaust. Ford has done a great job with these exhaust systems and mods (X-pipe, headers, axel back mufflers) change sound and add some HP but IMO not significant, Unless you go headers and off road pipe which then you are getting into the whole will the shop even touch your car without cats..so beware there,.personally I am just getting headers and catted x pipe.....

CAI is easy install and unistall....20 minutes....better the more times you do it. the tune is 2-3 minutes....install or uninstall. exhaust changes
I hope this helps, if ai missed anything please let me know

CrazyAl

Hey Lance, welcome to the forum.

First off, regarding your warranty concerns. Warranty issues are a gray area. If you read you owner's manual you will see that it says that ANY modification you make will void your warranty. On the other hand, the Magnuson-Moss act states that a motor vehicle dealer CANNOT void your warranty for non-factory parts unless they can prove that the non-standard part is what caused your problem. In the end, it comes down to how friendly your dealer is. Some dealers are OK with mods and some are not. Ask your dealer and see.

As for mod suggestions, I'd say that the best starting place is a tuner (either the Diablosport Predator or the SCT-II, these are the top brands) and a cold air intake. Get a package deal from one of the well known tuning shops such as Evolution or Brenspeed or Bama-chips. I suggest either the C&L intake or the JLT. These combos are the ones that consistently come out on top in the magazine reviews and also in my experience (and others too).

I would make my #2 mod some new lower control arms (LCAs) which will help get rid of some wheelhop and will let you put the power to the ground better. These cars will spin tires STOCK. There's no sense in adding a lot of HP unless you can use the power you already have. People often overlook suspension mods, but they are cruicial to properly utlizing your HP.

Gears are a great mod for better acceleration, that's definatley a good one to consider.

Everything up to this line should cost you well under $2000, and will leave you with a lot more oomph than a stock GT.


If you are looking at exhaust, you need to be careful. New mufflers (also called Axle-back) are commonly installed, but this is for sound only. Mufflers will not give you HP on this car. You can get HP from either headers (expensive) or from a new midpipe that has either no catatlyic converters or one that has high-flowing cats. This can be worth some power as well.

LanceH

Thanks guys, I think I will go for the air intake and tuner for starters and maybe check into gears later and leave the exhaust alone.
I see no mention of Superchips here, although I found out about them on a forum for my Dodge truck. Are they crap and to be avoided?
I did check out the Brenspeed site and saw their combo packages for air intakes and tuners. My main concern with buying one of their packages online is that I will screw up the install LOL.
Like I said, I am only looking for enough to be able to beat a stock GT easily if I run across one and not mess up the engine, warranty, etc...
Just want mine to be a little bit better than whats available stock.
Oh, BTW, I have not tried a true off the line start yet since it's still new but I have not been able to break the tires loose period with traction control on and I haven't turned it off yet.. I don't know if this lessens performance but it is awesome in my opinion.
I had a few years back a stock Neon 5-speed manual and could burn the tires ALL the way thru 1st, burn them significantly again in 2nd and still get a chirp in 3rd LOL and yes I could smell the clutch.

Thanks Again for the help,
Lance

jerjan

Hey Lance,
I have a 2007 GT and have done a few things that have drastically improved the performance. #1) S& B cold air intake. #2) Diablo predator tuner. Comes with custom tunes for CAIs. change the rear end gears, mine came with 3.31 gears stock I went to 3.73s. Much better performance although I wish I had gone to 4.10s. Zex nitrous oxide kit. Awesome HP gains, great kit comes with shots for 75 hp, 100 hp, 125 hp, 150 hp, and 175 hp. The nitrous kit comes with everything you need and is custom designed for the 2005-2007 mustang. It takes about two hours to install. I saw it last week on e-bay for $475. Nitrous definitely gives the most bang for the buck.

Quick S

welcome

Definitly go through Brenspeed!! I got the SCT Tuner, with BrenSpeed tunes and it feels like a whole other car. I have about $1,000 in the car now and can run 13.2s pretty consitant with the small bolt-ons I have [sm=smiley20.gif].

WhiteStallion06

If i were you ... the first thing id go with is CAI and a tune then get some exhaust just so she sounds goood as well if you want to go with gears go with the 4.10s and maybe some steeda udps... i think headers void the warranty im not really sure i dont really pay much attention .... but good luck man welcome to the forum.

LanceH

Thanks for all the help and responses folks, I'm glad I found these forums.

05gtdriver

Superchips now called SCT(SuperChipsTuner) and have the best tuner if you are wanting to do further mods after installing a CAI.
After having read many posts regarding CAIs, my next mod will be an SCT XCal2 programmer and a CAI, maybe after the new year the prices will go a bit further down(around $600.00-$700.00 now), just waiting for the tax return

androdz

Get the C&L intake, sct-2, 4.10's, adjustable LCA's with rod-end and poly bushing. Long tube headers do give quite a punch, steer clear away from short tubes. Last but not least not worth to upgrade ur exhaust unless you want it for the sound only. The exhaust alone gives like 7-8 hp only. Call the website you are ordering from and ask them if you buy a part somewhere else if they will update the tune for free. Only a few sites offer this and a tune update is normally around 70$.

Att. Andrew