GWFoos

What if the following things were added to the 05 GT:

JBA headers (CARB legal)
magnaflow cat-back and x-pipe system
CAI
sct xcalibrator
dyno tune

Gears?

The e-mail from the Whipple folks regarding a top-end for the motor being around 400hp with an auto tranny had me thinking why spend all the money for the SC if I couldn't use it. Why not just do the above and save money.

Thoughts?

GWFoos

What about an electric water pump, underdrive pulleys, or other mods?

Daniel60

Yes , I agree. I'm thinking of a new manifold still waiting to hear what the serious Mustang guys here have to say.

DAVE05GT

SOUNDS GOOD BUT I DON'T THINK YOU'LL HIT 400HP WITH THOSE MODS ALONE, COULD BE WRONG THOUGH.

GWFoos

I wasn't saying that the above mods would get me to 400hp, but those mods are what I believed that I could do to give me the most hp/tq gain without reaching 400hp and sort of 'on the cheap'.

Any other mods you would suggest besides sc?

Getaway

Cam swap isn't real expensive. Labor to install cost almost as much as the parts and the cams would certainly make use of that exhaust/intake/tuner/dyno time you're already planning to pay for. Cams run around $500...labor is around $60 per hour. This would put you really close to that 420ish hp people are "guessing" is the peak for the auto tranny.

Remember the 300hp is at the crank while the 420ish is at the wheels, so you have much more room for growth than it seems you believe.

Oh..I'd like to add that I'd wait until tuner shops and parts suppliers test the engine/transmission more before I added this stuff so you're not the lab rat. I think it will be okay though to do it now if you can find a good "trustworthy" cam...ie crower, crane, comp...whatever

GWFoos

Cam swap, huh? What kind of benefits do they provide?

Also, the auto tranny supposedly is good for up to 400hp, which I am assuming is at the crank not the rwhp. Why would they give a rwhp for top end when they use 300hp at the crank?

I would be interested because if what you said is true, I would have a lot more room to wiggle with mods.

Getaway

"supposedly"..."assuming"...exactly my point. Let the tuners test the thing, however...

factory rates at the crank...everyone else (ie. tuners) rate at the wheels, because it's what's hitting the ground that we care about. The 400ish is at the wheels. NO WAY is that at the crank..that's downright weak if the manual can handle 450ish at the wheels.

sicride

Actually, tuners don't worry about crank horsepower because it is pointless to test it and rediculously hard. To test crank horsepower you would have to take the engine out of the car. Factory rates use crank horsepower because it is going to be higher than the wheel horsepower and sound better. For wheel horsepower you just strap a vehicle to a chasis dyno, much simpler and more useful because WHP is what matters. WHP is also effected by the transmission and other dead weight in the drivetrain, gears, wheel mass, driveshaft etc.

GWFoos: I've been replying to alot of your performance inquiry posts. I was wondering if you would like to talk to me not on MustangForums perhaps it would be easier? I use AOL Instant Messenger, my screen name is "sicness84".

As for the cam swaps they can do alot of things, what they actually do is improve the duration of valve lappings (how long the valves are open and closed and when they open and close). This helps the exhaust escape from the chamber more efficiently and lets fuel and air into the combustion chamber more efficiently increasing your horsepower and torque. These cams can usually be custom made for your application and can provide either really powerful high ends or a flat power curve. Depending on application of the vehicle.

As for the transmissions ability to withstand power, it's actually not gonna be dependant on horsepower even though that is what most people use, it will be dependant on the torque the car puts out. This will be measured at the wheels because the power has to go through the transmission to get to the wheels. as Getaway suggested these things should be tested before you rely on them as a sure thing. They are mearly suggestions of how much power the transmission MAY be able to handle.

Mustang Novice

"At the crank" means at the crankshaft (vs. at the rear wheels), not upon "cranking" the engine (or idle vs. top end). You probably knew that, but from the wording of the question, I wanted to be sure. (that's the worst part about these kind of forums, it's all how YOU read a question, not necessarily how someone meant it when they wrote it)

sicride, keep posting here. All of us novices learn from each other's questions. One person may ask something that some of us hadn't thought to ask.