tat2dphreak

ok, loving the new car, it's just great!

thinking the "pants seat dyno" could use a kick in the future

thinking about an exhaust... I really like the sound of the ford racing sounds based on the you tube videos). the bassini sounded nice too... I don't want an exhaust to sound ricey... I want something that sounds more like the v8 after market... deep, gutteral.

but with the current 2.73 gears, I'm wondering if I would feel the difference of 3.55 rear diff more?

how hard is a rear diff change? I know the speedometer would also need a fix too.. would this ruin the daily drivability? what are the "gotchas"?

Alec

I vote gears. I went from 3.31s to 3.73s and noticed a very nice improvement. You'll definitely feel a seat-of-the-pants improvement and you should be able to adjust the speedo using a tuner. If you go with a common gear (3.55, 3.73, 4.10 etc) driveability should not be an issue

You'll never get that V8 sound unfortunately, so exhaust might not be worth it in your situation especially considering the '11s already have duals. An axelback will make it sound more aggressive but don't count on any performance gain or V8 sound

snaf2u

I went to 3.55`s and have been very happy so far. I only got about 200 miles before I put it away for winter but the low speed response was greatly increased without generating a lot of wheel spin.

Exhaust of a Ford v6 will always sound like a Ford v6. You can change the tonal quality but at high rpm it is what it is. I`m going to Magnaflow streets when I bring the `stang out this spring.

LTDan

Yeah.... you're never going to get a V8 sound from this engine. My car is the car in the youtube Borla video:

http://www.youtube.com/borla#p/u/0/TyJCVQuyWVw

I went down to the Borla research shop when they were installing and testing their exhaists on my car. They explained to me that pretty much everyone calls in wanting their V6 to sound like a V8. And they told me that it's impossible. At best, these cars will sound closer to the older M3 V6 engines that redlined at 8k RPM. You can make them REALLY loud with systems like the Borla ATAK, but it won't sound like a V8. They also installed a full cat back exhaust with X-pipe on my car. The system is worth about 12HP/10TQ total, according to the dyno sheet they gave me. And that system is ~$1400. So, if you're looking for performance on a budget, I'd suggest the gears first. Then get some exhaust that has a sound you prefer later on down the line, since you're not likely to get more than 3-4 HP from a set of mufflers.

tat2dphreak

I know the true v8 sound won't come out of a v6, I just want to avoid the sound of a pissed off bumblebee that I associate more with a wrx or civic si

the ford racing axle backs sound the best to me, from the youtube vids anyway. the bassini also sounded nice, lower, slight popping, but not too much.

I think the 3.55 rear diff will be just fine. I might even try a 3.31 for a slight bump, without a big mpg hit...

should I get the dealer to install the rear diff, and reset the speedometer for the new ratio?

Alec

The V6 engines can sound pretty good with the right exhaust so I wouldn't worry about sounding like a 4 cylinder. If you take the cats off or dump the exhaust then it will sound terrible

Depending on your mechanical skill, I'd have a pro install. If the gear isn't installed correctly it will whine. I'd also avoid the dealer if possible since they'll try to rape you on the price

Grabber2012

To do it yourself, you'll want a nice, controllable hydraulic press and a magnetic base dial indicator. You can do it with the rear axle assembly in the car, although I've always done it with it the whole thing out and on some stable mounts or a table.

Use FRPP gears. Of my 3 changes I've done in my Mustangs, they make the least noise. Since your car is near-new, you'll need the carrier bearing and pinion shims but can probably re-use the carrier bearings (but not the pinion bearing). Shop some Mustang-oriented shops and price the job. Plan to buy a handheld tuner at the same time anyway. You can select your new gear ratio and correct your speedometer in minutes, and you get years of fun from the tunes and other options too. Life is short, it's only money....

zulu45

I'm in the same situation, although I'm going to wait a little bit while I weigh the options. Most likely, I'm going ringer either 3.31 or 3.55 gears and a tuner. Then, after that, I may go for some new exhaust or suspension. My goal is to get this as close to what an "automatic performance pack" would've been if Ford offered it.

Joenpb

A V6 is a V6, how much faster can it go? If speed & acceleration are that important to you, you should have picked up a V8.

My most satisfying mod has been adding Bassani axlebacks. Sounds like an entirely different car, driving it/going through the gears is a blast, and just about any axleback exhaust is less than half the cost of adding gears.

D BERRY

I went the gear route and put 3.55s in mine, they provide a noticable increase in accelleration. They don't increase the HP but they do get the car there faster. Had mine installed by a Ford mechanic for a total cost of between $500 and $550, they're Ford gears. The only downside is when he brought the tool home to reset the speedo it would allow a change to 3.31 or 3.73s but not 3.55s. Therefore my speedo is off six MPH fast at 60 MPH. Hey snaf2u how did you get your speedo to work correctly?

Dave