After-Market Performance Parts????
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5
From: Washington
After-Market Performance Parts????
So i got my '02 mustang a few months ago and I'm looking to look, feel and sound more aggressive. So far I don't have any huge mods; just tint, dual flow-masters and that's about it for right now! i was looking to dump a few hundred (like $500-600) on new parts and planning on installing a lot of them myself. any recommendations?
i have a lot of ideas on parts but the "brands" thing is totally messing me up as well as some materials used (mainly for CAI right now).
just so you know what i've looked at and are interested in... CAI, throttle bodies and gears. i've heard people upgrading underdrive pullies but i dont know what those are.
and one last thing would be a sport tuner. i'd rather just buy one used or burrow/rent one from somebody... does that work? i really dont need to spend $350 on something when i dont plan on racing my car. Thanks for all of your help and i'm glad to accept any additional suggestions!
i have a lot of ideas on parts but the "brands" thing is totally messing me up as well as some materials used (mainly for CAI right now).
just so you know what i've looked at and are interested in... CAI, throttle bodies and gears. i've heard people upgrading underdrive pullies but i dont know what those are.
and one last thing would be a sport tuner. i'd rather just buy one used or burrow/rent one from somebody... does that work? i really dont need to spend $350 on something when i dont plan on racing my car. Thanks for all of your help and i'm glad to accept any additional suggestions!
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 686
From: Orange County
Skip the CAI unless you're going for underhood styling, just put a k&n drop in filter into your stock filter housing and remove the snorkel, as for the tuner you can't borrow or rent one. Our tuners are married to our cars, a cheaper way would be to get a chip from American Muscle.
But definitely get gears and some exhaust work done. As for the throttle body, people say it doesn't give you much power NA but that it does give you better throttle response. All that is going to be more than $5-600.
But definitely get gears and some exhaust work done. As for the throttle body, people say it doesn't give you much power NA but that it does give you better throttle response. All that is going to be more than $5-600.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 171
From:
Hello,
You have good taste in cars sir. Let me start by saying that I have no knowledge of your automotive knowledge, so I will assume you know nothing that way you are not missing any information or left with questions. if you know a lot about cars I do not intend to insult your intelligence. Second since you did not specify the trim level of your car I would operate under the assumption that you have a GT, if you do not most of my information regarding bran names might not help you, but other things like install and reasons for choosing a part will still aid you decision. Anyway on to your aftermarket automotive parts.
For a cold air intake I would look at K&N. I always hear good things about them. I have one and I love it. There are a few other good ones but they are more money and give you maybe one or two additional horsepower. I am not concerned with gaining every bit of power out of every mod. (For example BBK makes decent headers for the Mustang GT but Kooks are constantly refereed to as the BEST! Price difference $500+ for maybe 10 extra horses.) This mod (the CAI not the headers) you can do yourself.
Throttle body. Accufab. Its supposed to be the best. Get the TB plenum combo. I have not been able to find good reviews on other parts that may cost less. If anyone has any advice on this chime in. But I am going to advice you to just go with an Accufab here, since I have not found any other information on the quality of other parts. And Accufab has the best part out there. I have read about it in several books. Plus whatever they do to advertise is amazing since I never even heard of other TB Plenum combos before I started looking.
Gears are once of the most noticeable upgrades to your cars performance. Plus they are cheap in comparison to most other upgrades like headers, cam, S/C, turbo or nitrous. There is a constant debate between 3:73 and 4:10 for the car. In the end its all moot. 4;10's are faster but a little less graceful on the street. I currently have 3:73's and I always start in second gear if the road is wet. The reason is that if I don't do first gear just perfect I'll spin the tires or go a little sideways. Nothing extreme, I'm just a safety nut. I have done the research on their affect on gas mileage and again its moot. The difference in RPM at 60mph is about 100rpm. this can be offset by good driving. So to make the decision easier answer this question; am I more concerned with track times, or daily driving. if you choose the former then go 4:10;'s if you choose the latter then go with 3:73. Either way I hope you have a second car for the winter. You might want to consider a differential while you at it too. This install I would recommenced have a professional do. Choose Ford Racing. Do not get summit or Richmound brand as they have a very annoying gear whine, but they have no problems with performance. If you can live with the noise.
Under drive pulleys will give you some hp. The gains are minimal. If you even notice a difference in performance i would argue that more than likely its a placebo effect. You might be able to do these yourself. As far as brands go choose Steeda if you decide to do this mod. I hear they help with a camshaft if you decide to do that later on.
A tuner is a good mod. Save yourself the time and get a SCT XCAL. I'm not sure if they have preloaded tunes. I believe they do. If they do not then get a Daiblo. I suggest the SCT because they are also used with a Dyno, where as other tuners are not. This way if you ever got a Dyno tune or did major mods to your car you would not need to re-buy a tuner. Tuners can not be shared, or rented. Once they are married to a car they can not be used on another car with out restoring the car to factory tune. So you can only tune one car at a time. This is a very easy install. If you can start a car you can do this.
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions please ask. I would aslo suggest you look at headers (Long tube), H-pipe (if you have to pass emissions I would get cats, with out cats you are only gaining 2 to 3 hp and a lot of problems when you need an e-check), and shifters(Steeda Tri-ax). Enjoy.
You have good taste in cars sir. Let me start by saying that I have no knowledge of your automotive knowledge, so I will assume you know nothing that way you are not missing any information or left with questions. if you know a lot about cars I do not intend to insult your intelligence. Second since you did not specify the trim level of your car I would operate under the assumption that you have a GT, if you do not most of my information regarding bran names might not help you, but other things like install and reasons for choosing a part will still aid you decision. Anyway on to your aftermarket automotive parts.
For a cold air intake I would look at K&N. I always hear good things about them. I have one and I love it. There are a few other good ones but they are more money and give you maybe one or two additional horsepower. I am not concerned with gaining every bit of power out of every mod. (For example BBK makes decent headers for the Mustang GT but Kooks are constantly refereed to as the BEST! Price difference $500+ for maybe 10 extra horses.) This mod (the CAI not the headers) you can do yourself.
Throttle body. Accufab. Its supposed to be the best. Get the TB plenum combo. I have not been able to find good reviews on other parts that may cost less. If anyone has any advice on this chime in. But I am going to advice you to just go with an Accufab here, since I have not found any other information on the quality of other parts. And Accufab has the best part out there. I have read about it in several books. Plus whatever they do to advertise is amazing since I never even heard of other TB Plenum combos before I started looking.
Gears are once of the most noticeable upgrades to your cars performance. Plus they are cheap in comparison to most other upgrades like headers, cam, S/C, turbo or nitrous. There is a constant debate between 3:73 and 4:10 for the car. In the end its all moot. 4;10's are faster but a little less graceful on the street. I currently have 3:73's and I always start in second gear if the road is wet. The reason is that if I don't do first gear just perfect I'll spin the tires or go a little sideways. Nothing extreme, I'm just a safety nut. I have done the research on their affect on gas mileage and again its moot. The difference in RPM at 60mph is about 100rpm. this can be offset by good driving. So to make the decision easier answer this question; am I more concerned with track times, or daily driving. if you choose the former then go 4:10;'s if you choose the latter then go with 3:73. Either way I hope you have a second car for the winter. You might want to consider a differential while you at it too. This install I would recommenced have a professional do. Choose Ford Racing. Do not get summit or Richmound brand as they have a very annoying gear whine, but they have no problems with performance. If you can live with the noise.
Under drive pulleys will give you some hp. The gains are minimal. If you even notice a difference in performance i would argue that more than likely its a placebo effect. You might be able to do these yourself. As far as brands go choose Steeda if you decide to do this mod. I hear they help with a camshaft if you decide to do that later on.
A tuner is a good mod. Save yourself the time and get a SCT XCAL. I'm not sure if they have preloaded tunes. I believe they do. If they do not then get a Daiblo. I suggest the SCT because they are also used with a Dyno, where as other tuners are not. This way if you ever got a Dyno tune or did major mods to your car you would not need to re-buy a tuner. Tuners can not be shared, or rented. Once they are married to a car they can not be used on another car with out restoring the car to factory tune. So you can only tune one car at a time. This is a very easy install. If you can start a car you can do this.
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions please ask. I would aslo suggest you look at headers (Long tube), H-pipe (if you have to pass emissions I would get cats, with out cats you are only gaining 2 to 3 hp and a lot of problems when you need an e-check), and shifters(Steeda Tri-ax). Enjoy.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 171
From:
I forgot prices.
TB Plenum $500-$600
Gears about $400 with install
Tuner $350-400
CAI $250 and up
I forget how much Pulleys can be but I think its about $150-$200.
Do it right and spend a little extra for brand name. Cutting costs only hurts you in the long run. If you have time to do it quick, you have time to do it over and then you have spend 2x the money.
TB Plenum $500-$600
Gears about $400 with install
Tuner $350-400
CAI $250 and up
I forget how much Pulleys can be but I think its about $150-$200.
Do it right and spend a little extra for brand name. Cutting costs only hurts you in the long run. If you have time to do it quick, you have time to do it over and then you have spend 2x the money.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 171
From:
Hello,
You have good taste in cars sir. Let me start by saying that I have no knowledge of your automotive knowledge, so I will assume you know nothing that way you are not missing any information or left with questions. if you know a lot about cars I do not intend to insult your intelligence. Second since you did not specify the trim level of your car I would operate under the assumption that you have a GT, if you do not most of my information regarding bran names might not help you, but other things like install and reasons for choosing a part will still aid you decision. Anyway on to your aftermarket automotive parts.
For a cold air intake I would look at K&N. I always hear good things about them. I have one and I love it. There are a few other good ones but they are more money and give you maybe one or two additional horsepower. I am not concerned with gaining every bit of power out of every mod. (For example BBK makes decent headers for the Mustang GT but Kooks are constantly refereed to as the BEST! Price difference $500+ for maybe 10 extra horses.) This mod (the CAI not the headers) you can do yourself.
Throttle body. Accufab. Its supposed to be the best. Get the TB plenum combo. I have not been able to find good reviews on other parts that may cost less. If anyone has any advice on this chime in. But I am going to advice you to just go with an Accufab here, since I have not found any other information on the quality of other parts. And Accufab has the best part out there. I have read about it in several books. Plus whatever they do to advertise is amazing since I never even heard of other TB Plenum combos before I started looking.
Gears are once of the most noticeable upgrades to your cars performance. Plus they are cheap in comparison to most other upgrades like headers, cam, S/C, turbo or nitrous. There is a constant debate between 3:73 and 4:10 for the car. In the end its all moot. 4;10's are faster but a little less graceful on the street. I currently have 3:73's and I always start in second gear if the road is wet. The reason is that if I don't do first gear just perfect I'll spin the tires or go a little sideways. Nothing extreme, I'm just a safety nut. I have done the research on their affect on gas mileage and again its moot. The difference in RPM at 60mph is about 100rpm. this can be offset by good driving. So to make the decision easier answer this question; am I more concerned with track times, or daily driving. if you choose the former then go 4:10;'s if you choose the latter then go with 3:73. Either way I hope you have a second car for the winter. You might want to consider a differential while you at it too. This install I would recommenced have a professional do. Choose Ford Racing. Do not get summit or Richmound brand as they have a very annoying gear whine, but they have no problems with performance. If you can live with the noise.
Under drive pulleys will give you some hp. The gains are minimal. If you even notice a difference in performance i would argue that more than likely its a placebo effect. You might be able to do these yourself. As far as brands go choose Steeda if you decide to do this mod. I hear they help with a camshaft if you decide to do that later on.
A tuner is a good mod. Save yourself the time and get a SCT XCAL. I'm not sure if they have preloaded tunes. I believe they do. If they do not then get a Daiblo. I suggest the SCT because they are also used with a Dyno, where as other tuners are not. This way if you ever got a Dyno tune or did major mods to your car you would not need to re-buy a tuner. Tuners can not be shared, or rented. Once they are married to a car they can not be used on another car with out restoring the car to factory tune. So you can only tune one car at a time. This is a very easy install. If you can start a car you can do this.
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions please ask. I would aslo suggest you look at headers (Long tube), H-pipe (if you have to pass emissions I would get cats, with out cats you are only gaining 2 to 3 hp and a lot of problems when you need an e-check), and shifters(Steeda Tri-ax). Enjoy.
You have good taste in cars sir. Let me start by saying that I have no knowledge of your automotive knowledge, so I will assume you know nothing that way you are not missing any information or left with questions. if you know a lot about cars I do not intend to insult your intelligence. Second since you did not specify the trim level of your car I would operate under the assumption that you have a GT, if you do not most of my information regarding bran names might not help you, but other things like install and reasons for choosing a part will still aid you decision. Anyway on to your aftermarket automotive parts.
For a cold air intake I would look at K&N. I always hear good things about them. I have one and I love it. There are a few other good ones but they are more money and give you maybe one or two additional horsepower. I am not concerned with gaining every bit of power out of every mod. (For example BBK makes decent headers for the Mustang GT but Kooks are constantly refereed to as the BEST! Price difference $500+ for maybe 10 extra horses.) This mod (the CAI not the headers) you can do yourself.
Throttle body. Accufab. Its supposed to be the best. Get the TB plenum combo. I have not been able to find good reviews on other parts that may cost less. If anyone has any advice on this chime in. But I am going to advice you to just go with an Accufab here, since I have not found any other information on the quality of other parts. And Accufab has the best part out there. I have read about it in several books. Plus whatever they do to advertise is amazing since I never even heard of other TB Plenum combos before I started looking.
Gears are once of the most noticeable upgrades to your cars performance. Plus they are cheap in comparison to most other upgrades like headers, cam, S/C, turbo or nitrous. There is a constant debate between 3:73 and 4:10 for the car. In the end its all moot. 4;10's are faster but a little less graceful on the street. I currently have 3:73's and I always start in second gear if the road is wet. The reason is that if I don't do first gear just perfect I'll spin the tires or go a little sideways. Nothing extreme, I'm just a safety nut. I have done the research on their affect on gas mileage and again its moot. The difference in RPM at 60mph is about 100rpm. this can be offset by good driving. So to make the decision easier answer this question; am I more concerned with track times, or daily driving. if you choose the former then go 4:10;'s if you choose the latter then go with 3:73. Either way I hope you have a second car for the winter. You might want to consider a differential while you at it too. This install I would recommenced have a professional do. Choose Ford Racing. Do not get summit or Richmound brand as they have a very annoying gear whine, but they have no problems with performance. If you can live with the noise.
Under drive pulleys will give you some hp. The gains are minimal. If you even notice a difference in performance i would argue that more than likely its a placebo effect. You might be able to do these yourself. As far as brands go choose Steeda if you decide to do this mod. I hear they help with a camshaft if you decide to do that later on.
A tuner is a good mod. Save yourself the time and get a SCT XCAL. I'm not sure if they have preloaded tunes. I believe they do. If they do not then get a Daiblo. I suggest the SCT because they are also used with a Dyno, where as other tuners are not. This way if you ever got a Dyno tune or did major mods to your car you would not need to re-buy a tuner. Tuners can not be shared, or rented. Once they are married to a car they can not be used on another car with out restoring the car to factory tune. So you can only tune one car at a time. This is a very easy install. If you can start a car you can do this.
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions please ask. I would aslo suggest you look at headers (Long tube), H-pipe (if you have to pass emissions I would get cats, with out cats you are only gaining 2 to 3 hp and a lot of problems when you need an e-check), and shifters(Steeda Tri-ax). Enjoy.
