odinsrage0900

Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I have a nice 2003 mustang gt, only 40k miles and looks brand new. Lately my mustang has been getting challenged alot and with new cars coming out with 300 and above horsepower it just cant keep up like it used to. I do not want to turbo or supercharge it. I am looking for all the ways I can increase horse power. I bought a cold air intake and a jet performance chip. If anyone has any good ideas let me know I am willing to spend around 1200 for all the parts. Hopefully I can get it past 300 because 260 hp is weak for a mustang in my opinion.

mrtstang

Nitrous is a huge bang for the buck, but if you're only looking for around a 40 hp increase, full bolt ons will get you there. Regardless, i'd change the gears though.

BTW, what part of MI are you from?

uberstang1

sadly with full bolt ons and a tune its still not going to make 300rwhp. Gonna take head work and some cams to make that NA which cost wise you might as well go s/c and make close to 400hp for the money. Your going to need FI to run with the new 5.0 mustangs and tghe ss camaros, and even with the FI its still gonna be a run.

TRUEBLUE3934

mrtstang is exactly right about gears being the best bang for the buck upgrade. It doesn't "add" power, but the car will definitely accelerate like it has more power.

Cams are a nice upgrade for power, but they would probably be out of your budget unless you have someone who can help you install them yourself.

If I had $1200 to spend on an otherwise stock GT, I would do the following:
1. GEARS (4.10's)
2. Full length sub-frame connectors
3. O/R H-pipe
4. Short Throw Shifter if funds remain available

These mods would make the car run a bit quicker, sound better, respond better under acceleration and turning, and feel a little more racy to run through the gears.

Unfortunately, unless you can find some good used parts for a good price, $1200 won't transform your car into a boulevard brawler. The above 4 mods would make it quite a bit more fun to drive and make it a little more competitive in direct competition with other guys' cars.

GOOD LUCK!!!

odinsrage0900

I am from wayne county in michigan. I know I can get past 300 hp with bolt ons theres so many things you can change. Just some stuff I dont know about. A jet performance from what I am told increases a mustang 15-20 (thats what jet said), Air intake increases 10 and if I got cat back there would be another 10-15. Not even talking gears or sensors yet and I should be running 300. I do realize those estimates arent always right but I do know you can get well over 300 with bolt ons and tunes. I aint lookin to keep up with 5.0's just to ensure that other new cars coming out dont totally own my mustang. I dont know much about changing the gears could you go into depth on that and what it could give me possibly for hp?

Kmelfi11

By this post you shouldn't be saying you KNOW you can get past 300hp. You can see 300+ on an engine dyno, but you wont be seeing 300+ to the wheels with bolt ons. All those hp numbers you are referring to are advertising numbers for parts companies rated off the crank meant for people such as you who now think they have 450hp. Gears don't add power, do a search on them.

Bpohlman13

It might make 300 hp, but it wont be to the tires. The 260hp is to the flywheel, not the tires. So its more like 210hp. Youll prolly get 230 to the tires on a good day with the mods you posted. You shouldnt think about how much hp your car will make if you just care about staying up with the previously stated "300hp cars." Gears, exhaust, and FLSFCs should help you stay up with those cars you are talking about. Its not all about hp in racing. Much more goes into it like tires, suspension, gearing, the drivers capabilities. (In no way am I judging your driving skills by the way. Just stating what is needed to have a fast car.)

MCxQubed

a tune and gears really helped my car, a tune alone i could tell a difference, and now with 4.10s the difference is night and day. ive been driving about a week with my gears, enough to go through a tank of gas and my miles per tank of didnt change at all and i do 50 highway miles per day. the cars pulls a hell of a lot harder too

DreamerGT

I agree with everyone else there is no way you can make 300rwhp with full bolt ons. The the engine will make it, but not at the wheels.

TRUEBLUE3934

Power alone does not determin a winner in a race. Look at ET's for different guys and see what HP they are claiming on a dyno. Many times they don't correlate directly.

On a limited budget, add a set of 4.10 gears and a tuner. See what you think with that set-up before you do any other mods. Most of your money after that will only gain you small amounts of improvement in acceleration, until you go with cams, nitrous or boost.

As mentioned above, DO NOT believe the power figures quoted by aftermarket manufacturers. Often times they are gains measured at the flywheel of an other wise highly modded motor that was restricted by a factory component vs their part upgrade.

Trust those of us who have invested in all the bolt on mods, they all add up to improved numbers over stock, but most parts can't justify their cost.