WhichOnesTheGas

First off Merry Christmas (Happy Holidays)!!!! Hope everyone has a good one and stays safe!


Now onto the important stuff!!

I have a list of mods that i will begin to put into the works rather shortly, but i think that im missing something. Ive been searching the boards for any and all info i can find and i hope this is right. ( i apologize in advance for being totally stupid with this stuff, but i am trying to learn and get better)

List:

Mac shorties
Mac o/r h (maybe catted, dont want the hassel for emissions)
Mac axleback (confused about whether i need axe/ba or cat/ba)
CAI (may stick with mac or another one)
U/D Pullies
Gears(possibly)
After this it gets crazy, alot of visual add-ons and im sure a whipple is in there somewhere.


My question(s) is/are,
At what point will i need to get a tune if at all? i dont plan on doing all of these at the same time. Im going to wait to get all of the exhaust pieces at the same time and install together (ive heard this is best). And then start tacking on the others as i get the money.

From what ive gathered, a tune essentially tells your OBD (cars computer/brain) to adjust it's self accordingly to make the best use of the new parts. However to implement a tune you need a tuner. This is a handheld device that physically plugs into your car and relays the optimal tune into the car's computer. A tune is a separate purchase from the tuner. (this is where it gets fuzzy for me and im ASSUMING) you contact the company, tell them the mods you have and your specs, and they send via email a file that you download via usb cable to your tuner. the more mods you put on, the more tunes you will have to constantly download and update with.

Please correct me if im wrong with what i just said.

Now i have a very large and ranging list of questions that i would like to try and stick into one thread so i dont clutter the forum with dozens of new threads. Here are a few.

Questions:
-Will the tune fail my emissions? ive heard that they no longer "cone" test your car anymore, they only check to see if you pop a code.

-How often will i have to have my car emission tested? 05 mustang gt. i tried to find this out from the Illinois DMV webpage....it might as well have been written in a different language with a crayon. I couldnt understand any of it.

-How does the tuner store your tunes? are they saved on your computer and if you have to tune back to passable for emissions, do you just load that file on the tuner and flash your car again?

-With these upgrades will i have to be purely 93 oct?

-How does the exhaust system fit together? Is welding required? Metal cutting? Is it something a totally clueless person such as myself could do? ( i dont know where to go for RELIABLE work on my car in the chicagoland area)

-is it possible or worth it just to use someone elses tuner and save yourself the $$$? Will it be efficent seeing the various number of tunes you may have to recieve?

I could really use some honest help from some people who know what their talking about. Especially about what needs to be done before or after or during something else being done (just to embarass myself alittle more, i didnt even know what a tune was or that i should get one before getting on these boards)Ive been trying to talk to people in my area who work with cars and im getting alot of conflicting info and im starting to get overwhelmed.

Thanks in advance. ill hold off before asking more! ( i hope i put this thread in the right place if not SORRY!!)

jahudso2

The biggest bang for the buck on our cars is a Cold Air Intake (CAI) and tune package. The two most popular suppliers of these are brenspeed and bamachips, both of which are site sponsors. These packages run around 500-600 bucks and give you around 30 more hp to the crank. The package comes with a cold air intake which you can install yourself in less than an hour if you are really really slow and in 10 minutes if you know what you are doing. The package also comes with a handheld tuner. it plugs into your OBD port (the little plug located by your left knee if you are sitting in the driver seat). This tuner will come with 3 tunes on it with whatever octanes you want to run. When you load a tune, the handheld tuner stores your stock tune so that you can return to stock when you want. As far as exhaust, if you dont want to mess with emissions, then just start off with an axleback exhaust. This will change the sound, but not give you any power increase. You can do the axleback exhaust by yourself if you have deep sockets (if i remember correctly its 15mm and 13mm). I would start there because headers cost a lot to install and dont give you much in gains. Gears are the next biggest bang for the buck, but you dont want to install those yourself. Also, dont get underdrive pullies if you are going to supercharge in the near future, because they will have to come back off.

grampa_stang

If you plan on a whipple, forget the UDP's.

You'll not only need a tune...you'll want one. You'll need one when you get gears for sure.

1. you'll probably fail. Simply return to stock (tune) and reinstall the stock airbox.

2. no idea

3. Tuner holds 3 tunes plus the stock tune. If you order a CAI/tuner kit from Bamachips...you'll get the handheld with 3 tunes loaded on it. As soon as you plug it in, it saves the stock tune back onto the handheld. Reason I recommend Bamachips is that he'll send you new tunes for free when you make more mods. He'll also email you the tunes if you ask. Then you have a backup copy on your pc. You can not upload from handheld to pc...only download from pc to handheld.

4. No. 93 isin't mandatory...choose the highest octane in your area for torque/race tune. You always want to have a lower octane tune on hand just in case. Like maybe a 87 performance tune.

5. Most exhaust will fit without cutting I believe. someone else can chime in here.

6. I'd get my own tuner. You can't share 'em unless they return theirs to stock. I'm not sure if you can share tuners even if the strategy codes match up. Never even read any posts about it either.

WhichOnesTheGas

Jahudso and Gramp,

Thanks for the replies.

See i had heard that the UDP need to come off if a SC was going to be added. It came from a source that did not give me a good trustworthy vibe. Im glad you reconfirmed it. But i still wanted to put them on because while a SC is a goal, it is a longer term goal. I will get one in the furture but i figure to have the UDP on till i am ready to invest in the big boy. it will also help with the routine im starting of getting my girlfriend/furture wife into the habit of not asking questions about wheres the money going when it is in regards to my car!!!

Ja,
Would you recomend a CAI install as a good entry level mod for someone such as my self to install? How about an attempt at hanging exhaust?


Grampa,

You mentioned that you choose the highest octane in my area for the tune im choosing. Torque or Racing. Will a tuner allow me to choose the highest octane available to me? (that felt like a really stupid question when i typed it, but bear with me! lol). And when you say have a lower octane on hand you mean simply stored somewhere in the computer or handheld device correct?


If i where to go through with a full exhaust installation, would having cats be a logical choice if i dont want to worry about emissions testing? I ask in terms of, will it rob a great deal of performace?

I am having trouble understanding what different gear ratios purposes are. Is there someone who could REALLY break it down for me?

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the help!

grampa_stang

Yes. Ex: Utah...highest oct is 91. Therefore, I informed Bama. It's actually a question on the order page. Since the tuner can hold 3, i have the 91 race, 91 torque and 87 performance all stored on the handheld. Backed up on the pc too. The only time you may ever need the 87 is..lets say your on a road trip..need to get gas..uh oh..they're out of 91/93. Load the 87 tune and fill 'er up.

Getting lower gears..3.73's or 4.10's help keep the motor in a better rpm range. Think of it like a mtn bike. 1st gear is real low...very quick, lots of torque. But now put in in 24th gear and try to get going. Your legs gotta work real hard to get that sucker moving. It's easier for the motor to turn 4.10's that 3.31.

The Magician

All good information. You came to the right place for your answers..

jahudso2

The cold air intake is a really really easy install. All you need is a screwdriver, a 10mm socket with extension, and a torx bit (either t25 or t27 i cant remember).

For the axleback mufflers, they are very easy to install if you dont mind laying on your back for an hour or so. You only have to undo 8 bolts, but if you are a big guy it might be tough for you to lay under the car and still maneuver if you dont have ramps. I did mine with my car parked on the ground because i'm pretty skinny. The hardest part is trying to maneuver the axleback to get the tips lined up right and then tightening the bolts without it moving, but if you have a buddy, its not hard.

Supposedly the MAC axlebacks drone, but I dont know if that matters to you.

I would hold off on any other exhaust than the axlebacks, and do gears first. If you have ever driven a manual transmission, you know that first gear accelerates like crazy, but you can only reach a certain speed in first gear, then you have to shift to second, which doesnt accelerate as quickly. By installing more agressive gears, it gives you more acceleration in each gear, but lowers the maximum speed in each gear.

d_ames117

Check out this website: http://www.epa.state.il.us/air/vim/faq/testing.html

This is also a pretty neat tool for Illinois registered vehicles: http://www.ilsos.gov/regstatus/

And to specifically answer your question - Every two years starting once the car is four years old.

Dustin

my77stang

+1 for doing the CAI and tune first, I went with a JLT II and Bamachips tunes and absolutely loved em (the 93 torque tune rocks, but even the 87 performance tune is great)

WhichOnesTheGas

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season!

Thanks everyone for your help and replies!

Its sorta funny how i can hear thousands of contradictive information from mechanics, body work guys, dealerships...etc over the course of a few months. Then i just jump on here and get the answers im looking for in a matter of a few days. WITH explanations!

So, what ive gathered to this point:

-The headers are a PITA to install with little returns in terms of power. (also ridiculously expensive)
- The tuner will carry 3 tunes plus my stock tune which it will automatically remember the first time i plug it in. It is a good idea to have one of those be a lower octane tune just incase.
- Give installing the CAI a shot.


A few more questions if you dont mind:

-Seeing as how my car will have to be tested every two years for emissions, would it be wise to get the O/R H and keep the stock H pipe? how long would it take, and would the pieces even match (if i had headers and Ax/Ba)?

-An even more ridiculous question. I have been unable to find a catted mac H pipe, ive googled it and gone to macs website. are these just not popular items so they aren't really advertised or do they just not exist? (**i think that i may have answered my own question, i was misreading the mac website, but just to be sure if anyone can confirm there IS a catted h please do. thanks!)

-If my next batch of mods are going to be full exhaust, UDP, CAI and a tune. This is really where i need help connecting the dots. the order in which i install these next upgrades should be as follows???
-Exhaust (for money reasons i want to do this first)
-CAI
-UDP
-Tune

You want the tune to be last because you have include all mods so a tune can be correctly written for you? (is that right?) But will the car be okay to if it has not been tuned, and time passes between upgrades? will the car still be able to run on regular if i had to?

Some more ?, just more random.

- What will i gain from an MSD ignition? it says more complete fuel burning, easier starting etc. Is this accurate? is it nessecary? (same questions for new expensive spark plugs)

- Just to add one more question that really shows my inexperience. When certain packs have "stages" like steeda suspensions stage 1, 2 etc. or roush stage 1 or 2. does that mean you have to get stage 1 to get stage 2 and so on?

Thanks in advance for putting up with tons of ?s! i really appreciate it!