Hi All, I didn't get much response on the 4.6 drivetrain specific board so decided to repost it here:

Hi All, I'm new here and have a new 07 GT as well. I am looking for help/suggestions on what I could do for $1-2K that would not affect my warranty or resale value. I have never added anything to a car b4 so I'm fairly clueless.
Here is what I have looked at so far:
Superchips tuner $550: Does this really do anything? If there was more to be had from the motor, wouldn't have Ford already done it? They are claiming like 14HP and 15LBS of torgue on 91 octane. If this is actually true, does that little bit add anything to 0-60, 1/4 times, top end etc..? I am not looking for anything outrageous, just would like to be able to beat a stock GT if the chance presents itself.
Air Intake $???: I have no idea of a preferred manufacturer or price, again, would this really do anything without a new exhaust? Also, would it easily uninstall to return to stock if I decide to sell the car?
Gears $???: I know this is probably the best bang for the buck but I am worried about voiding the warranty and also about how high the motor is going to be revving on my daily highway commute to work.
Exhaust $???: I don't want it any louder and again am worried about the warranty.

Finally, if I did all of the above(which I know won't happen for $2K), what would I gain in 0-60, 1/4, top speed? Hell, I don't even know what the stock numbers are.
Any help/info/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Lance

 

Whats up Lance, you got a lot of questions crammed into your one post but here goes my attempt in answering it...

First things first, there is a long long thread on here about our warranty which simply states that UNLESS your specific mod is the cause of the failure, then Ford will still have to honor your warranty, so I wouldn't worry about mods ruining that. And as far as your resale value is concerned, just keep your original parts and put them back on and return your car to stock and then sell your aftermarket stuff here on the forum in the parts for sale section or on ebay or something.

As to the issue of the factory tune.... IT SUCKS... flat out. Ford built in a throttle lag for God knows what reason but a tune would get rid of that and the CAI and tune package would get you appx 30 hp depending on which one you get. My advice... go with Brenspeed's tune and C&L cold air intake. They have a number of packages on their site www.brenspeed.com and are second to none as far as customer service is concerned. This is what I got for my first mod and I honestly love it. It is a difference you can feel immediately and will definitely help your 1/4 mile and 0-60 time without a doubt. The #'s I don't know exactly but its definitely a difference.

As far as the gears are concerned, these are not bolt on stuff (easy to take on and off) so you probably wouldn't want to take them out for resale, but most people on this forum that have them agree unanimously that they are a fantastic mod and will really help your 1/4 mile. I have heard however that they are worse at higher speeds than the stock 3:31 gears but I'm somewhat new to the whole "modding" thing myself so someone else might tell you differently.

Exhausts are not really a hp mod unless you change your whole system (headers, x-pipe which will allow for a more freely flowing exhaust and increase horsepower) , so if you don't want to make it any louder I guess they aren't for you. (Unless you go for Corsa's or some other type of exhaust that has an anti drone feature to get rid of the drone which the stock exhausts have)

The CAI and tune will run about 675 and you can install those yourself. I did mine and up to that the only thing I had done to a car was fix a flat tire, so you by no means have to be an expert to do those. Another thing you might want to do (next on my mod list by the way) are underdrive pulleys (also on the Brenspeed website). These will get you about 10hp and only cost 200 bucks and they are another mod you can do by yourself, and save money on the installation. The gears will run you about 200, and the installation around 300-400 so in essence they will cost you about 500.

Also if you want to increase your 1/4 mile your definitely gonna want to change your lower control arm. The factory LCA's are weak and result in wheel hop and tire spinning at the line. BMR makes some really good ones and its not that expensive. They come in adjustable and regular (people go adjustable if they plan on lowering their car or adding an aluminum driveshaft to make sure their pinion angle is correct).

All in all I would recommend to stick around the forum for awhile and don't buy everything at once... After you talk to a bunch of people you will definitely get a better understanding of our car and what you want to do to it. But I can safely say that a CAI and tune is a great first mod and will really liven your driving up without a doubt. There is a lot you can do for 1-2k so have fun!!!

 

Double post... sorry.[8D]

 

4.10/4.30 gears, CAI, exhaust, tune

 

Wow, thanks for the extensive response, I posted this both here and on the 05-07 general boards since I didn't get much of a response on the drivetrain specific board. Based on the replies, I am definately going to get an air intake/tuner and maybe gears later. I was planning on having the gears prof installed and keep the old ones in case needed for resale. I can't seem to get anyone to talk about Superchips, which I learned about on a Dodge truck forum, is there something wrong with them?

Thanks,
Lance

 

Essentially all a chip does is override the car's computer which is exactly what a tuner does, but the tuner can be reprogrammed as many times as you want to adjust to more mods. For example if you get a CAI and tune and then later get a exhaust setup you can send your tuner out and get it reprogrammed to reflect your new mods so that you can get the most out of your performance parts...

 

SCT = superchips custom tuning

 

Jay - great reply! I'm sure Lance appreciates it.

I agree with all that you've said.

Execpt one thing - dyno tune.

I, too, bought the Brenspeed SCT.

What I've learned is that a generic tune is good - but a dyno tune is much better.

I'm taking my GT to a dyno tuner on Thursday.

My numbers from my dyno pulls last week weren't what they should have been.

That - will change!

Great help to Lance! Rock on.

Ruf -

 

If your honestly worried about your warranty don't mod your car, plain and simple. You could fight them on warranty issues but its going to be a PITA. Just buy your parts now and if you have the willpower to resist putting them on(unlike myself) until your warranty expires. If your not worried about looks go with JLT. I scored my CAI/Tuner combo for $525 and I've had no issues from it whatssoever. The tuner is a great thing to have since you will need it for some other future mods and it allows the owner to adjust other parameters as well. If you are good at reading directions this should be a easy driveway install. The next $500-$600 dollars could go toward gears of your choice. That price includes cost of the installation. I have 4.10s and I drive on the hwy everyday and my mileage has dropped maybe 2 mpg if that much. I run 2700-2800 RPM at 80 and my RPM difference in the city is negligible. They are completely fine for the street. Just find a competent installer and stick with FRPP gears. That should give you a nice kick in the pants for 1100-1200 bucks. I've never been a fan of underdrive pullies(UDPs) but they net around 11-15 hp for around $250-$300. But I am weary of these since some of these cars have altenator and A/C compressor issues anyway. You can find a axleback(exhaust) of your choice for as cheap as 250 bucks(Pypes, brenspeed) with the most expensive being corsa at 700 bucks. You wont gain any HP but you'll have your sound of choice for your stang. You wont gain any real hp out of the exhaust unless you start getting into a longtube header set up with the better brands costing 1200 bucks. Hope this helps your out a bit.

 

You guys are great, thanks for all the help. I am so glad I found these forums.