Most posters say that the very first mod to do to a Mustang is a CAI and tune. That's probably great advice for those who have $600-700 to spend. My SO is pretty skeptical about mods so I have to make the dollars count. Here's what I did:

(1) K&N drop-in air filter. I noticed an immediate smoothing of the engine and a small but noticeable increase in mpg. About $50 at the Auto Zone.

(2) Following some good advice here, I found a set of GT take-off mufflers on my local Craigslist for $40. I paid another $30 for Midas to put it on for me. It would be an easy install if you have an inclination to do it yourself. I absolutely LOVE what it did to the engine sound. It lowered the pitch down to a healthy growl under acceleration but settles down nicely while crusing. What I didn't expect was the increase in performance. My car is noticeably quicker while accelerating or climbing. The coarse V6 grinding sound is completely gone. Love the change!

My total cost for these two mods was $120. You could do this for $90 if you installed the muffler yourself. Just these two easy, cheap mods have made a HUGE difference in the sound and performance of the car.

I've also done a few appearance mods (rear blackout panel, color-keyed mirror covers, splash guards). I'll post photos about these soon.

 

So you could tell a big difference in performance with these two mods?

 

The Takeoff muffler is a great choice, i installed mine with a basic set of hand tools, if you dont mind getting on the ground to do it, who needs a floor jack anyways? lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io3D2iwFoh0

as for the drop in filter, its a good, "for now" mod till you decide you want to change out the whole intake.

I know not everyone has an extra $635 to spare,
i just intstalled mine and i cant beleive the difference, amazing throttle response, Much smoother shifts.
With the tuner you can set when your Automatic shifts, its amazing lol and an easy install:
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-0l-v6-technical-discussions/498492-how-to-install-c-and-l-cold-air-intake-with-pics.html

But for a cheep mod, GT Takeoff muffler for sure!

 

You are right to be skeptical. I didn't expect much from the K&N filter and did the GT take-off mainly for sound. The two have smoothed out the coarse, raspy sound of the V6 and have added just a bit of punch to the acceleration. It's nowhere near what you would get from a CAI and tune, of course, but noticeable. I was really disappointed with the V6 when I first bought it, but now can live with the car until I get around to do the CAI/tune. I'm just saying that it's worth trying out because there's little money or labor involved. If I had to choose one I'd do just the muffler. That was the biggest change.

 

Like you, I intend to change exhaust first. The sound of the V6 is so anemic it's pathetic.

 

you should have saved the 120 bucks.. the "improvements" you feel with a k&n filter are the same as driving on a cloudy day vs. a sunny day. GT take off mufflers are a good choice for those on a budget, you can always add the other muffler if you ever go duals.

Seriously, if you think a k&n filter was a bump in performance, you will think a CAI/Tune is a supercharger with nitrous....lol

 

+1

I think the 'placebo effect' got you with the drop in filter...
I do agree the GT-take off is a good start for those on a budget

 

That could have been $120 into something that you won't be replacing for a long time such as a CAI + tune or a dual exhaust.

 

I don't know about you guys....

But my first $100 was spent on GAS driving my baby all over the place! it was so addicting! I made excuses just to drive the car ANYWHERE hahaha.

But... looking back... my first $100 in mod money was spent on my JLTII air filter from Brenspeed... so in theory I'd suggest waiting to do that air filter until you get tunes. In fact I think you could easily get a tuner and run the "canned" tunes until you're ready to swap over to the custom tunes for a higher-flowing filter...

 

my first 100 was for gt take off sways...i did sways, mrt muffler, strut tower brace,then cai and tune, now its all going to suspension....