Hey, I have a pretty nice 02 Mustang GT w/ alota appearance mods done to it. You can check it out at My Stang

I just installed Brembo Drilled/Slotted Rotors on this morning at my shop so the pictures should be updated soon. I am really looking to make this Mustang into a Stallion, but I'm not the richest person in the world so I was looking for some advice. What are some mods I can do to make this car quicker? I know exhaust should be first on my list, I am in the process of getting my hands on one now. But other things can be done in the mean time. Please let me know, Im anxious to get this baby flying. Thanks in advance!

 

Gears will make the biggest diffrence for the amount of money it cost. A change to 3.73 or 4.10 will really wake up your car, and every time you get on the gas, you'll know your money was well spent. Exhaust would be the next thing to address. If you really wanna have some fun, buy my nitrous kit !!!

 

the car has 83,000 100% highway miles on it(2002 model car), won't nitrous ruin the motor and take a few more years off it's life? But gears, that sounds like fun. Thanks.

 

You car looks REALLY, REALLY nice! Very tastefully done. I really like it, but don't mess with the looks department anymore. Glad you interested in some zing with your bling. BTW, did I tell you that I like your car?

What's your budget? (lol)

Drop some gears in it and a Venom-1000 nitrous setup and don't look back. If you can do the work yourself (which might not be likely) gears and nitrous will only run you $700. You would not recognize it when you drove it!

We can give you LOTS of ideas.

 

thanks alot for the comments, im done with appearance mods - i like how it's nice and clean looking but now i just wanna be able to back up all the beastly looks with some beastly power. My father owns a huge garage with about 5 or 6 lifts and a nice body shop - but i do not want him to know about any of the performance mods i do because i know he's gonna go off on me about speeding tickets and such. Even the exhaust is a big risk with him because of noise. i wouldn't call my situation a budget, i mean i get paid a couple hundred a week so its not too bad. I wanna go all out with it but at the same time not doing anything major such as camshafts or blower or something. can i install gears/nitrous in my driveway or is that something that i need to put the car on a lift or something. also, how long and what is involved in installing the gears. my brother told me with 4.10 gears the car won't be as smooth on the highway - is that true? Thanks.

 

im going nuts looking for a DiabloSports chip for my car but i cant find one for the 02 model mustang. Also, will a 75mm plenum/throttlebody combo fit right with my stock intake tube? Also, will underdrive pulley's do anything for my car? If so, where can I ****** some for my 02. Thanks.

 

Id wait to do a chip until you have a few more performance mods. If you end up adding some nitrous, or cams or something like that, you'd need to have the chip redone anyways. The Plenum/Throttle body will work with the stock tube or any aftermarket one. I spent a few hours on my stock one with aa dremel tool and picked up .2 and 2.5 mph in the quartermile !!!

If your engine hasnt been abused, it shouldnt have a problem with a small shot of nitrous. With a few safeguards like a window switch, fuel pressure safety switch and colder spark plugs, your car wont have a problem with a 75, or 100 shot. Also run the best pump gas you can find.

 

thanks alot for the advice, what about underdrive pulleys or timing adjusters? Also, My GT is not heavily worked. I mean i expect to do some stuff like gears/exhaust/headers and alota bolt-on stuff so should i buy the 70mm or the 75mm plenum/throttlebody combo for best performance? Thanks

 

4.10s' run smooth as a baby's ****!!! Your rpms will just be higher and you will get a little gear noise.

This is not an install for a beginner. If is a tough job and should be done by a pro. Though, I have a friend who is doing his on his own. says he found a video with instructions. I don't know where he got it.

Depending on the nitrous kit, you can install one in a few hours right in your driveway. Though, I suspect that your dad will blow a fuse when he finds out....and he will.

 

Ditto!

However, you should consider the SCT 4 Position Chip (sold here too) especially is nitrous is in your future. I say, get the chip after the gear swap. The, just send it in later for a nitrous tune added to the chip. This chip can store upto four custom tunes. I use one and have an 87 and 93 octane programs plus one more for the nitrous.

 

Get the 75mm TB is you go with the C&L plenum or the Accufab. If you decide to port your stock plenum, then I think you want a 70mm.

UDP's are a great mod for you. 1 - Cheap to buy; 2 - Good for 8 - hp; 3 - You can install yourself; 4 - Dad never has to know about them.

A TA is a whole nother story. I say don't bother with one unless you are really into drag racing. They have their place, but a chip is such a better way to go.

 

awesome, im lovin all this info by the way - cant believe i didnt come here earlier. just ordered 75mm accufab plenum/throttlebody combo and underdrive pulleys off mustangtuning now. cant wait to get them puppies installed. Thanks again.

 

Some guys may be critical of your choices, but I think you did the right thing.

1 - You get to spend some money...m,ake some more hp all while not pissing your old man off.

2 - You just added 15 - 20 rwhp to your car.

3 - You just improved the throttle response and drivability of the car.

You may have some idle problems after the plenum TB swap. If you do, let know....I can help. Also, check out the "how to" section. There is a nice thread there on doing the swap.

 

With the pullies and the throttlebody/plenum setup you will deffinetly notice a difference.

 

nice - i cannot wait. I was also thinking of an x-pipe seein how my dad can't see that either. He doesnt spend enough time with the car to realize the difference in sound. Will an off road xpipe make a noticable difference without changing the cat-bak? or do i really need to change that damn catback to uncover my hidden power?

 

catback is more for sound, but there is a few Hp there. an offroad mid pipe will make the car louder but not reall as loud as a car with stock mid pipe and mufflers.

 

i want performance so should i go with the Mac off-road x pipe or the Mac pro-chamber mid pipe? Thanks.

 

If you are planning to keep the mufflers stock, then adding an o/r X pipe might be your best option. But, the car won't pass any emissions tests if you have those in your area AND you will need a set of mil eliminators or a chip to keep the SES light from activating. The light is annoying and your Dad will see it. Plus, if you have a real problem, you won't know about it because the light is already on.

I think a catted X pipe is the smarter way to go. It won't cost you much hp over a cattless one and will be better ifs you you ever go with a catback later.

 

that makes sense. i think ima go with the catted x in hopes of a magnaflow catback in the future. thanks.

 

you know they make an h-pipe to too.

 

i know, which is better for performance?

 

H - Pipe:
Generally better for hp in the lower rpm range. Typically sound more deep in note.

X - Pipe:
Regarded as being better for hp in the higher rpm ranges. Typically sound is more high-pitch.

Dynos, however, seem to indicate that there is not much of a difference between the two at all in hp. The biggest benefit for hp seems to be either eliminating the cats or going with better flowing cats.

 

h-pipe makes more low and mid.

x-pipe makes upper.

but the h-pipe makes more tourqe all the way around. i say h-pipe.

 

arite cool, ima look into the Pro-Chamber H-Pipe, sounds like it'll fit my needs just well. Any other bult-on horsey's anyone can help me with? Thanks.

 

are longtube headers worth all that money? cause if they are i mean i might just buy longtubers and then buy the h-pipe that would fit them. Thanks.

 

In a word, "no". But that's just me. You do get hp with LT's...don't get me wrong. With the right LT's, you can add 15 - 20 hp. Some of this from what I understand is from leaning the a/f. This is where you need to be careful. Personally, if I were to add LT's, I would want to get a dyno tune which adds to the cost even more.

IMO, my next major mod is going to be steed racing heads and cams and LT's and then dyno tune the car at the same time.

One of the reasons why I like SLP, is that you can get the a mid-pipe and then change you mind later and go with LT's.

By the time your buy the LT's and then deal with installation and possibly a dyno tune, you have really sunk in some money.

Now, if I had to pull the motor anyway, or need a dyno anyway (or both) then that's a good time to get them.

 

If you are going to buy longtubes and have them installed, then spend $250 on a tubular K-member and have that installed at the same time. With the stock K-member outta the way, Long tubes are a breeze. It might equal out or save you a few bucks....

 

i think i might just let the long tubers go, sounds like its not worth the time and money for my situation. Thanks again