I just signed up after lurking for a while and wanted some opinions on making my first few mods on a 2010 gt 'vert. I have an extended warranty for 3 years/36k miles so I can't do anything too over the top, or irreversible. I'd prefer to keep things low key as I'm trying to keep it a bit on the sneaky/sleeper side, but also because of the warranty. Also, my goal is to get as much go for as little dough possible while I'm on a tight budget as a student. Maybe I'll decide to go all out later, but for now these are my guidelines.
I think the car as-is has a really solid base line and am pleased with it. I could've gone with a 5.0, but decided that I wanted to work my way up and really master driving the older, less powerful 3v before moving up to a 5.0, or higher performing car one day. I've driven my friend's father's 11 second 5 liter and it was a blast, but I doubt many people including myself could drive it to it's limits. Plus, the benefits of sound drivetrain and cheaper parts and insurance led me to 3v
I'm most interested in part swaps from higher performing 'stangs for the sake of affordability and low key so it doesn't seem too far from oem for above reasons. In addition, a bit more power would be nice, but I'd like to improve handling more than power.
Frpp are nice to me because warranty and can often be found for good prices used. Also, this is my DD so it must remain comfortable/reasonable.
So. . .
I hear things all day about mgw shifters, but is the ford racing hurst and b&m that bad? I just made a comment in the recent shifter poll for reference on what i think.
Suspension upgrades from gt500kr worthwhile? Other suggestions. . .
Gt500 brakes? " "
Is the oem "cold air" intake obsolete compared to aftermarket or ford racing larger maf units? Is it worth upgrading?
I think my one mod for engine for time being would be hot rod cams maybe until I can do a full na build. I know there are better choices for cams, but I hear they are very livable and make a noticeable power increase even if not massive
Also, I know I hear about how tunes make a world of difference and should be first mod and are best investment, but would that void my warranty? Am I able to retain stock tune without the engine comp being read as tampered with...
Thanks in advance for any help and sorry for the lengthy post!!:grin:
Again, I know there are better upgrades out there and after the warranty I will probably go that route. Just trying not to void warranty and save money which is why I like all the frpp and parts swaps
. . . . I have an extended warranty for 3 years/36k miles so I can't do anything too over the top, or irreversible. . . .
I'm most interested in part swaps from higher performing 'stangs for the sake of affordability and low key so it doesn't seem too far from oem for above reasons. In addition, a bit more power would be nice, but I'd like to improve handling more than power.
. . . .
Suspension upgrades from gt500kr worthwhile? Other suggestions. . .
Gt500 brakes? " "
Is the oem "cold air" intake obsolete compared to aftermarket or ford racing larger maf units? Is it worth upgrading?
. . . .
First you should understand the warranty limitations and decide whether you want to stick strictly to those; if so, you probably can't do anything.
For sure you want to avoid major internal things like cams; also things that make the car illegal like off road exhaust.
I think if I were you, I would watch the local Craig's List and go for whatever comes up on there, if it fits your car of course. GT500 brakes do come up from time to time; also wheeel/tire take-off packages; GT500 struts / shocks / sway bars; etc. You never know what will come up, until you see it.
One thing you do NOT want is GT500 springs -- they are too stiff for our cars and will actually raise the nose, not lower it.
Cold Air Intakes don't do much for our cars performance because they have a pretty good intake from the factory, but the do look cool under the hood and increase the intake sound a bit, if you are into that.
+1 on keeping an eye on your local CL. lots of good deals to be found and most parts will direct swap. as said above, you DO NOT want the GT500 springs, ask me how I know haha. I have a set of GT500 shocks and struts for sale if your interested. since you have a 10' car, it is tuned better from the factory (for lack of better terms) than the 05'-09' cars. If I were you, id get a tuner at the very least (found mine on CL for $200) and invest in some tunes 89/91/93 octane or the highest in your area. you can read and decide where you get your tunes from, there are several companies. the tuner will save your stock tune when you install said octane tune so you can revert back to stock if you need warranty work done. unless your going FI, your not going to need cams/headers/bigger TB, that money is well spent elsewhere. an upgraded shifter would be a close second on my upgrade list. I found a used MGW on CL for 120$ and its night and day difference. if your wanting a more aggressive sound, then a set of aftermarket axle back mufflers would be 3rd on the list. good luck and welcome to the forum.
1. CAI/tune. You can put it back to stock whenever you want.
2. Axle backs. GT500 or similar are nice options if you want to stick with FRPP. You can find them for sale on here or CL all the time.
3. Short throw shifter.
4. Suspension mods. Stick with items designed for the GT. Upper and Lower control arms in the rear will help you hook up when launching. Lower springs will help the car handle.
With these mods, it will seem like a whole different car, without breaking the bank. When you get serious about engine modification, the rest of the car will be more "ready for it".
Im still reading through my warranty info, but could definitely see what y'all are saying about internal engine mods. I heard at one point if I were to get the work done by a certified mechanic/dealer it would be under warranty still, but after thinking it over (and missing out on an ebay deal) I think I will hold off on the cams or other internal bits for a while.
Haha I will be sure to take note NO GT500 SPRINGS! Are the gt500 swaybars, shocks and struts a decent upgrade for a 2010 gt 'vert stock. Or am I better off going after market for better results? If its a big price difference then I would go with gt500 once my tax return is in versus waiting. I'll get back to you bl817!
I was curious about aftermarket cai being any better than stock, thanks J Bert. I guess the real difference would be from larger MAF and tune?
Would the ford racing bullit style cai be of any worthy upgrade for a more open air element? Anyone know if the MAF if larger on those is larger than the 2010 stock.
I recently got some gt500 ab's off craigslist and I'm really pleased with them good growl when you want and quiet when you don't. Otherwise I'll leave exhaust for now.
Any comments on differences between 3.55 and 3.73 rear ends vs 3.31? A tune would be needed to recorrect speedo, yes? And I hear install, is rather difficult and I should search for a rear end specialist, correct?
Lastly, anyone hear anything about Shelby's shifters for 05-10? Not the hurst they had used on the sgt and sgth, but one they built as an intended upgrade from the hurst ? Has blue aluminum shift arm? My attempt to search on the forum didn't turn up much I found some on clearance and was just wondering.
The plan for now will remain at a light build and then a crazier one after warranty and funds are saved. . .
The GT500 shocks, struts, and sway bars are a minor upgrade; they are the same as came on the Track Pack 2010 cars. I used them when I lowered my car, they are a good match for common lowering springs such as the Steeda Sports. If you can pick them up as take-offs real cheap, like not more than $200 or so for the lot, then they are worth it. But I probably wouldn't bother unless you are lowering at the same time.
I'm pretty sure the Bullitt / FRPP intake is no better than the 2010 stock intake, though it does look cooler under the hood. The 2010 basically matched the performance of the 2008 and 2009 Bullitts, from the factory.
An intake with a larger MAF might be a bigger improvement, and yes it would require a tune, because of the bigger MAF tube diameter. But again don't expect the 20-30 HP gains that earlier years got, because you already got 15 of that.
I went from 3.31 to 3.73 gears. It definitely does make the car snappier and more responsive; feels lighter and quicker. But the trade off is that you have to shift a lot quicker, and you'll run higher RPM on the highway and lose a little gas mileage. For pure performance they are an upgrade; for daily driving I actually like the 3.31's better. I'm even thinking of switching back.
Rear gear change is tricky, they will whine if not set up perfectly. I had a supposedly very good shop do mine, and they even re-checked them twice, and they still whine. This is one that you really need to ask yourself whether the snappier performance is really worth the cost, the shifting, and the whine. And yes you need a tune to correct the speedo, or you will be going about 13% slower than it says.
After performing several mods over the years I can say I got the biggest bang for the buck in improving how the car drove by installing a MGW shifter (Barton very similar). A close second would be a CAI and tune. I believe the tune probably made the biggest improvement in not so much extra HP, but overall drivability. Gears (4:10) really woke the car up, but now that I have FI installed, 4:10 is a little on the steep side and could have stayed with the 3:55 and put that cash toward the FI instead (still a riot to drive though). As other will tell you, having a plan can save you a lot of cash. If you think you might want to go FI in the near future (which is probably the biggest bang for the buck HP wise.) skip the CAI/tune, cams and under drive pulleys as they will all have to come off to install FI (some cams don't play well with FI either). On the other hand, if you don't see FI happening and want to go n/a with the car, a shifter, CAI/tune, Gears, under drive pulleys and perhaps a one piece driveshaft would be a good start and then get into cams and intakes if you plan to stay n/a.
Congrats and welcome to the '10 club! As far as suspension goes I recommend Ford Racing P springs. Good for a dd as its only a 1" drop all around. I also added GT500 strut mounts, Koni struts and shocks and a BMR panhard bar on my car. A cheap and simple brake upgrade (probably a very minimal) is putting on 11-14 rotors. They are just a little bit larger than the 05-10 rotors. The calipers are all the same. But you'll need 11-14 caliper brackets to make it work. I did this to my car when I needed new brakes.
This is a great example of something you can watch Craig's List for -- they come up as take-offs every now and then, cheap. But you have to grab them when they come up; I made the mistake of waiting until I actually wanted them "now" and of course there weren't any available at that time.
Awesome!! Great info and all very helpful guys. Many thanks.
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