[dardenus]

Just wanting to see if im understanding things correctly

Im starting to think that its time for me to work on the induction on my pony. she currently has the mach 1 specific cold air intake, which basically is a high flow filter and the metal guard that goes around it (really wish i could change the plastic tube).

I have been picking my parts mainly by looking at steedas power packs for the GT, and one of the parts mentioned instage 3 is a plenum. The mach 1 seems to have a larger looking plenum than the GTs that i have seen, so im not entirely sure that i should really care about the plenum, but im going to assume i probly should change it out.

From what i understand, its useless to change just the MAF, plenum, or throttle body, without changing all 3. is this correct?

I also noticed that there is a wide range of sizes, am i to assume the bigger the better? or is there some math involved? not too sure what exactly it is im doin here but im guessing more air = computer allows more gas = more HP?

Also, steeda is reccomending Dragon plenums, and i saw both SCT and Ford Racing MAFs avalible on americanmuscle.com ... any brands for MAF plenum or TB suggested over any other brand?
Thanks!

[steelers1377]

Originally Posted by dardenus

but im guessing more air = computer allows more gas = more HP?

thats exactly right


but...there some "math" involved..

for the tb and maf its best to get on thats not too big...so it depends on how much hp your making..im sure the 99-04 guys will be able to tell you what size to get for the tb and maf.

[racin366]

Changing the MAF is basically useless until you start making some serious power. The steeda power packs for the GT are not a good reference for you, the GT and Mach 1 are totally different, the GT has the 2V engine and your Mach has the 4V, the mods are completely different except for cat-back and midpipe. If I were you, the next mods would be gears and subframes, then a tuner. After that do some intake or exhaust work, but bang for the buck, nothing beats gears.

[tripleblack]

Absolutely agree, your Mach 1 will come alive with more gear in the rear.

The other bolt-ons are more limited for the Mach 1 than the GTs, but then you have more to work with from the get-go.

Mach 1s will benefit more from unplugging the exhaust than 2v GTs, especially LTs and and an X pipe. You also pick up more from a tune than do the GTs (sometimes the advertised gains for aftermarket boltons for 4.6 engines are quoted from tests run on Cobras and Mach 1s, neatly finessing the fact that the gains for the 2v GTs are much lower).

Mach 1s are, if anything, LESS restricted by the stock air flow than are GTs, so the gains on that end are modest (just like they are for GTs). Not zero, mind you, but not in line with the cost either, imo.

I would do the gears, exhaust and tune, and then save money toward a power-adder. A good centrifugal unit will make a world of difference, and you can still retain the look that makes the Mach 1 unique.

[dardenus]

alright, so i guess i gotta decide what gears i want. kinda want 4.10s but am concerned about how they will do on the highway (speed limit on the highway i use is 70), a mid pipe and a tune.

been trying to find an H pipe that has high flow cats being that i wana keep it street legal, but have had no luck

Any suggested brand for gears and tuner? most of the performance shops around here say to go with SCT X3. I do want to be able to change tunes on the fly though.

Are any gears better than any others? Ford Racing seem to be impossible to get ahold of so im not really sure what other brands would be good, and have no idea if this is something i should probly let a shop do or do myself.

Being that the mach basically has a cobra engine, would it make since for me to try to coppy something like 01 cobra stages? or is the mach jus gona b its own beast with nobody really clearly explaning what each stage consists of?

Thanks guys

[dardenus]

ironically i just found the ford racing gears for sale so scratch that about them being hard to find lol. still not sure if theres a better brand i should be going with instead though. I noticed that americanmuscle.com carries ones from motive that look like they may be forged.

Also, i found a kit that seemed to be a good price from americanmuscle.com and wanted to see what you guys thought of the price: Ford Racing Gears and Tuners at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

From what i understand, if i change my rear end ill need to recalibrate my speedometer, is that something that the tuner can do? or should i just have a shop do that since i have no idea how to do that?

[tripleblack]

Any handheld tuner can recal a speedo in the newer Mustangs (like your 03).

Installing the gears is another matter. If you have never done it, I would suggest either hiring it done or finding an experienced mechanic with the right tools to work with you so you can learn the right way. Setting up gears and rear ends properly is more than a bolt-on proposition.

[BlueStreak03]

+1 on the professional gear install. That is definitely not a beginner level project. Even experienced pro's have difficulty dialing in the preload and backlash to get good gear engagement sometimes.

[dardenus]

Ill probly have house of boost do it (local place that specializes in mustangs, dunno if any of you have heard of em). any suggested brands? or would ford racing gears and an SCT X3 tuner be good for what im doing?
Thanks for all the info guys

[minkushxc]

Originally Posted by tripleblack

Any handheld tuner can recal a speedo in the newer Mustangs (like your 03).
.

does this work for the 97's too
i was under the impression that they did

[BlueStreak03]

I don't think 97's can be done with a handheld. I'm pretty sure they still have a mechanical speedometer and not electronic.

[dardenus]

i think i saw in a steeda mag that up to pre 99 is all mechanical, 99+ should be computer controlled

[joker1999]

go with 3.73 gears and x-pipe and diablo predeter

[dardenus]

3.73s would be nice for drag, i think i like the sound of an H pipe more but trying to find one that has cats on it seems to be hard and i wana keep her street legal. why a preditor? every shop around here seems to lean towards SCT.
arent they basically the same in the end though?

[tripleblack]

Originally Posted by dardenus

3.73s would be nice for drag, i think i like the sound of an H pipe more but trying to find one that has cats on it seems to be hard and i wana keep her street legal. why a preditor? every shop around here seems to lean towards SCT.
arent they basically the same in the end though?

There are some new H mid pipes with cats out there, they just don't produce quite as much power as the X, and are harder to find. The difference in power production is minor, btw. If the dyno shop you plan to use supports SCT, by all means, buy an SCT tuner. They have excellent equipment.