Newcomer Looking for Suggestions and Insight

Derelict · 07-09-2009

Hey, I'm new to the forums. Up front I want to say that I'm a new driver and plan to delay the upgrades until I become more experienced.

I'm 16 and recently got a '03 v6 Mustang. I'm loving it, but I want to learn more about my car and look into some future upgrades. I've been looking around some forums, and I've come up with some ideas.

Right now I'm looking at purchasing either a CAI or a dual exhaust. From my understanding, a CAI would run me about $80 while a dual would run me $300-400. Honestly, being a teenager, I'm looking some something that would make me feel/look/sound cooler in my Mustang. From what little knowledge I have, the duals would benefit me most.

With this introduction, I have a few questions

Are there any other economical upgrades I can make to give me a bit more push, sound, or style?

What else accompanies the aforementioned upgrades? (installation, other costs, tuning, maybe even insurance or emission repercussions)

What other upgrades should I educate myself about?

Please go easy on me, I'm pretty ignorant. Any elementary explanations are welcomed, even appreciated, so long as you extrapolate. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future.

Also, should I look into joining an autocross club, or signing up for advanced driving classes? Off topic, but input is appreciated.

v6ponyboy · 07-10-2009

The exhaust would be the better of the two upgrades in terms of performance, when i was getting mine i thought it would be about 400 also but it turned out to be 776. I guess it depends on what type of exhaust you get(True dual, y pype, h pype). The CAI would be the most economical upgrade and you can install this yourself then its done. As you said you can get one for as low as 80 or you can get a K&N that runs 260. I dont know why you would join an autocross club or advanced classes unless you plan on doing some extreme racing or drifting in your mustang lol its just like anyother car in terms of driving its got a stering wheel and peddles lol o by the way welcome stangs are the best!

Germankiller · 07-10-2009

Go with a cold Air intake quick horse power and no real difference between them so go for the 80 then slap a K&N filter on it. also looko at underdrive pullies ( to what i know they free up some hp as well as better gas mileage) gears and tlock ( tlock will make both wheels burn out instead of one and gears will help u get off the line faster and give u that thrown in ur seat feeling) and a tuner ( is probly the best looking at min 15 hp gain with a tuner as well as better gas mileage hooks to ur ecu and can take speed and rev limiter off) for future upgrades thats what most ppl with recomend
not saying i know all so if any info is wrong won't be offened if corrected better correct info the bad info

Silver J · 07-10-2009

Yeah, the guys here pretty much said what the "economical" choices would be: CAI, UDPs (underdrive pulleys), and tuner. Next step in terms of cost is probably gears, LSD (limited slip differential - often called t-lok, which is actually a brand name...), and exhaust. After that, you kinda need to decide if you are going NA or using a power adder.

My advice: slide on over to the "V6 Tech" section and check out the intro posts (especially the one called "Bolt-on run down" or something)... then post specific questions so we can more directly help ya out.

Oh - and welcome to the site!!

Derelict · 07-14-2009

Well, right now it seems I'll go for the CAI, thanks for help with that decision.

However, before I start to mod my car, I want to learn how to be able to maintenance my car as much as possible on my own. Where can I learn to manually change the oil and other stuff without having to take it to a mechanic? Also where can I learn what I need to do and how often? Any help is appreciated. I mainly just want to become more familiar with my car, and I want to be able to take care of it myself.

Also, should I pick up a tuner? If I do, what brand should I buy, where should I buy it from, and what do I need to know before I tune my car? I don't want to play with the options too much and end up screwing up my car accidentally.

Thanks for the help so far. Also, thanks for the warm welcome. I try not to post on forums unless I know what I'm talking about beforehand, I hate asking for help like this. Not many communities are so welcoming to new members as this one.

Shine1Stang · 07-14-2009

Best to pick up a haynes or chilton book!

Silver J · 07-14-2009

^^^^ You beat me to it!

Yes, definitely get a manual: it will help you tons! Most maintainence things are explained pretty good in there (air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, etc) as well as a schedule of how often to change things.

For the oil: you will need a drain pan and jack with stands. (You can also use ramps, but they can easily damage your car

). Prop it up on the stands; open the oil cap on top of the engine; place the pan under the drain plug; use a 15 or 17mm socket to remove the plug and let it all drain into the pan (about 10-15 mins); reinstall plug; place pan under oil filter and unscrew (may need gloves); drain the remnants into pan and carefully throw away old filter (I put it in the new filters box, then tie it up in a bag, then in the trash); install new filter to hand tight; pour 5 quarts of whatever oil (weight is in the manual) you choose in; close oil cap - start her up and away you go!

You might wanna wait on the tuner, since it can be expensive... Lemme know if you have any more questions.

Derelict · 07-16-2009

Alright, so I've decided on a few things.

I decided on the Xenon scoop hood off american muscle for now, just for style. Not sure how I'm going to paint the hood, suggestions would be wonderful, anywhere I could see pictures would be great. (2003 mustang, mineral grey).

I'm going for a CAI in the future. Gonna make myself wait so I don't get addicted to upgrades

I appreciate the explanation for changing oil, but I'm an idiot. If you could link me a visual, I'd appreciate it. I'm going to do some searching as well, so it's probably okay if you skip that one.

Now, I'd like to know, about how much will it run me to have my new hood painted/installed on average? Also, would a CAI be something an insurance company would be concerned about? Lastly, if I were to take my car to a shop to be tuned, would it be expensive? or should I just wait until I can afford a personal tuner and do that?

Thank you guys so much, and I'll be hanging around.

Markstang690 · 07-16-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derelict

Alright, so I've decided on a few things.

I decided on the Xenon scoop hood off american muscle for now, just for style. Not sure how I'm going to paint the hood, suggestions would be wonderful, anywhere I could see pictures would be great. (2003 mustang, mineral grey).

I'm going for a CAI in the future. Gonna make myself wait so I don't get addicted to upgrades

I appreciate the explanation for changing oil, but I'm an idiot. If you could link me a visual, I'd appreciate it. I'm going to do some searching as well, so it's probably okay if you skip that one.

Now, I'd like to know, about how much will it run me to have my new hood painted/installed on average? Also, would a CAI be something an insurance company would be concerned about? Lastly, if I were to take my car to a shop to be tuned, would it be expensive? or should I just wait until I can afford a personal tuner and do that?

Thank you guys so much, and I'll be hanging around.

waiting to buy a mod is not gonna help you avoid the addiction lol...

insurance companies have no interest in CAIs

a dyno tune by a shop is better than buying a personal tuner with a preloaded tune.. however id recommend buying a personal tuner with a tune on it.. that way if in the future you do some more serious modding and you need it tuned on a dyno then they can make a much more personal custom tune and use your tuner to do it all...
either way youd end up with a tuner.. just you dont have much done to warrant having a shop do it yet