OK since it seems that people seem to ask the same questions about what to do with there cars, so here is what i have come up with...
Rear End Gears: Most people would say 4.10's for the auto, and 3.73's for the stick. For the 99+ you will have to get a programmer or chip to avoid damage to your tranny.
Cold Air Intake(CAI): Plastic will hold less heat, allowing cooler denser air into the engine, but metal is still an improvement, will increase MPG 1-2
Super/turbochargers: Superchargers are belt driven, thus being less efficient then Turbos. Superchargers are easier on the engine.
Nitrous: Nitrous is hard on an engine no matter what, a wet shot is alot safer on the engine then a dry shot (dry shot is cheaper).
Programmers/Chip: For most people a programmer will work just fine, they will allow you to change alot of parameters, such as adjust for gears,tires, air/fuel ratio, spark, etc. a chip is good because most will allow you to switch Programs with a flip of a switch, and can be burnt to whatever specs you would like.
Rear Sway Bar: The 96+ V6 did not come with one; a good choice is a GT takeoff, they sell at salvage yards for around $45...
Headers: Shorty Headers will not add much HP without significant mods done to the car...
Under Drive Pulleys: Lots are around, from 25%-42% reduction. They DO NOT add HP they will free up around 11 HP with the 42% reduction, but they do slow accessories, So don't try to run a 3000 Watt Stereo with the 42% reduction, will increase MPG 1-2
Porting: Porting is when you carefully grind away this unnecessary material smoothing the flow paths for the intake and exhaust gasses. Every protruding little point in that path restricts the flow of air causing your engine to work harder both sucking in the fuel/air mixture and then pushing out spent exhaust gasses.
Polishing: Polishing is Polishing the surfaces of your combustion chambers and exhaust ports reduces the drag coefficient of those surfaces making it even easier to ingest and expel gasses.
Throttle Body: a spacer is a waste of money, if you want to replace the whole Throttle Body, you will see alot better throttle response.
Strut Tower Brace: What a strut bar does is tie the two strut towers together so that they share the load applied at the outer tower. This gives you twice as much material to deal with the same cornering force and helps reduce fatigue stress in this area.
Exhaust: Adding Dual exhaust will give you a 20 HP increase if you remove the Y pipe and run the pipes right off the exhaust manifold, or X pipe or H pipe it... The mufflers that you choose will do nothing besides change sound. Exhaust tips just add sound and not HP.
This is just a list that i compiled... Please feel free to add to it
Was wondering if you could give me a little more insight on the 4.10 gears for the auto tranny. How beneficial might this be? And I never knew you could even upgrade the gears on an automatic. Let me know.
Was wondering if you could give me a little more insight on the 4.10 gears for the auto tranny. How beneficial might this be? And I never knew you could even upgrade the gears on an automatic. Let me know.
well its not the gears in the trans.... its the gears in the rear end....
the 4.10 gears will spin your tires faster than they do now...
if you are runnin a higher Hp motor you might not want to go with the 4.10's because you will have no traction... and what good is all that power if all you doing is burning out.... so then I would go a step lower to the 3.73's
but yes you willm notikce a big difference with the 4.10's... stock they will put you in your seat a little more...
Well 4.10's and other gear ratios are good, if you dont plan to get a super/turocharger... since you will want your car to stay in the power band for longer times. It really depends on what you plan to use the car for... what are you goals... Budget...
Was wondering if you could give me a little more insight on the 4.10 gears for the auto tranny. How beneficial might this be? And I never knew you could even upgrade the gears on an automatic. Let me know.
racing from a stop light gears are good.
racing from 50-100 gears are bad.
gears also knock off some gas mileage, especially 4.10's. Opting to go with gears depends on what you use the car for, in and around the city they are not bad but open highway cruising they become a nusiance.
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2002 v6 manual, SSM P&P Heads, Comp Cam from SSM, and some other stuff full list in profile.
214 RWHP, 215 RWTQ
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so" -Ronald Reagan
may be more i dono, but i know they make good SC kits for the 3.8
or you could go to the stock SC from the thunderbird
eaton m90
there are a couple more that make kits but those two are the best.
The Eaton M-90 can only be used on pre 99's and require a lot of fabricating; they also don't have huge HP gains but have a lot of torque gain.
With procharger and vortech 11 psi is the safe limit on the stock heads and pistons, and even at 11 psi it is not good for daily driving.
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2002 v6 manual, SSM P&P Heads, Comp Cam from SSM, and some other stuff full list in profile.
214 RWHP, 215 RWTQ
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so" -Ronald Reagan
may be more i dono, but i know they make good SC kits for the 3.8
or you could go to the stock SC from the thunderbird
eaton m90
There's also a powerdyne kit, too.
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Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,his upper rooms by injustice,making his countrymen work for nothing...Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar?Did not your father have food and drink?He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy,and so all went well...But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain,on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion. Jer 22:13, 15-17
Increasing the stock gear ratio on your car will increase acceleration while DEcreasing top end speed. It will also increase fuel consumption, lower gas mileage.
Most V6 Mustangs did not come with an LSD, so if/when you decide to buy one, this owuld be the time to have new gears installed. They are already taking apart the differential so no sense in paying twice for something they are already doing.
you could also add the long tube headers, dont they perofrm better than the shorties?
altho the shorties are direct bolt on, with the long tube you need your exhaust made to fit...
Shorties are direct bolt on, but the V6 exhaust manifold is prob one of the best stock manifolds ever made. The tubular design is very efficient.
The shorty headers can range is -1 to +2 hp. That's correct, some actually lose hp. With the shorties, you dont have to worry about relocating the CATS or installing an aftermarket high-flow CAT. You also don't need to worry about 02 sensor relocation.
If you get long tube headers, depending on your local laws, you may need CATS and the 02 sensors. Aftermarket high-flow cats can run $100 - $250 a pair. 02 sensors extension cables cost about $35 each. You could also get a fake 02 sensor that trick the ECM into thinking it is working, but those still cost $50 each. When you have the V6, you have 4 02 sensors, so with the long tube headers you are looking at:
$150 for 02 sensor extension cables, buying new CATS $250 or reloacating your stock ones FREE.
Don't get me wrong, you will add quite a bit more HP, just make sure youhave all the additional cost variables first.
Shorties are direct bolt on, but the V6 exhaust manifold is prob one of the best stock manifolds ever made. The tubular design is very efficient.
The shorty headers can range is -1 to +2 hp. That's correct, some actually lose hp. With the shorties, you dont have to worry about relocating the CATS or installing an aftermarket high-flow CAT. You also don't need to worry about 02 sensor relocation.
If you get long tube headers, depending on your local laws, you may need CATS and the 02 sensors. Aftermarket high-flow cats can run $100 - $250 a pair. 02 sensors extension cables cost about $35 each. You could also get a fake 02 sensor that trick the ECM into thinking it is working, but those still cost $50 each. When you have the V6, you have 4 02 sensors, so with the long tube headers you are looking at:
$150 for 02 sensor extension cables, buying new CATS $250 or reloacating your stock ones FREE.
Don't get me wrong, you will add quite a bit more HP, just make sure youhave all the additional cost variables first.
A tuner can eliminate the down steam 02's as they are not needed
you only need the upstream for the EEC to adjust the A/F .
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660.0 RWHP 583.0 Ft. lb's trq. @17.4 PSI
11.584@124.58mph( Old set up)
2002 V6 3.8 liter.
T-5 G-Force Dog Ring
Custom T-80 Turbo built by Delk Performance
The most popular V6 Mustang Upgrades 
