Ford Mustang Forum banner

Power mods

3K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  PMDmustang13 
#1 ·
Hello,

I bit of a newbie here so please bare with me. I have a 2012 GT premium, bone stock. I just bought the car earlier in the week. Only has 13k miles on it.

I'm reading up on power mods, intake/exhaust and a tune. It seems like for the exhaust, all the power is in the headers, which I'm not planning on replacing, so even a catback isn't a good bang for the buck. I think I've decided on the flowmaster outlaws axleback. I'm not sure how much an x-pipe or h-pipe will help with power or is it more for just sound?

On the intake, I've been reading reviews saying a CAI isn't really worth the cost as the stock intake is really well designed. What about a CAI with a Bama 91 race tune? Is it worth the money over just the Bama 91 race tune by itself?

What I'm considering at this point is:
Bama 91 race tune (it's hard to find 93 octane around here)
Flowmaster outlaw axleback (just for sound)

Possibly:
CAI
Boss 302 intake
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Exhaust is largely just going to be louder. Most CAIs are really hot air intakes and don't help, although I think there is one AM CAI that actually helps a bit. The OEM intake is a CAI, and works very well.

I would suggest that you think about what sort of vehicle you want, what want it to do well, before doing anything. For instance; I want my car to be both to drive, but to retain it's Grand Touring capabilities. I want it to drive like what I imagine an Aston Martin drives like. So I'm focused on NVH, suspension and brakes, it's got enough straight-line performance with nothing but a tune.

So take some time to figure out what you want your car to be, what you want to do with it, and then go from there.
 
#3 ·
This will be a daily driver for me. I'd like to add usable low to midrange power of possible. That's why I'm considering the Bama 91 race tune. The flowmaster outlaws will just be for sound.

What I definitely would like to do in near future is the MGW race spec shifter, I'd like to lower the car as well and do some mods to reduce wheel hop.
 
#5 ·
While mine is not a daily driver, I had the same goals in mind and went the same route that you are thinking about. I drive the car aggressively and I am extremely happy with my setup. Actually taking the car to a track (1.7 mile road course) for the first time this spring so I'll really get to see how it handles. Take a look at the mods in my sig to get an idea of what I did. I would highly recommend better/wider tires also.

Rob
 
#4 ·
I have a sct tuner with 91 tune along with a bbk intake
makes a world of a difference
you can really feel the change in performance
scarry fast
cai looks nice too
bought the tuner and intake used for 400 cnd
 

Attachments

#7 ·
Long tubes can make some power but if you want to skip that, mid pipe with cat deletes will make power. Axle back is more for tone vs power like mentioned. Cai and tune will net power too, mostly from tune, but if you want to keep squeezing all you can, get a cai. For the hot box, yes it will suck in hot air and while sitting your iat's will increase but once moving they will drop to ambient to around 10 degrees above. For tuners.. Lund or AED.
If you want the boss im, you'll need a good tuner. And eventually long tubes so it'll exhale better. Also if you have e85 near you, get Lunds or AED's flex fuel tune.
 
#8 ·
It has been said many times here before but I will repeat it: All the power in the world is not worth a darn without proper traction - start with improvements there first unless it is your goal to sit and spin the tires or drift when you did not want to: LCR, adjustable Shocks and good tires are start - I wish someone had told me this when I started!!
 
#11 ·
Unless you are planning the install yourself (7-10 hours) for headers the value proposition is pretty poor compared to offroad h or x pipe. Midpipe is like 1/4 the cost for 90% percent of the gains. Do not let people tell you they buy headers for sound...lol. Car comes factory with tuned, tubular, tri y designed, and 409 stainless headers from factory. Your midpipe back affects the sound.

VMP tuned and offroad X only on a full weight GT/CS auto I was running 12.3's on stock 245's @ 1500 feet elevation. Leaving off idle... ;)
 
#17 ·
As posted previously; forget power, focus on suspension, brakes and tires. A tune will liven the engine up. A BAMA 91 race tune is all that is needed.


Start with a new rear upper control arm to stop the wheel hop, and then go from there. Springs, shocks, roll bars, bushings, brakes, Watts link, etc., etc.
 
#18 ·
I agree with NoVa5.0 but would suggest to go with LCA relocation brackets and lower control arms (LCA's) before going to the upper control arm (UCA) replacement unless your car is already lowered as you will want an adjustable UCA to dial in the pinion angle correctly. The LCA relocation brackets and Poly Bushing LCA's from BMR were easy for me to install in my garage on jackstands, inexpensive, eliminated wheel hop, and increased my traction.

Here are some links if you are interested. There are other good brands out there also. I went with BMR because they have a lot of great aftermarket parts that go hand in hand without any interferences that could be encountered by mixing and matching different manufacturer's products. And their recently released watts link is more economical than any around.

2005 - 2014 Mustang Packages, Suspension, Chassis, Miscellaneous, Bushing Kits, Driveline, Brakes, Safety Equipment | BMR Suspension Products & Parts

Inexpensive LCA's TCA032 - Lower Control Arms, Boxed, Non-adj, Poly Bushings | 2005 - 2014 Mustang | Lower Control Arms | BMR Suspension - High Performance Suspension & Chassis

LCA Relocation brackets CAB005 - Control Arm Relocation Brackets, Bolt-on | 2005 - 2014 Mustang | Control Arm Relocation Brackets | BMR Suspension - High Performance Suspension & Chassis
 
#19 ·
Subscribed. My car is also a daily driver for now and I am interested in some recommended mods also. Doing things to reduce or eliminate wheel hop sound like a no-brainer now that I read it as well as getting a better set of tires.

I am interested to see what mods others say you should start off with.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Bare minimum would be the panhard bar to center the axle and adjustable UCA to adjust the pinion angle. LCA relocation brackets to angle the LCA's properly for traction. You should consider a good upper strut mounts/caster camber plates with adjust-ability such as vorshlag, Steeda, or Maximum Motorsports with GT500 upper mounts and 05-10 style struts. I wish I went the Vorshlag route but satisfied with what I have.

From there you would want shocks and struts compatible with the amount of drop. That would be a thread by itself. Search the forum as you get what you pay for and you pay for what you get. Good coilovers or Bilstein. I went with Strange Adjustable shocks and Struts.

Possibly modify or replace the rear bumpstops. I installed a bumpsteer kit and extended ball joints but not required.

I might be forgetting something right now. You need to spend some time researching.
 
#24 ·
People saying you need to be able to hook and handle are correct. 420 horse stock is pretty damn good. Lower control arms are a good place to start along with a tune. BMR makes quality suspension upgrades at a nice cost. My tune is from Steeda, they arent the most aggressive in their tunes, which is also why they have never had a failure in their tunes. Eventually or right away like myself you'll want a louder car, the GT500 exhaust is a nice place to start. I also did a resonator delete (really makes a difference for real cheap) and added long tube headers with an offroad x pipe. Headers made the car a little faster, but even if it didnt, the sound alone is worth it. I also installed a panhard bar and a strut tower brace, the brace firmed up the front a little, and the panhard bar did a pretty big amount of impact imo.
 
#25 ·
Typically the stock panhard bar is more than sufficient for strength. However if you lower the car you need an adjustable panhard bar to center the rear axle. But when the rear end of your car drops during acceleration your axle will shift to one side. I think it is the passenger side it shifts toward.

If you want an upgrade over the panhard bar then you install a Watts Link as it will maintain the axle centered under the car at all times if adjusted properly.
 
#26 ·
I'm looking at Vogtland springs because I don't want a huge drop and I want to keep the factory rake. 1.2" drop front and rear seems like a good drop for this.

The pan hardbar, which do you recommend? Is this something my local mechanic will be knowledgable enough to not just install, but to adjust properly? Centering the rear axle.
 
#27 ·
Vogtland Sport Springs for the rear are a larger diameter than OEM. I know this for a fact because mine slightly rubbed. Now this might be because I orientated them based on factory recommendations. They may not rub if rotated differently. If you want Vogtland bad enough I have a set of rear springs I would sell you. Shoot me an offer. I can provide you more information and photos of how I had them orientated, where they rubbed, and show you how you could get more clearance if rotated. They did not come with install instructions. Maybe Vogtland customer service has a recommendation for install orientation. I can't imagine that they have not had other people with a rubbing issue and not have a solution.

Panhard bar is very simple to replace. You could do it yourself if you have even minimal mechanical experience. I am removing my adjustable panhard bar this weekend. I believe it is an Ingalls engineering product. I don't know if I want to get rid of it. But I would recommend BMR for an adjustable panhard bar.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top