03 GT Power Help?

I plan to stay N/A, after I get the tb and plenum you got, cams and heads will be next on my list.

I forgot to say that I have the steeds under drive pulleys as well. What HP will you get from the cams and or heads? When you say heads do you mean headers or something else.Sorry for not knowing the lingo.

Thanks

Grab the new 5.0 Mustangs (October) and flip to page 50 - pretty good overview of 4.6 bolt-ons.
There's a couple of HP to be had in the underdrive pullies (think Steeda, not piggyback ones), also couple of HP by switching to synthetic oil and fluids. There's more HP available w/the RIGHT aftermarket cam, and even more by having your cylinder heads (or exchange) ported and fitted w/higher perf. vavle springs. You've done the cheap stuff - it gets more expensive from here. Research a lot. Expect 20+ hp w/mild cam set, or more w/something a bit hotter, and easy 30 hp+ from a set of decent cylinder heads. You can probably pick up some noticeable HP from your existing combo w/a programmer or chip. Depending on your goals, some gain is always availble from weight reduction and moving battery to rear. Run a 180 thermostat and keep your tire pressure correct.

some gain is always availble from weight reduction and moving battery to rear

How would moving the battery to the rear adding hp? sorry if i missunderstood what you typed

moving the battery would give better traction where its needed....above the rear passenger tire.....what about exhaust, do u have a mid pipe/catback.....those might show some nice gains and will make your stang sound nicer....cams and heads (cylinder heads) are a great mod, but are also pricey.....check out www.VTengines.com for some cam/head packages....i know patriot performance ports heads also....u might also want to investigate a handheld programmer like meatball suggested.....also, what about traction..some control arms might help u better get the power to the ground....

Guys,

Thanks for all the advise. I have ahd people tell me that I can get anywhere from 30 to 60 hp from cams alone. With what I have already done to the 03 mustang gt, what can I really expect(HP at the wheels wise) to get from changing the cams. Any type of cams you would reccommend.
Thanks,
C

ctcrane2119 said:

Guys,

Thanks for all the advise. I have ahd people tell me that I can get anywhere from 30 to 60 hp from cams alone. With what I have already done to the 03 mustang gt, what can I really expect(HP at the wheels wise) to get from changing the cams. Any type of cams you would reccommend.
Thanks,
C

Click to expand...

-- Ability of cams to make power hugely dependent on overall breathing ability of motor. So, on mild motor w/just bolt-ons the HP you get will be lower as opposed to a motor w/excellent ported heads or with a power-adder (supercharger, etc.) Anything but basic cams (for example, Comp Cams XE262AH) will suggest/require that you also upgrade valve springs as the cams will produce their biggest gain in higher rpms. I still think 15-25hp is reasonable estimate of gain on your motor w/o going to valve springs or ported heads. Guys here seem partial to VT cams but do search here for cams and will get many other suggestions. You can make the car pretty unpleasant to drive and hard to tune by using "too much" cam. Do some reading at www.vtracing.com or http://www.compcams.com/

Cams work

Meatball is right (as usual) but a little extra info - budget for adding pair of street cams, stronger springs and retainers to prevent valve float would be about $900 for parts and $1000 for labor (www.modularpowerhouse.com has some pricing for things like sc installs, etc). 5 angle valve job and port smoothing on your heads at the same time would add $750 - $1000 depending on extent of port work.

As you can see, simply "doing heads and cams" can run you into nearly $3000 real fast - and net you maybe 60hp in the end.

Centrifugal blower without intercooler - only a little more money...

Choices, choices...

definately agree w/3Black - all gets expensive fast. Cheapest approach would be to spray the car. A set of Comp 262AHs could be run w/o the suggested valve springs and net some HP - price depends on your access to family, friends, etc that may be able to assist you w/some cheap labor. If paying someone to to cams/heads, etc, it's a big step $$-wise and a blower becomes more attractive. You have to determine goals and figure out how to get there.

So it looks like I need to just save up for supercharger? What can I get from a simple set of comp cams? Is it even worth it to just do the cams. I guess I am just in a hard place. I want to increase HP. With everything I have done- what is the best way to get another 30 to 60hp without putting in a supercharger. As you can see I am hungry for HP but do not currently have the budget for a supercharger. Help ME!!

Smaller cam profiles like the 262's CAN be installed without new springs and retainers, and even without removing the heads from the car (though my old mechanic soul tells me that this is not the RIGHT way to do it). This saves a ton of money, dropping the cost to something like $900 total. You'll pick up about 15, maybe 20 hp. Be advised you need to find a shop that knows mod mustangs and has the tools to do the cam swap without pulling the heads. If you don't belong to a local MCA club (mustang club of america), do a google and see about joining. Lots of networking, and local info about where to get your car fixed.

If I install these what kind of idle will I have- does it improve sound as well as HP and if they do not have to the springs what does this normally cost. Do you beleive it is worth the money. Thanks for your help.
Carey

The way the heads are made really lends itself to cam swaps without yanking the heads off. The hardest part is releasing the spring tension without roatating the cam and / dropping a valve into the cylinder.

I just had a guy reccomend that I put XE270AH Comp cams in my 03 mustang. He said the springs would need to be changed for better daily driving. He said it would get me to 300 hp and would sound real mean. WIll it need to be tuned and does this sound right. I want to get them but I would like you alls opinon.

THanks,
Carey

I'd also look at VT cams (http://www.vtengines.com/) but call them and talk to them about 1) their suggestion for cams given mods to your car 2) some idea on availability - getting cams has been a problem lately. Yes, probably sound good, maybe lose a little low-end grunt but good higher RPM power. Most definately require good tune.