[Guest]

There was a similar post a while back asking everybody to rate their mods. It was pretty informative but it seemed catered to mostly performance mods. At the risk of getting flamed for this, I'd like to ask again and get some brutally honest feedback regarding any and all mods you all have done to your 2011+ Mustangs (anything you have done since you bought the car - interior, exterior, engine, suspension, audio, brakes, tires, wheels, exhaust, etc). We've all been suckered in and have wasted money at some time or another on a part that just didn't live up to it's claims and I'm just as guilty as anybody else! This new Mustang has a lot of potential for personalizing and aftermarket upgrades and a lot of companies are trying to cash in on this, so I'm just trying to get a feel for what is worth the money and what is a waste of money.

Here's my experiences so far with my daily driver 2011 GT/CS:

Waste:
I wanted brighter interior maps lights and decided to go with the Recon White LED's from Lethal Performance (part number 264200WH). Well, for $24.95 +$11.65 for FedEx delivery I got a pair of pretty crappy blue colored lights that were actually less bright than the factory map lights! From the outside of the car looking in at night it looked pretty cool, but definately NOT something I could deal with on a regular basis.

Worthy:
After reading several reviews both here on AFM and V-LEDS.com I decided to go with the V-LEDS HID 5K White 4 LED 2W HP M-SMT 194 Flank bulbs (194_4_HPF_W_5K) for $19.99 +$6.95 shipping for the pair. Oh my! What a difference from the Lethal Recon's!!! These lights are super white and super bright, almost sterile white!

Waste:
Also from Lethal, I got the UPR Billet Oil Catch Can Separator (part number UPR-5032-23) for $109.95 +$14.87 for shipping. Thinking this was a complete kit ready to go (technically it is) I soon found out that the hoses are complete junk and are the exact opposite hose required for an oil separator for the PCV system! The UPR catch can itself is a very nice piece, but the hoses and adapters shipped from Lethal are junk. Luckily I was able to sell the whole package on e-Bay (but lost about $50 overall).

All in all, NOT a fan of Lethal Performance, they took my money and sent me useless stuff, twice...I'm done with those guys!

Worthy:
JLT Oil Separator - Went with the black anodized finish unit for $119.00 +$4.00 UPS shipping. This piece is AWESOME! Looks like an OEM part, comes with Ford OEM fuel lines and connectors, installs literally in less than a minute right out of the box, AND it actually works!!! Caught nearly 2 ounces of oil within the first 1000 miles of using this thing. *FYI* Dealership didn't even notice the part when I took the car in for service!

Worthy:
Ford Racing GT500 Style Axle-Back Exhaust Mufflers from American Muscle (M-5230-MCTCA1) $264.99 w/free shipping. Damn do those mufflers sound good! Not really loud, but definately deeper and slightly louder than the stock exhaust on the 2011 Mustang GT. No drone, simple install, loud enough to notice but not be an "ear-sore" to the neighbors! AWESOME buy! A little bit quieter than I'd hoped, but still a really great sound.

Waste:
Factory Ford OEM MT-82 shifter and bracket.

Worthy:
Put the Barton short-throw shifter and bracket in and my oh my what a difference! I've never felt such a differnce in shifting feel than I have from this combo. I've put in short-throw shifters into all of my manual transmission cars but I can honestly say that I have never felt such a drastic improvement over both the throw length and overall feeling of shift quality than I have from this combo. Well worth the $350.00 for the combo in my opinion.

No noticable NVH increase, but I'm curious if other people have used thread-lock on the shifter bracket bolts?

Also had the MT-82 transmission fluid change performed (TSB 11-3-18) at the same time.

Worthy:
Koni STR.T Shocks/Struts w/Steeda Sport Springs and GT500 upper strut mounts (as recommended by Sam Strano at StranoParts.com). Car handles 10X better than the stock setup. Suspension definately feels stiffer than stock but by no means does it feel harsh. 3600LBS has never felt lighter and more agile than with this setup! My only complaint is that the GT500 strut mounts don't allow for camber adjustment and I'm now at -1.50 which is a little more than I'd care for on a daily driver highway cruiser. Looking at getting the Steeda HD units in the future to fix the excess negative camber so I don't wear out the factory tires prematurely. Best $1600.00 I've ever put into suspension mods!

Worthy:
Smoked front side marker lens from StangMods.com. Dropped $59.95 and got free shipping on a pair of front lenses that are Ford OEM quality. Not sure if they are legal in my state (MD) but I have amber bulbs in them so they light up amber at night. I was looking for the 'blacked-out look' and these smoked lenses on my black car look great! Couldn't be happier.

Waste:
Smoke rear corner marker lens from Klearz.com. Spent about $120.00 total to have these shipped and all in all...not happy. The lenses I received are indeed smoked and they do fit, but the overall quality looks like something an 8th grader could have done while in shop or pottery class. I do have to give the vendor credit since each lense is hand made on an order by order basis, but the pitting in the lens surface and the excess epoxy all around the units just looks really unprofessional and in general poor quality. Will not buy from again. BUT, the rear factory lights do fit into the marker lamps and they are as described, just not by any means near OEM quality.

Well, these are my experiences so far, please share yours! :bigthumbsup

 

[Oak Lawn Chris]

Mine's an 06 GT, but I love my FRPP 4.10 gears. Made the biggest difference for my few mods.

Also love the SCT X3 tuner with Bama tunes. Made the car totally different. Completely new driving experience.

The JLT CAI was also a great mod. I added it last and it added a bit of noticable performance and the sound was a pleasant surprise.

With these few mods, I can spin the tires into 2nd gear, and with the Bama tune I get a nice chirp going into 3rd and 4th(80mph). :bigthumbsup

IMO, if you have an auto, you owe it to yourself to get it tuned.

These things on a 5.0 would make it a Beast.

Dont waste your money on aftermarket throttle bodies, throttle body spacers, the Tornado, any chips that claim big HP gains, or any electric superchargers. These mods have been proven time after time to be fake. And can hurt performance.

 

[manolith]

Lethal performance sells parts like all the other online stores. I dont know why you hold them responsible for a crappy product that they don't make.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[Bald Menace]

Lethal performance sells parts like all the other online stores. I dont know why you hold them responsible for a crappy product that they don't make.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

In my opinion if you're a reputable company and care about that reputation you stop selling parts that are subpar or are not as represented. I'm sure lethal is a good company and they shouldnt let their vendors affect their reputation by selling inferior items.

 

[Onefstpny]

Boss shifter and 401A boot - $76.00 worth every dollar
JLT Carbon Fiber Intake and Evolution Tune - $700.00 best money spent
Roush Axle Backs - $365.00 take the kids to daycare or hit the track, only noticed when you wanna be !
20% tint- keep that black leather cooler

Next on list : JLT oil seperator, Lethal X pipe, and Racestar's
Looking for 11's & handing out ass whippings !

 

[Pigman 440]

aluminum DS $730.00 worth it! Saves about 25 #

off road x-pipe and comp series catbacks from Magnaflow -loud/fun

CAI from Steeda . OK probably no better or worse than others

Brenspeed tune done at their shop-no driveability problems/runs strong

4:10 gear-still get acceptable mileage and great acceleration

 

[Raymax]

Haven't done many mods yet, but here's my current thoughts.

Roush Axlebacks: Worth every penny if you want amazing sound. Maybe not the best performance wise, but they sound wicked. They are also very tame if you don't get into it. I would definitely recommend them.

Roush Shift Ball: While it is simply an appearance mod, I bought it because living in the central US will cause the Stainless shift knob to literally brand the shift pattern into your hand. With the Roush, that problem no longer exists.

POR-15 on the Rear Axle: Again, another appearance mod. However, knowing that my rear axle isn't sitting there rusting away makes me feel all warm and snuggly inside. I think it's worth the 20$ for a can.

That's all I have for now, tomorrow the windows are being tinted, and next month will probably bring a Barton shifter and bracket.

 

[eightdogsbarkin]

My first mod was the Roush axle-backs and I'm glad I did it. Definitely worth the money and they make this musclecar sound like it should. But since I don't drag race this car, I'll be holding off on a tune and CAI for now because it already has a cold air intake and it's still under warranty and this 5.0 has enough horsepower for me for now. The problem with these cars in stock form in a drag race is traction and wheel hop with stock tires and suspension. If you want to be fast on the street or track, first reinforce the suspension and tires, then the motor, in that order.

 

[dafreeze]

GT500 mufflers- major plus

GT500 spoiler, painted and installed by local shop, major plus

Window tinting-max allowed in WA- major plus

Clear bra- major plus

American Muscle 18x10" OE Style Silver 5 spokes w/Pirelli PZero Nero all season 275/40ZR18's- major plus

Sync-(I know, not a mod, but what a sweet feature)-major plus

Unable to comment on Pro Cal portion of FRPP as it's not yet avail for 12's

Pigman, who's driveshaft and I assume you've no balance issues?

 

[Morr5.0]

Yea, what driveshaft?

 

[Longboy]

3 worthys!

2011 V6 Automatic. All three popular mods. Two budget mods. 1) Cans. Pair of 5.0 GT mufflers (Ebay $100 w/ shipping plus $60 inlet size reduction) Better tips and deeper sound. Further modified with baffle bypass. 2) Intake. K&N cone filter. ($45) Joined to factory intake tube with plumbing PVC and hangs over stock open air filter box and clears closed hood. Equals that CAI roar! 3) BAMA 'putor. ($360) 87P tune, cures lazy throttle and soft shifts.:winks Also cosmetic winners for me are Matte black hood bulge spear stripes (Ebay $20) and MCA grille swap. ($270).:bigthumbsup

 

[Fastredponycar]

so far I've tried to do as much research on these parts as humanly possible to avoid any bad experiences or lame products. so far, I'm very pleased with everything so far.

- Barton shift bracket - oustanding improvement in shifter feel

- Steeda shift knob - stylish, comfortable, easy install and not hot after sitting in the sun all day on a 105+*F Alabama summer day

- Koni sports - outstanding dampening characteristics and negotiates heavy bumps, potholes, etc with SO much more composure than the brembo shocks/struts

- Steeda sport springs - nice drop, perhaps a tad on the agressive side if you've got a different lower front fascia or boss splitter but the stance is awesome and the ride comfort is excellent.

- JL audio 5x7 front speaker swap - big difference in the quality of sound and clarity vs the stock shaker 500 front speakers

- JLT oil catch can - probably has caught half a baby food jar's worth of oil so far after about 2500 miles. Literally a 30 second install with OEM quality connectors.

- Air Raid CAI - a few headaches during the install (see my install thread) but the quality of materials and the fit of the setup is flawless.

- Steeda HD strut mounts - **REQUIRE THE USE OF A SPRING COMPRESSOR TO INSTALL!! ** Steeda instructions do not mention this and as a result, had to resort to using the GT500 mounts. This isn't a fault of the product but a simple note in the "required tools" to have a spring compressor would have been nice.

- GT500 mufflers - perfect OEM fit/finish. Would have liked to have seen some higher quality (rolled lip) tips but they sound great, no drone and give the car a much nicer throatier and deeper sound... perhaps a tad too quiet still but for a civilized well mannered OEM like sound, this is what ford should have put on the car from the factory (which seems to be the unanimous comment from guys who have installed these)

 

[The Sheriff]

Almost identical to my wish list. It's nice to know I'm on the right track.

 

[Guest]

Thanks a lot for everyone's input! I'm sorry it took me a while to get back.

As an update, I did order the Shelby/Kicker audio upgrade (complete package) but it's sitting in boxes until I can get back state-side to install it. Although it cost nearly $1300 after shipping I'm hoping it will be a great improvement over the stock Shaker500 system. I'm not looking for audiophile quality sound, just a much needed improvement over the stock Shaker500 system.

I'll post an update once it's installed.

Thanks again for the updates and info about all your experiences!

 

[FirstFord94]

Great idea for a thread. As a total mustang newb who's doesn't yet have his car, but has been browsing many of the major aftermarket websites, I personally appreciate all the feedback being given. Having said that, keep 'em coming!

 

[Sky Hye]

Subscribed! Thanks for the great info and going thru the trouble for us! :smilie

 

[Strange Mud]

Longboy

plz post details on the intake mods:worship

 

[Allentown]

Aside from the shifter and suspension mods you mentioned,(which i like) i would think most mods people do are more of a waste than worthy (not counting a better breathing air-filter ((cheap mod))) because tunes and cai dont do as much for the car as people think and there are tons of posts on here with people who have had problems afterwards.. Add to that that the majority of the percieved power is just from a different throttle response (most of which you can get just by putting your foot down farther..lol) and it's a no go for any real value. Gears also have trade offs...get more power down low and lose it up top..or save the power up top and lose it down low, your choice. It doesnt actually add power and with these things already having 390ft/lb of tq and overpowering the tires..id say it could be a waste to gear a car. (now gears AND TIRES..yea, i can see that-see below). Even the suspension mods (which i like) are a trade off because your back side bears the brunt of having a harder car in every day driving..(but its needed if you track a car...doesnt hurt for dragging either).

Some say the most important part of a performance car is the part that meets the road. Wheels/Tires, can ruin your performance...or they can bring your car up to a whole new level of grip and cornering (assuming you are comfortable turning off/down the DSC/TC that is pre-tuned for the performance of the stock tires.) No.. summer tires are not enough for this car (and the all-seasons dont even come close) and there is a LOT of performance left laying on the table that can be recaptured just by getting very nice tires. Its expensive sure..and they will wear out, but there is a very noticible performance boost to be had without monkeying with the timings of the car or dropping thousands in power adders....(and very little negative drawbacks of upgradign wheels/tires in my opinion).

One other thing you left out which is highly personal preference, (more so than adding any real power) a nice sounding exhaust. Some like it some dont. I get tired of everyone trying to race me so its not for me.

Lastly...driver mods. Taking driving lessons is also a huge performance adder without any drawbacks.

 

[zilla8]

I really dont have anything in the waste catagory.I started off with bolt on's CAI,exhaust,tune all well worth the cost of admission.

over the next year I began stepping up the mods so my combo changed a bit .I sold most of my bolt on's but still have a few things like Aeroforce gauge and JLT oil seperator that I will most likely part with in the future.

by far the best mod has been the Kenne Bell 2.8 blower and ARH longtubes:bigthumbsup

I also have full suspension and forged internals and all I can say is find someone with a blown 2011/2012 5.0 and ask for a ride:worship

 

[Guest]

Aside from the shifter and suspension mods you mentioned,(which i like) i would think most mods people do are more of a waste than worthy (not counting a better breathing air-filter ((cheap mod))) because tunes and cai dont do as much for the car as people think and there are tons of posts on here with people who have had problems afterwards.. Add to that that the majority of the percieved power is just from a different throttle response (most of which you can get just by putting your foot down farther..lol) and it's a no go for any real value. Gears also have trade offs...get more power down low and lose it up top..or save the power up top and lose it down low, your choice. It doesnt actually add power and with these things already having 390ft/lb of tq and overpowering the tires..id say it could be a waste to gear a car. (now gears AND TIRES..yea, i can see that-see below). Even the suspension mods (which i like) are a trade off because your back side bears the brunt of having a harder car in every day driving..(but its needed if you track a car...doesnt hurt for dragging either).

Some say the most important part of a performance car is the part that meets the road. Wheels/Tires, can ruin your performance...or they can bring your car up to a whole new level of grip and cornering (assuming you are comfortable turning off/down the DSC/TC that is pre-tuned for the performance of the stock tires.) No.. summer tires are not enough for this car (and the all-seasons dont even come close) and there is a LOT of performance left laying on the table that can be recaptured just by getting very nice tires. Its expensive sure..and they will wear out, but there is a very noticible performance boost to be had without monkeying with the timings of the car or dropping thousands in power adders....(and very little negative drawbacks of upgradign wheels/tires in my opinion).

One other thing you left out which is highly personal preference, (more so than adding any real power) a nice sounding exhaust. Some like it some dont. I get tired of everyone trying to race me so its not for me.

Lastly...driver mods. Taking driving lessons is also a huge performance adder without any drawbacks.

Thanks for the input! You brought up MANY valid points. Tires on a 390ft/lb 412/hp automobile is a very substantial argument, in the past 10 years only a few cars (exotics) could lay claim to a 390ft/lb factory rating. Now we get this in a turn-key package direct from Ford and not too many tires can handle this! Not to mock you, but isn't it GREAT?!?!