[thedrummer021]

Hello everyone, this is my first post and I'll try to stick to basics. I'm considering a few mods for my currently stock 05 GT and would like to see if you guys can give me some feedback and possibly save me from some bad choices... First, I am planning on purchasing a Borla cat-back kit and am wondering if anyone has had good/bad experiences with Borla and their performance. Ive been browsing the mustang magazines and plan on making the initial standard 3 mods which seem to be best- underdrive pulleys (Steeda was my first choice), cold air intake (again Steeda) and exhaust. Ive been told by the guy who i intend to use to tune and install these mods to not be fooled by the horsepower claims of the manufacturers. He said he dyno'd many 05 GT's and found, at the most, about 261 stock HP at the wheels. he also said the horsepower claims of most of the aftermarket parts producers are taken from the flywheel rather than where they count. He said that if I plan on getting any more than 310 at the wheels I would have to go to a supercharger, which I am hesitant to. Any thoughts for the rookie?

 

[fast05stang]

First off, welcome to the forum. Secondly, I have an '05 GT with Borla exhaust, JBA headers, and a Bassani off-road x-pipe. When I just had the Borlas on, it sounded nice!:happyhapp What are you going for, a clean, tuned sound, or loud exhaust? The Borlas will make it louder, but not much. Instead, it gives it a healthy, more muscular, tuned sound. I got so many thumbs up and compliments on my exhaust (both Mustang and non-Mustang drivers). Well worth the money. The only downside is that they're kind of a pain to align the tips, but no big deal.

And if you want 300+ horsepower at the wheels, you can do that without a blower or turbo. There are guys on here pushing that power NA. There are so many mods for our cars. Just find the right combination, and you'll gain the most power. But get parts that work with what you're trying to accomplish...don't just piece them together. Sorry for the lengthy response, but hopefully I answered what you wanted to know.

Peace.

 

[fast05stang]

P.S. You're buddy was right. Don't be fooled by exhaust HP gains. Borla claims, what, 5-15% increases? Yeah right! Try 1-2%. But I didn't get it for the power. I got it for the sound. However, if you do more mods to the engine and intake, the power your exhaust will produce.

Peace.

 

[thump_rrr]

Hello everyone, this is my first post and I'll try to stick to basics. I'm considering a few mods for my currently stock 05 GT and would like to see if you guys can give me some feedback and possibly save me from some bad choices... First, I am planning on purchasing a Borla cat-back kit and am wondering if anyone has had good/bad experiences with Borla and their performance. Ive been browsing the mustang magazines and plan on making the initial standard 3 mods which seem to be best- underdrive pulleys (Steeda was my first choice), cold air intake (again Steeda) and exhaust. Ive been told by the guy who i intend to use to tune and install these mods to not be fooled by the horsepower claims of the manufacturers. He said he dyno'd many 05 GT's and found, at the most, about 261 stock HP at the wheels. he also said the horsepower claims of most of the aftermarket parts producers are taken from the flywheel rather than where they count. He said that if I plan on getting any more than 310 at the wheels I would have to go to a supercharger, which I am hesitant to. Any thoughts for the rookie?

Hi,

I'm 100% with you on the Steeda Underdrive Pulleys. They are a quality product. I have them on my car also and they do make a difference .

If you only want to start with 3 mods your intake and your tuning device should be the other 2. Go with the tuning device the person tuning your car uses.
My personal preference is the Diablosport Predator because you can make adjustments trackside directly from the handheld tuner plugged into the car.
More people like the SCT X-Cal-II because it can go a little "deeper" but the down side is to tune it yourself requires loading the program into a computer, modifying it then reloading it into the tuner. I'm not sure if you need to have the "racer" software to make adjustments.

As for the intake the Steeda is a good one but my personal preference is the C&L Trueflow system more for its' looks more than anything else.

My Engine Compartment

 

[johney5]

hey thump rr, your engine compartment looks great...are the tops of te struts add on parts?

 

[thump_rrr]

hey thump rr, your engine compartment looks great...are the tops of te struts add on parts?

Thanks,

That's the Steeda Billet Strut tower Brace. P/N 555-5725 (fits GT only)

 

[stlwagon]

Hello everyone, this is my first post and I'll try to stick to basics. I'm considering a few mods for my currently stock 05 GT and would like to see if you guys can give me some feedback and possibly save me from some bad choices... First, I am planning on purchasing a Borla cat-back kit and am wondering if anyone has had good/bad experiences with Borla and their performance. Ive been browsing the mustang magazines and plan on making the initial standard 3 mods which seem to be best- underdrive pulleys (Steeda was my first choice), cold air intake (again Steeda) and exhaust. Ive been told by the guy who i intend to use to tune and install these mods to not be fooled by the horsepower claims of the manufacturers. He said he dyno'd many 05 GT's and found, at the most, about 261 stock HP at the wheels. he also said the horsepower claims of most of the aftermarket parts producers are taken from the flywheel rather than where they count. He said that if I plan on getting any more than 310 at the wheels I would have to go to a supercharger, which I am hesitant to. Any thoughts for the rookie?

Welcome... Here's my two cents. This should put you over 300 rwhp (or darn close).

1. CAI & tune (do at same time, don't do CAI without the appropriate tune). (15-30 rwhp depending on CAI brand and tune)
2. 4.10 gears (no HP gains but much quicker out of the chute)
3. underdrive pulleys (10-15 rwhp)
4. Exhaust is a nice touch for sound but no real HP gains without headers, x-pipe etc. (maybe 5-7 rwhp)
5. Electric water pump is also something that folks have been experimenting with. (up to 15 rwhp)