[godochaos]

Let me begin by stating some things up front:
1). New to Muscle cars
2). Never drove a Mustang
3). Not much experience with Ford
4). Not an experienced mechanic.

So.... I bought a Mustang GT Automatic. I love it a lot, but i've already caught the fever of wanting more, and so i've been planning some mods.
I know I don't like the throttle response at all, and think it can be much improved.

Planned:
CAI, and Tune= i'm confident I can handle this.
Pulleys = I can't do, but have a neighbor I trust, so im ok there.
Gears = This is where I have questions. With an automatic I have 3.33's I think. I get that this will need to be done in a shop and will cost about 500ish. Is a 3.73 or 3.90 the way to go for a daily driver N00bie. Or is 4.10 going to be awesome and why spend so much $ and make the change only to do a modest change. Is 4.10 too much muscle for a daily driver???
Throttle body = Do you need a custom tune? could a non expert make the tune adjustments for this ?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[discofan]

Dear Godochas,

Since you just bought the car and you have never driven a "Muscle Car", my first advice would be to drive it awhile and get accustomed to the way it handles and the power...

When you feel comfortable with the car, begin by getting a CAI and tuner such as a Diablo or X-Cal and tune the car...

Next thing you may want to do is to open up the exhaust system because now that you have a CAI and tune which allows more air to get into the motor, a better and freer exit for all those gases would be my choice...

You can probably change the mufflers by yourself however I had my friendly neighborhood muffler shop do all my exhaust work... Yes, at a price!!!

Thirdly, a gear change from the stock 3.31s would certainly help to push your rocket better...

This is where highway vs. city performance and mileage come into play...

A 4.10 gear would be great but your highway performance may suffer...

I run an automatic and chose the 3.73 gear change because I think that it gives me the "Best of Both Worlds" and because I plan to supercharge later thus a 4.10 may be too much gear for the automatic. with S/C..

This process should definitely be done by a qualified shop that guarantes their work... The price for a set of Ford Racing Gears and installation can run almost $600.00 in my city but if you live in a smaller town much less...

In all, change your car gradually and you will understand what performance is gained by each modification...

Good Luck, Dave :drink:

P.S. There are several other mods to consider if you have the money!!!