How to get more HP/torque out of the 2011 GT 5.0

11475 Views 40 Replies 16 Participants Last post by JediDave, Sep 19, 2016

pokerplayer7784

Discussion Starter · Sep 4, 2016

Hey guys, picked up a 2011 GT 5.0 and planning ahead for next summer.

What would you guys recommend to get some more HP/torque out of this? I see a lot of people recommend exhaust/CAI/tune to start.
The car came with a flowmaster axleback exhaust installed which does nice. Would you guys recommend replacing that with a catback exhaust, or is it not worth the $$?

Thanks!

1 - 20 of 41 Posts

LosAngelesGT

· #2 · Sep 4, 2016

My eyes are starting to bleed from seeing so many different variations of this question.
I wouldn't personally replace the axle-black exhaust with a cat-back, the stock tube's flow fine -- i.e. it would be a lot of money for like a 2 horsepower gain if that.
I would recommend a tune forsure, followed by long tube headers, followed by a boss intake or cobra intake with a matching CAI.
The 2011 GT doesn't respond to CAI and Cat-back like my 03 GT would have. The stock CAI and tubes flow pretty well already.
For more details, don't hesitate to search the forums. I myself asked a similiar question a while back trying to get my 5.0 to 500 at the crank with bolt ons.

JediDave

· #3 · Sep 5, 2016

It will cost you thousands of dollars to get any type of extremely noticeable HP gains. Once you achieve the added HP, then the need of added dollars for required suspension mods....the money pit will continue until your credit cards are maxed, and your frustrated wife sends you the divorce papers to sign.

If you want max power with all the proper factory supporting technology to put it to the ground, sell/trade you Mustang and get a 13-14 Shelby. At that point, you'll be able to outrun 90% of the cars produced on this planet in both 0-60 and quarter mile; no other mods needed. All you got to do is make that monthly payment, which will more than likely be less than trying to modify your old Mustang.

On the other hand, you could just count your blessings with what you have and go out and enjoy it; maybe install a Ford ProCal tune and call it a day!

JediDave

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noldevin

· #4 · Sep 6, 2016

JediDave said:
It will cost you thousands of dollars to get any type of extremely noticeable HP gains. Once you achieve the added HP, then the need of added dollars for required suspension mods....the money pit will continue until your credit cards are maxed, and your frustrated wife sends you the divorce papers to sign.

If you want max power with all the proper factory supporting technology to put it to the ground, sell/trade you Mustang and get a 13-14 Shelby. At that point, you'll be able to outrun 90% of the cars produced on this planet in both 0-60 and quarter mile; no other mods needed. All you got to do is make that monthly payment, which will more than likely be less than trying to modify your old Mustang.

On the other hand, you could just count your blessings with what you have and go out and enjoy it; maybe install a Ford ProCal tune and call it a day!

JediDave

I fail to see how a 20-35k GT (depending if new or used and which options, of course) would cost more to mod than trading in (and losing value on his GT) for a 55-65k GT500.

Pick up a paxton/vortech kit for like 6k and let Lund tune it, drop maybe 1500 into suspension and 600 into a proper rear tire. Done. And much, much cheaper than trading in the car. Did I mention you'd be faster than the GT500 at that point?

If you just want a little more bang for your buck and don't have to worry about emissions inspection, get an offroad midpipe and tune. If emissions are tough in your state, I'd stay away from any exhaust mods other than an axleback. Intakes provide minimal gains, although the new PMAS intake supposedly does very well with a tune.

JediDave

· #5 · Sep 7, 2016

noldevin:

Without going into this all deep and stuff, trying to achieve Shelby GT500 specs with a 11-14 GT is nearly impossible unless one has really big money.

First of all, the 5.0 Coyote is pretty maxed out at 435 hp. Yes, I know, some have just bolted on a Paxton for 600+ rear horsepower and driven off into the sunset. Well, for every success story, there's probably 5 or 6 with screwed up cars. The Boss 302 has some forged internals to handle the extra HP at 445 HP. The Shelby, to handle 665HP, has lots of hardened goodies to keep it at speed. Additionally, its carbon fiber driveshaft allows it to perform at 200mph, 0-6 in 3.5 sec., and the 1/4 mile in 11.4 secs. all in factory trim.

Well, one could take a $30,000 GT and add an Aluminator 5.0 for $8,000, then a Paxton/Vortech at $6,000, installation and tune (unless you do it yourself) around $1,500. Additionally, add specific suspension/tire mods along with the $2,000 carbon fiber drive shaft, then one may, just may, be able to outrun a 2013 Shelby GT 500. However, I seriously doubt that the new fangled, upgraded GT will be able to sustain 200mph.

I've seen 20,000 mile 13 Shelby GT500's in the mid to high 40's. For me, if I want more than my GT/CS can put out, I'm selling and getting a GT500. Additionally, the new fangled upgraded GT with the Paxton and all the upgrades, won't impress anyone, including the bank giving out the loan, when the buyer whips out the NADA book for stated value.

Just my opinion based on a few facts.

JediDave

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Thereaper

· #6 · Sep 7, 2016

A supercharger of choice and a Jon Lund tune will get you what you need OP. A Lund tune will wake up a
stock car with an auto beyond belief.

Reactions: 2

noldevin

· #7 · Sep 7, 2016

JediDave said:
noldevin:

Without going into this all deep and stuff, trying to achieve Shelby GT500 specs with a 11-14 GT is nearly impossible unless one has really big money.

First of all, the 5.0 Coyote is pretty maxed out at 435 hp. Yes, I know, some have just bolted on a Paxton for 600+ rear horsepower and driven off into the sunset. Well, for every success story, there's probably 5 or 6 with screwed up cars. The Boss 302 has some forged internals to handle the extra HP at 445 HP. The Shelby, to handle 665HP, has lots of hardened goodies to keep it at speed. Additionally, its carbon fiber driveshaft allows it to perform at 200mph, 0-6 in 3.5 sec., and the 1/4 mile in 11.4 secs. all in factory trim.

Well, one could take a $30,000 GT and add an Aluminator 5.0 for $8,000, then a Paxton/Vortech at $6,000, installation and tune (unless you do it yourself) around $1,500. Additionally, add specific suspension/tire mods along with the $2,000 carbon fiber drive shaft, then one may, just may, be able to outrun a 2013 Shelby GT 500. However, I seriously doubt that the new fangled, upgraded GT will be able to sustain 200mph.

I've seen 20,000 mile 13 Shelby GT500's in the mid to high 40's. For me, if I want more than my GT/CS can put out, I'm selling and getting a GT500. Additionally, the new fangled upgraded GT with the Paxton and all the upgrades, won't impress anyone, including the bank giving out the loan, when the buyer whips out the NADA book for stated value.

Just my opinion based on a few facts.

JediDave

The only thing I agree with and that really matters is the book value, which only matters if you plan on reselling the car. Cars as an investment is silly, and so is taking the depreciation hit on your GT just so you can trade it in for a car that will hold its value lol

You do not need a built engine or aluminator to be faster than a GT500 and the coyote is FAR from maxed out at 435hp. An 11-14 5.0 can handle 600rwhp (a stock gt500 will sit around there or a little less), and a Boss or 15+ can handle over 700rwhp, with a supercharger or turbo system with a good tune all day, and weigh a good 100lbs less. It will run a better quarter mile time than the shelby, especially if you use a proper tire.

True, you probably won't be able to hit 200mph without a trans swap or very tall rear gear... But where can you do that anyway? Even in the GT500 you need a track with a HUGE straight to get close. If you're doing 200 on the street then you're just plain stupid.

If you're going to talk 40k used Shelbys, don't compare them to a new 30k GT. You can buy a used and already boosted GT for around 27-30k.

Some people get impressed by factory badges and impractical top speed numbers. I'd be more impressed with a car that someone put the effort into building on their own.

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FuelforFire87

· #8 · Sep 7, 2016

+1 on the lund tune and supercharger. Best mod i have done to my stang. If you don't have money for a supercharger at least do long tube headers, axleback and tune. that should net you around 30-40 more HP vs a stock 5.0. These motors are far from being maxed out in stock form, you just have to make sure you have a reliable tuner (Lund, AED, etc.) as a bad tune can easily break a stock engine. Also be prepared to pay a shop to install the headers as it is not an easy task to accomplish for most people.

Reactions: 2

KenG

· #9 · Sep 7, 2016

noldevin said:
...True, you probably won't be able to hit 200mph without a trans swap or very tall rear gear... But where can you do that anyway? Even in the GT500 you need a track with a HUGE straight to get close. If you're doing 200 on the street then you're just plain stupid....

Has anyone, other than Ford, actually been able to reach 200 MPH in the GT500?

iiiiiiijklmm

· #10 · Sep 7, 2016 (Edited)

KenG said:
Has anyone, other than Ford, actually been able to reach 200 MPH in the GT500?

I don't even know if Ford did it. I feel like I read somewhere that they would have needed an extra few miles to hit it. (let me see if I can find the article) They took it to some airstrip or some crap.

http://www.mustangsdaily.com/blog/2...-shelby-gt500s-200-mph-top-speed-to-the-test/

"So how fast did the 2013 GT500 go? Unfortunately Motor Trend could only push the Shelby to a top speed of 196 mph after two days of testing. Regardless, both Pobst and Motor Trend believe that the car can achieve 200 mph given the right circumstances. “At this point, I think it’s just a matter of a longer straightaway or lower elevation,” Pobst said post-test. After looking over the data Motor Trend’s Kim Reynolds agreed, saying it “seems certain it would’ve [reached 200 mph] at a lower elevation with denser air — despite the greater air resistance.”

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KenG

· #11 · Sep 7, 2016

Ford 'claimed' they did it on the Nardo Ring, but that is a big 14km circle.

JBert

· #12 · Sep 7, 2016

Wow, this thread went off on a tangent quick. I wonder if the OP hasn't been back; or didn't want to re-enter the frackas? (not sure how you spell frackas, LOL)

Yeah there are a thousand threads on the basic mods . . . there used to be a sticky that we could refer these to, but it seems to be gone.

OP -- it sounds like you just want to have some fun with your car, which includes tinkering with it a bit. The aftermarket intake and tuner/tune are the "go to" first mods. However don't expect the big gains that we used to get with an intake because the factory intake is quite good already. The Ford Procal tune is probably a good place to start.

Next you need to think about what you want the car for -- a street cruiser? Drag race track? Road track? There are mods that can improve it for any of those, but they are somewhat different so you need to have some kind of objective in mind.

Also like JediDave said -- it's a really fast car already, you could just have fun with it the way it is.

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JediDave

· #13 · Sep 7, 2016

If memory serves, Car and Driver did several test runs, and the fastest speed they achieved was 196mph.

noldevin

· #14 · Sep 7, 2016

JediDave said:
If memory serves, Car and Driver did several test runs, and the fastest speed they achieved was 196mph.

Correct, but this was on a very hot day in the desert, so it is reasonable to believe the car could probably have done 200 if it was 20 or 30 degrees cooler

02_GT_5spd

· #15 · Sep 8, 2016

[/QUOTE] I'd be more impressed with a car that someone put the effort into building on their own.[/QUOTE]

Ditto.

I took my GT, stiffened the chassis, built the suspension, added power, and now I've got RWHP numbers that are on par with the 13-14 GT500s and 1/4 mile timeslips that are pretty close, all for significantly less than the cost of a new GT500 at the time, or even a used one currently. Plus I enjoyed building the car just as much as driving it.

145566

· #16 · Sep 8, 2016

Poor bazturd came in asking which bolt-ons to get and he was told to just buy a supercar.
The gist of the responses is that bolt-ons are ok, but they're not that ok. They'll give you something to do on an afternoon while installing and they'll make you feel like you're "keeping the hobby alive." However, the power gained vs the amount of money spent is sht. It's always been that way with bolt-ons. Even when the motors were restricted and slow, bolt-ons didn't help much if any. The reason they didn't help is because the parts that one would consider a bolt-ons weren't really causing the restriction.
If you want to knock off hundredths and maybe tenths of a second off of a 1/4 mile, bolt-on and tune away. If you want a big jump in power you gotta get a blower.
If you don't care that your car runs a 12.67 and not a 12.55 1/4, and if you don't have supercharger money then I'd probably leave it well enough alone. You already have mufflers for some rumble and that's about all a catback gets you. A good set of tires would do you some justice though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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JediDave

· #17 · Sep 8, 2016

Yeah, I've got a few mods myself, but I'm under no illusion that they'll put me into Shelby GT500 domain, unless I spend big money.

There was a poster here from the Netherlands a year or two ago that had just purchased a new GT, and immediately got the mod bug for more power and bolted on a supercharger and got it tuned. He stated that by the end of the street, the engine kissed good bye....he blamed the tune. If memory serves, the dealer wouldn't cover under warranty, so he had to pay for a new engine and installation out of pocket....I could feel his pain through the keyboard. Should have bought a Shelby!

The point it, extreme power comes with risk, and for those that play, they better be in the position to pay, when things go south. The aftermarket folks make it all sound so easy, if only it was!

For me, I'm more than satisfied with my GT/CS and its power output. Hell, I've almost put her in the ditch on a couple of occasions with those horrible factory all seasons. I don't know what I'd do with a Shelby GT500....maybe take a class on its launch control program.

Anyway, if I ever get that "need extreme power," I'll sell my GT/CS and invest an additional $20,000 into a low mileage 13-14 GT500. At least I'll then own a 665hp supercar that will retain its value, and have some reliability to it. Besides, what's an additional $20,000 anyway??? At 3.99% it won't be that much more that what I'm paying now. mystery.gif

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CDN5.0

· #18 · Sep 8, 2016

Best to come up with a step by step plan and an end goal - so don't spend a bunch on an intake if you're gonna put a blower on it - exhaust upgrades first - unless you decide to go centrifical in which case get an intake that likes boost - Google "Department of Boost" and read it all - it brings cooling and reliability in to play - mostly just have fun with it - that's the point of these cars.

Scott

noldevin

· #19 · Sep 8, 2016

It would be nice if we could all say "hey, what's 20k?" but that is simply not the case lol

JBert

· #20 · Sep 8, 2016 (Edited)

JediDave said:
. . .I'm under no illusion that they'll put me into Shelby GT500 domain . . . Anyway, if I ever get that "need extreme power," . . . .

Where did all this "Shelby GT500 domain" and "extreme power" stuff come from?

OP was just talking about a tune, CAI and maybe cat backs, LOL . . . :grin:

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