Reading some other threads, I started thinking about this. No one likes spending the money twice and people forget that mods are application specific. My car is a dally driver. I used to put 20,000 miles per year on it. Now its around 10,000. I spend a lot of time in the car. I like drag racing and so my car will occasionally go to the track. But not a lot. I'm not interested in the twisties and while I don't really push the corners hard. People also have different tolerance levels to things. What one hates another loves.
This thread isn't meant to become an argument over what's good and what's not. That's relative to the individual. But what mod have you disliked to a point of replacing it?
Mods that I regret:
.....1. The Original Flowmaster 40s. The drone killed my ears going down the interstate. I tolerated it for two years then had them cut out and Magnaflows welded in. I like my commute to work much better now.
.....2. UPR ProSeries UCA/LCAs with Spherical bushings. Great control arms but the NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) was more than I expected. It's OK at 55-60 but really irrates me at interstate speeds and the rear end of the car (trunk lid I think) creaks and groans going over bumps in town. I shouldn't have gotten the metal on metal bushings but should have gone with poly LCAs. I'm seriously looking at the CHE LCAs. I also should have left the stock rubber bushings in the differential instead of putting in metal spherical one. Its going to cost around $400 to undo what I have done.
Mod where I believe I wasted money:
.....1. Long-tube headers and catted x-pipe. About $1,000 for parts and a couple of hundred to have them installed. Saw absolutely no gain on the dyno (but they were different dynos). Others have see a 10 rwhp/rwtq gain throughout the power ranges. I believe that a simple off-road mid-pipe would have posted the same gains.
I am on my third mustang and I wish that I would have started with a convertible. I always thought they were heavy and slow, but I did not realize they were only 150lbs heavier. The convertible is more fun to drive around in my opinion. I also fit a lot better in the convertible with the top down.
Don't get me wrong, I like having a 'vert, it's just that for what I've done to the car a hardtop would've been a much better starting point. Plus, my top is pretty haggard, misaligned, and at this point I might as well just pull the whole assembly out as I never put it up.
Im not one to buy one but a plenum spacer can't believe a company markets that part. Also the dormant intake manifold, why would a company market a part that is such low quality and can't follow factory specs so it hinders performance.
My biggest regret with my car is buying an automatic. At the time I thought it was what I wanted, but it's not...at all. Granted, I've had my car for 5 years now and plan on swapping the trans as soon as I'm back from this deployment. The 2v thing sucks, but that's my fault. Had I researched at all what-so-ever, I could have bought a Mach or a 99/01 Cobra for what I paid for my GT.
Only regret was buying a MAC catback exhaust system----garbage! They even welded crudely bent concrete rebar for the hanger brackets. I called the factory and wasn't able to communicate with the guy-----language barrier. I did understand the "we no care" part. In case anyone doesn't know, they have new owners. Luckily, the place I bought it from took it back.
I wound up using the stock exhaust pipes with Magnaflow mufflers----it's the perfect combination.
Jlt ram air intake Hits EVERYTHING had to shave it down to fit it around my strut bar and so it didn't hit my oil fill and brake it off again I got so fed up I took my stock intake tube drilled a hole in it for my fogger and left the cone filter on it
Ive kicked myself in the all 3 times I've been pulled over for tinted tail lights. They say they are too dark. Now I gotta wet sand em down some and clear coat them,or buy new ones. And the 4 inch cowl hood on my car ,it was on it when I bought it but ide rather swap it out for a different one(hint,hint). It had a purpose cuz the car had a logan sheetmetal intake but I took that thing off too because it actually hurt the car with stock heads and cams.
I have dumped a lot of money into it and haven't been happy yet. Not my turbo hadls a leak. It's just one thing after another. I with I had a mach one or something to put exhaust and wheels on so I had a fun dd then the 2v to mess up
I'd have to say the off road x pipe I recently put in has been a
My worst mod so far. Sounds like pure ass with the cheap exhaust that came on it when I bought it so now I either have to put the stock one back on or change the cat back cause I can't seem to move this stupid x pipe for the life of me: I can't pass emissions cause the light just comes on over and over I have to ride with the tuner in my back seat and if smells like gas everytime I stop at a light. Only positive thing was the power gain up top that was actually felt quite a lot. Mods I loved flsfc, mgw shifter, 3.73 gears and LCA. So I'm at 4-1 for ones I like to ones I hate but now my car really sounds bad it was better before the x pipe.
I regret nothing... and I have every thing made for the car. I guess I understand and accept that there is very little power gain, but they do work together. I also don't DD my car so that makes a difference.
Looking at the picture in your signature, my guess it is that your regrets would be close to none for that reason. But, you may have bought the wrong suspension parts or the wrong tires and had to replace them.
Gonna jump on this one. Overall I'm happy with all of my mods except two. My Steeda solid steering rack bushings had to be pounded in with a Big F'ing Hammer. They work great now they're installed, but it took forever getting them in. Also, my Steeda adjustable rear sway bar was a pain to install, didn't stay in place, and didn't work at all. On the positive side, I just installed a Maximum Motorsports PHB. Excellent craftsmanship, excellent instructions, fits perfectly, and works great.
Going with a BBK X pipe originally. Thing sounded like a tin can with rocks in it. Also, going with a Dorman intake before installing the true Ford Racing one. Dorman was a pos.
I wish I could just buy a 2013 GT500 and be happy. Just exhaust, and not have to worry about dumb problems. I love my car, but its getting older now. 2003, 103k miles, and I can tell its going to start having those little annoying problems. Debating on what I want to do with it, either build it, or sell it and buy something different.
Worst mod, BBK X pipe. Holy **** that thing sucks so bad its not even funny. I regret signing the paper to finance this car without talking them down on price. Interest raped me.
Overall I'm pretty happy with everything ive done too my car. I'm mad i didn't wait one year for me to get out of college and spend the money i spent on my gt and took a loan out on a powerstroke or a old fox body to turbo. But having a car like this was fun as hell in highschool. Still being 18 years old and reading all this helps me a lot by what i wanna do and everything. Only thing i regret was putting red led dome lights in bcs i broke the dome light and costed me 75 bucks
1. I bought off road x pipe in my old 00 mustang gt and then ended up moving to northern Va... The shop did some custom work and made a couple welds so that that thing wasn't coming off.
I was in a bind, I couldn't pass emissions and sold the car for less than the cash for clunkers deal (which came out a few months later).
2. I paid a shop to custom paint the interior from that ugly grey to black and silver. Anyways, it looked like crap and after a year the paint started cracking and then flaking off. The shop that did the work had closed down.
3. A friend of my Dad owned a shop and gave me a killer deal on a paint job. It looked great the first few weeks, until I got a chip and bright red showed through! Evidentally, he didn't sand to the metal. Slowly, the car started to show more wear and I was no longer satisfied. Bottom line, you get what you pay for:
5. Flowmaster 40s series... if you ever want to have a conversation in the car, whether it be with a passenger or via phone, I would suggest not getting Flowmaster 40s
A lot of people have said this. Lol me included. I agree man.
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