[mediaultra]

Hey everyone..new here...great site..contributed where I could..

My stang gets paid off in 4 days AND I have about 700.00 to spend on her to celebrate!!!

I went to a local tuning shop and asked around there...

I have a 2000 model, V6, headers, CAI, Forza Flow exhaust..that's all I know of that has been done to it.

THEY suggested:

-SCT Programmer with one of their custom TUNES...
-UnderDrive Pulley
-Something about a Mass Air Meter..
-Said my CAI that goes into the fenderwell stock hole gives problems or something because of the bend..suggested something else, not sure what he meant exactly..

I am Definately doing:

-New brakes up front
-New plugs and wires (ANY thoughts on some good ones here?)

The rest is up for debate...Like I said just want to START off the right way...

Looking to get up to around 250-260 horseys eventually...nothing over that so I can stay stock on the engine internals...

Thanks,

Joey Stubblefield

[AtlanticBlue99]

You should get a cam.

what kind of headers do you have? short tube or long tube? it will take more than bolt ons to get 250-260rwhp in a 3.8, but a cam and p/p heads/intake could do it!

gears and t-lok are a must as well.

and your cai is fine unless you want to go s/c or turbo, then you need to just use parts from the kit

[mediaultra]

Short Tubes is what I got....hmmm Cam..I'll research that a bit...

4 days left to make decisions...geez it's like a kid is going in for surgery or something...you know worried about the outcome and all..pins and needles..

thanks,

Joey Stubblefield

[99mustang232]

i have a MAC fenderwell CAI and no issues at all, not sure what they are getting at there? would do the SCT handheld... since you are still pretty stockish i would weigh their price against a board member discounted one from VMPTuning.com they actually specialize in your motor and can do the mail order tune for you, if getting the crank UDP look at the ASP one, as for cams be sure to check out what Mik from RPM-Mustangs.com has to offer or give him a call he will help you pick the proper matching cam for your application.

[Replica R]

Super six motorsports cams. These guys know what they're doing!

[itschristorres8]

well $700 ur not gonna get that 250hp. the biggest hp gain will be long tubes, cam, or p/p heads. those are 20hp about and above. the ASP UD pulley is good too even for your engine. also like AB sed t-loc and gears is a must. if u want 250 hp and ur spinning one wheel, ur gunna have to change that tire like u change underwear.
but i'd say first get all your bolt ons
then the cams and p/p heads.
if you get all that you should see maybe even 300hp not quite sure. but ive heard stage 2 p/p can get u 70 or 80hp.

[AtlanticBlue99]

cam should be last mod to pull everything together and utilize the most out of the setup

[itschristorres8]

thats why i sed ta get those last, i wish i had all my bolt ons then get heads and cams. shoot up a good ass amount of hp!
i wonder how much hp it'd be at
i know it'd beat a GT, but ive got mind set on those dam SRT-4's then when i win...yea its a 6....huh? oh no i dont have a s/c or turbo..ur car just sucks

[turp]

Originally Posted by mediaultra I have a 2000 model, V6, headers, CAI, Forza Flow exhaust..that's all I know of that has been done to it. THEY suggested: -SCT Programmer with one of their custom TUNES... -UnderDrive Pulley -Something about a Mass Air Meter.. -Said my CAI that goes into the fenderwell stock hole gives problems or something because of the bend..suggested something else, not sure what he meant exactly..

They were pretty much right on the money except for the MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor)

SCT makes just about the best flash tuner for the money around. You can get a tune from them or I have heard that Justin at VMP tuning is the man to go to.

U/D Pulleys will help your car get horspower back from the belt drive system by changing the pulley diameter so the accessories will not spin as fast and rob power from the drivetrain. As far as I know ASP makes the best pulleys so I would get those.

A MAF will not give you any real gains unless your car is HEAVILY modded I.E. supercharged, turboed. The stock maf is good to around 300 horspower (I think)

A CAI si about the best you can get unless you go Ram Air from out side the hood. He was probably talking about a short intake which just dumps off right past the TB I don't reccomend it as it pulls hot air in from the motor.

As far as new plugs and wires. You cannot go wrong with autolite platinums. They are cheap, well made, and perform just as good as the expensive brands. STAY AWAY FROM BOSH AND SPLITFIRE! For plug wires I suggest Ford Racing they make a real nice set of 9MM plug wires for the V6. Hope this helps.

[mediaultra]

Thanks for all the input...geez can't wait till the weekends over (dang I have never said that in my life..lol !!!)

Anyway I thinnk I'm going with the:

-SCT XCAL2 Tuner

-Dyno & Custom Tune

-ASP 25% UD Pulley

-New plugs/wires (engines a little shakey when idling was told thats prbably the problem)



Any Idea what 4.10 gears and T-Loc "Should" cost installed on V6 just an estimate? So I can do that next month?...

Thanks,

Joey

[itschristorres8]

I think about $500-$650, well lets see..t-loc is about $200, gears u can for $150. instalaiton for both i'd say $200-$300. if u get free shipping...( www.mustangtunning.com )

if your getting the SCT XCAL 2....whats the purpose for you getting a dyno tune

[mediaultra]

sorry meant one of this guys custom "tunes"...SO youre saying he'll JUST use the SCT and not the Dyno also..??

[itschristorres8]

well he can use both. probably better tune...idk with the SCT u might get the same with out the dyno and u can do it yourself....if u cant do it yourself im sure those here who have it will help. but im guessin it'll come with instructions which will help.
but since i'll be able to tune with the SCT when i get it, i'm just using that. i wont dyno tune anythin until heads and cams .
plus what do u need a tune for?
i dont think u need one for the UD pulley...i might be wrong tho. nor CAI nor exhaust. u'll need a tune for the gears and t-loc though

[Ninjawafers!]

i wouldnt dyno tune your car if you are gonan get the SCT tuner. its kinda pointless since both will be doing the same thing. stick with the X-Cal and dont worry about the dyno

[AtlanticBlue99]

Originally Posted by 3.8Coastie i wouldnt dyno tune your car if you are gonan get the SCT tuner. its kinda pointless since both will be doing the same thing. stick with the X-Cal and dont worry about the dyno

you can tune better with the wideband xcal 2 for 700 bucks and hack into all of the computer controlled stuff. the same can be achieved on the dyno computer software. dyno tuning is much better than sct xcal 2 alone, but an xcal unit and computer software can be used on the dyno for optimal tuning

[Ninjawafers!]

i stand corrected then... my knowldege just expanded

[turp]

Originally Posted by itschristorres8 well he can use both. probably better tune...idk with the SCT u might get the same with out the dyno and u can do it yourself....if u cant do it yourself im sure those here who have it will help. but im guessin it'll come with instructions which will help. but since i'll be able to tune with the SCT when i get it, i'm just using that. i wont dyno tune anythin until heads and cams . plus what do u need a tune for? i dont think u need one for the UD pulley...i might be wrong tho. nor CAI nor exhaust. u'll need a tune for the gears and t-loc though

The tune will optimize a/f ratio and your shift points (for an automatic tran.) I gained the biggest jump in HP over anything else, save s/c or turboing it, when I got my chip tuned

[mediaultra]

Well...

Got my SCT XCAL2 today....

The dealer tuned it with a custom program...

I drove it around most of the afternoon and was unhappy...It seemed to not accelerate (lagging) and then when it went from 1st to 2nd the whole car "lurched" not the good one that high power does by putting you into your seat...

I took it back to the dealer...he wondered if it was single port or split port for a second and then put a tune on it for a split port...I tried that one and DID NOT even get down on the gas pedal..TERRIBLE knocking from the engine...

Went back and he said that he has a "template" tune and he just modified that one....SO what he did this last time is do a tune from scratch filling in the tables one by one....also switching it back to a single port tune..

This SEEMED to work..I'm a little bit happier....BUt unfortunately not $400.00 worth of happy...

I considered getting my money back and going with 4.10 gears, t-loc and underdrive pulley instead..but felt bad...and decided to wait till next month to get that stuff...and kept the XCAL...

Any ideas on this..like how can I tune it myself...program wise...

he tuned it for 93 octane performance....

I THOUGHT the SCT XCAL2 could hold more than just your stock tune and one more custom tune....Why can't I load each gas rating....for when I am using mid grade or 87...???

Is the dealer just NOT doing this by not offering more than 1 custom tune or was i misinformed about the capabilities...

STILL can't get my SPEEDO right....I found out my Rotations per mile for the rear size wheels I have is 776....(285/40/ZR17's) but it's even worse off than before when I do this on the XCAL and reload under user settings....

I am seriously doubting the money I just spent...AND I WAS so HAPPY today since I just finally paid off my car tuesday AND had 4-5 hundred dollars to put into it...now I'm just dreading spending the money...

sorry for the rant...just let down..I mean the give you a PAGE of instructions and half of that is just how to hook it up to the car...

And my dealer (tuner) told me nothing about anything...and obviously couldn't tell how let down I was that my baby goes no faster really....just wanted his $400 I guess..

OH and I REALLY feel dealers should be MADE to email or give you your TUNE FILES...now I feel I am at his whim..and complaining would probably piss off the only tuner we have for 50 miles...


-Joey

[turp]

Contact Justin @ VMPtuning.com he will get you hooked up with a good tune. I am sorry to hear about your dissapointment. It sounds to me like your dealer is not that familiar with the cpaabilities of the x-cal. Give VMP a chance and they will make you happy.

[mediaultra]

Even if I didn't buy from them..hmmm...maybe I found a new dealer..let's hope...

-Joey