[krillr]

howdy folks,

im new to the mustang world (actually, the beyond-consumer car world in general) and would like some feedback on my plans before I run out and start my project this summer

First, I should explain what I'm looking for in a mustang:

- A daily driver that turns heads
- A good amount of power for those times nobody is watching, or some dork in a high-end BMW decides to taunt me (hilarious story if anyone is interested)
- Something to play with and learn about working on cars, how to tune them, etc
- Something gorgeous ;-)

So I've pretty much decided on the 2011+ V6, given its low $/HP -- a friend just picked up a mint 2011 for $15k. Question is, what do I do with it once I've got it ;-) These are my planned mods, in order of first thing to last thing:

- Cold air intake (any feedback on which brand I should be looking at?)
- Full exhaust (headers, everything -- see magnaflow's offerings, but intersted in others)
- Tune (Is there a specific company that makes a better tuner setup than th rest?)
- Lowering (1" front, 1.5" rear, struts, mounts, camber plates)
- ProCharger
- 4.10 gears (is this nuts? i'm basing this off an article I read somewhere where this performed well)
- Lighter-weight steel flywheel, carbon-fiber driveshaft (picked CF over aluminum due to decreased cabin noise)
- Aluminum wheels + toyo proxes 1 tires

Miscellaneous things I'm considering to improve look and "cool" factor, and overall long-distance driving experience
- Rear seat removal with full Pioneer stage 4 audio installation, with the subs where the rear seats used to be ;-)
- Full window tinting
- Aftermarket glass roof
- Lambo-style vertical doors

Things I'm just not sure about:
- Brake upgrades
- Strut tower brace
- Other suspension upgrades?!

Is there anything here I shouldn't do? Should do? Should do differently, or in a different order?

Thanks so much

Cheers,
Aaron

 

[SAPony]

Let me just start out by saying this, the amount of money that you are going to invest in this car will be plenty enough to buy a used gt. Do not get me wrong, i personally own a v6.

Now with that stated if you are still interested in a v6 here is my opinion...

Do not go 4.10 gears... Go 3.73 much better gas mileage with almost the same result.
Cold Air intake - K&N, Air Raid... Same **** really

Full exhaust is going to run you a pretty penny if you mean headers and everything. Just a cat back with no headers is around 500-800 bucks. Plus labor if you do not know what you are doing.

Personally i do not think lowering looks good on mustangs just my 2 cents

Tune - I would go with just a hand held tuner to start, then get a dyno tune when you do more significant upgrades


Thats really all i feel like commenting

 

[krillr]

Let me just start out by saying this, the amount of money that you are going to invest in this car will be plenty enough to buy a used gt. Do not get me wrong, i personally own a v6.

The GT fails in the MPG department compared to the v6, which is why I'm thinking the V6 is the way to go. From what I've read, most mods won't significantly impact the gas economy -- I know gears will, but CAI, exhaust, and tune have the potential to offset that I believe?

Do not go 4.10 gears... Go 3.73 much better gas mileage with almost the same result.
Cold Air intake - K&N, Air Raid... Same **** really

I've read somewhere that one should get a "true" CAI -- what precisely does that mean? What should I be looking for to determine whether what I'm buying is a "true" CAI?

Full exhaust is going to run you a pretty penny if you mean headers and everything. Just a cat back with no headers is around 500-800 bucks. Plus labor if you do not know what you are doing.

I've set aside a pretty large budget for this, I'm expecting to sink around $50-60k into the entire setup (sound system and dampening, custom interior and exterior work, plus the mechanical work)

Personally i do not think lowering looks good on mustangs just my 2 cents

I've been told that it improves handling. I've seen a realtime-adjustable set of "springs" that would let me fiddle with things to get the balance of look/handling that I want.

Tune - I would go with just a hand held tuner to start, then get a dyno tune when you do more significant upgrades

Thats really all i feel like commenting

Thanks for the feedback

 

[SAPony]

I mean personally if it were me and i had your budget i would go with a sheet metal intake those are bad ass

 

[97SVT]

If you got that kind of money buy a Shelby

 

[krillr]

I mean personally if it were me and i had your budget i would go with a sheet metal intake those are bad ass

Just did some research on sheet-metal intakes. That's... actually not a terrible idea from what I've read. An intake customized specifically for my heads, and in theory designed to increase power in the range I'm looking for, sounds great. I'll keep looking into that.

If you got that kind of money buy a Shelby

It would cost me about $15k more to get what I want out of the Shelby -- performance isn't all I'm going for, a significant portion of my budget is for custom paint, interior, and exterior work.

 

[ReverendDexter]

The GT fails in the MPG department compared to the v6, which is why I'm thinking the V6 is the way to go.

:no

What sort of mileage do you need to get? What do you think the V6 will get you, and what do you think the GT would?

 

[krillr]

:no

What sort of mileage do you need to get? What do you think the V6 will get you, and what do you think the GT would?

Well, the V6 premium is rated at 19/31, the Shelby at 15/24... yes, that's stock. But I'm hoping that the V6 won't lose too much economy with the mods.

 

[RZNCAIN]

Vertical doors are teh ghey. That is all!

 

[watson]

h
Miscellaneous things I'm considering to improve look and "cool" factor, and overall long-distance driving experience
- Brake upgrades
- Strut tower brace
- Other suspension upgrades?


Things I'm just not sure about:
- Rear seat removal with full Pioneer stage 4 audio installation, with the subs where the rear seats used to be ;-)
- Full window tinting
- Aftermarket glass roof
- Lambo-style vertical doors
!

You entered the stuff in backwards. Thought I'd help ya out

 

[hogasswild]

Why not consider a Lotus Elise or Porsche Cayman? Both can be found at reasonable cost used, get great MPGs and you'd still have enough money to mod them.

 

[ReverendDexter]

Well, the V6 premium is rated at 19/31, the Shelby at 15/24... yes, that's stock. But I'm hoping that the V6 won't lose too much economy with the mods.

Rated and what people get in the real world are very different things. You have to look at what the actual cost difference is going to be for that fuel based on how much you drive and how you drive.

Let's say you can get that full 31mpg vs "only" 24 for a GT. Let's say you drive at least the national average, 1,000 miles per month. In that month, with the GT, you'll need 41.667 gallons, in the V6 32.25. At $4/gallon, you're talking not even a $40 difference in fuel costs between the two. If you're in a position where $40/month makes or breaks you, you're not in a position where you can afford to be modifying a car.

 

[krillr]

Why not consider a Lotus Elise or Porsche Cayman? Both can be found at reasonable cost used, get great MPGs and you'd still have enough money to mod them.

I'm not a fan of the Elise look. I thought about a Cayman, but there's not as much room to work on a Cayman's engine, and there's a much smaller community around it. Also, I've found that I enjoy driving the Mustang more.

As for everyone mocking the tinting, vertical doors, and glass roof... well... hush I've /always/ wanted a car with vertical doors...

 

[krillr]

Rated and what people get in the real world are very different things. You have to look at what the actual cost difference is going to be for that fuel based on how much you drive and how you drive.

Let's say you can get that full 31mpg vs "only" 24 for a GT. Let's say you drive at least the national average, 1,000 miles per month. In that month, with the GT, you'll need 41.667 gallons, in the V6 32.25. At $4/gallon, you're talking not even a $40 difference in fuel costs between the two. If you're in a position where $40/month makes or breaks you, you're not in a position where you can afford to be modifying a car.

For me its not a matter of cost, but attempting to have my fun while being nice to the environment. ;-)

 

[hogasswild]

Don't mind him Aaron, the v8 guys always think it's about cost when it isn't.

As for mods, I'm more of a function over form guy, but here's my mod list: JLT CAI, Bama Tuner (w/ tunes for life), BBK Throttle Body, Dynotech 3.5" driveshaft, Ford Racing 3.73 gears, Eibach Pro Kit springs, J&M adjustable panhard and lower control arms, Boss/PP strut brace, Shelby front sway bar and BMR billet rear sway at end links.

I wouldn't go for the CF DS, I can't hear my aluminum one, plus the dynotech shaft is lighter than the DSS CF shaft. So why pay double? As for gears, 4.10s will give you worse MPGs than a GT. I still get 29mpg with 3.73s if I can stay under 75mph. JLT and Airaid seem to perform best for hp.

On the outside, I got wider wheels, I won't make recommendations since that's subjective. I also got a shorty billet antenna and color matched mirror covers. On the inside, if you're buying used, try to find a premium package simply for the Sync functionality and leather seats. I installed a Boss alcantera steering wheel and shifter. There are also recaro seats you can source from the Boss or v6 PP. the options are truly endless.

 

[hogasswild]

Oh I forgot to mention that you can steal the 5.0 front brakes for larger rotors for $125 if you want those.

 

[krillr]

Don't mind him Aaron, the v8 guys always think it's about cost when it isn't.

As for mods, I'm more of a function over form guy, but here's my mod list: JLT CAI, Bama Tuner (w/ tunes for life), BBK Throttle Body, Dynotech 3.5" driveshaft, Ford Racing 3.73 gears, Eibach Pro Kit springs, J&M adjustable panhard and lower control arms, Boss/PP strut brace, Shelby front sway bar and BMR billet rear sway at end links.

I hadn't thought of the control arms, panhard, or throttle body -- all great ideas, especially if the gains quoted on the BBK 73mm Throttle Body are true! I've been reading reviews on springs, and I'm reading that there are better alternatives to the Eibach kit. Have you tried any other brands?

I wouldn't go for the CF DS, I can't hear my aluminum one, plus the dynotech shaft is lighter than the DSS CF shaft. So why pay double? As for gears, 4.10s will give you worse MPGs than a GT. I still get 29mpg with 3.73s if I can stay under 75mph. JLT and Airaid seem to perform best for hp.

I hadn't run into the dynotech shafts yet, I'll take a look! What size wheels did you pair with those 3.73s?

On the outside, I got wider wheels, I won't make recommendations since that's subjective. I also got a shorty billet antenna and color matched mirror covers. On the inside, if you're buying used, try to find a premium package simply for the Sync functionality and leather seats. I installed a Boss alcantera steering wheel and shifter. There are also recaro seats you can source from the Boss or v6 PP. the options are truly endless.

I was looking at possibly running 20x11 on the back, 20x9 in the front. I sort of like the way it looks, and that gives the backend more surface area while keeping surface area upfront minimal to reduce drag -- in theory?

Definitely going to go with a premium, whether I buy new or used, for the leather and Sync (until I redo the sound).

The number of things you can pull from other models, aftermarket pieces, etc available for the Mustang is incredible. I'm very glad I didn't go with my first thought of getting a Porsche ;-)

 

[hogasswild]

Actually you'd be surprised how many other springs are simply re-branded Eibachs. It really depends on how low you want to go, what kind of handling you want. I wanted a very mild drop that didn't mess with the geometry too much. That's how I ended up with the Eibachs. Sportlines are another good option.

I was very skeptical on the TB, but decided to buy one on sale over the Holidays. I haven't put my car back on the dyno, but I've noticed more power from 2-4000rpm which is what te 3.7 needs.

I'm guessing you're looking for a boulevard cruiser. 20s look cool, but I don't think will handle or ride as well as 18s. I went with 19s which give you more of that aggressive look without sacrificing response. Also, you're basically replacing rubber with metal, so having a lot more unsprung weight to lug around hurts your acceleration.

Just keeping looking into it, there are volumes of info and ideas in here and other forums. If you can't find it, just ask. Chances are someone knows the answer or knows where it is, even if they might razz you for not finding it yourself.

Don't forget to take advantage of vendor forum discounts so you don't pay list prices on the web. Usually it's anywhere from 5-10% off their advertised prices.

 

[RunninOn6]

Vertical doors are teh ghey. That is all!

+1

 

[RunninOn6]

Also, welcome and keep us updated throughout the buy/build. v6 :rockon