|
Cage posted:My 04 GT has a lovely front end squeak whenever I turn or hit a bump. 99% sure its the steering rack bushings, since its lowered ~2 inches should I be looking at offset bushings or just go with the center drilled type? Does it have a front sway bar? Add those bushings to the list.
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 19:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 12, 2024 16:36 |
|
|
HotCanadianChick posted:Get the PP because otherwise you might feel regret down the road for leaving that last 10% of performance on the table. There's not much point in buying any kind of performance car if you're going to stop halfway. I didn't know you traded in your car for an M3.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 22:08
|
|
|
There is plenty of performance in the base GT. the PP isn't adding enough to the daily performance, and I think it's detracting quite a bit from the usability of the package.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 23:22
|
|
|
OEM battery got replaced today, a month shy of three years of ownership. Pretty much on par for a battery in Florida.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 23:56
|
|
|
tijag posted:There is plenty of performance in the base GT. the PP isn't adding enough to the daily performance, and I think it's detracting quite a bit from the usability of the package. I currently drive an old e46 3 series. I really like its driving style, how close to the road you feel, the tighter steering wheel, and honestly enjoy my stiffer (aftermarket) springs that make for a bumpier ride. I know I shouldn't get a mustang expecting it to drive or behave like a completely different car, I'm just curious if the PP would bring it a little closer to the BMW than the base GT premium would. Will it remove some of the body roll I've been reading about? I haven't test driven either yet, I'm still a few months from pulling the trigger (might even do a '16), but it was just a question I had in the back of my head.
|
|
#
?
Mar 5, 2015 08:11
|
|
|
I have the PP on my 15 and I wouldn't have it any other way, though most would argue that we've already established that I like to throw money around with the premium/recaro discussion. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the two gauges and the machine-turned aluminum dash look way better than the third air vent and smooth finish in my opinion. Not to mention I like having gauges, but that could be because I come from the STi universe. I also think the black 19" wheels look absolutely amazing. I was going to keep that as my winter set and buy a summer set, but now I'm thinking I'll go the other route. I find the suspension to be perfect, personally. I've never felt that it was too stiff, but to be fair I'm driving around on Blizzaks, so allow for that. The rear diff is awesome, and the gear ratio isn't an issue. 60mph @ 1800RPM in 6th. 70 is at like 2200 or something, I don't remember exactly. And the brakes... Well, suffice it to say they are exactly as amazing as you'd expect. Also, as somebody above pointed out, I would always have that feeling that I left performance at the dealer. I can deal with stock GT350s being faster than me, but dammit I want to know that my GT is as good as they get stock. That probably says something negative about me, though. The non-rotatable tire issue does kinda suck, but this is the wrong car for you from the get go if you're worried about cost of ownership. Seriously. Look elsewhere. I'm still babying the engine and with the normal winter economy loss I'm getting 14.9MPG average right now. tijag posted:
|
|
#
?
Mar 5, 2015 15:51
|
|
|
Cage posted:My 04 GT has a lovely front end squeak whenever I turn or hit a bump. 99% sure its the steering rack bushings, since its lowered ~2 inches should I be looking at offset bushings or just go with the center drilled type? Take a look at your ball joints if they've never been done. Super common for the new edge. Mine started off squealing over bumps and progressed to squealing when turning the wheel before I got around to replacing them.
|
|
#
?
Mar 5, 2015 20:27
|
|
|
My ball joints and tie rods are solid, I probably posted about the issue here last year and you guys suggested checking those. Appreciate the heads up, though. No thoughts on offset vs center bushings, anyone? I find it hard to believe no one else dropped their new edge a bit, its like a suv stock. Cage fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Mar 5, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 5, 2015 20:31
|
|
|
Powershift posted:I didn't know you traded in your car for an M3. He's not trying to decide between a GT and a GT350.
|
|
#
?
Mar 5, 2015 22:45
|
|
|
What are the odds the GT350 will make a decent daily driver? Was the last Boss 302 ok on the road or was it a complete compromise in comfort?
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2015 19:48
|
|
|
I went from a 2001 530i to the 2012 Boss 302, and I think it's fine day to day. It's pretty jouncy if the roads are lovely and have huge semi-truck grooves and stuff, and obviously it's not a cruiser like the BMW, but it's not outrageous or anything. Done 12 hour road trips in it without complaint. By far the larger difference between it and the normal GT in general comfort is the noise. The Boss specifically has much less noise insulation and way more aggressive exhaust. Which I think is a good thing, but for long trips you would really want to be wearing earbuds/headphones/noise cancelling/dampening something. I expect something like the GT350 to be a lot better, really, given the magnetic dampers and IRS. (Basically I would DD the poo poo out of a GT350 because I think it looks loving fantastic).
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2015 20:00
|
|
|
Took a road trip to Atlanta in the 2012 GT. Five hours and was fine, though I'm too tall for the seat. Really looking forward to new seats with better room for my upper back and lower seat padding. Feels like the stock seat wants to shove into my spine between my shoulder blades, bleh. And its just a little too high, period. That said, I'm six three and have a lot of arch to my back, apparently.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2015 07:04
|
|
|
Space Whale posted:Took a road trip to Atlanta in the 2012 GT. Five hours and was fine, though I'm too tall for the seat. Really looking forward to new seats with better room for my upper back and lower seat padding. I'm 6'7" and the back of the seat is OK for me. I have a premium and bring the front of the seat up though to tilt the bottom of the seat back instead of just the back, which helps. The most uncomfortable part for me is my right knee rubbing against the center console/dash area. It has tons of headroom though, I can wear my helmet at the drag strip without issue, unlike in my G8 GT. 13.0 @ 109mph 100% stock on 18" all-seasons and a full tank of 91 octane. Very happy with it so far.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2015 20:54
|
|
|
Dug the mustang out of my neighbors garage today. Put some deep dish wheels on the back and made an interesting discovery when I went to install a shifter gasket to cut down on gear noise. Turns out a p.o. installed the same gasket, though it was dry and cracking when I pulled it out. I also discovered that all this time I've been driving with a short shifter. There was a steeda tri-ax underneath, set to the comfort setting. Having never driven a mustang nor a manual before I had no idea. Still want to get a mgw though. Didn't really think to take pics until I already parked it. First pic is today second pic is last year sometime. Its much more flush with the fender, looks even better from a front or back angle.  
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2015 03:41
|
|
|
Nice! deep dish are just perfect! your lucky, I have been wanting to get my car out for a few days to go over the things I need to buy to make sure she is ok from 7 months of neglect. between coming home from work when its dark, snow slowly melting, and now constant raining. I cant even get to her.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2015 03:51
|
|
|
Well i did say dig. The snow in her backyard hasn't been touched all year, and the paths I used to walk over there got compacted and turned to ice. Took a little while with a snowblower and shovel, and I had to deal with the putrid smell of 5 month old dog poo poo and piss. Totally worth it when I hopped on a highway onramp though.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2015 03:59
|
|
|
 Im finding new things every day with my mustang now. Took it to a shop to get my exhaust leak fixed, the guy looking at asked me if a tuner used to own it. He said he saw a bunch of upgrades in the engine that I didnt really know I had. Some sort of shorter pulley system, fuel injectors, upgraded coil packs, a tune and I forgot what else. Also found that one of the POs cut a line in the cats, took out the insides then welded it back up. He had a computer hooked up and he showed me where it said 420 horsepower, but Im thinking surely that can't be right. He told me that the engine was tuned to a very impressive degree, but thats still a 160hp difference from stock. Am I right in thinking you can't get gains like that without a supercharger? They told me everything was competently put in there except for the exhaust. Whoever put it in welded the manifold bolts to itself, and then welded the exhaust directly on it. Said the easiest/cheapest way to fix everything was to just buy a new exhaust manifold and that they would throw it in for $200. Otherwise it would be a lot of labor hours to drop the exhaust and drill/tap new holes. It really is a tight space on the passenger side. tl;dr: Can anyone recommend me some headers to buy? It seems I want to go with long tubes because its just normally aspirated, right? Or would the rest of my exhaust have to change if what I have is oem right now? I promise Ill go to the dyno when I fix it. Cage fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Mar 16, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2015 22:21
|
|
|
Cage posted:
My 2003 apparently has 302 horsepower, up from a listed 193, and I don't think it has nearly as many mods as it sounds like yours does.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2015 22:25
|
|
|
Cage posted:
Short answer: No. Longer answer: No, not possible with those mods. A computer will not tell you how much HP you have unless that computer is hooked up to a dyno. If the engine was fresh, and all those mods were put in, you MIGHT see a 10-13 percent gain. Also, installing new headers is not a cheap or easy fix. Depending on model year, you might be able to install them without dropping the K member and power steering shaft. You CAN, but it's extremely difficult. And you would spend the same amount of time trying to contort everything around to reach everything. There's no reason a new connecting flange can't be pretty easily welded to the existing headers for 20 bucks or so. Their quote of $200 to install new headers just doesn't sound right. Find a new shop.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2015 22:41
|
|
|
I made a friend in the parking lot today, I'm on the right  I don't know if I've posted a pic of my car in this thread before, if I did, it would have been back when I got it in 05. The next cosmetic mods are going to be a front chin spoiler and silver horse racing rear quarter window louvers. Performance mods are probably a short throw shifter and under drive pulleys. I've already done intake, tune, gears, lcas, adjustable shocks, midpipe, and mufflers. I'm saving for a supercharger but it's going to be years before I'm ready. Best I've run at the track so far is a 13.2 but that was on stock tires. Need to get back and try the MT drag radials that are on her now and see how she does.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2015 23:34
|
|
|
Cage posted:
RFC2324 posted:My 2003 apparently has 302 horsepower, up from a listed 193, and I don't think it has nearly as many mods as it sounds like yours does. Cage, These are some huge red flags man! Underdrive pullies are gonna get you 5 to 10hp and that is really optimistic. fuel injectors / coil packs are not going to do anything for you without major supporting hardware. stripping out the catalysts in the cats may net you a few more horse power too but nothing that would break you into the 300hp club. a real replacement cat back would be about $500-700 bucks and a replacement catted mid-pipe would be in the $450-550 range. they are retardedly easy to do yourself. its literally hang them up on the existing hangers on the car, and bolt the nuts to the existing manifold. replacing the manifold for headers is a HUGE labor job all things considered. your mechanic may obviously know more than I would, but its possible the PO had some forced induction before he sold it to you? I would agree go find another shop just in case? you are in NY right? are you near mustang magic in deerborn long island? RFC2324, I dont believe your car has 302 from 193, unless you have a GT that had head and cam upgrade. you should have 200-220 rwhp on a stock GT. I think you may have been hoodwinked. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 01:09
|
|
|
kalvick posted:RFC2324, I dont believe your car has 302 from 193, unless you have a GT that had head and cam upgrade. you should have 200-220 rwhp on a stock GT. I think you may have been hoodwinked. Nah, I didn't buy it for the HP(I actually didn't even ask him til like 2 months later) I bought it for a nice convertible in good condition. Might get it down to the dyno to actually check one day, but I keep saying something similar about getting down to the track to open her up and it hasn't happened yet.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 01:28
|
|
|
Tide posted:Short answer: kalvick posted:Cage, These are some huge red flags man! Underdrive pullies are gonna get you 5 to 10hp and that is really optimistic. fuel injectors / coil packs are not going to do anything for you without major supporting hardware. stripping out the catalysts in the cats may net you a few more horse power too but nothing that would break you into the 300hp club. a real replacement cat back would be about $500-700 bucks and a replacement catted mid-pipe would be in the $450-550 range. they are retardedly easy to do yourself. its literally hang them up on the existing hangers on the car, and bolt the nuts to the existing manifold. replacing the manifold for headers is a HUGE labor job all things considered. your mechanic may obviously know more than I would, but its possible the PO had some forced induction before he sold it to you? I would agree go find another shop just in case? you are in NY right? are you near mustang magic in deerborn long island? Speaking of the forced induction, when he plugged in his scanner he was able to tell me the local audio/performance shop that did the tune. Sorry if this is equally dumb but can you do that with a tune, leave a signature of sorts? He asked where I bought the car from and I told him the area and he named a shop. Was he probably just guessing based on location? If not I can give the shop a call to see if they might have any records of my car being there. So anyway unfortunately I still have an exhaust leak but at least I tried to clean it up a bit.  
Cage fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Mar 17, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 05:33
|
|
|
The computer may pull the logo of the existing tune, Im not sure. when I plug my tuner in, it shows American Muscle. (before they became BAMA) I cant tell looking at the pic, but if you have underdrive pullies, the water pully is bigger than the crank. Stock is about 6.75" and underdrive cranks are in the 5" range. the 2 pullies you want to look at are the middle of you engine. the top pully center in your pic in the alternator pully. the one under that is the water pully and then the crank is immediately under that. 40th edition mustangs are 2004 and 45th are 2009 models. the tuner can mess around with toque/throttle response, display pcm data like air/fuel to the tuners screen, clear error codes, adjusts for cold air kits, rear end gears / tire sizes, exhaust, spark, timing, things like that. an exhaust leak is really easy to fix, just a basic weld job and you are ready to go.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 15:04
|
|
|
Yeah I knew I had a 40th, but he insisted it was supposed to have a badge on the trunk. Im not going to go back to that shop. I dropped it off somewhere else this morning, I've gotten a few oil changes there before I started doing it myself so I know they do decent work. I told them upfront it was a 2nd opinion and I didnt really trust the last guy that looked at it and they were real cool about it. The exhaust leak is at the headers where the exhaust bolts up though, not just a random hole down the pipe. It appears the PO tried welding it on after stripping the bolt and now its come detached after driving it though the winter a year ago. I would rather get it fixed properly, either with new holes tapped or a new passenger header. Cage fucked around with this message at 15:20 on Mar 17, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 15:13
|
|
|
Cage posted:The exhaust leak is at the headers where the exhaust bolts up though, not just a random hole down the pipe.. ugg that sucks, i know what you mean. hopefully a weld job can fix that part easy. in this case though, you mean the exhaust manifold. a header is a performance part. The exhaust manifold is the cheapest piece of crap a car manufacture uses to channel exhaust from your engine. its rough, its small, and its cheap to make. a header is shiny, light, and channels exhaust better. if you do decide to try the header route, its a bit more expensive. there is no difference in performance between an exhaust manifold and shorty headers. the biggest performance you can get is with full length long tube headers, which are an inexpensive mod, the install requires a shorty x or h pipe and dropping the k-member which makes it really expensive. but long tube headers are one of the biggest performance mods you can do before going with forced induction. whatever you decide to do, i hope it works out for you dude.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 19:41
|
|
|
Cage posted:
 200 bucks for loving header swaps on those cars would be a steal, if people knew how to shim up a loving exhaust they probably wouldnt weld everything together like a loving clown. and on your horsepower issue I had one of those bully tuners that estimated hp and torque and it claimed my stock as poo poo 08 gt was 370 hp and 410 ft torque at a 12.0 flat quarter lol
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 20:04
|
|
|
Thanks guys. I talked to the 2nd shop today. He said that the flange on the cat pipe seems pretty beaten up and uneven and that it probably wouldnt be able to make a seal anymore. He also said that the cats were also a little banged up and pretty close to rotting in some areas, and that were he to drop it and put new studs on the manifold that theres a chance he might make it worse reattaching it. Said that since it was just a general auto shop they didnt have all the right pipe bends and tools to fix it. He said that were I to get a new cat assembly that he could install it and put new studs in but hes going to call back with a price for that. Unfortunate, as the cheapest CA/NY legal cats I see are $602, opposed to $470 for 48-state legal ones. And oops about the headers. I thought it was just another name for an exhaust manifold. Still learning my exhaust stuff (and everything else).
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 20:15
|
|
|
Cage posted:Thanks guys. I talked to the 2nd shop today. He said that the flange on the cat pipe seems pretty beaten up and uneven and that it probably wouldnt be able to make a seal anymore. He also said that the cats were also a little banged up and pretty close to rotting in some areas, and that were he to drop it and put new studs on the manifold that theres a chance he might make it worse reattaching it. Said that since it was just a general auto shop they didnt have all the right pipe bends and tools to fix it. He said that were I to get a new cat assembly that he could install it and put new studs in but hes going to call back with a price for that. i would recommend biting the bullet and ordering a better part now. sure it will hurt but its another kick rear end part you dont have to worry about buying again. also.... if NY is that way with emmisions you can just forget about long tubes until you car is 25 years old.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 20:39
|
|
|
What do you mean better? Better as in I shouldn't buy a oem-like replacement and should spring for something like a flowmaster?
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 20:54
|
|
|
I think what he is saying, correct me if you arent, but you should be able to get a full exhaust system now and save some money down the road instead of buying it piece by piece if that is what your end goal is. As someone who has lived in state that dont do inspections my entire life cats were short lived on my cars but in new york you cant get away with it unless you buy two h pipes and just switch them out come inspection time. Its pretty hard to guess how hosed up your flanges are without seeing them but im guessing you are probably going to have to either find an exhaust wizard to fix the previous damage or buy new headers, and swapping headers in the sn197 or sn 95 platform is just about the most unfun thing ive experienced working on mustangs.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 21:01
|
|
|
Cage posted:What do you mean better? Better as in I shouldn't buy a oem-like replacement and should spring for something like a flowmaster? read this... http://www.americanmuscle.com/understanding-mustang-exhaust-systems.html If you buy Ford OEM you are going to get 4 cats + 2 resonators. you will prolly pay top dollar for it. If you get Magnaflow, BBK, Flowmaster whatever else, they come with 2 hi-flow sports cats which should be legal. I would double check with the vendor to make sure they are allowed in NY. also the mid pipe as its called, also has 2 shapes the H-Pipe or X-Pipe. H is a loud grumpy grown noise, and X is a raspy nascar noise. you can pic the sound you like. then down the road you can get new mufflers (or complete cat back system) if you have baffled chamber mufflers like flowmaster 40's you want an H pipe. if you get an X pipe you want open chambered mufflers for it. also, are your cats in your existing car completely removed or are they there in just bad shape? if so you can prolly get a little bit of cash by selling the old cats to a scrap yard. check out this article http://patch.com/california/newark/catalytic-converters-why-theives-steal-them
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 21:09
|
|
|
edit: beaten like a mofo while typing it up.Cage posted:And oops about the headers. I thought it was just another name for an exhaust manifold. Still learning my exhaust stuff (and everything else). No problem, we all learn as we go. An exhaust "system", can be broken down to three parts: Headers/Exhaust Manifold. Bolted directly to the engine. Three types are available (factory (medium), shorty, and long tube). Factory tends to be more towards the middle (longer that shorties, shorter than long tube). Shorties have a bit of a higher pitched drone to them and contribute towards better breathing on the higher end of the RPM range. Long tubes contribute more to a lower, more bassy sound. More low RPM grunt. May or may not have catalytic converters at the ends.  Mid pipe: Your catalytic converters reside here. You should have a total of 6 catalytic converters, if memory serves - three per bank. One at exhaust manifold, two on the mid pipe. You have two types: H and X pipe. An H pipe has more of a traditional muscle car sound and should be paired with a chambered type muffler (ex Flowmaster). It typically has an advantage of more lower RPM horsepower. A X pipe has a more exotic sound and should be paired with a straight through muffler design (exMagnaflow (if memory serves)). X pipe on left, H pipe on right  Also, an image to take a gander at:  Aftermarket mid pipe, and especially an "off road" type, eliminates these catalytic converters which then require either tuning or MIL eliminators to make the Check Engine light go away. Your car will have more power, be louder, and your exhaust will have a stronger gassy smell to it. You are now killing the ozone and trees, you heartless bastard (note: all of my Mustangs had off road H pipes). Catback: Reside aft of your mid pip. Mufflers live here.  Other: There's no rule that you HAVE to pair an H pipe with chambered muffers and that you HAVE to pair an X pipe with straight thru type mufflers. In my opinion, an H pipe paired with straight through mufflers gives a blatty, 1982 Ford F150 with straight pipes sound. Sounds like rear end. My preferred set up was long tube headers, H pipe, and chambered mufflers. Note that if you go with long tube headers or short, you have to buy the appropriate length mid pipe to match it. Also, if you get long tube headers, be prepared to scrape them up especially if your car is in any way lower than stock.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 21:22
|
|
|
Wish I could just buy an off road mid pipe for ~$220 and then a MIL eliminator for $50. Im gonna bring it to another muffler/exhaust specialized shop on thursday. Will report back. Cage fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Mar 17, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 22:05
|
|
|
I want to get this steering wheel re-uphosterery kit for my car. Ugg its just so expensive, almost $350 bucks for the kit and to have it professionally sewed on. I would get it black with black stitching and get rid of that yellow band in the top. Its another $100 to get it padded and get thumb grips. I have had this image open in a tab on my browser for weeks. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2015 23:45
|
|
|
For that price you might as well get a decent aftermarket wheel; you'd get the added advantage of it not looking like an F150 wheel too.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2015 00:04
|
|
|
I actually like that wheel in my Mustang. Its the perfect grippiness for me. Could just be I haven't really tried anything better. e: of course, mine is that crappy plastic/vinyl all the way around too. ilkhan fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Mar 18, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2015 00:10
|
|
|
Raluek posted:For that price you might as well get a decent aftermarket wheel; you'd get the added advantage of it not looking like an F150 wheel too. I want to keep my airbag though.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2015 01:26
|
|
|
kalvick posted:I want to keep my airbag though. Eew. I almost listed being able to ditch the ugly airbag wheel as a benefit, but assumed it went without saying.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2015 01:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 12, 2024 16:36 |
|
|
Raluek posted:Eew. I almost listed being able to ditch the ugly airbag wheel as a benefit, but assumed it went without saying. out of curiosity, what wheels would you recommend that dont look totally aftermarket and could possibly look like it came stock on the car?
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2015 02:19
|
|