Mod Questions (newbie alert)
 

Hey all....here's your chance to share some knowledge...

I own a 2000 Mustang GT, automatic, BONE STOCK lol. I'm ready to start modding, and here's what I've been told to start with:

- K&N Air Filter

- New mufflers (I've heard Flowmaster 40s are nice sounding (i love it loud)

- Chip (ok so I need to buy a chip and pop it in? do the price ranges vary according to performance increases? any suggestions? what am i looking to pay here?)

Those are the 3 things I was advised to concentrate on. I've made an appointment to get the Flowmasters put on next Wednesday...I'm pumped about this :).

ONe more question: What does removing the air silencer do? Just a noise thing? If it'll make it sound cooler, I'm all for it lol...how do I remove it?



Thanks in advance. I hope you guys are somewhat patient :)

Beach,
Whoever you hired as your Mustang consultant, you need to fire them....

The K&N is OK (Its EVERYONE'S first mod, if you want to call it that...:))
To be honest, you probably won't see any horsepower from it.... maybe 1 or 2 hp at the most...

The chip might give you a bit, depending on the chip it could shift your shift points and make them a bit more aggressive, HP gain is minimal on a stock setup...

Mufflers will only change the sound of your exhaust, if that's what your looking for.... no power gain from them....

Your first mods should be a conversion to 3.73 or 4.10 gears...
Best bang for the buck.... No improvement in power, but a noticeable improvement in ET...

Then look at some pulleys and\or a timing adjuster, and maybe an MAF...

Those should start bumping up that HP meter up....

Thanks for your reply. Before we go firing my advisor :), he told me that I wouldn't see much of an HP gain with those 3 mods. I'm just getting the basic cheap stuff out of the way first. Since I posted the original message, I've done a little research and found that it's really not worth it getting a chip, so I'm gonna save my cash for something else. Yeah I know I won't see an increase with the new mufflers, but I want to go ahead and do it so later on I won't have to. Plus, I want to hear the sound :). I hear there's a big difference.

So...mufflers, new air filter. And how do I remove this "air silencer"? I hear it does make a wee difference since it somewhat restricts the airflow? Not much, but hey I put a lot down on my stang so I need to rebuild my cash reserves lol...

ps: do you know what the gear ratio is for a stock automatic? 3 something I think...

OK Beach, I guess we can keep your advisor on "retainer"...hehe ;)

Seriously,
If you're going to go with new mufflers, I'd personally go with a full cat back system. Not much more expensive at this point, and you'll be ready for that new X\H-pipe when you've got the cash...

As far as removing the air silencer, different dyno tests have shown different results... Some have shown a slight increase in power, while others have shown a slight decrease....
It's actually somewhat of a debate and one of those things that proves what might be good on the ol' 5.0, may not be the same for the 4.6...

I think that the stock gears for a 2000 auto GT are 3.27s.... Not sure though....

well, i picked up a K&N air filter yesterday afternoon and pulled out the air silencer. sounds a little meaner, feels a little stronger, but i think i lost a tad bit of torque. no biggie, i figure i can make up for the loss of torque with some pulleys and a timing adjuster. 3.73 gears sounds like a plan too. i also plan on picking up a new throttle body (70mm).

fyi, there's a good article in the may 2002 issue of Mustangs & Fast Fords on bolt-on mods for a 4.6 and the results are mighty nice.

peace...