Increase Horse Power on 95 GT

[RocDeb]

I was wanting to know of ways to increase horsepower on a budget. What really increases horsepower? There are so many ads that say put this on and it will increase your hp by 15. Does a heat spacer between the upper and lower intake really help?

[Mr 5 0]

Originally posted by RocDeb

I was wanting to know of ways to increase horsepower on a budget. What really increases horsepower? There are so many ads that say put this on and it will increase your hp by 15. Does a heat spacer between the upper and lower intake really help?

Join the thousands of other Mustang owners who are all looking to increase HP on a budget.

Here's a few thoughts for you:

Underdrive pulleys are worth 5 - 8 HP but you had better have a perfectly functioning cooling and charging system and no big amp drains like a oversized sound system or you'll need a 130 amp alternator which is expensive.
Pulleys run about $100.

Exhaust mods help some. 1 5/8 headers with a 2 1/2" pipes work best. on stock engines. Ditch the catalytic converters if you can do so legally - they rob power. An H-pipe (to eliminate the cats) is about $100. or less.

An electric fan can cool better, help cut drag on the engine and increase HP a bit.

A 65mm TB is a good investment if you intend to go to an aftermarket intake down the road. About $200.

A cold-air intake set-up is useful but frankly, just a K&N filter in the stock airbox will do fine and save you over $100.

Of course a total tune up including new, high quality plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, gas filter, PCV unit and a timing bump to 14 degrees initial are all very basic and should be the first step to better performance.

As for the ads...take them with a grain of salt. They are all trying to convince you to BUY something from them. A lot of those HP numbers are from fully modded engines (heads, cams, etc) or under perfect conditions that may not be normal for a street car.

Oh, that 'heat spacer' you mentioned is O.K. but won't make a huge difference.

As many will tell you, the very best 'bang for the buck' modification you can make to your Mustang is a set of rear differential gears; 3.55, 3.73 or 4.10. Immediate performance increase that you'll feel in the seat of your pants and highly recommended - before you invest in anything else for your car.

[tireburner163]

You didn't say if it was a auto or a 5-speed so I'll make a list for both.(BTW they are in the order in which I would perform them)

AUTO:
remove air intake silencer(free!!!)
K&N
2 1/2" cat back
4.11 gears(3.73 if you drive on the high-way a lot)
off-road H-pipe
pullies
shift kit(get a good one, like Trans-Go)
headers
higher stall converter(around 2800 should be nice)

5-SPEED:
remove air intake silencer(free!!!)
K&N
2 1/2" cat-back
3.73 gears(3.55 if you drive on the high -way a lot)
off-road H-pipe
pullies
shifter(I suggest the Pro 5.0 or the Steda Tri-Ax
headers

These will all get you up for future mods like intakes, cams, heads, power adders exc.

Gears will add the most seat of the pants feel. You'll really be able to tell the differance. If you want nitrous will add a lot of hp, just make sure to set it up properly.

[Unit 5302]

Since you are talking on a 1995 GT, you should be able to use underdrive pullies without problems. Your G3 130amp alternator will support their use, and the electric fan setup from the factory on your car is supposed to be quite good at keeping your engine cool.

The cold air induction is a good idea, and for the SN95's, an EEC tuner would be a good modification. That will allow you to tune your engine and get rid of the weak computer settings.

Gears are important for the heavier SN95 style as well. They will allow you to really pick it up out of the hole, and better optimize your shift points.

The full length headers, off road H, and catback should help you out on the exhaust side and give you quite a few ponies.

[95mustanggt]

Go with 3.73 Gears. An off road H-pipe is also worth it. Then Pullies (my next mod).

[Green9550]

RocDeb, there are many things you can do to your car to up the performance, like the others stated. I gathered from you other post that your car is an auto, we have something in common. If I were you I would definatly get 3.73 or 4.10 gears first, you will see your biggest gain with them. Next you will want to get rid of the air box, it is very restrictive, get cold air or K&N. You definately need exhaust, so shorty headers will do fine, off-road H pipe, and cat back. I think you should also get a chip, some say it isn't worth it, well it is if your car will only rev to 5500. The chip will also bump your timing, fix your speedo and shift points. I hope this helps. If you have any questions, just ask.

-Billy

[Green9550]

Well RocDeb, I just looked at your other post and realized what I did. Sorry about that.

I think you should looking to cat back exhaust. I would switch your gears, they are hurting you, maybe 3.73's or 4.10's. You should also look in to 2800 - 3000 stall converter and some sticky tires. This will definately cut some time off. Sorry about the first post. Hope this helps.

-Billy