New to the S197 Community What’s Your Favorite Mod?

[Jonas1ne]

Hey everyone,
I'm new to the S197 section and have been spending some time reading through the build threads and technical discussions. It's great to see how many different approaches people take with these cars.
For those who own or have owned an S197, what's the single best modification you've done and why? It could be performance, handling, appearance, comfort, or even something small that made a big difference.
Looking forward to hearing your experiences and learning more from the community. Thanks!

 

[1 Alibi 2]

Welcome to the s197 forum..
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[zoomerman46]

Best Mod for me was Saleen SC back in 2006 on my 2005 GT. 8lb pulley along with 47lb injectors. Ford Racing TB. Kenne Bell BAP. Local Dyno tuned on Mustang dyno @ 450 to the wheels and 425 torgue. Just stay around 450 rw hp with stock internals enjoy the ride.

 

[Jonas1ne]

Thank you for the advice

Best Mod for me was Saleen SC back in 2006 on my 2005 GT. 8lb pulley along with 47lb injectors. Ford Racing TB. Kenne Bell BAP. Local Dyno tuned on Mustang dyno @ 450 to the wheels and 425 torgue. Just stay around 450 rw hp with stock internals enjoy the ride.

 

[GriffX]

Comfort: the noise insulation of the roof, quarter panels, trunk and doors. Nobody needs air and tire noise. I wish I would have done this in week one.

Handling: Swaybars from the 2014 and LCA from J&M with the PU heim joints.

Aerodynamic: Flat front under tray, less lift and noise on/off the front axle at high speed. Gained 1 MPG. But a lot of work, a lot.

Driving: MGW shifter, what a beauty.

Driving 2: Eaton trutrak, did it while I'm in there to repair my damaged bearing. The 3.73 is ok, but not worth the work alone.

 

[JC SSP]

Welcome. Post some pics of your car.

What are your interest… drag racing, auto cross , cruising etc. based on that and budget we can provide more feedback.

 

[Pentalab]

Hey everyone,
I'm new to the S197 section and have been spending some time reading through the build threads and technical discussions. It's great to see how many different approaches people take with these cars.
For those who own or have owned an S197, what's the single best modification you've done and why? It could be performance, handling, appearance, comfort, or even something small that made a big difference.
Looking forward to hearing your experiences and learning more from the community. Thanks!

what year is your car ? manual or auto ? how many miles on it ?

 

[AHaze]

Rear lower control arms. The axle hop these cars suffer from in stock form is atrocious. It's the one mod I wish I had done the day I bought the car. Second would be a combination of poly engine mounts and a decent shifter for manual trans cars because the shift feel in stock form is... you guessed it... atrocious.
Forced induction might be next on the list but it would be a close race between that and decent shocks and struts.

 

[StockishS197]

Hot Rod cams.

Just makes the driving experience so much more fun, even sitting still.

 

[Squirrely]

Welcome, the single best going from stock 3.31 to a 3.73, Cai and long tube headers and a good tune! That’s on a 2007 GT automatic

 

[asdrew]

Welcome, the single best going from stock 3.31 to a 3.73, Cai and long tube headers and a good tune! That’s on a 2007 GT automatic

I did that with a GT 3.73 on my'07 V6 - huge difference. That axle will be moved to my '06 GT hopefully soon.

As for the original question, my favorite mods are cosmetic for curb appeal's sake, although the performance items make me smile.

This is my V6 before and after cosmetics, it is now being put back to stock to sell:

 

[Bedouin]

In order of enjoyment, Pypes pipe bomb axle backs, Wilwood 6R calipers/pads & 2-pc rotors, SRP heel-toe pedals, Elite Engineering catch can.

 

[2008_ScarlettGT]

Exhaust is always a good choice to start out with. It definitely makes the driving experience more enjoyable. The rest depends on what you want to do with the car and your budget.

 

[Recon]

I grew up in an exhaust shop. So, naturally that’s my go to mod. When I bought my GT, it was 100% stock, minus window tint. Not even a week into ownership, FR500S axlebacks and a hurst comp plus shifter were ordered.

 

[alsautoseats]

Hey everyone,
I'm new to the S197 section and have been spending some time reading through the build threads and technical discussions. It's great to see how many different approaches people take with these cars.
For those who own or have owned an S197, what's the single best modification you've done and why? It could be performance, handling, appearance, comfort, or even something small that made a big difference.
Looking forward to hearing your experiences and learning more from the community. Thanks!

my 08 vert auto was bone stock w 95k. pypes cat back, jlt cia with a tune from brenspeed. made it so more more enjoyable to drive and was relatively cheap performance with little effort. i was truly surprised how it performed vs before the upgrade. plenty of upgrades to come but honestly im no longer in a hurry for them.

 

[MasterofDisaster]

Biggest bang for the buck was underdrive pulleys.

You have a lot of easy options for brake upgrades. Braided stainless steels hoses are easy & inexpensive. Upgrading to 2011 rotors is pretty easy, and there are other options.

My car has about 160k miles, and I've changed all the control arms and bushings. Why not upgrade from stock? UMI rear LCAs are inexpensive and much beefier than stock. GT500 front control arms are readily available and an inexpensive upgrade.

 

[BadAngel]

Well with 240,000 + miles any mod's going to have to wait till the rebuild down the road!!!

 

[Laga]

Boost is always the answer.

 

[MasterofDisaster]

Boost is always the answer.

I look back at the bolt ons I installed on my foxbodies: bigger MAS, 65mm tb, ported intake, GT40 heads, 1.72 roller rockers, headers, etc. It took a lot of time and money. I probably could have had more power at less cost and time if i had installed a vortec.

 

[JC SSP]

Or sprayed with some N20!

I know, I know... "Injection is nice, but I rather be blown"! LOL