Again, thanks, keep it coming. One more issue: We bought a bumper to bumper warranty for six years I think. While I want to make mods I also don't want to have warranty issues, hence, my inclination to go with Ford parts and labor. I am aware of the Magnusson-Moss Act and have concerns with the potential issues for engine problems after adding a S/C. While the conclusion of what I'm driving at is pretty obvious (using Ford parts/labor), I'm wondering if I'm missing something.
Also, this was posted on another forum and I thought it was pretty informative so here it is:
Some of this has already been said, but I thought I’d chime in with a little more input for bolt-ons sense your new to the s197 world ( 4.6L 3V ) Keep in mind I’m not some car mechanic that has graduated and has certificates in any of these fields… I’m 20 years old and passing on information that I’ve learned and/or heard from the past 3 years of owning my car. And trust me… I’m on the forums A-LOT.
Headers: If you are staying NA these a good mod, but aren’t the best bang for the buck. They’re pretty pricey and are a PITA for install. Average gains are from 15-25hp at the crank from the various brands. If you are going to supercharged your car these aren’t a good buy UNLESS you are going with a forged short block. Out of the box most superchargers will put out enough horsepower to bring the block to its limits, with or without headers.
Mufflers & Midpipe: the gains with these two are so small it, Power shouldn’t be on the buyers priority list at all, The stock exhaust is good for more than the stock block can handle. That being said, you can buy them for sound, and turn that 4.6L 3v into a bad sounding beast.
Gears: At 400-500$ Installed, this has got to be one of my favorite mods i have done personally. Gears should only be installed if you already know the goals of your stang. Picking the right gear for the Supercharger, Turbo, Nos, or even staying NA can make all the difference in your 1/4 mile time, and keeping that power to the ground. For example, I have 4.10's in my car, and I’m planning on going with a twinscrew for instant toque. I will be spinning tires a little too much because of my gears being so tall and my car will have 400rwtq right off the line. 3.73's seem to be the favorite for FI applications and for NA 4.10 or 4.30's but make sure you go with FRPP gears, they don’t have as many horror stories about gear whine.
CAI+Tune: CAI+Tune have been voted by S197 owners as best bang for the buck in almost every forum dedicated to them. That being said, your car comes with a decent one already from the factory but can still get a lot of improvement from the tune. Bamachips, Brenspeed, VMP tuning, there all good, if you can afford it, a dyno tune would be even better, but Mail orders are good for the price. Something to consider, you will need to retune your car again and again and again, if you keep doing mods one at a time, So I try to do everything together, as much as possible.
UDP & CMDP: "Underdrive Pulleys & Charge Motion Delete Plates" can be good for 10-20 hp at the crank. Usually not really worth it... but again if you’re staying NA, every little bit helps.
LCA + UCA: Lower Control Arms and Upper Control Arms, are a great investment to keep the back end of the car planted, and actually use the power, instead of having wheel hop or spinning tires as much. These both can be had and installed for around 400 dollars and should be done to the suspension at a bare minimum.
Handling: To further go into our suspension, if handling is something your interested in, a great way to improve that is a box set of parts, For example, FRPP, Steeda, Saleen, and many others, all make box sets which include Stocks, Struts, Sway bars, Strut tower brace, and springs. These parts are all made to work together are going to yield a better result most of the time then buying single pieces from different brands.
For someone on a budget, new Shocks & Struts & Swaybars, are best bang for the buck in handling. Everyone thinks if you lower the car on the stock shocks and struts, the car will magically handle better because it’s slammed to the ground... (While I was a believer in this too when I first bought the car) that’s not the case at all. Shocks and Struts are the weak part in our cars, after the LCA & UCA.
I've always been a fan of the supershaker. I know JDM offers a good package deal on them and I've seen their red 2010 car run high 10s with that kit, some suspension peices, bigs and littles and a custom tune. I guess in the end it's what she wants, but you are going to spend a bit more than you expect. Regardless of how you figure things. Ask anyone here how much they planned to spend and how much they did spend. The numbers are pretty skewed. haha.
