Hi there
Well for me half the excitement of getting this brand new iconic car is also in the planning on what I am going to do with the car. I get a lot of enjoyment out of modifying all the cars I have owned and improving them in all aspects, handling, performance, brakes and personalising the style of the car to myself. My 911 C2S got a host of GT3 and powerpack parts fitted which had good results the only downside being extreme cost, for example set of anti-roll bars from Porsche cost well over £500 and a set of front suspension arms for more geometry was circa £700. Power modifications are insane, manifolds, £750, exhaust with cats more like £3000. My other car the E46 M3 is not quite expensive but I have probably spent close to £10,000 but in fairness the car is completely insane and makes a stock E46 M3 look like a 330ci in a straight line and cornering/handling/stopping ability is vastly superior. Also many years ago I owned a Saleen S281 which I changed all the suspension, brakes and fitted supercharger myself, since then I've done most the work myself on cars including engine rebuild and I have had great success with setting up cars suspension geometry.
So I hope to take delivery next March of my 2016 (2015 US model) S550 Mustang GT Fastback PP, manual with magnetic paint and custom pack. Of course I shall simply enjoy the car as it is for a few weeks though some certain cosmetic things and interior changes will be made straight away.
My planned modifications to do pretty much straight away are:
Rear decklid with running Pony: $160 shipped (ON ITS WAY)
My reasoning is every UK car will have in my view the horrible big round faux cap style GT back on the back. I really dislike this as to me it looks like stuck on tat and I think most will agree the pony is more true to the car and befitting of such an iconic muscle car that is now official available in the UK. There are five options, stick with the UK with faux cap, plain silver GT badge, running chrome pony, sat down pony with three stripes and just blank. Or of course add your own custom badge.
California Special Upper grill: $600 shipped (Waiting for Black Friday)
Again the standard grill though quite nice also looks quite cheap and is very poor for cooling/airflow with several holes blocked up. Also again every UK car will have this grill, so to customise mine further and to improve engine cooling I do like this addition, but I do feel the grills for the S550 of vastly over-priced, hoping to get it sub $500 shipped on Black Friday.
However a Shelby style 350 front-end could soon become available for regular GT's that does not require the fenders, if this comes available it also comes with its own grills which would mean I won't need the above, a picture of this front-end is also below and it looks stunning, but if this comes out then I shall do this a few months after ownership as its a bodyshop (paint job).
Wheel spacers - $285 delivered (On there way)
The stock wheels with stock offsets look a little lost on the car and to recessed into the body work, not such a great look. I noticed most people in the USA are fitting 1" (25.4mm) spacers all round which vastly improve the look but I did notice that unless running over -2.0 camber in the rear then the wheels protruded the body work a little which is a look I do not like and I believe is also an MOT failure if the test station wants to be awkward, though no MOT to worry about for 3yr and removing spacers in a 5 minute job. But still from research I learnt that 20mm spacers won't work unless your shave 2-3mm from the studs, not willing to do that. So I had some custom spacers made and I went with 25mm for the front and 23mm for the rear. It is also known that the S550 chassis has inherent understeer so a slightly wider front track than rear helps to eliminate that, though I imagine that 2mm will be hard to tell the difference as I am no Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel.
I got these made by Lenny at
http://www.motorsport-tech.com/ who has being fantastic with very reasonable prices.
Tint Rear Clear Lights and front lights - $100
I would far prefer the red US versions to be honest. But to start with I shall persevere with the clear lights and add some medium tints, I don't wish to black them out because against magnetic grey that would look stupid. I just want to darken/tint them light/medium level so they don't stand out like a sore thumb so much. I shall also hope that sequential indicator become a possibility and when they do add this modification as it looks brilliant and I do believe it might already be available and working with all region cars and take just 2 minutes to install. If I don't like the tints I shall just buy the red lenses or a kit to make them red like the US models. I shall also find out how to get the tri-bar functioning as DRLs.
Am also trying to just get some genuine US rears converted to UK connectors etc. as well as a possible other option.
Interior Modifications - $400 shipped (On the way)
Shelby GT350 wheel is ordered ($199), White cue ball shift knob ($60) and interior LED package. Shelby wheel is thicker and part suede, simple mods that customise and have a large impact on the interior and drive for very little cost. Also if UK production cars have the cheap plastic around the window/mirror controls as I witnessed on the first RHD UK car I shall get these re-trimmed in matching leather or suede.
Corsa Sport 3" catback system with 4.5" polished tips - $1400 shipped (On its way 
)
I listened to every exhaust there was, absolute must was zero drone, I repeat zero drone and the ability to be reasonably quiet at motorway speeds with just a mellow V8 tone. But then also with gentle throttle at 20-30mph to sound like a true V8 muscle car with a true V8 tone and then to absolutely scream when stamping on the loud pedal. I find the Sport catback does all this whilst holding a beautiful tone throughout the whole rev range. The extremes were tempting but are very loud and if I add headers at a later date with high-flow cats or de-cats this makes everything louder again at which point the extremes are just insanity, you can't hear each other talk. Of course no headers fit the UK mustang yet due to the RHD but already some manufacturers are working on this as they realise demand from UK and Australia will be strong. I also considered the FRPP Sport catback system as well but was put of by the fact it reduces down to 2.5" effecting flow and the sound in the higher RPM's sounds very tinny/raspy, but it was my second favourite.
Again this exhaust also reduces the car weight by around 20kg, no idea if it helps with power, I shall do before and after dyno's when fitting. I might also drop in a K&N panel filter for the sake of £50 and the improved filtering, noise and throttle response they give.
Ford Mustang Decal Kit - $50 shipped
Very subtle as I shall go for black on grey, but again adds some stylish yet subtle side decals which cost very little and are easy to do.
FRPP Mustang GT Handling Kit (M-FR3A-M8) $1000 shipped
The stock Mustang GT PP is actually a good handling car, it has done very well at tracks all around the world offering similar lap times to the new M3/M4 and Audi RS4, so this Mustang is not out of its depth when it comes to handling, but at the same time it is not quite as well rounded or as well controlled compared to its BMW rivals or any true sports car. UK cars have re-vised springs it would seem which seem to add a little more height, not good for the look. Also US cars suffered rear bounce simply because the rear dampers are under damped and struggle to control the car over bumps and as such it becomes rather bouncy and unsettling.
The FRPP kit is a complete kit which includes:
- Front struts
- Rear struts
- Front and rear lowering springs
- Sway bar kit (36.5mm front tubular bar & 25.5mm rear solid bar)
- Jounce bumper kit
- Performance Pack rear toe link kit
- Knuckle bushes
In true Mustang fashion the front struts come assembled with springs installed so this is a true DIY kit, easily installed in your garage. Several US guys have now fitted this kit and are all raving about it, completely cures the rear bounce, vastly improves cornering ability and traction levels. The ride height drop is perfect with about 20mm rear and 30mm front. The advantage this is a completely matched kit by Ford for the GT and thoroughly tested on the GT. Ford don't recommend it for Ecoboost simply because the springs/dampers were tuned for the GT which is heavier in the front due to the V8 lump.
The performance pack rear toe kit I won't be fitting because in theory my car already has this and even if not does not matter because I am fitting BMR toe rods because they won't deflect under load or self adjust as they don't use eccentric bolts. My E46 M3 had stock rear toe rods with eccentric bolt and after hard driving or track use the rear alignment would adjust. So I fitted uprated toe rods to it which make for easier adjustment and even better the alignment does not adjust by itself.
BMR Vertical Links (Spherical/Delrin) & Toe Rods - $150 shipped
Toe rods I talked about above, so moving straight onto the Vertical links. The stock links use soft rubber bushes which have a lot of deflection and cause a lot of the wheel hope the stock car suffers from. They come in three flavours, delrin/delrin, spherical/delrin and spherical. Delrin is a very hard bush and although these links should be NVH free the full delrin bushed one if there is going to be NVH is the one most likely to transmit it. I've gone with delrin/spherical. Very easy and simple to install!
BMR Cradle lockout kit (CB005) - $175 shipped
This item is absolute genius, it tightens up the whole rear-end of the car, so whereas before it maybe felt a little like the rear was a little sluggish to follow the front on direction changes, now it will feel tight and this modification helps also vastly with wheel hop. The result is a far better handling, more controlled and improved traction in the car. Also the guys at BMR were onto a winner with this kit as it does the same job as three of Steeda items which are IRS alignment kit, IRS subframe bushing insert support system and IRS subframe support braces which altogether would cost nearly $400. In no way bad mouthing Steeda because their parts scream quality and most of my old Mustang featured their suspension and everything fit like an o.e. item, superb quality! But the BMR single part does the job of three competitors parts and half the cost.
Also the beauty about using inserts to brace the IRS instead of actual polybushes or solid metal bushes is you get 90% of the improvement but with 90% less NVH, I did the same on my M3, by using stock bushes but then inserts at either side of the bushes to take out the slop/softness. The result is better more direct handling with no added NVH.
Steeda Chassis Jacking rails - $150 shipped
If like you your planning modifications and intend on doing it yourself, these should be the very first item you fit to make working on your car safer and to protect the underside. They cost so little but will make life far easier with getting the car on axle stands and things far safer for you. Don't think, BUY THESE and if your doing track work just remove them before track days to save the weight they add (10kg).
Steeda G-track K-member and Strut Tower brace - $400 shipped
UK cars lose the strut tower brace, I intend on putting it back on but I shall go with Steeda part as it is better thought out and weighs less. It allows easy access to the oil dipstick and will tighten the front-end up nicely. Bear in mind if you fit a super-charger you will have to remove the Strut tower brace for clearance reasons.
The G-trac brace is the real gem here though, it connects via the k-member and not only helps tighten up the front-end but it vastly improves steering directness and feel, so is ideally another must have item.
Both these items are incredibly easy to install, the strut tower brace will take you 5 minutes and the g-trac brace about 15 minutes.
Steeda Mustang adjustable differential bushing system (street/track) - $100 shipped
The differential uses soft bushes which allow quite a bit of movement and can also cause that thud in the transmission, though most of the thud is slop is the transmission itself and the 2-piece driveshaft but this can help reduce that. However the main reason for this modification is again it helps to tighten everything up improving handling and reducing wheel hop. Again as it is a insert bush system any increase in NVH should be minimal, I shall fit the street bushes but the kit also comes with harder race bushes. There are also kits available which use solid bushes. Example is the GT350 cars have solid bushes on both the IRS and differential cradle, so your essentially just doing what Ford did on the 350's to further improve handling and feedback.
Driveline and transmission modifications - $100 shipped
In the US many complain about poor shifting when under heavy acceleration especially in a turn resulting in 2-3rd shift being hard, this could just be the user as the transmission felt wonderful to me, but for the money it is well worth it. The modifications simply work by allowing the transmission to move less resulting in a more direct and precise gear shift, this can only feel great to be honest. It can potentially add NVH but drilling a large hole into the MT-82 bushing in the centre can help reduce the NVH and even prevent it. Another one of those must do modifications as it takes minutes to install and cost so little.
I feel the shifter is great and the throw feels awesome to me, but everyone in the USA raves about the MGW shifter, it is $500 so maybe also something to consider if your not to keen on the stock shifter, but to me it feels great, one of the best in fact.
Steeda / Redline S550 Mustang hood gas strut kit - $150 shipped
Does what it says on the label raises the hood in a slow controlled motion, looks far better than having that horrible piece of metal rod holding your bonnet up. Also means working within the engine bay is made much easier as well, aka Whipple 2.9l supercharger install.
Modifications planned a few months/year into ownership!
Rear Seat Delete kit similar to GT 350R - $400 shipped
More for looks rather than weight savings, though it will save you around 20kg, the official FRPP kit is $1300, you can get same level of quality for around $300. Plus if you don't like carrying passengers in the rear of your car, well now you don't have too. Of course you could save even more weight and completely remove the seat belts as well. Then the rear just becomes a storage area and the seat delete can still be folded down and is strong enough to put wheels in the back in case your building a track car.
This I might not do, depends if I want to put the car on a diet or not.
http://shraderperformance.com/shop/product/2015-ford-mustang-coupe-rear-seat-delete/?add-to-cart=424
Steeda cold air intake with tune - $400 shipped
This will yield fantastic power increase and torque especially with the exhaust. First of all UK cars are mapped for Octane 91 (unleaded). So you won't only re-gain the lost power from US-UK map but also the gains from the tune, I would not be surprised to see a 40-50BHP increase from a CAI with tune if you have a catback system installed resulting in around 450-470BHP at crank. Great value for the money but goodbye warranty potentially or most likely on the engine. But there has being ZERO failures! Also gives a little extra welcomed intake noise as well.
Aero Package Plus - $700-$3000 shipped
Now things get serious and this is more a future plan. Keeping things simple you could just add a Steeda front splitter and a copy fibreglass GT350R replica wing, same in every way just not carbon fibre or the genuine part. But the result is vast increased downforce both front and rear which is where the GT350R finds a lot of its track time from the downforce it creates. These come matt black and can be installed as or painted or dipped in carbon, cost approx. $600-$1000 shipped and painted/not painted.
Also if your a lover of genuine carbon fibre then you could change all the stock GT PP aero parts, front splitter, side splitters and rear diffusers for genuine carbon fibre for a cost of around $2000, you can also buy a genuine carbon front splitter and carbon fibre GT350R wing for a further $1000. Incredible looks and real downforce whilst reducing weight by around 5-10kg. Or you could go cheap and get all the plastic stock aero parts dipped in carbon fibre, there is many options, all look fantastic and you can add functional aero to the car.
Supercharger install - $6000 - $10,000 shipped
My two favourites are the very two Ford approve and use themselves in the USA. The TVS/Roush and Whipple. The Roush is a roots style blower which means it create more torque sooner down lower giving it huge mid-range torque ability and the standard kit gives a minimum 670BHP at the flywheel. It is also the cheaper of the two kits at around $6500 shipped but it is harder to install requiring some cutting and modification to fit and is less customisable and less power.
The Whipple 2.9l kit starts at $7000 but is configurable in custom colours, larger throttlebodies, improves cooling etc. and with all options is around $9000. But it is also a true-bolt on kit require no modification or tuning, install it, flash the map to the car and drive. It is a twin screw type blower so creates less torque but loves to rev, some guys in the US are revving to around 7700rpm with this kit and making well over 800 horsepower at the crank on stock engine, including stock oil pump and gears. Though a fuel pump upgrade/boost is required once you pass around 725BHP crank ideally and for safety you should consider upgrading the oil pump and gear, though costly and so far no reported failures on the new 5.0l so maybe Ford revised parts on the 5.0l coyote for the S550.
Wheels & Tyres - $2000 - $5000 shipped
The biggest weakness of the GT PP is the wheels are both heavy (33lbs) and narrow (9" front / 9.5" rear), plus fitted with only average summer tyres in 255/40 and 275/40 tyres. So an easy upgrade is to fit lighter and wider 19" or 20" wheels weighing approx. 25lbs per wheel. 19/20x9.5/10" is a great size for the front and the rear should be 19/20x10.5/11" with tyres of ideally 275/285/35 section front and 295/305/35 section in the rear, maybe even a 315/35 in the rear. For tyres you can't beat performance of MPSS as an all round tyre which is also fitted to 350 or the Michelin cup2 as found on the 350R. Again it is the much wider and stickier tyres that gives the 350R such a performance handling gain and of course lightweight wheels. Depending on size and quality of wheel the price can vary hugely. Some also go with square setups for a more neutral handling car say running 275/285/35's all round. I did this with my Saleen, also bear in mind new wheels also widen your front track greatly and the rear too, again just like Ford did with the 350.
My plan is to stick with the standard wheels and tyres for a year, once the tyres are shot to then make a change.
Doing all the above can transform your Mustang GT, if you did all the above but stayed NA you would be reducing the weight of the car by nearly 100kg, potentially upto 120-140kg if you fitted some bucket seats and you would be over 450 horsepower at the crank. If you went with a Cobra jet air intake manifold or Edelbrook, larger throttlebody and custom tune you could push beyond 500BHP crank though you'd need headers and high-flow cats to achieve this. The handling would be right up there as well and if you really want to race it, then KW V3 or Roush 3-way are great coilovers that still maintain good comfort levels on the road, but would turn the car into a GT 350R levels of handling and performance or certainly close.
Alternatively just throw a blower on there and have around 700 horses!
Big shoutout to:
Shawn @
http://www.hypermotive.com/ who can offer discounts and shipping to UK at great rates!
Kelly @
http://www.bmrsuspension.com/ who is happy to support and help
David @
http://www.steeda.com/ again can offer discounts and UK shipping!
Benny @
http://www.levittownfordsupercenter.com/ford-mustang-c-36.html who does UK shipping!
http://www.cjponyparts.com/ who have great shipping rates through their webshop
Lenny @
http://www.motorsport-tech.com/contact.html for custom size wheel spacers and low cost UK shipping
I hope this thread is of help to others, of course once I take delivery of my car and start making modifications I shall review the install process and the effect the part has on my car.
In short my initial modifications, minor styling, interior changes, exhaust, suspension/chassis overhaul/tweaking will cost me $4500-$5000 delivered.
Then if later I want add GT350 style front-end with carbon lip/splitter and carbon 350R spoiler, that will be another $2000ish
Wheels and tyres, not cheap!
Supercharger, WALLET DESTROYED.
To do everything you need $20,000 !
But the major expense the blower and wheels ($13,000) can weight a year, then the aero and rear seat delete I am 50/50 on at the moment. For me it is that $4500-$5000 initial spend that transforms the car in looks, handling and sound.
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