Mods and their results

2TonCat

Registered User
First off, I'd like to ask everyone to keep this post clean. I know that's kindof ironic comming out of my mouth, but it would be nice if we could use this for a reference on what things are worth your time, and what things are not.

If you have dyno results from **The same dyno** from before and after, that would be helpful.

My mods all apply to a 96 V8 with a 4r70w

J-modded, and bullitproof transmission:
It shifts a lot quicker and firmer, but without a tune, my 1-2 is at 4500 and 2-3 is at 4900. Good results, but on a WOT shift, the ECU thinks its still shifting when it's already chirped the tires on the shift. It takes a while for the pressure to normalize and for the gear to take off.

3800 stall 2.65 str billit torque converter
I love this thing. It makes the car sound like a rocketship, and blow the tires off from a low punch. 0-20 is tons more fun now, and the front end even raises a noticeable amount on launch. 60" times of 2.01 launching off idle

18x8 Voxx Matrix rims
Wider is better. Nuff' said.

255x45x18 Toyo Proxies STs
Good durable tire. Not much traction though. Seems to be a hard compound. On the plus side, they have a good load rating, and the sidewalls don't flex much at all. I've still got probably 80% tread left on these since this summer, and I burn the tires off a lot. With the 18" voxxes on the front, they attacked my fender though. I had to remove them

245x45x18 General exclaim UHPs
Stickier tire, but treadwear seems a little fast for my taste. The car overpowers this tire around roundabouts at high speeds. It looses a little bit of traction, but still retains control at least. I'd give them a 7/10.

KYB Shocks
Stiffer than stock, but I think these cars would do better with a little more dampening.

Eibach springs
Much stiffer than the stockers. I'm happy with these springs. At first, I thought I wouldn't like the progressive feel of them, but I have grown to like it. The car still feels like it either needs more dampening, or stiffer swaybars though. It rolls a lot.

Air lift bags in rear suspension
I didn't notice any significant gains in launching... Bought this incase I used DRs or something and worried about smacking my fenderwell. Did notice that the car trends more towards oversteering with the bags at 25psi.

Kenney Brown Alluminum differential bushings
I liked these, but it transmistted noise right into the car, and drove me nuts. The drivetrain felt ~~~~ tons tighter when these were isntalled, and it took out a lot of slack that I felt when putting the car in gear. I removed these for now, but will re-install once I get an exhaust.
 
PI Heads & Intake - Definitely worth the effort and expense, but get a good tune to go along with them, or you'll get serious detonation. Also, why go to the expense and time to install them, then not utilize all the potential?

J-Mod - Just do it. Its not that hard, or expensive, and and is worth every penny

Eibach Springs - Love the way they ride, love the way they handle. But get good shocks to go with them. No point in one without the other.

KYB Shocks - Great shock. Probably better out there, but for the money these can't be beat.

Poly Diff bushings - Again, for the price you can't NOT get them. They firm up the rearend, and still keep things quiet. Also last longer.

Poly Tranny bushings - See above.

Mustang GT breather - This may seem asinine to list, but think about it. They are relatively cheap, they flow a LOT of air compared to the Stock box, they have a FACTORY cone filter, and they pull Cold air from the fender. They bolt right up the the 80mm and 90mm Mustang and Lightning MAF meters, and they give a great sleeper look.

80mm MAF meter - Great for the price, its a factory ford unit, flows plenty of air, and give ACCURATE info to the EEC. Only downside is you NEED a chip to utilize it. But after having a chip I can't imagine anyone NOT wanting one.

Ported, polished, halfshafted 04 Mustang GT TB and plenum - Works well with the sleeper look. These can be bought farily cheaply on Ebay (compared to aftermarket pieces). They flow well, they look stock, and they install easily.

SCT Tune - Just get one. They are worth the price and they make all the other mods just work better together. Best way to get the true potential out of your engine.

Front Shock Tower Brace - Felt the difference immediately. Handled more neutrally in hard corners. (tight cloverleafs, etc.)

Underdrive pullies - Don't notice the difference in the seat of the pants, but they are fairly cheap if you shop around, and every little bit helps right? Besides on a practical side, they put less wear on the accessories.

PBR Brakes - Ups and downs. Not sure I like the idea of grinding on brake parts, but haven't had any problems with them. In hindsight, if I had 16" wheels already, I'd probably just go with Mark or Sport brakes. I felt no significant difference between those and the PBR's. Though there is a difference between the PBR's and the standard brakes. Much more cost effective than the Cobra brakes however.

Mark VIII TC - I don't know, didn't feel a real big difference. I just went with it following the recommendations of others. I did put it in the same time as the PI swap though so I might just not feel the difference of the TC by itself.

93 Mark VIII Driveshaft - Just do it if you can find one. Safer, lighter, smoother.

89 SC sway bars - Big difference. Car feels flat in corners, controllable, yet still smooth. Suspension parts and upgrades work best when allowed to work as a team. Springs, shocks, swaybars all complement the rest.

17x7.5 Cobra R wheels - I know "everyone has them". Well there is a reason for that. They just look damned good on these cars. The silver goes well with the stripes, and the style fits the "GT" theme. I wish they were wider, but for 400 bucks I ain't complaining.

255/50/17 Fuzion ZRi tires. Good tires, sticky enough without wearing out too quickly. Probably not the best drag tires, but a good compromise between enjoying drag racing and Autocross. Feel great on the highway, track well, good steering response. They don't know the difference between wet or dry weather, its all the same to them. NOT recommended for snow or ice.

3.27 Trac-Loc - One of those "Just get one" items. Use a stock 3.27 trac-loc from a salvage yard till it wears out, while saving up for the rebuild with whatever gears you want.

(P.S. If you want to know how to get it done CHEAPLY, just ask. I've got to be the cheapest MoFo on this forum..... Well cept for Chris maybe... ;):D )
 
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