The s550 is a masterpiece!

[Coolmanfoo]

So I bought my base gt (auto trans with the stock 3.15 gears) about 2 or 3 months ago.

However I just had the opportunity to take the car on its first full day of spirited driving. I woke up around 6 am and headed to highway 1 in northern California. The first few miles were already packed full of tourists and it was a very slow 25 mph cruise through the windy roads. this is where I really appreciated how comfortable the car is.

After the traffic let up I was able to let the engine breathe a little. Put the car into sport mode, kept the rpms hovering between 3-5k and just went for it. This car is incredible! the power and the sound of the coyote is intoxicating! the torque you feel around 4k is incredible. the brakes also seemed to be mighty impressive for stock brakes. they didn't let me down all day. Then there is the handling which I still maintain is incredible. Is the car heavy? yeah it is but il be damned if you cant just toss this thing into a corner and give it a little throttle on the way out for a damn good time. The handling for me was perfect. you threw it in and it went, no argument.

I was just so thrilled by an entire day of "spirited" driving I felt I had to make a post to just say I love almost everything about this car. And the best part? I haven't even modded it yet!

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[KevinG]

Glad to see your enjoyment of the base GT. Wait till you get some upgrades, and you'll really be grinning from ear to ear.

 

[Coolmanfoo]

Glad to see your enjoyment of the base GT. Wait till you get some upgrades, and you'll really be grinning from ear to ear.

I know I cant wait! Do you know if its possible to get the car to 500 crank HP without forced induction? Oh and lets say with a budget of 2-3k?

 

[Schism]

I know I cant wait! Do you know if its possible to get the car to 500 crank HP without forced induction? Oh and lets say with a budget of 2-3k?

Many people here can answer this better than me; just my newb advice:
Under 2-3k I would do cat-back, cold-air intake, tuner, carbon/aluminum drive-shaft, tires and some suspension mods. I'd bet that 500hp is possible with the right mods but performing a few bolt-on's for easy HP gains and applying it to the road will be much more enjoyable.

 

[LETHAL]

You will not see 500 crank hp for $3k.

Save up and get a Whipple...Seriously..

 

[ravengenesis]

I'm surprised it took you so long to experience the car. All it took was the drive out of the sales yard for me to rush back to sign the purchase papers.

 

[Redcruzer]

Great car, great road!

 

[bluestang50]

You will not see 500 crank hp for $3k.

Save up and get a Whipple...Seriously..

Wrong...

Intake, longtubes, tunes is 2k to 3k with someone else doing the labor and with 15% drivetrain loss will net you 500+ hp at the crank

 

[5LITER]

Get the ford racing strut bar, really cleans up the front end and steering plus its cheap too.

 

[CommyO]

You will not see 500 crank hp for $3k.

Save up and get a Whipple...Seriously..

You're wrong.

OP if you're shooting for 500hp, go with tune, catless headers, intake, and a few other misc mods and should easily be 500+
And if you do decide to go FI, you have the perfect car for it; auto with 3.15s

 

[SpeedLu]

You will not see 500 crank hp for $3k.

Save up and get a Whipple...Seriously..

Incorrect. Intake, tune, and headers and you're over 500 crank hp. And a Whipple is not the end all be all of superchargers. There are far more options (I prefer centris).

 

[Kong76]

Ahhh, highway 1 is my next destination. Like to cut in around Monterey and head south through Big Sur down to Santa Barbara. Lived here all my life and never took that route.

Seeing how we are in Ca and have lovely smog rules the headers will be a no go if you don't want to swap back and fourth for registration( even the catted Kooks is illlegal). Yahoo article that just came out stated a Ford racing rep saying the new Stage 3 power pack will easily delver 475-495 crank hp. This is more than previously stated(37hp). It's warranty friendly but prob with installation will be around $2500-2700. Slap an exhaust and you are probably close to the 500 crank im thinking.

 

[Coolmanfoo]

yeah highway 1 is really beautiful and what an amazing driving road. I started up north by mill valley and went for a couple hours. It you have these amazing hair pin turns, banked curves and straight aways. also you have the road to yourself after a certain point.

As for forced induction I like it in other cars but I don't want to supercharge my mustang. I don't know why really I just don't. So I think il do as many bolt ons possible in order to get to that 500 HP Figure

Also thanks for the advice about the tower strut brace. Going to pick one of those up right away!

 

[CCCP1999]

It's the best bang for the buck. I used 7 year old Vett would cost just as much.

 

[08mojo]

It's the best bang for the buck. I used 7 year old Vett would cost just as much.

And the vette would not have any of the creature comforts, warranty (if you care about that) or new car smell that the S550 has. It's hard to beat the new mustangs, and this is coming from someone who has a 7 year old vette. The S550 is my wife's car, and I love it.:cheers:

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