Need advice on supercharged 2020 GT

[Driver0]

Hi guys, quick introduction — I’m purchasing a 2020 Mustang GT with a Whipple Stage 2 supercharger. It also has Kooks 2-inch long-tube headers (catted) and a Corsa Performance Xtreme cat-back. The car has 32k miles and was supercharged at 20k miles.

I had a few questions about reliability. I asked some people what work I should get done, and they told me I should replace the OPGs and sprocket ASAP, as well as upgrade to stronger half shafts. Do I really need to get both of these done, or is one more important than the other? And should I avoid doing any digs with the car until I get it done?

Another question I had: the car currently stalls/turns off when the active exhaust is set to Quiet mode. The seller has had the car mechanically inspected and there don’t seem to be any issues, so would that point to a tuning issue?

Apologies if some of these questions have been answered before — I’m new to the platform and Ford in general.

Sponsored

 

[JoeCee]

Skip the cs and opg if it’s an automatic. The stalling sounds like a tune issue. I’d get it retuned regardless. And with Wengerd.

 

[Driver0]

Skip the cs and opg if it’s an automatic. The stalling sounds like a tune issue. I’d get it retuned regardless. And with Wengerd.

Hey thank you for your response,
I was told to upgrade the CS and OPG regardless on it being an automatic by some, is it really not necessary for the reliability of the car on an auto? Also for retune I've heard people recommend Lund, would Wengerd be better suited or is it personal preference.
Thanks once again!

 

[Joshinator99]

You probably don’t need to worry about the half shafts unless you’re going to put sticky tires on it and go to a drag strip. Most street tires just end up spinning so half shafts are dependent on drag strip duty most of the time.

I have a good friend with a Whipple who runs bottom nines on his ‘20 GT PP1 who cooked multiple A10s due to a crap tune by a very famous tuner on this board. I told him the same thing I’ll tell you… anyone who locks the tune is typically hiding some shady stuff in their tune. No one is doing anything revolutionary on this platform, either they’ve done it right or they haven’t. The guys that try to copy and paste tunes from one customer to the next thinking it’s “close enough” are cutting corners, end of story. So I’d pick a tuner that is transparent with you.

 

[Swtbabybilly]

Not trying to b a downer but if it was me personally I'd never buy a car from a private seller that had been modified especially something like a whipple and they never did opg and cs unless it was a steal. I'd look for a stock gt at a dealer and mod it yourself. I bought my car in the spring from ford used completely stock I put about 3k miles on it and its at ford rite now getting a motor for free under warranty because I found peaces of the stock cs in my oil when I was changing it to put the car away for the winter. If I bought it from a private seller I'd be paying for that motor myself.

Again Im not trying to rain on your parade im just letting you know what I prefer to do and what has actually happened to me.

 

[Driver0]

Not trying to b a downer but if it was me personally I'd never buy a car from a private seller that had been modified especially something like a whipple and they never did opg and cs unless it was a steal. I'd look for a stock gt at a dealer and mod it yourself. I bought my car in the spring from ford used completely stock I put about 3k miles on it and its at ford rite now getting a motor for free under warranty because I found peaces of the stock cs in my oil when I was changing it to put the car away for the winter. If I bought it from a private seller I'd be paying for that motor myself.

Again Im not trying to rain on your parade im just letting you know what I prefer to do and what has actually happened to me.

Hey appreciate the response, and don't worry not being a downer. But I'm getting it for pretty much a steal, its a gt premium and I'm buying it a little above if it was stock so well under all the mod cost. Just wanted to make sure the lack of supporting mods like the OPG and CS shouldn't be a deal breaker.

You probably don’t need to worry about the half shafts unless you’re going to put sticky tires on it and go to a drag strip. Most street tires just end up spinning so half shafts are dependent on drag strip duty most of the time.

I have a good friend with a Whipple who runs bottom nines on his ‘20 GT PP1 who cooked multiple A10s due to a crap tune by a very famous tuner on this board. I told him the same thing I’ll tell you… anyone who locks the tune is typically hiding some shady stuff in their tune. No one is doing anything revolutionary on this platform, either they’ve done it right or they haven’t. The guys that try to copy and paste tunes from one customer to the next thinking it’s “close enough” are cutting corners, end of story. So I’d pick a tuner that is transparent with you.

I did want to add drag slicks on it in the future, but yes it'll mostly just be for street use. In terms of the selection between different tuners I appreciate the response, is there any you can recommend from personal experience as I'm pretty new to the whole scene and would like to do things right the first time. Also from your own opinion, would I need to do an upgrade for my OPG and CS or is it fine due to the car being a 10R80?

Thanks for the response btw!

 

[larr12]

Go with @Wengerd Performance for the tune

 

[m3incorp]

You are going to get different answers on whether you need to get the OPG and CS. Some haven't and wish they had. Some have and thought it wasn't worth it. As for the half shafts, just adding street/drag radials doesn't necessarily mean you need to change the half shafts. As said above, it is the drag strip and "actually" hooking up that warrants getting those half shafts. My 2 cents from a guy who is supercharged. First, an amazing price is impossible to determine until after you have the car, and it lasts for a few years. Secondly, you are purchasing a modified car that you already know most likely has tuning issues. Driving on a bad tune itself could have caused unseen damage, depending on how the owner drove it. Thirdly, take the car to a reputable pro and have them data log and check other vitals BEFORE buying. Does this cost, yes. Maybe negotiate it with the seller.

 

[Zrussian13]

Street use i wouldn't worry about axles, trsck yes, and I wouldn't do the opgs unless you plan on riding the limiter. Gen 3 gears seem pretty stout. (Unless you are getting in there for something else) If you want to make it last furst thing I'd worry about is good octane gas.

 

[wingnutt]

Not trying to b a downer but if it was me personally I'd never buy a car from a private seller that had been modified especially something like a whipple and they never did opg and cs unless it was a steal. I'd look for a stock gt at a dealer and mod it yourself. I bought my car in the spring from ford used completely stock I put about 3k miles on it and its at ford rite now getting a motor for free under warranty because I found peaces of the stock cs in my oil when I was changing it to put the car away for the winter. If I bought it from a private seller I'd be paying for that motor myself.

Again Im not trying to rain on your parade im just letting you know what I prefer to do and what has actually happened to me.

all fair points, but completely opposite for me. I have bought more cars third and fourth hand with more mods than I like, sight unseen off eBay…to include my current Shelby!

…if I know I’m gonna drop some coin for mods (which I ALWAYS do) then I’ll buy it modified and save the cash for possible fixes. Even my current 350R came with six Lund tunes, cold air and a crappy exhaust mod. Found a stock exhaust, put 50k miles on her and dumped the Lund and CAI for a procharger, looking forward to another 25k before I sleeve the block and turn the wick up

 

[Swtbabybilly]

all fair points, but completely opposite for me. I have bought more cars third and fourth hand with more mods than I like, sight unseen off eBay…to include my current Shelby!

…if I know I’m gonna drop some coin for mods (which I ALWAYS do) then I’ll buy it modified and save the cash for possible fixes. Even my current 350R came with six Lund tunes, cold air and a crappy exhaust mod. Found a stock exhaust, put 50k miles on her and dumped the Lund and CAI for a procharger, looking forward to another 25k before I sleeve the block and turn the wick up

Completely understand and I know thousands agree with you as well was just giving my 2 cents that's why I never told him dont buy it was just sharing my experience and what I thought. I would never tell anyone what to do with thr money i can only give them my point of view and what I would do in the same situation

 

[skinnyb]

Go with @Wengerd Performance for the tune

Second this by far. Wengerd has tuned both of mine, not supercharged, but I know many friends that have Whippled and ESS cars both manual and 10 speed that he knocked it out of the park..

 

[Cobra Jet]

You are going to get different answers on whether you need to get the OPG and CS. Some haven't and wish they had. Some have and thought it wasn't worth it. As for the half shafts, just adding street/drag radials doesn't necessarily mean you need to change the half shafts. As said above, it is the drag strip and "actually" hooking up that warrants getting those half shafts. My 2 cents from a guy who is supercharged. First, an amazing price is impossible to determine until after you have the car, and it lasts for a few years. Secondly, you are purchasing a modified car that you already know most likely has tuning issues. Driving on a bad tune itself could have caused unseen damage, depending on how the owner drove it. Thirdly, take the car to a reputable pro and have them data log and check other vitals BEFORE buying. Does this cost, yes. Maybe negotiate it with the seller.

Agree 1000% with the comment about your sentence that “you already know most likely has tuning issues”….

If I was looking at a supercharged S550 and it was having idle/drivability/functional issues - it would be a HARD pass… I would not give it any thought or be plunking down any money. The last thing you want is someone else’s problem, or an expensive repair to replace an engine due to who knows what issues the Seller isn’t revealing.

There’s a shit ton of S550’s for sale; hit up cargurus, set the search distance to nationwide and take a look - modded, N/A, supercharged,, etc etc…. Tons to whose from, some fair pricing and others way too much.

The OPG and crank sprocket is definitely a concern if the Seller has never addressed either. You also don’t know how that Seller drove the car…. Let’s be totally serious here - no one installs a supercharger just to granny drive…. Just search on here about OPG’s… and for the crank sprocket, there’s folks finding crank teeth in their oil pans - on totally stock Coyotes…. This isn’t a “scare” or downer, it’s facts and there’s plenty of informative threads about the OPG or crank sprockets.

IMO, you’re taking a risk buying that car you’re looking at… don’t let emotions get in the way, there’s plenty of other S550’s to choose from….

 

[Driver0]

Agree 1000% with the comment about your sentence that “you already know most likely has tuning issues”….

If I was looking at a supercharged S550 and it was having idle/drivability/functional issues - it would be a HARD pass… I would not give it any thought or be plunking down any money. The last thing you want is someone else’s problem, or an expensive repair to replace an engine due to who knows what issues the Seller isn’t revealing.

There’s a shit ton of S550’s for sale; hit up cargurus, set the search distance to nationwide and take a look - modded, N/A, supercharged,, etc etc…. Tons to whose from, some fair pricing and others way too much.

The OPG and crank sprocket is definitely a concern if the Seller has never addressed either. You also don’t know how that Seller drove the car…. Let’s be totally serious here - no one installs a supercharger just to granny drive…. Just search on here about OPG’s… and for the crank sprocket, there’s folks finding crank teeth in their oil pans - on totally stock Coyotes…. This isn’t a “scare” or downer, it’s facts and there’s plenty of informative threads about the OPG or crank sprockets.

IMO, you’re taking a risk buying that car you’re looking at… don’t let emotions get in the way, there’s plenty of other S550’s to choose from….

Firstly I appreciate the response and thank you. Completely get what you mean by not knowing how the previous owner handled the car, but in terms of options I haven't found many other suitable options. Cargurus has a lot of S550's but i cant filter by boosted ones and haven't found any really in general.

I found this 2015 twin turbo setup, but it's heavily modified so I'm not sure how reliable it would be. If you guys could give your 2 cents and let me know if it'd be a better option I'd be very thankful!

2015 Ford Mustang GT – Twin Turbo
Mileage: 29,000 miles
Title: Clean

Engine & Forced Induction
Hellion twin turbo top-mount kit
Precision turbos (powder-coated Illusion Blue) with turbo blankets
Upgraded wastegate springs
Gen 3 intake with IMRC lockouts
OPG/CS (oil pump gears & crank sprocket)
Lund Racing tuned (93 & E85 tunes, currently on E85)
Makes 782 WHP at only ~50% duty cycle via boost controller

Fuel System
1500 HP-rated Lethal Performance fuel system
Triple Walbro 450 fuel pumps
1000cc Fuel Injector Clinic injectors
Aeromotive fuel rails
Fully braided -8 and -10 AN fuel lines
Holley fuel pressure regulator

Drivetrain & Suspension
6R80 automatic transmission with paddle shifters
Ford Performance loaded IRS with 3.55 gears
800 HP-rated axles
Steeda Stop the Hop kit (all aluminum bushings)
Viking adjustable rear shocks

Electronics & Boost Control
MSD 2-step with button release
G-Force 2 boost controller (3 boost settings)
Lund Racing LRX tuning device included

Exhaust & Intake
Full MagnaFlow exhaust with X-pipe

Cooling & Reliability
UPR dual catch can system

Exterior & Wheels
GT350 rear spoiler
Ace Alloy AFF05 wheels
Ceramic window tint

Interior & Tech
Upgraded SYNC 3 infotainment with Apple CarPlay
DS18 speakers throughout

Notes
Cold A/C and hot heat fully functional
All creature comforts work
Check engine light present due to O2 sensors (cannot be legally disabled by Lund); confirmed as the only codes via LRX
Parts and labor fully documented

 

[Cobra Jet]

What’s your price point, like max for the vehicle you’re wanting?

Also, with any modified vehicle and modified being a supercharger or turbo, always be sure you have extra cash saved and available for when the engine goes; not many think ahead or about the big picture when getting a vehicle like that or even building one from a base S550. If you’re maxing on the car just to get the car you always have to be prepared for the when, not the if - and the engine is the most expensive part to replace for any S550. If you’re not capable of replacing an engine (not the ability to do so, but no way to do so at your location), then you have to rely on a shop or others labor $$$ to do so.

So just keep that in kind with your shopping.

As others have mentioned too, you could find a nice GT that is stock - and then modify it to your liking - and - still be within your price point. Can you do that? Or are you just wanting an already built S550?

There’s also been very nice modded S550’s with forced induction listed on this site - some have sold, others maybe haven’t. I’d peruse the classifieds on here even older threads where the car hasn’t been marked sold and see if the owner sold or still has it for sale. Buying from a fellow S550 member could be better than buying “off the street” so to speak.

Sponsored