Talk me down from blowing a ton of cash on mods!

[MRGTX]

I picked up my BASE 2020 GT 6spd last week. This car is intended to be my daily driver which will include the possibility of snow driving (though I can work from home during bad weather so it would only be for emergencies). I really like the idea of living with a muscle car every day... I want to have the experience of a V8 manual hotrod in my life every day before that chance is gone forever.

I don’t owe much on the S550 and that was the plan...I wanted a fun, cheap, quick daily driver but not a race car. The base GT trim hit the mark. My tinkering a modding budget has been and will be spent on my canyon carver Mopar project. At least, that was my plan. I assumed that I could keep my cool and focus on turning my beloved old jalopy into a genuine driver’s car...

Now that I’ve driven the new Mustang a bit, I’m feeling the potential of this car and suddenly I’m regretting not getting a PP1. I already “tripped and fell” and accidentally bought a set of take-off PP1 Brembo rotors and calipers, I’ve nearly decided on a set of wheels and tires to accommodate the new binders too. I also have tabs on my browser with suspension upgrades, chassis stiffening, etc...this is going in a bad direction quickly.

So...I’m hoping you guys can save me some cash. Has anyone owned/driven both base and performance pack cars? Are the PP cars that much more responsive/fun when hooning around the backroads or do the upgrades only matter on the track? Which are the most important components to upgrade if a guy just wanted to close the gap between the trim levels and maybe hang with PP cars on an occasional casual autocross event?

How big of a deal is the Torsen? I run one in my Dart and it works great so far but I don’t notice that much of a difference from the clutch pack style limited slip that the car had before.

Thanks for any opinions or suggestions!

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[FreePenguin]

MGW or barton hybrid 3 short throw shifter + Steeda spring, (15 dollars for little spring) those 2 mods. are something I would recommend for any manual owner.

button smooth shifting, and also, you actually feel your clutch. I hated the stock marshmallow clutch pedal feel.

 

[frestylmotox01]

I drove a non pp before I bought my PP1 car, I thought the PP1 felt much better. Even with PP1, I added the Steeda stop the hop kit, their front subframe brace, and minimal drop springs. Those pieces made the car feel way more balanced and responsive, so money well spent. I'd also highly recommend their tri-ax shirt shifter, night and day and the car is way more fun with these things added.

If you can afford it, those will make the car feel totally different in a good way without killing your bank account.

 

[frank s]

I'll suggest you drive the thing for months prior to committing Mod Overload. Ninety-nine percent of Mustang drivers never get within twenty percent of the limits of a base Mustang's capabilities. Your developing sensitivity and skills will take your base Mustang performance well beyond what a standard PP1er will ever see.

Pay attention to what the car is telling you in stock base Mustang form. Remember that every mod you throw at it will become the focus of a cognitive dissonance episode, where the impulse to justify a decision overwhelms rational evaluation. Practically speaking, almost no one you'll encounter can sense the levels of change provided by common "improvements".

 

[ugstang17]

Sell the Duster and blow it all on the car. Pay it off and use the extra for FI, tune, and suspension mods. Then do a T56 magnum swap if its a MT-82 for added measure.

 

[Biggus Dickus]

Uhhh - take some old guy wisdom - the mod money I don't spend today goes toward the down on my next car. I've had my share of money pits from a Kenne Bell Cobra to an LSX454 Corvette and a few others. My GT has an E85 tune and my RS is tuned for 93 and I am done with those cars. No mas amigo...no mas.

 

[POJ 1]

Go for it and spend the $$$'s
Its your patriotic duty post covind 19 to help all these struggling aftermarket vendors

 

[shogun32]

basic stop the hop kit (IRS brace+dowels+IRS bushing lockout), diff bolt upgrade, steeda shifter poly bracket. Those are must-do's IMO. That's about $500 in parts.

Hold off on suspension till you get a feel for the car and if you really want to spend $700 (Bilstein set) or $1200+ (FRPP track, SP083 or 200/800 spring set).

 

[ice445]

Wheels and tires first, then see where you're at. Also I enjoy the car much more with "comfort" steering, feels far more natural on curvy roads and in general.

 

[13GetThere]

I got a PP2 because I didn't want to spend the money on modding a 2013 GT Brembo, and the PP2 had everything I wanted, so I wouldn't need to spend any more money on it. Silly me.

 

[kinchy]

I'll suggest you drive the thing for months prior to committing Mod Overload. Ninety-nine percent of Mustang drivers never get within twenty percent of the limits of a base Mustang's capabilities. Your developing sensitivity and skills will take your base Mustang performance well beyond what a standard PP1er will ever see.

Pay attention to what the car is telling you in stock base Mustang form. Remember that every mod you throw at it will become the focus of a cognitive dissonance episode, where the impulse to justify a decision overwhelms rational evaluation. Practically speaking, almost no one you'll encounter can sense the levels of change provided by common "improvements".

Your second paragraph remains an accurate summary of the process and result.

 

[shogun32]

Practically speaking, almost no one you'll encounter can sense the levels of change provided by common "improvements".

depends on the mods of course but fixing the IRS and the shifter are VERY obvious changes. And for the better.

 

[z6cyl]

basic stop the hop kit (IRS brace+dowels+IRS bushing lockout), diff bolt upgrade, steeda shifter poly bracket. Those are must-do's IMO. That's about $500 in parts.

Hold off on suspension till you get a feel for the car and if you really want to spend $700 (Bilstein set) or $1200+ (FRPP track, SP083 or 200/800 spring set).

I also have stock car - what is the tangible benefit of the stop the hop kit? (like what will it feel like in the road).
Also are there any other basic steeda suspension stuff thats highly recommended?

Haven't heard about the diff bolt upgrade - what does this do?

If doing MGW, no need for the steeda shifter bracket, correct?

 

[tom_sprecher]

Not necessarily the OP, but I always wonder why performance minded owners buy a new base car only to spend crazy amounts of money buying basically the same components that come on a performance package. I like modding too, but thinking you will save money by buying a base car and modding it to a PP level rarely happens.

If it was a used example and what you wanted could not be found in your market, I get that. But if you buy new, then get everything you want, especially if you can get 0% financing. You will be so much more ahead in the long run.

 

[shogun32]

what is the tangible benefit of the stop the hop kit?

one, stops the hop if you're the kind that just likes to dump the clutch. But more importantly you can actually feel what the heck is going on at the rear of the car.

Haven't heard about the diff bolt upgrade - what does this do?

Fix Ford's epic engineering f*ck-up. You only need the 2 collars that take up the egregious amount of space between fastener and bushing core. 12.9 grade hardware is stronger than 10, and in another case of engineering clue 101 being overlooked, Ford put the shear loads into the threaded section of the fastener instead of the shank. Someone really needs to get whacked good and hard for those.

If doing MGW, no need for the steeda shifter bracket, correct?

I believe so. You're opting for the $500 solution to a $70 problem. But I'm sure there are other benefits to the MGW.

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