I'd like to start off by thanking svtperformance.com and all of the forum members, there is truly a wealth of knowledge here about these cars. :bowdown:
Picked up a '13 GT about a month ago. Exact options:
My last Mustang was a '97 Cobra with some bolt-ons. I loved that car, but I gotta say, this one blows it away in every category. My only gripes are the soft throttle response/low-end, it's TOO quiet, and the shifter. The shifter is actually very nice for just driving around town, but it let me down at the track a few times. On to the good stuff...
I ordered the FRPP GT Power Upgrade Package (M-FR1-MGTB, found it for $499 online), Amsoil SS 5W-30, EAO17-EA filter, Amsoil MTG for the trans, and their hand pump for the bottles. Signed up for their Preferred Customer deal, it's easy, knocks 25% off the cost. Yesterday morning the car was at 1,204 miles. I changed the oil and filter, swapped the trans fluid, and installed the GT500 axle backs. Then I spent the afternoon at the track.
Engine oil and filter change:
Here are my results from the track yesterday, all stock except the GT500 axle-backs.
More to follow after the Procal shows up...thanks again, everyone. :beer:
Update! I installed the ProCal tune on my car tonight. It delivered exactly what I wanted, MUCH better throttle response and a LOT more torque down low. Top-end feels pretty much the same, maybe slightly better. I am extremely pleased with how the car runs now, so much easier to rev match/shift and it pulls a LOT harder down low. Install was simple, as everyone knows. Did it myself and made sure to double-check that the VIN matched before loading it up. Stayed with the N octane setting and I am running 93. I have ZERO ping of any kind, I even did a WOT uphill run in 5th starting off around 2000rpm. Nothing, it just pulled. Now, the one thing that I did notice, that I have not seen mentioned anywhere yet. My cylinder head temp runs about 10 degrees hotter now than it did before. Previously, it would stay right around 194, few degrees up or down. Now it is reading 205, few degrees up or down, and the cooling fans kick on from time to time, which I had not heard before. I do not think this indicates any sort of problem, just a side-effect of a little more timing and slightly higher allowable tolerances in the tune.
I also dropped in the K&N that came with the kit. I was up in the air about it, but decided to do it since Ford deems it "part of the kit". Does it do anything? Little, if any, who knows. Why not run it the way they designed the kit. I looked up the filter on the fordracingparts website and Ford claims that it flows 22% better than stock at a certain vacuum measurement. Again, I don't personally think it does much of anything, but why not.
Now, I would love to take it right back to the track and run it some more for comparison, but I am not willing to do that again until I get the wheel hop sorted out. I have pretty much decided on swapping out the UCA and UCA mount first and see how that goes. If it's still doing it I will do the LCAs and brackets, too. After that, I will be more than happy to take it to the track again. So, other than that and an MGW at some point, the car will remain as-is until I can swing that FRPP 624 kit (assuming I can cure the hop!)
Picked up a '13 GT about a month ago. Exact options:
- GT Premium, Sterling Gray, Black Leather, MT82
- 400A
- Reverse Sensing/Secuirty Package
- 3.73 Axle
- Comfort Package (Heated Seats and Holographic Pony)
- Brembo Package
- Rear Camera
My last Mustang was a '97 Cobra with some bolt-ons. I loved that car, but I gotta say, this one blows it away in every category. My only gripes are the soft throttle response/low-end, it's TOO quiet, and the shifter. The shifter is actually very nice for just driving around town, but it let me down at the track a few times. On to the good stuff...
I ordered the FRPP GT Power Upgrade Package (M-FR1-MGTB, found it for $499 online), Amsoil SS 5W-30, EAO17-EA filter, Amsoil MTG for the trans, and their hand pump for the bottles. Signed up for their Preferred Customer deal, it's easy, knocks 25% off the cost. Yesterday morning the car was at 1,204 miles. I changed the oil and filter, swapped the trans fluid, and installed the GT500 axle backs. Then I spent the afternoon at the track.
Engine oil and filter change:
- Checked the oil level before draining. It was at 2/3 between the MIN and MAX marks. So, no noticeable oil consumption in the first 1,200 miles.
- 15mm drain plug, oil still looked pretty clean, nothing exciting there.
- 3 8mm bolts to drop down the plastic cover to get to the oil filter.
- The Amsoil EAO17-EA filter is the exact same size and shape as the factory filter. Business end looks slightly different.
- Put 8 quarts (2 gallons) of Amsoil SS 5W-30 back in it. Oil level was at 3/4 between MIN and MAX after the change.
- Yes, this oil quieted down all of the ticking/tapping engine noise.
- Drain and Fill plugs are removed with a hex wrench, you can't miss them.
- Factory fluid came out looking pretty clean, still transparent. I've read about others saying this was not the case. No idea what the difference would be.
- A pump of some sort is a MUST to put fluid back in this trans. The Amsoil hand pump worked great, super easy.
- Put approximately 2.8 quarts of MTG back in the trans.
- The trans is now a little quieter and shifts a little easier than before.....still gonna need a shifter. MGW it is...
- Loosen the clamps that connect the mufflers to the rest of the exhaust (13mm) on each side.
- BTW, nice work on the exhaust, Ford! Those factory clamps are pretty nice.
- Pop the rearmost (exhaust tip side) rubber hanger off the muffler, let it drop down some.
- I unbolted the front hangers from the car and left them attached to the old mufflers, swapped them over onto the new ones on the bench.
- Drivers side has 3 13mm bolts, passenger side has 2 13mm bolts. Had to slide the mufflers further to the rear in the forward hangers to get to one of the bolts on each side.
- Reverse steps to put the new ones on. Easy, did it by myself in about 30 minutes.
- MUCH better sound. Still sounds stock from inside the car on the highway, perfect. I also like the tips way better, looks good.
Here are my results from the track yesterday, all stock except the GT500 axle-backs.
- Temp around 50 degrees all day, warmed up slightly late in the day.
- Same story off the line every run....little traction and TONS of wheel hop (that will need to be addressed for sure, it's bad.)
- Hit the engine cutoff in 4th right before the finish line every run.
- Run after run.....13.2@110 w/ 2.2 60' time. EXTREMELY consistent.
- Best run came in the afternoon when it warmed up a little....high 50's temp.
- 12.944 sec. @ 110.46MPH w/ 2.1654 sec. 60'
- DA calculator says it was 57 degrees and DA was -324
More to follow after the Procal shows up...thanks again, everyone. :beer:
Update! I installed the ProCal tune on my car tonight. It delivered exactly what I wanted, MUCH better throttle response and a LOT more torque down low. Top-end feels pretty much the same, maybe slightly better. I am extremely pleased with how the car runs now, so much easier to rev match/shift and it pulls a LOT harder down low. Install was simple, as everyone knows. Did it myself and made sure to double-check that the VIN matched before loading it up. Stayed with the N octane setting and I am running 93. I have ZERO ping of any kind, I even did a WOT uphill run in 5th starting off around 2000rpm. Nothing, it just pulled. Now, the one thing that I did notice, that I have not seen mentioned anywhere yet. My cylinder head temp runs about 10 degrees hotter now than it did before. Previously, it would stay right around 194, few degrees up or down. Now it is reading 205, few degrees up or down, and the cooling fans kick on from time to time, which I had not heard before. I do not think this indicates any sort of problem, just a side-effect of a little more timing and slightly higher allowable tolerances in the tune.
I also dropped in the K&N that came with the kit. I was up in the air about it, but decided to do it since Ford deems it "part of the kit". Does it do anything? Little, if any, who knows. Why not run it the way they designed the kit. I looked up the filter on the fordracingparts website and Ford claims that it flows 22% better than stock at a certain vacuum measurement. Again, I don't personally think it does much of anything, but why not.
Now, I would love to take it right back to the track and run it some more for comparison, but I am not willing to do that again until I get the wheel hop sorted out. I have pretty much decided on swapping out the UCA and UCA mount first and see how that goes. If it's still doing it I will do the LCAs and brackets, too. After that, I will be more than happy to take it to the track again. So, other than that and an MGW at some point, the car will remain as-is until I can swing that FRPP 624 kit (assuming I can cure the hop!)
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