Cold-Air Intake
Approximate Cost: $130-$500
Available From: Western Motorsports (www.wmsracing.com), Anderson Ford Motorsport (www.andersonfordmotorsport.com), Airaid (www.airaid.com), BBK (www.bbkperformance.com), Steeda (www.steeda.com), C&L Performance (www.cnlperformance.com), Granatelli Motorsports (www.granatellimotorsports.com), Roush Performance (www.roushperformance.com), JDM Engineering (www.teamjdm.com), Ford Racing (www.fordracingparts.com), and JLT (www.jlttruecoldair.com)
Ease of Installation: 2
It's a simple concept: Let more air into the engine and the powerplant to make more horsepower. Naturally, "more" is a relative term, but keeping restrictions before the throttle body to a minimum certainly helps performance. Mustangs are restricted from the factory when it comes to letting air into the engine. The 5.0 cars suffer from a goofy air- silencer assembly; the mod motor-equipped Stangs don't have the optimal inlet assembly to feed the air-starved engine. A simple fix is to add a cold-air intake to ensure the throttle body allows in as much air as possible. The cold-air moniker is due to the notion of the inlet kit grabbing air from the fender rather than from under the hood.
Replacing the rubber elbow and air filter is common, and there are many companies on the market that offer effective induction solutions. Simply running an open throttle body or no air filter on a MAF sensor is not the best method. Air needs to have a clean and channeled path so it moves efficiently. "Cold-air kits usually yield 10-15 hp," Burcham says. "Most of the gain is from the conical filter, but the smooth-radius bends and larger-diameter pipes don't hurt, either. Most of the factory air kits already draw air from the fender, so there's not much to gain from filter location."
Swapping cold-air intake kits onto S197 Mustangs sometimes requires the computer to be retuned due to the change in the MAF sensor signal. Most kits come with either a handheld tuner standard or as an option. Other companies produce cold-air intake kits that don't require tuning. Our testing has found that there are considerably greater improvements with the addition of both the cold-air intake and an aftermarket tune-up, but combining the two on an S197 car drives the cost higher than our $500 price ceiling.
Intake Manifold Upgrade
Approximate Cost: $100-$500
Available From: Accufab (www.accufab), C&L Performance (www.cnlperformance.com), Ford Racing (www.fordracingparts.com), Edelbrock (www.edelbrock.com), Holley (www.holley.com), Professional Products (www.professionalproducts.com), Steeda (www.steeda.com), Granatelli Motorsports (www.granatellimotorsports.com), UPR Products (www.uprproducts.com), and Trick Flow (www.trickflow.com)
Ease of Installation: 4-6 depending on model
Swapping an intake manifold pertains to 5.0 and Two-Valve engines. The Three-Valve stuff still relies on the stock intake--that is, until the aftermarket comes out with some viable options.
The Two-Valve engine benefits from two different intake manifold swaps. The first is a simple swap of the upper plenum, which is a reasonable-cost component. The other intake option is to get a completely new intake manifold from Trick Flow, Professional Products, or the forthcoming BBK Two-Valve intake. Replacing the entire manifold puts the cost factor above $500, with the Professional Products entry around $530, and the Trick Flow intake significantly more.
Most people just replace the upper plenum and throttle body on the Two-Valve cars and find 10-15 hp. It might not sound like much, but the increased airflow yields even bigger results when you put on a supercharger or swap the heads and camshafts. The factory PI intake manifold ('99-'04 Two-Valve intake) works surprisingly well, and while many companies have tried, they have yet to top that intake in performance for a street/strip Mustang.
The 5.0 market seems to have a plethora of intake manifolds available for a variety of applications. The factory E7 intake manifold chokes the stock E7 heads, especially when you start adding 1.7 roller rocker arms and other bolt-on pieces. Opening up the intake helps the heads breathe a bit easier, and it shows a horsepower increase of about 15-20.
"I'd go with a Trick Flow Street for a mostly stock 302," Dezotell says.
Burcham threw in his two cents on intakes for 5.0 engines, saying, "The Cobra or Trick Flow would work best for stock or mildly modded engines. The Cobra will work the best all around for a stocker, but the Trick Flow isn't far behind. The Cobra is nice because it works well when you go with better heads and other future engine mods."
Gonyon had this to say about intakes on the venerable 5.0 combo: "I suggest going with a Cobra, Explorer, or GT-40 intake."
Brake Upgrades
Approximate Cost: $200-$500
Available From: Hawk Performance (www.hawkperformance.com), EBC Brakes (www.ebcbrakes.com), Bendix (www.bendixbrakes.com), and Powerslot Brakes (www.powerslot.com)
Ease of Installation: 4
"Brake mods are well worth the investment if you plan on some spirited driving," Burcham says.
"If you're going to make it faster, you're going to have to make it stop," Dezotell says.
Let's face it, the factory brakes are pretty weak and in dire need of attention, especially if you autocross or road race your Stang, as doing both takes a toll on tires and the entire braking system. Be prepared to change the brake fluid often. Heat is a killer as it breaks down the fluid and wears out pads quickly. The wearable parts tend to last a bit longer in the autocross arena than on road courses. Another reason to get a set of aftermarket brakes is the cool factor--it's neat to peak behind a wheel and see a stout disc-brake setup. It also helps to have more stopping power on the street. We all know how bad drivers suddenly stop short in front of you for no reason at all.
Swapping to four-wheel disc brakes can be an expensive proposition, as it's easy to gravitate to the serious stuff like Brembo and Baer. Although each of those companies offer entry-level braking systems, they're still far above the $500 maximum we imposed on our Top 10 list. We're here to say that the high-end companies aren't the only sources for aftermarket brake kits. Companies such as Power Slot are a great alternative for performance and aesthetics. With some investigation, you can piece together a braking system to suit your needs and budget. Many companies make nice upgrade options for existing disc brakes as well as disc-brake conversions for the rear-drum-brake setups found on the '79-'93 Stangs. The '94-present Stangs have four-wheel disc brakes, and upgrading to better calipers and rotors will help stopping power.
The larger rotors help dissipate heat better as well as provide more surface area for larger calipers and brake pads. The larger caliper and brake pads provide more frictional area to help slow down the wheel speed. If upgrading the rotors and calipers isn't an option, a better brake pad will help, as several aftermarket companies make brake pads that grip much better than the stock units and are relatively inexpensive, around $50-$60 per pad.