Tuning the Ford Mustang

"Horses for courses"

 The Ford Mustang first appeared in 1964.

It is one of the longest running production models and has a thriving community of tuners and car modifiers.

It was not until 1994 that an extensive and somewhat controversial restyling took place, engine choices ranged from a 3.8 liter to the 5.4 liter.

In 2005 the mustang was restyled and relaunched recapturing the essence of the original car with its quad headlamp arrangement. There are a lot of performance tuners and modifiers around specialising in the Mustang. For example the Shelby GT model is based upon the standard Ford GT. It has been extensively tuned and with the Shelby upgrades produces 319 brake horsepower. Then in  2007 a 500 brake horsepower model was produced using a supercharged 5.4 liter V8 engine. These power gains show the potential for tuning in the basic mustang models.

Roush Performance and Saleen Autosport have also produced some high power versions of the Ford Mustang. There is certainly no shortage of performance Mustang parts available. With a fairly substantial outlay and some careful planning it is possible to run a sub 10 second quarter mile time.

Most owners spend some time tweaking and enhancing the suspension aiming to improve the handling of the car. The larger power gains come from forced induction with a choice of either, a supercharger or turbo kit. Many of these bolt on and a 5 psi boost can raise horsepower by 115-120.

With some additional engine work higher boost can be applied leading to significant performance gains. Attention will also need to be spent upgrading the exhaust for a better flowing exhaust system and also the air intake can be improved. Some owners complain that third gear is annoying so upgrading the gear box for a closer ratio box and short throw shifter will also makes the car more pleasant to drive.

Engine wise TorqueCars would recommend that you get the head properly flowed, then fit some fast road cams. Following these mods you are best advised to get a proper dyno tune and ensure that the car is set up properly, paying close attention to the fuel and air ratio. You will also need to increase the size of the throttle body as appropriate to maximise air flow into the engine.

Please join our forums to discuss tuning modifications with other members who have Mustangs and browse our tuning topics for indepth information on the various aspects of engine and car modification.