2011 5.0 bone stock...mods?
 

New to the domestic game. Not sure on mods to get so Ive been researching various forums. What I have came up with so far are Intake, Tune, Gears (.73). I never plan to boost the car so it will stay all motor. I was looking at the SCT SF3 tuner as it seems a bunch of people have it. One guy on here says he has one that still has to unlock? Not sure what that means. Sorry for the Noob questions but any help is appreciated.

2011 5.0 bone stock...mods?
 

Boss manifold, cai, tune, off road midpipe, and axle backs. Then suspension. Good luck deciding part brands. I like steeda's cai since they kept the use of the factory grill air duct. Definitely the coolest air to absorb. I have slp's axle backs. And I like the sound. Everybody has different opinions on sound though. Lethal performance, I hear makes a great quality product. I don't know since I don't have one lol.

Don't apologize for the questions, that's what this place is for.

The tuner being "locked" means it's married to the one car and needs to be returned to stock before you would be able to use it on your car.

The basic mods for these cars are exhaust and a tune. Opinions of intakes vary to how much they actually help at all. The stock box seems to work pretty well. At the very least a intake will make the engine bay look better if not pick a couple of HP.

Some people add the Boss intake as a basic mod to the list, but I don't agree with this because of the massive torque loss in N/A form. It's great for boosted applications for sure, but there is a big loss in torque in N/A form for sure.

As for tuners, the SCT Xcal is pretty much a standard. There are other tuners out there, but most tuners prefer the SCT's over everything else.

Thank you for your reply Steve. So would just a K&n drop in be the best bang for the buck? Alot of stock boxes these days work wonders even in the Import world. The design looks pretty efficient. THe tuner in the for sale section says "two unlocks left" nd that it is unlocked. As for gears....What is everyones take on going 3.73? I get my dads rate on shop time so gears and install together will cost less then 400.
This is the ad for the tuner. If I bought this would I be able to just plug it up and flash or sghould I just buy new? Im debating gears or intake/tune.
http://dfw50s.com/showthread.php?t=1407

If you buy the tuner you ether need to buy a email tune from a company for your specific mods or take it to a tuner like True Street and they use it to tune your car. With my steeda CAI that I have for sale I gained 12hp and better throttle response I have the dyno sheets to prove it.

I purchased gt500 axle backs today.

Did you tune this or just straight intake? on the tuner I thought they came with pre-loaded tunes as well?

Just the intake. The tuner doesn't have any usable tunes on it for our cars ATM I bought it and didn't ever get my car tuned. I was gonna get a e85 tune at TS

The tests that MMFF and SVTP did they actually showed a loss of HP from a drop in K&N filter over the factory paper filter.

I may take you up on that intake.

I'll be damned. Thats crazy. Whats your take on 3.73's?

In my opinion, I think they are fine for basic bolt-ons. But when more serious power is added later down the road most people end up ditching the 3.73's because they so easily overwhelm the tires and also it's close to banging out on the rev-limiter at the track just short of the traps.

I personally really like my 3.31's for a street car and my car will be boosted at some point.

ive said this before so i'll say it again...skip the CAI unless you get a screaming deal on a used one and want it for the sound. dyno numbers are meaningless for items like this that could possibly net you 3-5 horses on the dyno. ive seen dyno sheets that have 3 back to back runs and will fluctuate between 5-10 horses just on that. i'd say stick with the stock intake unless you like the look and sound of aftermarket CAIs.

i drank the koolaid a couple years ago when i first got my GT and spent like 700 or so on a brand new SCT tuner with BAMA tunes and JLT carbon fiber CAI. if i had it to do over again, id buy a used tuner, unlock it, and get an AED tune. my wife likes the GT500 axles backs so that's a plus but i have still have cats/resonators. when i get home i'll be going ORX and resonator delete, then i think that will be the perfect sound im looking for.

i liked my Boss intake and with the 3.73s its hard to tell you lose torque, even though its not that much. but since prices have gone up on that, i dont find it to be worth it anymore unless you can find a used one. i also think that the Boss intake is better for N/A than boosted with a centri...just my opinion after talking with Shaun about it.

i like my 3.73 gears, they are a blast to drive N/A but they suck boosted so i'm changing mine out for some 3.31s. again, if you're ok with used, go that route. they arent hard to find between svtp and corral.net, ive seen a few in the past couple weeks.

congrats on the new ride.

First off, thank you for your service. With my dad working at a dealership I get great prices on Ford racing stuff so I will probally go with the 3:73's over the intake and buy a used tuner as I research I keep seeing the samething posted. It sounds like a majoirty of the power is in the tune not the intake.

Whats you best time on bolt ons? Basic bolt on being xpipe, tune, exhaust, intake..

you're welcome. im prior military but im over here as a shady contractor sucking from the govt. teet :hidesbehindsofa:

the majority of power is in the tune, you're right.

I may just do the tune for now. The intake Im still on the fence.

I wouldn't bother swapping gears. And this is from someone with 3.73s. Mileage suffers significantly, and if you are running a stock height tire (27") you will need to shift to fifth before the quarter.

My suggestion is to get some lowering springs to keep wheel hop at bay. Then some sticky tires so it will hook up. Then start practicing your driving because that's where your ET will be made or broken. Once you have it down, start working on making more power.

There is a guy on another forum going 11.7 with 3.31s, a Boss intake, an AED tune, and stock 18" Pirellis. He is also running at Atco and MIR in the Atlantic northeast, but his times are still really impressive.

Looking at Eibachs pros for lowering duties. Thanks for posting since you have 3:73's. Damn those are gd times. I hear conflicting stories on the boss intake. Should that be the last mod after x pipe? Or should I go ahead and grab one?

Fortunately, I've got a smoking deal on ALL of my parts. Boss intake, JLT CAI, VMP tune, Dynatech Long tubes, full 3" exhaust with o/r xpipe and Magnaflow mufflers. I'm happy with all of the mods, but just understand there wi be a torque loss with a Boss intake. I lost 22 ft lbs...the only reason why I bought is because I plan to go FI. Congrats on the car! When the Mod Bug bites, it bites hard :-)

Give me a shout if you're looking to start throwing some mods on your car.

I might be able to work you up a package deal so we can get it all done at once :)

what gears do you have?

i have 3.73s and it didnt feel like i lost much torque at all. maybe its because once i get into it, when i shift gears, it puts me right in the sweet spot of the next gear.

The Boss intake is worthwhile when you are spinning it over 6500 rpm. At anything under that, you are making less power and getting worse mileage than a stock GT intake. You will get good times if you aren't scared to rev the piss out of your engine all the way down the track.

i have dyno graphs for before and after i put on the boss intake, i thought i had them in my photobucket but i dont. however, i agree, the boss intake makes the most power from 6500, where the stock intake starts to taper off, but the amount of power loss under that is negligible compared to a stock intake. then once you put other parts that add HP, that difference goes away real quick. IMO

i know one thing, i wont be putting the boss intake on with my Paxton. As it is the stock IM + Centrificals make peak power at 7300-7400. Adding a Boss IM will raise peak RPM power to 8K+.

Def hit you up. I got some cash stowed away so Im gna be buying something soon. Just want to do my reasearch first.

Was the loss extremely noticable? Was it worth the Tq loss? I Plan on going the same route that you have except for the headers.
I have 3:31's. It sounds like 3:73's are needed for the Boss intake.
Arent you supposed to rev the piss out of it going down the track? LOL:smokin:
I can see where a Boss intake wouldnt be good for that powerband. You should sale me yours now. :)

unfortunately, i got rid of it a year ago when i got a new tune and was so caught up on torque numbers, it was ridiculous.

Well shit man. lol I've already picked up a SCT and intake. Now just need to get with TS to get it tuned.

sounds like a plan :grd:

By far the most rewarding mods to the car are on the suspension side, IMO.
Springs/Struts/LCAs
These make a tremendous difference in the way the car drives and feels.

I tend to agree with what you say about suspension. Right now, I got the power bug.

i love my boss intake. shifting at 7700 is pretty fun lol

I think the gears depend on what you are going to do with the car. My car is boosted with 3.73's. I was going to change them out til i took it out to the racetrack and realized they were near perfect for it. The info Steve gave you is more for drag strip use.

I hardly ever do the drag thing. I'm mostly a "Mexico" kind of guy. So anything that gears well on the hwy.

3.73s ftw

3:73's FTW. The more I research them the more I want them.

2011 5.0 bone stock...mods?
 

3:31s and a shit ton of boost FTW.

Amen brother!

Yeah, you might think that's obvious. Problem is, most people don't do it properly.

Lol, I can see where your coming from.:troll3:

So I have my intake, tune, and axlebacks. Whats the next gd mod besides some better tires? Ive been looking at exhaust but I cant decide on whether the expense is worth it. What are yall thoughts on exhaust? Cat deletes, hpipe ect....

Off road x or h or long tubes is next