Just Bought An 05 Gt - A Few Questions

fiveoho

15 Year Member
Apr 28, 2005
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not sure if this should be in tech or talk. we'll try here. have wanted a 3v car for a while now. just picked up yesterday a 05 GT, 5 speed. its a 1 owner Tn car, 48,000 miles and bone stock minus a set of knock off flowmasters. this is my 8th mustang but honestly, I just don't know much about this platform as I haven't owned one. the car runs very well. its just......slow. well, maybe I shouldn't say slow. it just needs a few performance upgrades I believe to help it. I also have a 00 GT (which is now up for sale) and it feels noticeably quicker than my 05. heres the info on it : 5 speed, p/p intake, port matched 70 mm tb, o/r x, mac cb, steeda ud pullies, cai and frpp 3.73s. my 2v in stock form makes 260hp and with the bolt ons, a decent amount more. the 3v makes 300hp. I sorta figured they would feel more evenly matched but my 2v car just feels stronger. course the 05 is heavier too. so, a few questions.....

what are some of the best bang for the buck mods for the 3v? I've searched a little on this.

are the cai + tuner combos worth it?

will a tuner take out some of that throttle delay I feel? this drive by wire stuff may be contributing to why it feels slower?

do the 3v motors make their power higher in the rpm than say a 2v?

im thinking my 05 is factory geared at 3.55. is that correct? 1900rpm @ 60 in 5th.



the car is comfortable. I love the interior. I love the shifter. I just want a little more pep. not looking for crazy power. just worth while cost effective mods.

thanks for any and all input
 
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the 3.73's are gonna make the biggest "seat of yer pants" difference there... vs the 3.31's... you didn't mention what the 05 has... my 07 has 3.31's... soon to be 3.55's... but that's just my preference... Based on my very limited knowledge of this platform, sounds like similar mads to the 05 that you've done with the '00 should wake her up... BUT (you knew this was coming) it seems that this generation requires a tuner...

There should be a tag on the dif cover with the gear ratio...
 
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I'd do gears (manuals react better to 4.11s, autos to 3.73s), and an intake/tuner combo. You probably CAN tune the throttle delay out, but it would probably require a dyno. My '06 is heavily modified and makes around 425 but still has that cursed delay.
 
the 3.73's are gonna make the biggest "seat of yer pants" difference there... vs the 3.31's... you didn't mention what the 05 has... my 07 has 3.31's... soon to be 3.55's... but that's just my preference... Based on my very limited knowledge of this platform, sounds like similar mads to the 05 that you've done with the '00 should wake her up... BUT (you knew this was coming) it seems that this generation requires a tuner...

There should be a tag on the dif cover with the gear ratio...

I believe my 05 is factory 3.55 gears, I think.
 
I'd do gears (manuals react better to 4.11s, autos to 3.73s), and an intake/tuner combo. You probably CAN tune the throttle delay out, but it would probably require a dyno. My '06 is heavily modified and makes around 425 but still has that cursed delay.

if the car does have 3.55s in it, I would not to go to all the trouble to only do 3.73s . however 4.10s would be a bit more than what I want. 1st is just too short, imo. 3.90s is a nice compromise but the last set of motive 3.90s I had whined like crazy. coulda been the installation tho.

if I knew a tuner would take a lot of that delay out, id buy one.
 
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That sounds right. If I recall, the five speeds have a lower overall gear ratio and come equipped from the factory with 3.55s, whereas the higher ratio autos come factory equipped with 3.31s. Hence the 4.11/3.73 favoring.
 
My 08' Bullitt came from the factory with the optional 3.73:1 gears. With the addition of an underdrive crank pulley, JBA headers, Moroso axle back, X-pipe mid pipe, intake runner control delete, and Brenspeed Detroit Rockers camshafts with a tune, the car put down 325HP to the tires. Loads of fun. The 3v responds quite well to mods. Plus the driveability is spot on. I can still pull 27mpg at steady 70mph cruising.
 
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My 08' Bullitt came from the factory with the optional 3.73:1 gears. With the addition of an underdrive crank pulley, JBA headers, Moroso axle back, X-pipe mid pipe, intake runner control delete, and Brenspeed Detroit Rockers camshafts with a tune, the car put down 325HP to the tires. Loads of fun. The 3v responds quite well to mods. Plus the driveability is spot on. I can still pull 27mpg at steady 70mph cruising.

nice numbers. 325rwhp is fun power on the street.

whats the 'intake runner control delete' ?
 
My '06 has 3.31s (soon to be 3.73). 3V engines come equipped with charge motion control valves, which are butterflies sandwiched between the intake manifold and cylinder head. At lower RPM and engine load, they limit intake runner volume to increase mileage and bottom end torque. Delete plates eliminate them and allow a more unrestricted and less turbulent flow of air for higher end power.
 
what are some of the best bang for the buck mods for the 3v? I've searched a little on this.

are the cai + tuner combos worth it?

will a tuner take out some of that throttle delay I feel? this drive by wire stuff may be contributing to why it feels slower?

do the 3v motors make their power higher in the rpm than say a 2v?

im thinking my 05 is factory geared at 3.55. is that correct? 1900rpm @ 60 in 5th.

1. Best bang per buck mods are the JLT series 3 CAI with SCT X4 tuner, Steeda underdrive pulleys, and DIY charge motion delete plates.

2. The tune will definitely remove that drive-by-wire throttle lag.

3. A stock 3v motor makes more power than a stock 2v PI motor across the whole rpm range.

4. The '05-'06 GT came with 3.55 axle gears as standard so your assumption is correct.
 
Mostly cosmetic...no spoilers, no ground effects, different stitching on the seats, different look to the instrument cluster/dash and other interior trim parts. Engine got a little different factory "tune". It has a 250 rpm higher red-line. It sits about 1/4" lower, different struts/shocks/springs. At first glance it looks like a plain Jane v-6 model. Has the "Bullitt" style wheels and most important is you can only get the Dark Highland Green paint on a Bullitt Edition. For some bizarre reason you could also get a Bullitt Edition in Dark blue and black. They only made 3 or 4 thousand or so of this edition car for what that is worth.
d1ae1ad1-69d6-49b5-ab29-d2b6a4bbefb3_zps93c898d4.jpg

This is mine with the Enkei wheels. Since this photo I have also tinted the windows which really makes the car stand out.
Bullitt008.jpg
 
My '06 has 3.31s (soon to be 3.73). 3V engines come equipped with charge motion control valves, which are butterflies sandwiched between the intake manifold and cylinder head. At lower RPM and engine load, they limit intake runner volume to increase mileage and bottom end torque. Delete plates eliminate them and allow a more unrestricted and less turbulent flow of air for higher end power.

interesting. thanks for the explanation on this. learned something.