Opinions For Winter Projects

first off thanks for reading this. My 04 GT automatic is parked for the winter and staring at it instead of driving it has me thinking of mods.
So I am in search of opinions and advice. I did search the forums but didn't see specifics of my 2 questions.

1- the car is lowered with FRPP C springs (so about an inch) and on all new shocks. The handling has drastically improved. I plan to weld in subframe connectors. I also was thinking of upgrading the anti-roll bars for further reduced body roll- will this be worth it for real world driving?

2- i still have the stock tune. And a CAI, mid pipe, and exhaust are my only mods. Gears are a possibility but regular highway driving makes them lower on my priority list, so I'm thinking of a tune.
If I use a "canned" tune like Bama or my local tuner shop to get it tuned- in either case am I running any realistic risk to transmission issues from the changed shift points and/or will it be worth the cost with a mainly stock setup.

Thanks so much in advance.
 
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The subframe connectors and anti roll bars and such will be mods you'll enjoy having for a daily driver! They'll make your ride a little more enjoyable.

The tune, ESPECIALLY in an auto, will help a lot! I have a 2002 mustang gt and I got a Bama tune and I have it set for 91 octane, and oh boy it shifts HARD. The 87 octane tune is a little less rough but the car changes entirely. Throttle response, shifting, and overall engine power are improved a lot. I could definitely recommend getting one :) Probably best bang for your buck mod, even on a stock mustang. You're not risking anything, they test the tunes A LOT and have been out for a while. The transmission may shift harder but our transmission (4r70W) is really really tough. I've launched my car plenty of times and I've had the tune for a year now and no issues whatsoever. And also, with the Bama tuner you can get new tunes for every mod that you put on your car to get the most out of it, pretty cool!

I put 4.10 gears in my mustang, and I can't say I regret them. I don't care at all about gas mileage and I haven't monitored it, but I've raced plenty of mustangs our years and beaten them all, even ones with similar mods.

I hope this helped :) Good luck!
 
Thanks for the reply. The subframes and anti-roll are more or less a done deal (in the respect that I made up my mind). The tune I am only hesitant because I don't want to lose the comfortable drivability of the car. When you say it shifts hard, is that mainly at WOT or all the time? I only ask because in my previous Mustang (90 GT) I had the trans built and a street/strip shift kit installed and it shifted so hard that it caused a "bang" from within the driveline and almost like a "recoil" feeling with each shift and it was so annoying that I took it back out. I would love some added response and don't mind a more decisive shift, but still want to be able to cruise around with my family without feeling like the car is going to fight back on every shift. (And even there I am assuming if I tell AM / Bama what I am looking for they can write the tune to match...)
 
Just wanted to update- Decided after research and talking to the guys at Steeda to go with their full length subframes and g-trac bar underneath (car now feels so much more planted and more solid than it ever has- especially at launch, hard braking, over bumps and in corners- they made a WORLD of DIFFERENCE).
I also purchased their three point strut tower brace (which I have not installed yet).
And I went with their tunes (so far installed the 87 and all i can say is WOW!- will be trying out the 93 as soon as I can get that gas in).

So overall, I feel like I have a new car.

One last question for anyone who has done this- Is it worth switching the anti-roll / sway bars on a street car or should I:
a) leave it alone
b) change just the bushings or end links?--However- I do NOT want noise as a side-effect.

Thanks!