Advice needed on getting a little more go from a 2002/03 Mustang GT

[Ford4x4guy]

I am HOT for a late model Mustang GT. Within a year I will have enough money squirreled away to make a good down payment on a 2002 or 2003.
I was hoping someone had so advice for wringing out all The HP I can from the 4.6L V8 with out compromising its ability to be my daily driver. I’m not looking to go drag racing but I would love to get all the go I could out of it (This will be my first FUN to drive car). I am going to have to sell my current Truck to be able to afford the Mustang so I can’t really sacrifice reliability for HP. I have been reading about the Superchips Max MicroTuner. I was curious if there claims of 10 to 15 hp gain is accurate. I also am Curious if such a device is dangerous for a novice like me to use. I would hate to damage the car by doing something wrong. I also have heard that there is a few HP gain from a K&N air filter.
I'd love to add a Supercharger but for awhile almost all my money will be going to the car note. I can probably save my pennies for a mod chip and/or moding device and still make the note. I would love to get it as close to 300 HP as I could (wouldn’t we all). If anyone has the time to offer me a view suggestions I would be most grateful.
Thank You in advance
Matt <ford4x4guy>

[neatofrito1618]

if i were u i would get a 99 gt. its the same style as the 02 and 03's but u could probaly find 1 in good conditon for around 8k. and for performance id start off with bolt ons.a cold air intake,undertrive pullies,a xcal2 and exhaust.those mods will only improve ur gas milage(except for the tuner), make ur car run better, and improve the life span of ur car. they would be around $1000 and give u a total of around 30rwhp. and yes the xcal2(not the microtuner) would give u around 15 hp

[Ford4x4guy]

Thank You very much for the info. I have heard others talk about the xcal2. Is it easy enough I could learn to use it or would I be better of having a pro do the settings? I am fairly computer literate but I am still learning about cars (thanks in part to these forums).
An additional 45hp would be awesome!
Thank You again
Matt <ford4x4guy>

[neatofrito1618]

well it would acually be around 35 rwhp with the xcal2. and if ur not gonna do a lot of mods and just want around 300 hp then u just tell the person that ur buying the tuner from ur mods and they program everything for u and u just plug it into ur ECU

[neatofrito1618]

most places give u 3 coustom tunes for free

[Simioh]

dont buy just the k&n filter and drop it in. ive heard lots of... un-informed people say that droppin a k&n will increase like 15 hp which is complete bs... buy the full cold air intake, not ust the filter.
by the way, im selling a brand new MAC exhaust system for a 99-04 GT power coated, 3 inch crome tips. also selling a slightlly used set of 3.73 gears.
if u decide to get the car, send me a PM right away

[ScottyB1]

I have a 5.0 so I can't speak to the hp gains that you're looking for with the 4.6, but I can say that I just put 3.73 gears in mine and the acceleration difference is unbelievable. I put a new transmission in and updated the gears at the same time. WOW! What a difference! Everything suggested for hp is probably good info. However, if you get the automatic, I would definitely look into a shift kit and some 3.73s. It won't change the hp, but it will change the way the car accelerates dramatically.

[351wStang]

I havent seen dyno or track proof of a CAI that will give more than 2-3 hp across the board. But If I where to buy a 99+ GT, ther very first mod I would do would be exhaust. Get some headers, hi-flow catted H-pipe and some nice mufflers and tail pipes or dumps. Then I would upgrade the rear gear, depending on the tranny I would go with either 3.73's for manual or 4.10's for auto. Now you have the car breathing much better than stock and moving quicker with the new gears. Money is kinda tight, making car payments and trying to mod the car. But you still want that 300hp. Well again if it where me and I had a good free flowing exhaust and some gears, running low on cash and still wanting more, I would get a small nitrous kit. 50-75hp worth. That would put you well in the 300hp range in a 99+ GT. Also dont listen to people saying that nitrous will blow up your motor or make it unreliable or whatever. Talk to elliob about N2O. He has played with it first hand on a fuel injected car with very good and very safe results.

[Ford4x4guy]

I want to thank everyone who has posted so far. I almost got a 2003 GT with a 5 speed manual but after I figured out the monthly payments I just couldnt do it. It was get the mustang or eat. The funny thing is I really had to think about that one, almost worth the sacrifice. I havent given up yet, I know my mustang is still out there. Thanks again for all the advice. I have been taking notes so when I finally do get all my ducks in a row I know what mods I can do (and afford).
Matt

[3000gtdj]

seanhylandmotorsports.com they have horsepower kits for the gt