Supercharged Mustang as a daily driver...
Discussion
What have I got myself into? Ever since I was a little kid I've always loved Mustangs. The look, the noise, the character. I always knew I'd have to have one and last week I got really lucky on eBay and managed to get my hands on an '06 Mustang GT with a Saleen supercharger in mineral grey with black leather. Unbelievably the car had only done 14,000 miles (although it's nearly 15k now!).
Coming from an Impreza STI, a cumbersome Yank tank with a live axle and nearly 400 horses at the rear wheels is certainly interesting. It's very rewarding to drive in the wet, as in, if you drive sensibly it rewards you by not spitting you through a hedge. Seriously though, Mustangs get a lot of stick for not being the sharpest tool on our roads, but so far it's been a lot of fun and i'm enjoying exploring the limits of the car. That V8 engine note is addictive but I'd say the supercharger is really a necessity rather than a nice to have modification.
Here she is for now, more pictures and updates at the end of the week when I've given her a good going over and burnt through a load more fuel.
UPDATE:
Having put just over a thousand miles on her now, i'm well at home with this car and loving Mustang ownership. I've just spent the day sprucing her up and taking some decent pictures. So here they are. The only downside to detailing a car is finding all the stuff that you want to put right or change. For me, the first thing was getting rid of the aftermarket chrome grill one of the previous owners fitted. Anyway, here are the pictures.
Coming from an Impreza STI, a cumbersome Yank tank with a live axle and nearly 400 horses at the rear wheels is certainly interesting. It's very rewarding to drive in the wet, as in, if you drive sensibly it rewards you by not spitting you through a hedge. Seriously though, Mustangs get a lot of stick for not being the sharpest tool on our roads, but so far it's been a lot of fun and i'm enjoying exploring the limits of the car. That V8 engine note is addictive but I'd say the supercharger is really a necessity rather than a nice to have modification.
Here she is for now, more pictures and updates at the end of the week when I've given her a good going over and burnt through a load more fuel.
UPDATE:
Having put just over a thousand miles on her now, i'm well at home with this car and loving Mustang ownership. I've just spent the day sprucing her up and taking some decent pictures. So here they are. The only downside to detailing a car is finding all the stuff that you want to put right or change. For me, the first thing was getting rid of the aftermarket chrome grill one of the previous owners fitted. Anyway, here are the pictures.
Edited by BaronVonV8 on Saturday 18th October 23:48
Edited by BaronVonV8 on Saturday 18th October 23:50
I ran mine (with 500bhp Whipple blower) for about 18 months as a daily driver. They are great fun, very practical and not the horse cart that everyone makes out. Have fun
(Stiffer springs and ditching the stock P-Zeros makes a world of difference BTW).
(Stiffer springs and ditching the stock P-Zeros makes a world of difference BTW).
Edited by benny.c on Monday 13th October 23:45
SimonYorkshire said:
My advice would be to immediately convert it to LPG...
Simon
Spend a few grand on making it run like crap on cheap gas? No thanks. The plans I've got at the moment are cold air intake, upgrade the fuel pump/injectors, 3.4 supercharger pulley and a new tune. Suspension and brake upgrades are a must, so doing my research on those. I want the car to look as stock as possible, but would like to be in the 300bhp/tonne region. I think it'll make a pretty cool sleeper.Simon
In terms of keeping it as a sleeper, I meant more that I didn't want to advertise the presence of the supercharger, keep it more as an ace up my sleeve. Still waiting on getting some proper pictures sorted this weekend, been too busy having fun. Possibly too much fun.
(Although I did manage just under 20.5 US mpg on a run recently)
(Although I did manage just under 20.5 US mpg on a run recently)
Lpg will make it run like crap. Id rather buy a scooter and leave the mustang for the weekend.
I ran with 3 911's and a lotus elise last weekend and the mustang did a great job staying with them on the canyon roads.
Theres something about the whole v8 mustang experience that is magical.
I ran with 3 911's and a lotus elise last weekend and the mustang did a great job staying with them on the canyon roads.
Theres something about the whole v8 mustang experience that is magical.
I agree 5oh, it's definately a very satisfying ownership experience so far. It seems to be a car that attracts a lot of positive attention, driving one over here, quite a few people will stop to talk to you about the car, which is nice for the most part.
Thread now updated with pictures on the first post.
Thread now updated with pictures on the first post.
BaronVonVTEC said:
Spend a few grand on making it run like crap on cheap gas? No thanks. The plans I've got at the moment are cold air intake, upgrade the fuel pump/injectors, 3.4 supercharger pulley and a new tune. Suspension and brake upgrades are a must, so doing my research on those. I want the car to look as stock as possible, but would like to be in the 300bhp/tonne region. I think it'll make a pretty cool sleeper.
It wouldn't run like crap on LPG, if converted properly it would run exactly like it runs on petrol but would cost you only half as much to run. Seems you and a few others on this thread are misinformed... Daily driver - how much will you spend on fuel in a year then?Simon
That looks damn tasty Swerni! Do you still have it? I definately found the limitations of the suspension and brakes this weekend. So I think that's where my money will be going first. Great fun to drive though, very old school. Traction control is bloody awful so that gets turned off unless it's extremely wet. Simon, i'm sure LPG is wonderful when it's done right, but it isn't my bag. I didn't buy a V8 because i'm bothered about the price of fuel.
A few more pics from my weekend hoon around Dartmoor.
A few more pics from my weekend hoon around Dartmoor.
Very nice Swerni, I had a V6 Camaro as a hire car earlier this year and quite liked it (apart from being 2 cylinders short), actually ended up driving it to the Corvette museum in Kentucky as I was in the area. I'd definately consider a 'vette in about 5 years time. How do you get on with yours?
swerni said:
I love it, but it's absolutely brutal.
It's been lightly modified, different cams. Long tube headers and CAI
The Stang and Camaro make great everyday cars, but would be awful for that.
The C6 would be a good option for every day use
Very nice mate.It's been lightly modified, different cams. Long tube headers and CAI
The Stang and Camaro make great everyday cars, but would be awful for that.
The C6 would be a good option for every day use
You might remember me, I had a Saleen Mustang build no.666 and was running just shy of 600BHP with adjustable suspension, gt500 brakes etc.
Any chance you can do a write up of how the mustang, camaro and Vette compare as I am still tempted by Z06's at time to time but also see the newer Camaro's are not much more money and far newer. Be good to hear your thoughts as you've owned all three.
SimonYorkshire said:
It wouldn't run like crap on LPG, if converted properly it would run exactly like it runs on petrol but would cost you only half as much to run. Seems you and a few others on this thread are misinformed... Daily driver - how much will you spend on fuel in a year then?
Simon
Guy who does LPG conversions for a living in LPG conversion persuasion attempt shocker. Simon
The amount he spends on fuel is not really any of your business is it? Not everybody cares about that, wind your neck in and let the OP enjoy his car how he see's fit.
SimonYorkshire said:
It wouldn't run like crap on LPG, if converted properly it would run exactly like it runs on petrol but would cost you only half as much to run. Seems you and a few others on this thread are misinformed... Daily driver - how much will you spend on fuel in a year then?
Simon
If you cared about MPG why would you buy a 4.6 S/C V8?Simon
My partners step dad has one of these albeit not S/C and he used to use t as his daily for the weekly commute from North Wales to Portsmouth and then to East Scotland, worked out the 3.0 V6 Mondeo he uses as the workhorse actually only saves him £5 each way - Mustang return appx 30 MPG on a run ....
Poor Simon will have heart attack, 750 miles per week in a 3.0 V6, think he could use LPG or god help us diesel.
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