Al d Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I'm looking for advice since I'm new to Fords and GT500's. I want to take a new to me 2008 stock low mile GT500 and pump it up. I have $5-7K to spend. I won't be taking it to the track. HP and traction are the most important. I don't mind lowering it a little (1"), but only if it will make a big difference. It will be a Sunday driver only. I'm leaning toward the following, but haven't priced it out with any shops yet.; Cold air intake, Pulley upgrade with tune. Clutch/flywheel upgrade since I have the original. Control arms Shifter upgrade Royal Purple Tranny fluid Oil Separator Thermostat Am I missing any important upgrades? Is anything on the list not important? What else can I afford with my budget? All opinions welcome. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08KR525 Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I don't track my car, but the two biggest improvements I've made are the FRPP TVS & utilizing the '13/'14 cf ds. These two changes greatly improved the performance if the car. I am still running the stock clutch and except for the Reische thermostat my cooling system is stock. Looking back I would've skipped swapping to a smaller pulley on the stock Eaton & went straight for the TVS. GL, Duane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08KR525 Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Btw, both of these mods can be easily done in your own garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al d Posted January 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 (edited) I have had some interesting performance cars, but never a supercharger before. I have always worked with naturally aspirated engines, so this is all new to me. One of the attractions to this car was the easy cheap HP upgrade with the pulley and cold air kit. Is the TVS the entire Supercharger? or just an upgraded part?. What type of gains would you expect to see swapping it out. Are you suggesting this for bang for the buck HP, or for reliability? Or something else? Edited January 25, 2016 by Al d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby73 Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I have done many upgrades in stages, and have to say, if I were you I would do the following. This will yield you big smiles, and giggles. Do without a dought Ford racing track pack suspension kit with adjustable shocks/struts (your car will handle like a BMW M3) no joke! Next I would do the short throw shifter. Followed by intake, 2.6 pulley, tune and spark plugs. JLT sells a kit that has all the following and it works wonders. Enjoy your new found power and handling. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al d Posted January 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Any guess what that suspension will cost installed? What kind of HP gain should I expect? Thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby73 Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Suspension cost and installation should run you around $1800, JLT performance package is a little over $1000 install run you $200. Get the Ford Racing 65mm Throttle body $450 and you will have a hell of a set up. I made 545RWHP with this set up, and man was it a huge difference. Besides over-drive pulley, the next step to get more HP would be blower swap, but that gets pricey Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Beyond Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 (edited) TVS swap 3:73 gears FRPP suspension Edited January 26, 2016 by Captain Beyond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb64 Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 (edited) Looks like you have done your homework, you have many good choices on your list. If I were to build another one from scratch with your budget, this is where I would spend my money on in order of importance: Twin disc clutch (Mcleod RXT or equiv) 1 piece aluminum drive shaft Rear upper control arm bracket (BMR) Rear upper control arm (BMR poly bushings) Rear lower control arms (BMR or Shelby billet poly bushings) Adjustable rear panhard bar (BMR) Royal Purple Trans Fluid TVS blower, 2.6" pulley and 90mm idler (VMP Gen II) 123mm CAI (JLT) SCT tuner and a good custom tune for max pump gas octane (VMP) 1 step colder Ford plugs Passenger side oil separator (Shelby or JLT) Ford Racing KR short throw shifter with Ford Racing arm and ball This will give you plenty of power (around the 700hp crank range), with room to increase HP later on if you want. Keep in mind that a better design blower will give you plenty of boost with less turbulance and heat build up with its improved internal design. With that power and a set of drag radials, it is plenty enough to get you into the low 11s or high 10s at the strip. Later on you can add some bigger injectors, a dual 67mm throttle body, smaller upper pulley and some pump boosters, and can easily get into the 800+hp range. I have found that lowering the car and a lot of other suspension mods does not help much for strip racing, that is more geared towards track racing. Increasing from 700+ hp to beyond is one thing, but getting that power to the ground and be usable is a whole different story though. Another mod that you might want to consider eventually is changing the gears to 3.73s, as it makes the car much easier to drive on the street and strip. The only consideration for that upgrade, is that many have encountered excessive gear noise when changing out the gears. I avoided that myself by installing a complete factory assembled svt 3.73 axle assembly and it is just as quiet as the original. If you have any questions, fire away. Edited January 26, 2016 by msb64 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al d Posted January 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 That looks great. Can I do all that with my budget? I am trying to narrow the shops down, but should probably ask them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch Red Texan Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Don't forget a set of good tires. Power is no good if you don't have traction. If you have the stock Goodyear's dump em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007red40thGT500 Posted January 28, 2016 Report Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) fortunately, for you, lots of people have been down this road before so hopefully you can benefit from that... Cold air intake, Pulley upgrade with tune. <-- for the amount of money you have to spend this is a good idea Clutch/flywheel upgrade since I have the original. <-- if it ain't broke, don't fix it (yet) Control arms <-- not necessary Shifter upgrade <-- necessary Royal Purple Tranny fluid <-- don't count fluids, those are a given Oil Separator <-- passenger side only Thermostat <-- not necessary here are the other "must haves"... heat exchanger larger intercooler reservoir suspension kit (stabilizer bars/struts/springs) adjustable panhard (cheap option) or watts link (highly recommended) lower control arm relocation brackets (highly recommended) grippy tires mufflers (if you want an aggressive sound) Edited January 28, 2016 by 2007red40thGT500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007red40thGT500 Posted January 28, 2016 Report Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) things that are nice to have, but NOT REALLY NECESSARY for someone in your budget and with your goals are... supercharger upgrade headers of any kind mid-pipes of any kind differential gears driveshaft throttle body upper and/or lower control arms brake upgrades radiator upgrade fuel injector upgrade fuel pump upgrade MAF housing upgrade colder spark plug upgrade Edited January 28, 2016 by 2007red40thGT500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al d Posted January 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 Thanks for the help. I took the suggestions and made a long list. Now with the help of this site and the internet, I am going to do my best to research each one so I can prioritize. I doubt I can get it all done for $7K, so some of it may have to come down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb64 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Everything other than the clutch upgrade, can be installed in a garage with jackstands and modest hand tools. If you can do the same, the the labour savings can go into upgrade parts instead. Even for the blower swap, I would consider a bolt on, it is that simple. If you take your time and can follow instructions, it is not that difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb64 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Btw, your $7,000 US upper limit is no small amount, convert that to CDN with exchange and taxes at the border that converts to over $11,055, not including shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb64 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Should mention a few cool, useful and lower dollar mods that you can add on at any time. MRT Antenna Shorty 13.5" assorted colors (CJ Pony) black $21.99 / custom color $29.99 Redline Tuning Hood Struts (Redlinetuning) $89.99 steel / Elite version $119.95 stainless Raptor Single Stage Shift Light (CJ Pony) $114.99 LED map, trunk and license lights (eBay) < $20 All are very easy to install, with the exception of the shift light which requires you to carefully tie into one of the coil pack wires for the trigger signal. If you are not experienced in electrical wiring, you might want to get a buddy who has some give you a hand with that. If you search the forums, you should be able to find some really good install instructions/photos/videos for any popular mod or upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altruism Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 (edited) Before you do Any of the above. First, read up on the Internal improvements that went into building up the stock '13/'14 year GT-500s over its predecessors. You would be amazed at what it WILL take to make your 08 KR capable of "maintaining" your desired amount of Horsepower requested...... Getting it isn't the problem my friend. Maintaining it with what I've read you're proposing to do certainly is. 2014 Shelby SVT TP/PP GT-500. Slightly modified to 745 FWHP. Edited February 22, 2016 by Altruism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb64 Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 Mods listed above by several people have been proven many times over, most are common sense upgrades. Some of the oem upgrades are for specific applications and more extreme climates, and not applicable to everyone. Many of the oem upgrade parts are based on what aftermarket companies and Ford Racing improved upon in the first place, many of those parts were available before the new models even hit the streets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altruism Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 Good Luck with holding that Block together in the long run, at least with no "Real" listed internal Upgrades. Obtained .... Absolutely. Maintained. .... Doubted. :-). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08KR525 Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 Whichever route you go on your engine just be sure to utilize a safe tune from someone reputable, good fuel and try to keep your rpm's under 6500. These engines are very durable but everything has their limits, including the '13/'14 5.8s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWZ Posted February 24, 2016 Report Share Posted February 24, 2016 Contact Revan Racing, Van Collier, @ (561)445-7702. He will give you honest direction & advice based upon experience & seat time. Enjoy your new ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb64 Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 There are things you can do to increase longevity on any motor. 08KR525 has the right idea, if the stock motor is not built for high rpm, then don't buzz the motor. I set my shift light to 5800 and my rev limiter to 6200 rpm. The car already makes plenty of power so there is no need to push the limits. I went with an ATI super damper to help reduce the added vibration at increased power levels. With the 10% over lower, I run a 2.6" upper to keep the boost reasonable. Also increased to 56lb injectors and dual pump boosters to insure enough fuel, but still maintain near oem driveability. The car sees nothing but 94 octane fuel, and the tune is built for that specifically. The approach costed a few extra dollars and is on the conservative side, but I would rather be on the safe side than sorry. Unfortunately there are no guarantees, even on a pro built motor. All it takes is one failed injector or something similar to cause it to go lean on a hard pull and it is tear down time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super hiss Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) WATTS LINK/TORQUE ARM/LOWER CONTROL ARMS W/RELOCATION BRACKETS = $2,400 + install ($2,300) PENDING OPTIONS 2013-2014 2.3L TVS (OEM OR PORTED) TAKE OFF FROM PRIVATE SELLER = $1,650-$1,900 2.9-3.4L WHIPPLE SUPERCHARGER FROM PRIVATE SELLER = $2,400-$3,000 2.8LC KENNE BELL FROM PRIVATE SELLER = $2,500-$3,000 YOU DO THIS GRIGGS RACING REAR SETUP (WATTS LINK AND TORQUE ARM) AND PUT A MORE POTENT BLOWER ON THE CAR I GUARANTEE YOULL THANK ME. I GUARANTEE YOULL HAVE A CAR HIGHER IN POWER AND SUPPORTING MODS THAN MOST OF THE OTHER MEMBERS IN THIS FORUM Edited March 21, 2016 by super hiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007red40thGT500 Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 Before you do Any of the above. First, read up on the Internal improvements that went into building up the stock '13/'14 year GT-500s over its predecessors. You would be amazed at what it WILL take to make your 08 KR capable of "maintaining" your desired amount of Horsepower requested...... Getting it isn't the problem my friend. Maintaining it with what I've read you're proposing to do certainly is. 2014 Shelby SVT TP/PP GT-500. Slightly modified to 745 FWHP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007red40thGT500 Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 Before you do Any of the above. First, read up on the Internal improvements that went into building up the stock '13/'14 year GT-500s over its predecessors. You would be amazed at what it WILL take to make your 08 KR capable of "maintaining" your desired amount of Horsepower requested...... Getting it isn't the problem my friend. Maintaining it with what I've read you're proposing to do certainly is. 2014 Shelby SVT TP/PP GT-500. Slightly modified to 745 FWHP. i call BS. theres nothing about the 5.8 that suggests its stronger or more reliable than the 5.4. the 5.8 is a bored out 5.4. it has plasma coating instead of iron cylinder sleeves and extra water jackets (ie holes) in the cylinder heads for cooling but is otherwise the same. the KR engine is iron and was proven in countless truck applications that the aluminum 5.8 was not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altruism Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) Read it and find out the facts from the Engineers who built the internal components for the Trinity Engine. 2,000 psi of internal pressure of the cylinders (vice 1,600) will actually crush and flatten the piston heads on the old Condor 5.4L engine,needless to mention anything about the Oil Squirter required to keep this 20-30% more stock power motor for this Superior Beast out in front of its 5.4L predecessors . ...... Loving the Haters. http://www.mustangandfords.com/news/m5lp-1203-2013-ford-shelby-gt500-trinity-5-8l-v8/ Edited March 21, 2016 by Altruism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007red40thGT500 Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 i'm not hating at all. we just dont need anybody shoving the 5.8 in everyones face. it has nothing to do with the topic at hand. dude has an '08 he wants to mod with a modest budget. im glad the 5.8 can handle a bit more cylinder pressure but who cares? you can also build a 5.4 however you want it and probably for less. none of that has anything to do with reliability anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiph Posted March 22, 2016 Report Share Posted March 22, 2016 One thing I would recommend fitting in with other pieces and parts would be a TVS supercharger upgrade from VMP Tuning: http://www.vmpperformance.com/Supercharger-Upgrade-s/209.htm Particularly if Justin is still working there. He was above and beyond helpful with a lot of questions I had before, and after ("After" is a big part of how I personally measure customer service), I pulled the trigger on a couple of upgrades I did. Just one thing and my personal opinion of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb64 Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 I can't speak for all, but I like the 07-09 body style the best of all so far, so going to the newer style body would not even be a consideration for me. The front ends are not bad, but the back ends just don't do the car justice. Beefing up components and boosting hp is easy enough to do though, and offers the best of both worlds for my application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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