i need more... - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

dinga · 08-03-2003, 19:53

Gday all,

where to now, some advice would be useful. have a 98 xh ute with pacemakers, crow stage 2 (au grind) exhaust mods new 10mm leads amd splifires air filter etc etc but i am not overly impressed with the acceleration. what can i do now i was thinking a 3.45 lsd, shave head, port/polish, crushing fuel pressure regulator a bit to up pressure, injectors????? if anyone has any suggestions about what i can add/fix/change to get a bit more go about this car while not destroying my economy please let me know. i am not forcing air in.......cant afford it

cheers

EFFalcon · 08-03-2003, 20:48

give the diff a go.
i'm fairly sure that'll make a differnce. :)
whats standard in those things?

mongrelEB · 08-04-2003, 03:45

Port/polish will at least make use of the cam :)
Also I reckon do the diff and put a manual in it.

I'd be a bit careful about messing with the fuel pressure, this will likely just destroy your fuel economy for no real gains in power IMO.
Shaving the head - I have seen a fair few threads on this issue, the general consensus seems to match my own experience; not worth the effort really.

But yeah, port and polish should make a fair difference to that motor

Rollin · 08-04-2003, 07:13

go the diff first - at least when you will have a bit of traction then!!!

mongrelEB · 08-04-2003, 16:37

Rollin, if he goes to a 3.45 diff he will have less traction, causing wheelspin hehehehe
But it will take off bloody quick!

dinga · 08-04-2003, 18:57

how much for a 3.45 lsd??? rough......are other ratios eg 3.9 any more useful or will they spin the ass too much. is it worth just changing the ratio in the 3.23 or do lsd's make a difference??

mongrelEB · 08-05-2003, 04:46

I can get one for $600, but that's mates rates.
That's another reason I suggested the head - port+polish is about $2-500, plus your head gasket/bolts; a bit cheaper methinks :)

Personally I wouldn't go much higher than 3.45, that's because I do a fair amout of long-distance driving and high speed cruising, and anything higher would bring the revs up too high for any real fuel economy. As for spin - how much is too much?

The higher the ratio, the easier it will be to spool up, but the faster it will accelerate. LSD helps prevent too much spin by forcing both wheels to spin = better traction.

Umm don't think I forgot anything...

dinga · 08-05-2003, 18:58

at the moment it has a 3.23 non lsd, will there be much differnece going to an 3.45 lsd??

i will probably go the 3.45lsd and a port/polish for the head......will this make a noticeable difference and will i get it for under $1000? $600 is ok is that in Brisvegas??? the car came stock with 148kw so i am behind the eight ball already haven't had it dynoed to see what it is now, realsitically i dont think it would be much over 100rwkw

Bass Crazy · 08-05-2003, 19:27

3.23 to 3.45 is not a worthwhile change as it is only just noticeable. I would not bother changing the gears unless you go to 3.55, 3.7 3.9 etc.

You can play with the auto a bit, higher stall and a shift kit to make it feel more sporty, but a manual conversion would get it off the line quick, and keep economy good, if not better then current.

As for porting, this will only help out at high rpm, so low end acceleration will probably not be helped too much… can actually end off worse then stock if porting of too wild.

Has the cam been dialed in? This can affect your power curve, and might be worth looking into.

Just my 2c

Simon

xdc351 · 08-05-2003, 20:06

Stallies and the current range of BW autos are a bad mix. I have been told they stuff them pretty quickly and the computers override any shift kits put into the auto's too. The best way to sharpen your shift is to buy a electronic shift kit. They are about $100 and change the signal sent from the ecu to reduce the shift time, best part is you don't even touch the internals of the tranny to install one!