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Everything posted by Boidster

  1. Thanks for the info Bill. My car has settled in at 16.8 MPG around town (about 50/50 street vs. freeway; very little stop-and-go traffic, and only the occasional max-performance onramp). I figured I'd get the VMP 3-tune pack and have them put together one "plain" tune and two pulley tunes (91 and 93). I'll drive the plain tune until I get the pulley. Did you run a 2.59 pulley tune with the stock pulley? If that works I don't need to use up one of the three tunes for a "plain" tune. I could go for a 100 octane race tune, or an economy tune or something. Silly - Thanks for the input. I'm well aware that the car requires premium fuel, but a stock tune isn't the same as a VMP tune, even at the same octane. Especially not if Justin can tune specifically for no-ethanol gas (which is readily available around me). There's no risk of blowing up the engine with an Airaid filter - the '12s already have a CAI installed; the Airaid just replaces the stock paper filter with a no-oil synthetic material. Slightly better airflow, but not nearly enough to peg the MAF and cause an overlean mix. Now, if I get VMP's port-matched elbow and twin TB - then I'm definitely going to need (another) new tune! But first I need a dual-fan HE and some wider rubber. I think the VMP guys are super busy right now; I asked them this same question a few days ago, but have not heard back. I'll have to try them on the phone. Thanks for the input, guys.
  2. If any of you have put a pump gas tune into your stock GT500, I'm interested to know what benefits you saw. I've got the resonator delete kit and an Airaid filter, but that's it. No pulley, no TB, nothing cool like that (yet!). Picked up a relatively cheap used X3 tuner, and I'm considering putting a 91 octane tune into the car, if I'd get something out of it. Thanks in advance.
  3. Doesn't the diff spin at the same speed for the same MPH? The selected gear only matches input (RPM) to output (driveshaft RPM = 3.73 x axle RPM). So if the diff whines at 80 MPH (approx 4,000 driveshaft - not engine - RPM), then changing from 6th to 5th will just change engine RPM. Diff is still spinning at same speed if car is still going 80. Maybe I misunderstand the OP's issue.
  4. Not enough to matter and it may make things worse. These tires are so low-profile, and rock-hard when cold, that I don't think you'll get much if any additional traction from the low PSI trick. Unless they've recently been filled, they probably already read a few PSI low just due to cold temps. Within the first 1,000 miles on my new GT500 I sold the Goodyears and switched to all-season performance tires year-round. They're better than the Goodyears at all temperatures, IMO. Maybe on a hot track day the G2s would shine, but I did not like them no sir. No need for two sets of tires until/unless I start hitting the track.
  5. Aw, man, don't leave us hangin'! Today I learned there is a thing called a "gravelometer" used to test the durability of paint and coatings. I have a clear bra on the front of my car; I'm happy with it for the most part, though the tight radii at the top corners of the upper grille has caused the film to pucker. And the guy who owns the film shop said that the bra really shouldn't be removed as the paint could be damaged. :huh: I'm hoping he misread the install guide or something, because I'd really like them to redo that area. This spray-on coating would be much better, if it's really colorless and removable, and if it takes wax and speed-shine products OK.
  6. I also have a 6-gallon pancake compressor for the house. Handy for filling tires and small air-tool jobs. Can't roof the entire house with it, though. :-)
  7. I got a VIAIR 90P compressor for the GT500. And a tire plug kit. The compressor has a 30-minute duty cycle and isn't too loud. Built like a tank. Only downside is it's a direct battery connection, not through the accessory port (I think the amp load is a bit too high).
  8. My car's about 15 months old and maybe 7,800 miles. For the first couple thousand miles, it showed MPG in the low 15s (I reset the counter a few times and let it go for a few hundred miles each time). Then, last summer, it jumped up to about 17. I drive 50/50 city/highway, and I'm not particularly heavy footed though all onramps must be taken at full throttle, naturally. Remember to slow from 100 to 60 when merging! The only change was the brand and viscocity of oil. I won't mention the name, as this isn't a plug for an oil company. But unless the computer decided to change the mixture at that arbitrary point, the oil is the likely culprit. Over the winter, mileage dropped about 1MPG; I have yet to drive the car enough in warm weather to see if it's going to tick back up. I guess the colder, denser air in winter allowed more fuel to be in the mix, giving me more HP on onramps, but also slightly lower MPG. Tire pressure probably also plays into it. And but so anyway, 12.8 MPG seems awfully low for normal driving, but if you're stomping on it a lot (racing your wife's 'vette?) it's probably reasonable. And the 100-mile drive in 6th probably averaged low- to mid-20s so if the rolling miles for the MPG calculation are 500, that could move the number quite a bit. A little back of the envelope math says that if you have 400 miles at 13MPG and 100 miles at 25MPG, your overall average will be 15.4. Was it 100 miles both ways?
  9. Wait wait wait... you had four adults in a GT500? Did you not like these people? But seriously, I'm glad nobody was seriously injured. Was it a straight T-bone and not a deflected/angled hit? If so, I'm impressed by the damage absorption by the door. Even though a Yaris is small, it ain't a bicycle. 2,300 lbs or so at 50MPH - I would have expected more damage. Ford Tough indeed. Good luck on the repairs and the mods! That car saved your butt and deserves to be back on the road!
  10. At what cost besides your self-respect, you mean? :lol2: Here's a thread on the topic. Guy says $3K if you do it yourself, double if you buy a pre-built transmission (and, presumably, have it installed by someone) And here's a blog post about it.
  11. Possibly helpful: http://www.paladinmi...wDiag.htm#P0460 Also this, which suggests (for the 3.7L Mustang anyway) that topping off the fuel tank (after the normal nozzle shut-off triggers) can cause an erroneous P0460 code: http://www.allfordmu...ngine-code.html
  12. It means "This is the car with the drugs in the side panels." I wouldn't try to cross any borders if I were you.
  13. Does the manual have anything to say about attaching the top tether? I would think it could fit between the headrest and the seat back, but I have no kids so WTH do I know. :-)
  14. I don't think I've ever been in a murderous rage...what's it like? I've always been partial to dealer repairs (assuming you can find a good dealer to work with) with all OEM parts. At least for newer cars. Here's hoping that their insurance pays 100% of the repairs, plus diminished value, and that the trade-in + DV = cost of the new 2013!
  15. That is a good point. I must push the pedal harder.
  16. That noise will be completely drowned out when you stomp on the Go Pedal, so I wouldn't worry about it. The only sound from under the hood that should concern you is a rising-pitch whine as you approach redline. And when I say "concern you" I mean "cause cramps in your face from grinning".
  17. Sorry for the late reply. Pictures are attached! You may need to brighten them up a bit; the wheel-well shadows were pretty dark and the camera was already compensating for the bright paint. These are Bridgestone RE970ASs.
  18. Mostly a problem with flesh tones, amirite?
  19. Awesome tip with the Nevr-Dull. It's new to me, but here's their website. Shout out to TMatt142 - we white stripe-deletes gotta stick together! I'll drive mine in the winter, so long as the roads are clear of all snow and it's cold enough that there's no slush/spray. I'm not brave enough to go out into the 0-degree weather to polish it, but I can do a 2-bucket no-rinse wash right in the garage. And I rub The Other Woman down with Speed Shine after most drives, with much eye-rolling from Woman #1. My item to add to the list (at least I didn't see it above): teaching Woman #1 that when she closes the trunk, she should press gently on the black Gurney flap, not on the paint! More eye-rolling, but whatever...
  20. For the very little it's worth: when I had the rusted-out bumpers of my F-150 replaced, the body shop had me come down and compare paint cards with the body paint. All of the cards had the same Ford paint code, but due to slightly different formulations there were several subtle shade differences (the cards had a much longer code that apparently gave the formulation). I ended up very happy with the match, though of course the bumpers are metal just like the body. So anyway, if the body shop has the Ford paint cards, it's worth a trip down to choose the color you want, IMO.
  21. (Not directed at Torched10 - nothing wrong with finding interesting links to Mustang projects!)
  22. If it's the same as the 2012's (and I'm pretty sure it is), it's a good quality cover, but not quite as neat as the stretchy covers. It's grey, has a cobra on it, and little condom for the antenna, instead of a hole in the cover. I have a shorty billet antenna, so my cover's antenna-condom is only half-filled. It's a little embarassing. You can see a picture here.
  23. I think there is some confusion in terms and probably also a change from 2010 to 2012. Traction Control (TC) only controls rear-wheel spin, and it may apply brakes as well as engine power reductions to ensure the rear wheels can provide acceleration without slipping. It is "burnout control", but not "sliding off the road control." Electronic Stability Control (ESC) controls sliding out/fishtailing. When Sport mode is active (in the 2012 anyway), both TC and ESC are still both on, just with reduced intervention (supposedly allowing more spirited driving). It could be different with your 2010, of course; perhaps your Sport Mode actually does disable the TC portion of AdvanceTrac completely, while leaving ESC active. >shrug< I couldn't find any information in the regular manual or the GT500 supplement about the Traction Control portion of AdvanceTrac only being for wet roads, so there's definitely differences between the model years if your manual says that. The only comment in the 2012 manuals about the various modes is this: Obviously, "AdvanceTrac OFF" (press and hold for 5 seconds) is also not intended for use on public roadways. But hey, if the cops don't see you...
  24. If you had the Traction Control still enabled (you hadn't tapped the button, or held it down to disable everything), then my guess is that you were fighting the TC system, which already was trying to apply brakes to stop your burnout. As long as you don't start fishtailing (which would activate the ESC), you ought to be able to tap the button once to turn off TC and burn 'em off OK. They should just rename "Traction Control" to "Burnout Control", and "Electronic Stability Control" to "Drift Control". It'd be more intuitive that way. :-)
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