My 1998 Ford Mustang 3.8
NewEcho
Mustang last weekend. 1998 Atlantic blue 3.8. What I want to know are some
stats on the car.
Keep in mind I have not modified the car a bit, it is stock.
What's the top speed I can reach?
What's the horsepower on the engine?
What is the supposed gas mileage in city and on the road?
Now to a couple of other questions... I would like to modify the car just a
bit. What I'm looking to achieve is a bit more acceleration and a higher
horsepower. I know little to nothing about cars, but I do know that alot of
people I've seen on the net that have 94-98 3.8's have added a dual exhaust by
Dynomax (where would I go to have that done and it is it really a "dual
exhaust"?) And I've also heard of people adding a horsepower chip to the
engine, what good would that do and what is the cost of something like that
that would really work?
I was kind of in a spot when I bought my car, I couldn't afford a GT from that
year but I could get the V-6. I'd like to add just a tad bit more power to the
car than it has so it would preform a bit more like a GT even though it never
can reach that status with the 6-cylinder.
At any rate, I know this is a long winded post, but I really do love my car and
I want to get the best preformance out of it I can. And have it for a long,
long time.
Thanks so much,
Jason (new...@aol.com)
Quick5pnt0
were like that.
You can get a real dual exhaust for your car, but you will probably have to
go to a "speed" shop to get it done, because many exhaust shops wont do jobs
like that. Dont expect that big a of difference in power with the exhaust
though.
As for chips you can order one from many different companies.....try buying
a copy of Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords magazine and you'll see tons of
places to buy them from.
The best bang for the buck for your car would be a set of rear gears.
3.73's would make it take off nicely. But if you are worrying about mpg
now, dont even think of getting new gears, because it will lower it.
The only way you are going to get your car to perform like a GT is to either
get a GT (no offense) or buy a supercharger for it.
--
Mike
Promustangs.com
.
NewEcho wrote in message <19991107102121...@ng-ch1.aol.com>...
JD Adams
Top speed: 112 mph. Engine horsepower: 150 @ 4000 rpm, torque 215 @
2750 rpm. Fuel mileage is in the low 20's.
From what I've read here, increasing horsepower/torque on the 6-bangers
is futile and expensive. You can do the obvious: pullies ($200) for 1-2
hp, K&N ($50) for about 1 hp, and adding a dual exhaust system (~$300)
will detract from low-end torque, and add no horsepower. Adding a
supercharger or nitrous is hazardous to your Mustang's health.
'Horsepower chips' will do nothing for you, except cost you about
$300.00. Custom-burned chips to fine-tune input/output sensor parameter
tables are only applicable on heavily-modified GT/Cobra models. Ford
has tuned their computers very, very well on Mustangs.
And before you ask, there are numerous differences between the Coupe and
the GT, besides the engine. This includes suspension, cooling, brakes,
tires/wheels, computer, differential type, transmission type, several
interior appointments including seating, and a few other minor things.
The base-model coupe is not a performance vehicle, nor will it ever be.
I'd keep it washed and polished up nicely, and enjoy it for what it is.
Who knows. You might long for GT performance in a few years, and decide
to sell. Keeping it good-looking will help bring a higher resale value.
And please, don't end up a 'poser'. I've seen some laughable fakes
around here with fake dual 3" exhaust tips, Cobra facias, Cobra wheels,
fake badging and the like. These people fool no one.
Kindly keep it Country,
JD
JD Adams
line, and don't mind sacraficing some top-end speed and fuel mileage,
consider changing the rear-end ratio to 3.73 for 5-sp, 4.10 for AOD.
This will add no power whatsoever, but it WILL add low-end torque, which
is something the 3.8L sorely lacks. If I owned a 6-banger, this would
be the only viable mod I would pay money for. All the older 4-banger
LX's had 3.73's in their 7.5" single-tire-spinner. This was the ONLY
reason they were able to keep up with Geo's and Civics. The 2.73's
aren't worth a damn.
atlanticblue98
I also have a '98 V6 5 Speed. There are many things you can do to increase
performance. First, dual exhaust is beneficial to gas mileage and
performance. Cut the y-pipe in two and run two 2" pipes back after the cats
with mufflers of your choice. This will increase torque and hp by about 10,
and gas mileage will increase. Second, get a lower (numerically higher)
gear ratio. Stock your car comes with 2.73s and a 7.5 inch open diff. If
you want better performance get 3.73s and if you want traction get the 8.8
inch rear end, it weighs about 40lbs more than the 7.5 but has traction
lock. With these mods and a K&N filter with no silencer I get 23 mpg city
and 28 highway. Pullies also increase hp by about 5-8. With these mods and
the light weight of the V6 (3050lbs) you should be able to put up a fight
against stock AOD GTs, especially convertibles to about 60 or 70 mph, and
beat 98% of ricers. Good luck and if you have any questions don't hesitate
to ask.
John
NewEcho <new...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19991107102121...@ng-ch1.aol.com...
Joe
news:3825BC...@softcom.net...
I like your answer. Just got rid of a 97 Mustang with 3.8 and 5 speed.
Absolutely hated the car. If I could have changed one thing it would have
been the gears. Ford had one thing on their mind with that car, fuel
economy. With the 2.73's that came in the car I learned to use only 1st
and 2nd for normal city driving.
Joe
JD Adams
> Just got rid of a 97 Mustang with 3.8 and 5 speed.
> Absolutely hated the car. If I could have changed one thing it would have
> been the gears. Ford had one thing on their mind with that car, fuel
> economy. With the 2.73's that came in the car I learned to use only 1st
> and 2nd for normal city driving.
I commiserate. Everyone I know with the coupe absolutely HATES it.
Have a buddy at work who just bought a '97 coupe 'for a great price'.
Hated it so much, he gave it to his wife to drive. They're that bad.
Even with 3.73's/4.10's, dual exhaust, K&N, pullies, yada yada
yada....it doesn't even come close to a bone-stock GT. The suspension
is so mushy, you risk being motion sick most of the time; the wheels and
tires are pretty ordinary, and that wonderful 7.5' single-tire-spinner
couldn't put down any serious power, even if you supercharged or
juiced. It's a losing proposition all the way around, if you really
wanted a performance car to begin with.
KPRP42
Joe
>
> I commiserate. Everyone I know with the coupe absolutely HATES it.
> Have a buddy at work who just bought a '97 coupe 'for a great price'.
> Hated it so much, he gave it to his wife to drive. They're that bad.
>
> Even with 3.73's/4.10's, dual exhaust, K&N, pullies, yada yada
> yada....it doesn't even come close to a bone-stock GT. The suspension
> is so mushy, you risk being motion sick most of the time; the wheels and
> tires are pretty ordinary, and that wonderful 7.5' single-tire-spinner
> couldn't put down any serious power, even if you supercharged or
> juiced. It's a losing proposition all the way around, if you really
> wanted a performance car to begin with.
>
the suspension was way to soft also. Another problem was on trips I
couldn't even fit suitcases in the trunk of the car, had to put them in the
back seat. I remember when I test drove the car I remarked to the
salesman that I felt the Ranger was quicker then the 3.8 Mustang. I bought
the car to use only as a daily driver but after 2 years it was to much of a
disappointment. If the car had come with better gears I probably would
have liked it a little more though and the driveability may have been
better. One of the things I hate in a car is when it won't do a steady
speed. One minute you're 10 miles over the speed limit and then you're 10
miles under. This I believe is caused by gearing the car to high.
Joe
stan_...@my-deja.com
work. My wife just replaced her old Tempo with a '98 Coupe. Although
I agree with your opinion about power and ride and the fact that it
can't hold a candle to a GT...it's still a Mustang and a damn sight more
fun to drive than a Tempo or a Taurus.
When we were car-shopping we also looked at Camrys, Accords, a 929 that
ran like a fine Swiss watch...but we decided we'd rather have a
somewhat anemic (compared to a GT) Mustang than a cookie-cutter car.
Maybe the Coupe isn't a GT, but it's still a Mustang and I'm glad to
have one.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Walt
is already 1/2 of a dual exhaust. The exhaust starts out as
two sides, with two sets of catalytic converters. It is after
all of these (expensive) components, that Team Mustang decided to
join the two sides together, and run only one pipe the rest of
the way.
This means adding a dual exhaust is easy and relatively inexpensive
(you don't need an expensive second set of converters). Just
cut off the original stock exhaust just before where the two
sides are joined.
A company called "Pacesetter" makes an adapter which gets
connected up just after where you cut off the original exhaust,
and from there back, uses any standard GT dual exhaust.
The only problem I see with the Pacesetter, and for me this is
a "biggie", is that it is made of rustable steel. The original
exhaust on your V6 is nice stainless steel. This was such a
concern to me, that this is why I have not attempted this change
myself.
Good luck!
Walt
Check out -> http://www.early.com/~walt/mus_mods.htm
Paul W Keller
1998 Ford Mustang 3.8 by stan_...@my-deja.com
> work. My wife just replaced her old Tempo with a '98 Coupe. Although
> I agree with your opinion about power and ride and the fact that it
> can't hold a candle to a GT...it's still a Mustang and a damn sight more
> fun to drive than a Tempo or a Taurus.
Not all Tauri were dogs... my last car was a '90 SHO, had more
horsepower than even the current V6 Mustang. Had a yamaha V6 putting
out 220-230 hp, very cool engine, I've always thought it would be fun to
drop one of those into a stang and supercharge it. Course, if I had a
stang and did an engine swap I'd probably just go with a V8...
PK
Ken Wear
complete with hangers all needed is the pacesetter adapter. Saleen charged
me $40.00 plus shipping. Thought that was an excellent deal. Granted, they
are not flowmasters or anyother performance system but at this time I'm not
looking for that.
Ken
Walt <Wa...@Early.com> wrote in message news:3828374B...@Early.com...
KPRP42
there
Good luck
NewEcho <new...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19991107102121...@ng-ch1.aol.com...
> Hi... I'm fairly new to this group and in fact I just bought my very
first
> Mustang last weekend. 1998 Atlantic blue 3.8. What I want to know are
some
> stats on the car.
> Keep in mind I have not modified the car a bit, it is stock.
>
> What's the top speed I can reach?
> What's the horsepower on the engine?
> What is the supposed gas mileage in city and on the road?
>
> Now to a couple of other questions... I would like to modify the car just
a
> bit. What I'm looking to achieve is a bit more acceleration and a higher
> horsepower. I know little to nothing about cars, but I do know that alot
of
> people I've seen on the net that have 94-98 3.8's have added a dual
exhaust by
> Dynomax (where would I go to have that done and it is it really a "dual
Donald Raymond Lloyd II
>
>and adding a dual exhaust system (~$300)
>will detract from low-end torque, and add no horsepower.
A '94 on the dyno shows HP and torque gains through the whole RPM range,
topping out at 11 RWHP and about 20 lbs of torque. (Source is an old issue
of 5.0 Mag or one of the other Mustang magazines; can't remember exactly
right now).
> Adding a
>supercharger or nitrous is hazardous to your Mustang's health.
Yep, those head gaskets are bound to blow under pressure. T-bird SC gaskets
are a big help, but a gasket swap isn't a cheap/easy project for most
people.
>'Horsepower chips' will do nothing for you, except cost you about
>$300.00. Custom-burned chips to fine-tune input/output sensor parameter
>tables are only applicable on heavily-modified GT/Cobra models. Ford
>has tuned their computers very, very well on Mustangs.
But they're tuned for 87 octane gas, not 93, and a chip is the only way
I know of to change the timing on the DIS ingition cars...
Chips also help a bit more for AODE cars by modifying the shift points.
>And before you ask, there are numerous differences between the Coupe and
>the GT, besides the engine. This includes suspension, cooling, brakes,
>tires/wheels, computer, differential type, transmission type, several
>interior appointments including seating, and a few other minor things.
I'm pretty sure the cooling system components are the same as on the GTs. On
my '95 the brakes were as well, but I think the went to drums in the
rear for 96-98.
>The base-model coupe is not a performance vehicle, nor will it ever be.
Sure it can be... if you throw enough money at it. I know of at least
one person who'll build you a 3.8-based NA engine that will put 300 hp to
the wheels, but the engine itself will run $4500+ before you even figure in
the installation costs. For that kind of money, I'd seriously consider
a down payment on a Cobra instead...
With a decent set of tires on the car, it also has the capacity to tear up
stock 'faster' cars in an autocross type environment.
>
Gears, dual exhaust, and tires made by somebody other than Good Year will
_seriously_ transform this car. Trust me. You won't be outrunning too
many GTs (although auto-trannied convertibles might occasionally fall
victim...) but the car will accelerate much better than stock.
--
Don Lloyd d...@udel.edu
Visit Six In A Mustang http://members.dca.net/dlloyd
Wilbur F Lin
WIlbur
Donald Raymond Lloyd II <d...@copland.udel.edu> wrote in message
news:80hav6$qrh$1...@copland.udel.edu...
JD Adams
>
> one thing i would like to correct, my '98 v6 has 4 wheel disk brakes.
You're right, Wilbur. Don was incorrect when he said that the 96-98's
had rear drum brakes. All of my liturature before me shows these years
as having 4-wheel power disc brakes on all models.
Keep those facts straight, folks! And as always,...
Debo Sakai
>had rear drum brakes. All of my liturature before me shows these years
>as having 4-wheel power disc brakes on all models.
>
>Keep those facts straight, folks! And as always,...
Your literature is correct, as my 96 has 4 wheel disc as well.
Debo Sakai
-- He who sleeps in the night
- Remove the !'s to email me.
"That's great, she's a toaster. Can we go now?"
Musttanguy
> All of my liturature before me shows these years
>as having 4-wheel power disc brakes on all models.
Every Mustang from 94-up has 4 wheel disc brakes whether it's a V6 or a V8,no
exceptions
http://members.aol.com/musttanguy/main.html
MUSTTANGUY@AOL
95 Mustang conv.v6,chrome17"s, dual exh,fogs
91 Mustang conv,95 run'n gear,GT40,orig.cobra body kit,modified
87 Mustang GT,for sale
82 Mustang GT,future BB
86 Ranger 4x4,9"lift,33's,91 5.0 going in
92 Bronco 4x4,7"lift,35's,winch,35