Cheap Tricks to Improve Your Mustang's Performance

There are several inexpensive tricks you can do to your Mustang to improve performance if you are on a tight budget. Remove the air silencer box, get a K&N air filter, adjust your timing, and adjust your TPS (throttle position sensor).

Removing the air silencer box is easy and it will give you 1 or 2 horsepower. The air silencer box is the black plastic piece inside the fenderwell that supplies air to the airbox where your air filter is. Detach the airbox from the inside of the engine compartment and locate the bolts that secure the air silencer to the fenderwell. Remove these bolts, and then you will have to work the box out of the fender (the hardest part) through the bottom of the fender. Reattach the air box to the fender and you are done.

A K&N Air Filter is the next thing to take care of. K&N claims a 5-10 horsepower increase. The other advantage is that the air cleaner is washable and reusable, guaranteed to 1,000,000 miles, so it is the last filter you will ever buy. K&N also claims that their filter flows better after 100,000 miles of use than a stock filter does brand new. You should be able to find one for about $40 from a high performance parts catalog.

To get the most performance out of your Mustang, check the setting of the throttle position sensor(located on the top of the throttle body). Accurate adjustment will provide smooth idle and improved acceleration. Using a digital volt meter or a multi meter with the ignition key in the "on" position; but with the engine off, voltage should read between .997-.999 or 1.1 to 1.25 for supercharged cars (the green and black wires are the ones to test). Adjust (elongate the slots if necessary, I had to drill the slot slightly to allow proper positioning) the sensor to obtain proper setting by loosening the mounting screws and moving the sensor side to side.

Finally, properly adjusting your timing will improve performance dramatically. Start with initial timing around 13-14 degrees BTDC (before tap dead center), if you experience detonation (characterized by a pinging sound), reduce the timing until you no longer have any detonation. If you have no detonation, increase the timing up to 19-20 degrees, in small steps, testing along the way. Beyond 20 degrees you will degrade performance, and personally, I wouldn't go above 16 degrees.

Craig Kiddoo