Let the Mods begin.

[John Shugarts]

After my entire life of bleeding Ford blue, I have purchased a non-PP 2015 SHO. My wife and I have been drooling over the 4th Gen since it's release in 2010.

I have spent the better part of the last 2 weeks reading past posts and learning. I will be a frequent customer of LMS (even saw some of their stuff in Vegas last year), and I have a plan.

For now I will be ordering the Stage 1 Kit, but wonder if I should get the 3 Bar now, or wait until the next stage.

How much impact will the 3 bar have with just tuner, CAI, t-stat and plugs?

 

[SHOdded]

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on the new ride, John! A tune is the biggest instant improvement you can make. Adding a 3 bar will add incremental but noticeable performance, as it allows the tuner better control over boost levels, as well as increases the amount of boost that can be tuned in with precision. Running 93 octane gas will also open the gates to better performance compared to running 87. These engines need as much knock control as can be had, and they then deliver performance by the truckload. If you later decide to step up to methanol injection, that will be a substantial improvement over whatever tune you are running at the time.

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Hey John, I'm Jaimie with LMS. Thank you for the consideration! We always recommend 3 things to go with the SHO/MKS tuners:

160° tstat
3BAR
plugs

You can always wait because we never charge for remote updating like everyone else, but the tuning for those 3 parts is SOOOOO MUCH FUN! It is so surprising to see a 4500# family sedan blow all 4 tires lose and dust an R/T Charger or a Camaro!

 

[John Shugarts]

Thanks Jamie. You will be hearing from me today!!

 

[John Shugarts]

Talked to Jamie and placed the order today!
Can't wait for the delivery, install, and DRIVE IT!!

 

[ridered74]

Talked to Jamie and placed the order today!
Can't wait for the delivery, install, and DRIVE IT!!

Words of advice...the second you receive the package, open it up and follow the instructions for getting all the information you need, and immediately email livernois with the tunes you want. Don't wait until you replace the thermostat to send them the info. You will want to load the tune as soon as you get the thermostat done, so emailing them immediately will help avoid any delays.

My only regret is driving my car stock for six months after I bought it before finally getting it tuned.

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Talked to Jamie and placed the order today!
Can't wait for the delivery, install, and DRIVE IT!!

I hear that Jaimie guy is pretty amazing! It was fun talking to you John. I am sure that we will be talking again soon. Enjoy!

Words of advice...the second you receive the package, open it up and follow the instructions for getting all the information you need, and immediately email livernois with the tunes you want. Don't wait until you replace the thermostat to send them the info. You will want to load the tune as soon as you get the thermostat done, so emailing them immediately will help avoid any delays.
My only regret is driving my car stock for six months after I bought it before finally getting it tuned.

That is a good regret to have Rider!

 

[BamSHO]

Ahhhh you made Jamie cry. Love you buddy!

 

[Foran]

It really is a huge step up in performance. It seems after a couple hundred miles, it's even better.

 

[John Shugarts]

Parts from Livernois were delivered Tuesday...Mama had a "to do" list for me so I wasn't able to complete the install until last night. The CAI, plugs, T-Stat, 3 Bar, and tune took me about an hour total to install, then it was off for a test drive. I AM HAPPY!!

When I first took the SHO for a test drive at the dealership, I was somewhat disappointed with the performance. I guess I was expecting more. With the Level 1 mods and 91 tune, the car runs like I feel it should.

Whats next? I still have to do down pipes and exhaust. Is the $ for the Corsa worth it? If I added the downpipes to the factory exhaust, will I be leaving a bunch of power off the table without going full exhaust? Is there an alternative for exhaust to the Corsa? I am not pinching pennies, but looking for the best value. I'm not sure the $1500 for the Corsa is worth 5-10 HP.....thoughts?

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

That is awesome to hear John! The bang for your buck with those mods is INSANITY!

As for the next mods, I would say DP's are the next step. They add 9-14hp, but the real trick is where that power is made. Having more power in the sub 3k RPM band is a huge boost for such a heavy car.

The CB will further the low end "kick in the pants". So, to base it solely on hp#'s isn't getting the whole story.

 

[John Shugarts]

As always, your input is appreciated. DPs it is! I will be calling Monday morning...have a set of catted DPs boxed and ready to ship to Cali!

 

[SHOdded]

California? Know your emissions testing station/personnel beforehand. If they do visual inspections, the downpipes (regardless of who you get them from) may not pass, because they won't have CARB certification, sadly.

 

[John Shugarts]

Not too worried about emissions....the car is a '15 so I have until '17 to bolt the stock stuff back on.

 

[gimpy]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the SHO-fire decision. <--lame, but it's all I got.

Firstly, the Livernois people are better than 'good people'... in fact, it's at the point I don't want to accidentally say something lame as to how great dealing with them was/is. These guys are top notch.

This is what you need to know... It's best to just order all the goodies at once, cause you WILL end up with all the following at some point.

Tuner
T-stat
Down pipes
CAI
3bar
(gapped plugs are a personal choice)

What makes it all worth while is the fact your SHO will be eating most of the things you come across daily... And its with 4 doors, heated/ac seats, great mpg and other things. The best part is, if someone does get the better of you, congratulations...they can beat a Taurus.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Thank you for the compliments gimpy, and you check is in the mail LOL.

Racing a SHO is kind of a doubled edged sword...because if they win...so what? Your (insert daily driven V8 car here) beat my grandpa's car.

BUT WHEN THEY LOSE TO A SHO....

 

[SilverSH0]

Is the $ for the Corsa worth it? If I added the downpipes to the factory exhaust, will I be leaving a bunch of power off the table without going full exhaust? Is there an alternative for exhaust to the Corsa? I am not pinching pennies, but looking for the best value. I'm not sure the $1500 for the Corsa is worth 5-10 HP.....thoughts?

I cannot comment on the gains from the Corsa exhaust but I would follow what Livernois stated. I also had a tough time swallowing $1500 for a catback exhaust. I talked to my local shop and they're going to install 2.5" pipe catback (mandrel bent) for $500 and I simply provide the mufflers and tips that I want. You might check your local exhaust shops to see what they would charge to make a system. I'm taking my car to have exhaust installed once it comes out of storage in the spring.

 

[John Shugarts]

Couldn't wait til Monday...talked to Jason at Livernois yesterday and had him ship me some downpipes....not to send the Tune Request.

This stuff is ADDICTING!

 

[John Shugarts]

DPs installed and tunes loaded. LET THE FUN BEGIN!
This thing runs like a beast!

Thanks to Jamie for the assist this morning!

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Glad that I was able to jump in and help!