Obligatory Introduction; Pointers Maybe?

[sht.sho.joe762]

Picked up an Ingot Silver 2014 non-PP on St. Patty's Day this year. 2 owners, 159k miles on the dot now just under 170k, $8K out the door. So far it's been well worth the 3-hour drive south to KC to get it; I scrapped my 2011 Fusion SE V6 right after and haven't looked back. I don't want to drive anything else for as long as I live.

So far it's gotten a new front driver side wheel bearing and CV axle, both were done at the shop up the street from me since I'm lazy and don't have the tools needed for a job like that. Everything else I've done myself: NGK plugs and coils, front sway bar links, LED headlight conversion and washer fluid pump. Also had a bit of TC shudder but a tube of Lubegard Shudder Fixx took care of that instantly. All OEM-spec, bone stock, nothing fancy yet. I'm getting it back to normal before I start putting go-fast parts on.

"Mods", if you can even call them that: noisemaker delete w/$7 freeze plug and BOVs vented to atmosphere using the chair leg tip trick. Car sounds ricey, but name another way you can have that much fun for $2 and 10 minutes of your time.

Things I know the car needs: rear diff service (little wet around the cover, no drips yet), trans service, new rear sunshade motor, new headlight housings (both are cracked and clouded), minor PDR and paint touch-up, and new front and rear bumpers. I have a feeling one of the previous owners let their teenager drive it a lot, it's got that kind of body damage. We all know the type.

Also for some reason the climate control will randomly turn on or off when I don't want it to, and the touch button on the dash will stop working at the same time and I have to use the touch screen. So annoying. Any advice on a fix for that would be greatly appreciated.


Things I want for the car: nothing that can't be easily returned to stock config or completed over a 2-day weekend. I don't want to turn my daily into a project car.
1. K&N CAI (I know they're worthless but they sound cool, leave me alone)
2. Exhaust - is there anything wrong with just hacking off the stock mufflers and replacing them with good 'ol Thrush glasspacks, or am I just a dumb hick who misses his old 4.6 F-150? I can't find any videos that show what they sound like with that setup. If the answer to that question is yes, what do y'all suggest for something that's not going to be obnoxious both outside and inside the car, but still sounds good and lets the motor breathe a bit better? Low back pressure, higher flow, exhaust scavenging, yada yada.
3. Aftermarket wheels with stock tire size; all 4 wheels have been curbed and are chewed up
4. Tune - probably SCT but I'm open to suggestions
5. Upgraded high-pressure fuel pump
6. Hot pipes
7. A-pillar gauge pod
8. Beefed up cooling all around
9. Maybe slightly bigger turbos. Maybe.
10. E30 setup, and probably more


I'd like to hit 450-500hp at the wheels, but I have a lot to learn about this platform and that's going to take a lot of time, money, and reading up to get there. This forum has been pretty helpful with troubleshooting my past issues just by viewing threads, so I figured I'd stop creeping and join the party.

Thank you

 

[SM105K]

Picked up an Ingot Silver 2014 non-PP on St. Patty's Day this year. 2 owners, 159k miles on the dot now just under 170k, $8K out the door. So far it's been well worth the 3-hour drive south to KC to get it; I scrapped my 2011 Fusion SE V6 right after and haven't looked back. I don't want to drive anything else for as long as I live.

So far it's gotten a new front driver side wheel bearing and CV axle, both were done at the shop up the street from me since I'm lazy and don't have the tools needed for a job like that. Everything else I've done myself: NGK plugs and coils, front sway bar links, LED headlight conversion and washer fluid pump. Also had a bit of TC shudder but a tube of Lubegard Shudder Fixx took care of that instantly. All OEM-spec, bone stock, nothing fancy yet. I'm getting it back to normal before I start putting go-fast parts on.

"Mods", if you can even call them that: noisemaker delete w/$7 freeze plug and BOVs vented to atmosphere using the chair leg tip trick. Car sounds ricey, but name another way you can have that much fun for $2 and 10 minutes of your time.

Things I know the car needs: rear diff service (little wet around the cover, no drips yet), trans service, new rear sunshade motor, new headlight housings (both are cracked and clouded), minor PDR and paint touch-up, and new front and rear bumpers. I have a feeling one of the previous owners let their teenager drive it a lot, it's got that kind of body damage. We all know the type.

Also for some reason the climate control will randomly turn on or off when I don't want it to, and the touch button on the dash will stop working at the same time and I have to use the touch screen. So annoying. Any advice on a fix for that would be greatly appreciated.


Things I want for the car: nothing that can't be easily returned to stock config or completed over a 2-day weekend. I don't want to turn my daily into a project car.
1. K&N CAI (I know they're worthless but they sound cool, leave me alone) - Stock Air Box with a K&N drop in filter outflows the stock turbos.
2. Exhaust - is there anything wrong with just hacking off the stock mufflers and replacing them with good 'ol Thrush glasspacks, or am I just a dumb hick who misses his old 4.6 F-150? I can't find any videos that show what they sound like with that setup. If the answer to that question is yes, what do y'all suggest for something that's not going to be obnoxious both outside and inside the car, but still sounds good and lets the motor breathe a bit better? Low back pressure, higher flow, exhaust scavenging, yada yada. - These motors absolutely sound like trash. You can hack the stock mufflers of, just don't put a chambered muffler on. Catless Downpipes are really raspy so you need to keep some type of resonator before the mufflers to mitigate drone.
3. Aftermarket wheels with stock tire size; all 4 wheels have been curbed and are chewed up - There is a wheel thread with all the info about aftermarket wheels.
4. Tune - probably SCT but I'm open to suggestions - Gearhead or AJP. They both tune with SCT and if you get a Livewire you wont have to get A-Pillar Gauge Pods.
5. Upgraded high-pressure fuel pump - You will absolutely need one if you want 450 to 500 at the wheels. Look at XDI for options.
6. Hot pipes - If your charge piping isn't leaking, leave them alone honestly.
7. A-pillar gauge pod - Not needed if you have a Livewire.
8. Beefed up cooling all around - Better cooler around is always better.
9. Maybe slightly bigger turbos. Maybe. - You will absolutely need them for your power goals.
10. E30 setup, and probably more - E30 is a great fuel blend. It makes great power, but it is kinda a pain in the ass to mix if you are daily driving. That being said, all of my turbo cars are on E30.
I'd like to hit 450-500hp at the wheels, but I have a lot to learn about this platform and that's going to take a lot of time, money, and reading up to get there. This forum has been pretty helpful with troubleshooting my past issues just by viewing threads, so I figured I'd stop creeping and join the party. -You will need to be ready to put in a new trans and converter. Or you can upgraded your current trans and converter. They will not live long under higher power. Ask me how I know.

Thank you

Answers in bold.

Welcome. Alot of your questions can be answered in the thread below.

SM105K's SHO BIBLE/BUILDS/LIFE

First things first. Thank you @SHOdded for helping me with the information below. His knowledge and experience with this platform is immense. What to expect: Post one: General knowledge of the SHO and what to expect. Post two: The Story of M, my SHO. I posted all of my mods, current mods...

shoforum.com

 

[kryptto]

welcome