Mustang S197 (Budget Track Car) Archives

We installed the RTR Tactical Performance Coilovers on our Budget 400whp Track Car to give us adjustability in ride height, corner weights, and to soften and improve the ride quality…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 11 – Track Test

Billy Johnson

It is finally time to take our project car to the track and evaluate all of the components and work we have done up until this point. The goal of…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 10 – MGW Short Shifter

Billy Johnson

We greatly improve the feel and control of our S197 Mustang’s Getrag MT82 transmission with a short shift kit from MGW. The Getrag MT-82 is well-known for not being the…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 9 – Apex Wheels and Nitto Tires

Billy Johnson

Choosing wheels and tires are some of the most important decisions you can make for a car. For this project’s theme of using the best bang-for-your-buck components possible, there really…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 8 – Aero with Steeda and Ford

Billy Johnson

For the S197 Mustang platform, proven aero does not have to be expensive. We install a wind tunnel-tested Steeda wing and a BOSS 302 splitter to improve the downforce of…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 7 – Springs, Shocks and Bars

Billy Johnson

Staying true to the ‘budget’ track car theme, we skipped expensive coilovers and upgraded our S197 Mustang with track-capable springs, shocks, and swaybars from Steeda. In Part 6, we tackled…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 6 – Going Through the Suspension with Steeda

Billy Johnson

This is where we defy the misconceptions and show how to make an S197 Mustang into a corner-carving track car. We are going to cover the pros and cons of…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 5 – Upgrading to an Eaton Truetrac LSD

Billy Johnson

A performance Limited Slip Differential is a MUST for making 2005-2014 (S197) Mustangs handle predictably. We replace the weak factory LSD with Eaton’s TrueTrac helical (gear-driven) LSD which will transform…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 4 – Installing the Roush 3rd Link

Billy Johnson

Upgrading the 3rd link suspension arm in an S197 Mustangs is far more important than just to reduce wheel hop. Picking the right one will greatly affect the car’s handling…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 3 – Dyno Testing Borla S-Type Cat-Back Exhaust and Tune

Billy Johnson

Despite achieving our 400 WHP goal, we installed a Borla S-Type Cat-Back Exhaust to further increase power, reduce weight, and improve the sound of our Mustang. We also found a…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 2 – Finding out what it takes to make 400WHP

Billy Johnson

We strap our first-generation 5.0L “Coyote” V8-powered S197 Mustang to the dyno and test the 2018+ “Gen-3” intake manifold, K&N air intake, and tunes by Palm Beach Dyno to find…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 1 – Intro

Billy Johnson

More people need to consider the (2005-2014) “S197” Mustang for track use! Parts are cheap and it really does not take much to turn one into an awesome “Driver’s-car”. There…