If you’re the owner of a Ford Mustang, regardless of whether it’s a convertible or a hardtop vehicle, you drive a sports car that’s measurably faster and more powerful than a typical passenger vehicle. Still, a Mustang is practically an entry level sports car, which means that although it might impress compared to your conventional passenger car on the road, it doesn’t have quite the speed or power of a higher end sports car. There are several major add-ons and replacements you can use to compensate to some extent, however some are quite pricey (add-on turbochargers, replacement fiberglass hoods) while others don’t do a whole lot. For an inexpensive and effective alternative, you may want to consider installing a Ford Mustang performance chip directly under your pony car’s hood.
A performance chip is quick and easy to install, which is a huge advantage when you consider how time-consuming most upgrade installations are. Generally, even a less experienced tuner could install a Mustang performance chip in 15-30 minutes with only basic automotive tools. A big setback, however, is that performance chips can’t be installed on all Mustang models. Any Mustang not equipped with an ECU or air intake sensor, which includes most vehicles manufactured prior to the early-to-mid 1980s, will not be able to utilize an ECU chip. That said, any more recent model will easily be able to operate with one.
Once installed, there are several sets of expectations in terms of results. In terms of performance gains, you can get up to 60 extra horsepower using a chip. While that may pale in comparison to the gaining of several hundred horsepower using a turbocharger, you also have to remember that a chip costs less than a hundred dollars in most cases, while an aftermarket turbo kit could run you up thousands of dollars. Plus, if your Mustang has already been turbocharged, it can see results on the higher end of the horsepower gain spectrum.
Efficiency is also a consideration. Depending on what other add-ons and upgrades you have installed on your pony car, and also what model-year and condition the current car is in, you can get anywhere up to 4-7mpg in fuel savings using an ECU chip. Sure, you won’t be transforming your Mustang into a hybrid or electric vehicle anytime soon, but every bit of gas saved will help put less pressure on your bank account in the long run.
A performance chip is quick and easy to install, which is a huge advantage when you consider how time-consuming most upgrade installations are. Generally, even a less experienced tuner could install a Mustang performance chip in 15-30 minutes with only basic automotive tools. A big setback, however, is that performance chips can’t be installed on all Mustang models. Any Mustang not equipped with an ECU or air intake sensor, which includes most vehicles manufactured prior to the early-to-mid 1980s, will not be able to utilize an ECU chip. That said, any more recent model will easily be able to operate with one.
Once installed, there are several sets of expectations in terms of results. In terms of performance gains, you can get up to 60 extra horsepower using a chip. While that may pale in comparison to the gaining of several hundred horsepower using a turbocharger, you also have to remember that a chip costs less than a hundred dollars in most cases, while an aftermarket turbo kit could run you up thousands of dollars. Plus, if your Mustang has already been turbocharged, it can see results on the higher end of the horsepower gain spectrum.
Efficiency is also a consideration. Depending on what other add-ons and upgrades you have installed on your pony car, and also what model-year and condition the current car is in, you can get anywhere up to 4-7mpg in fuel savings using an ECU chip. Sure, you won’t be transforming your Mustang into a hybrid or electric vehicle anytime soon, but every bit of gas saved will help put less pressure on your bank account in the long run.