2010 Ford Mustang
The 2010 Ford Mustang comes with the well-known 4.0L V6 or 4.6L V8 and a 5-speed automatic or 5-speed transmission. Whilst the V6 is unchanged, the V8 packs an additional 15 horsepower and 5 lb-ft of torque, officially rated at 315 and 325, respectively, due to minor changes with the intake manifold and raising the redline. Rather, Ford spent most of their time revising the interior and exterior. Both the front and rear were given a make over, slimming down the bulbous back end and giving the front end a sharper profile with a shorter front grille and new hood. In fact, apart from the roof, all the sheet metal on the 2010 S197 is new. On the inside, the interior design remains mostly the same however a lot of the materials changed. In particular, the dash is now a one-piece unit made from soft touch plastic, intended to eliminate the squeaking and creaking of the previous design.
Reduce Parasitic Power Loss
Running all the accessories on your engine (water pump, alternator, air conditioner) off the crankshaft pulley creates drag, and this drag is overcome by sacrificing a few horsepower. A set of underdrive pulleys are a good entry-level modification to make to your 2010 Mustang in order to regain some of that lost power. By changing the size of the pulleys used to drive each accessory, you can change the amount of power is drawn to run each one. Typically an underdrive pulley set will come with a new crank pulley (the drive pulley) and a new water pump pulley (the driven pulley). The crankshaft pulley will be smaller in diameter whereas the water pump pulley will be larger than stock. By making this switch, the accessories will always turn a little bit slower at any given RPM (therefore becoming underdriven) and therefore regaining some horsepower. While not a game changer, underdrive pulleys are good for a 5-7 horsepower gain. In addition, most kits today are made of aluminum, which will lessen the rotating mass of the accessory drive system. Lowering the rotating mass will lessen the amount of energy absorbed to spin up the pulleys, thereby helping the engine rev up just a little bit quicker.
Eye Catching Calipers
Putting a unique touch on your S197 need not cost a lot of money. The factory calipers - drab pieces from the factory - are an easy target to spruce up with a set of caliper covers.
- Inexpensive style
- Block brake dust
- Clip securely and easily in place
These single piece units clip securely in place over the factory caliper and will vastly change the wheel area. Available in a myriad of bright colors and logos, caliper covers are made of lightweight aluminum. Naturally rust-proof and with excellent heat dissipation ability, aluminum caliper covers also act as a forward brake dust barrier, helping to keep some of that dust from reach the spokes of the wheels. In terms of installation, there is only one thing to watch out. Depending on the size of the caliper cover, it may not fit with 17" or 18". It is critical to verify with the manufacturer if there is a minimum wheel size needed in order to safely fit the cover without any interference.
