Pulling the trigger on a 2011 Kona Blue SVTPP (a little long)!

[sflrainmaker01]

In my quest to get boosted, I have been considering several options. The 2003-2004 Cobras, Supercharging my current Marauder, supercharging my old 86 Fox 5.0 vert or just buying a GT500 (vert or coupe discussed in another thread). I've decided to keep the Marauder and 86 Fox 5.0 vert and get a 2011 GT500 SVTPP car in Kona Blue. This is a big step for me. I don't usually "treat" myself. But, I am tired of spending time and money on "project" cars. Instead, I can spend that $$ on a car payment, lol. Being that it is from a dealership, I don't know a lot about the history of the car, except for a clean Carfax and AutoCheck.

It has Nav and the SVTPP as well as some kind of "air intake". It doesn't appear to have been pullied, but I noticed in the Carfax report it failed the state emissions test a couple times over the years. But, then, two days later, it passed. So, when I get the car, I taking it to my local Ford store and getting a fresh service done (it has 30k miles) so I know where to start the maintenance from and to see if there are any issues I didn't catch.
The next plan was to take it to a performance shop and have them check the tuning to make sure it is ok and get a SCT X4 or the like just in case there might be some future mods, lol. So, that brings up my next question. Here in SW Florida, there aren't many shops I know of that I would trust with my new acquisition. However, on the east coast (2hours away), there are several. Revan, Lethal, Power by the Hour, STEEDA and VMP (4hours to the north). It seems like they have "kits" that include a pully, tuner and some kind of air intake upgrade. I might just opt for that right out of the gate, lol. Is there any shop listed (or maybe one or two that I forgot) that is more recommended than another? Is one's kit or tune better than the other?

 

[Inittowinit]

Congrats on the purchase. Can't go wrong with either the Lethal, Revan, or VMP power packages/tunes. All are reputable, I personally went with Revan's kit

http://www.revanracing.com/products/2007-2012-gt500-combo-package.html

 

[Pribilof]

Welcome to the Kona Blue family!

I went with VMPs kit but any of the above-listed kits are proven and easy to install.

I always say this but get yourself a MGW shifter ASAP! The stock one blows.

 

[brian98svtsnake]

How bout a pic? Might get more info from the eagle eyed members here, perhaps you already have a good CAI. Did you buy it already? Sometimes they come with a hand held tuner or you could use that as a bargaining chip if there are mods, even a CAI on the car. Being in FL, one of the first things should be a dual fan heat exchanger, usually some good used ones in the FS section here. Good luck I think you'll love it.

 

[heatsoaked12]

Good luck,enjoy second gear,wheel hop, heat soak and if still equipped,the factory shityears.

 

[Black Cobra '99]

Good luck,enjoy second gear,wheel hop, heat soak and if still equipped,the factory shityears.

Nailed it :lol:
Well, there is your first mod list.

 

[sflrainmaker01]

Good luck,enjoy second gear,wheel hop, heat soak and if still equipped,the factory shityears.

Wow, talk about raining on a parade..... :kaboom:

 

[Zemedici]

Nice! Where's the pictures?! Congratulations

 

[1 Alibi 2]

Is the car @ a Ford dealership ?
Before you buy it, you need to know if it's running a stock tune.
If not stock, who's tune & where is the hand held ?
Asking questions before the purchase can avoid big problems afterwards....................good luck !!

 

[ponyboy96]

Chances are it was previously pullied and tuned. The give away is the failed emissions then the pass. Most aftermarket tunes turn off the rear o2 sensor resulting in a not ready and a fail. Going back to stock tune and driving it a couple days usually resolves that issue. That being said, I wouldn't fear that. These cars can handle a lot and that little pulley and tune is nothing. Question is did they take it back to stock? There are a lot of aftermarket pulleys that look completely stock. Only way to tell would be to measure it. If it's stock any vendor on here can sell you a pulley and tuner. No need to go to a shop, it's an easy install.

 

[sflrainmaker01]

Chances are it was previously pullied and tuned. The give away is the failed emissions then the pass. Most aftermarket tunes turn off the rear o2 sensor resulting in a not ready and a fail. Going back to stock tune and driving it a couple days usually resolves that issue. That being said, I wouldn't fear that. These cars can handle a lot and that little pulley and tune is nothing. Question is did they take it back to stock? There are a lot of aftermarket pulleys that look completely stock. Only way to tell would be to measure it. If it's stock any vendor on here can sell you a pulley and tuner. No need to go to a shop, it's an easy install.

The car is from a dealership, but not a Ford dealer. It looks like they purchased it at an auction and offered it for sale. So, I have NO way to know about a tune or not. That is why I was guessing it might be better to take it to one of the vendors here in South Florida and have them tune it or whatever it needs to make sure I know what I am dealing with right off the bat. AND possibly, just buy one of their kits with a SCT tuner and start from there.

This brings up a question...can the car just be returned to stock with a new SCT tuner that I buy? Or, do I just have to do a couple "mods" and have THAT tune (for the new mods) put in the car and go from there?

 

[ponyboy96]

I wish I had the answer to that. Usually with a tuner, the stock tune is saved on the tuning device then it overwrites it with the aftermarket tune. If it wasn't returned to stock, then it's lost with the tuner. A shop may be able to download the tune and look at the tables to see what if anything has been modified vs a stock tune. That's not something we can do in the ford space at home without purchasing the SCT dealer software. On the GM side, there's hptuners that you can do all that on your own without a handheld programmer. Why we do not have that kind of thing in the ford space is beyond me.

 

[SCGallo2]

This brings up a question...can the car just be returned to stock with a new SCT tuner that I buy? Or, do I just have to do a couple "mods" and have THAT tune (for the new mods) put in the car and go from there?

No. You would have to bring it to a Ford dealer to get the PCM returned to the stock calibration.

A custom email tune from one of the vendors mentioned above will overwrite whatever calibration is in the PCM now and give you peace of mind about what tune is loaded in your car and that would be your new starting point.

 

[sflrainmaker01]

No. You would have to bring it to a Ford dealer to get the PCM returned to the stock calibration.

A custom email tune from one of the vendors mentioned above will overwrite whatever calibration is in the PCM now and give you peace of mind about what tune is loaded in your car and that would be your new starting point.

So, then, what you are saying is that I should go get the SCT. But, while I am at it, go ahead and get the pully etc and do it all at once! :banana:

 

[ShiftyThePirate]

Good luck,enjoy second gear,wheel hop, heat soak and if still equipped,the factory shityears.

Bit of a dick thing to say to a new GT-500 owner. Most used GT-500s wont have the shityears, and I haven't had any issues with shifting at max RPM into 2nd...I have a '12 which I assume is the same as the 11. Only thing I did was put amsoil in the the transmission, and a catch can.

 

[SCGallo2]

A pulley, intake, and tune really wakes the car up and should hold you over power wise until you figure out what your goals are for your new ride.

 

[heatsoaked12]

Bit of a dick thing to say to a new GT-500 owner. Most used GT-500s wont have the shityears, and I haven't had any issues with shifting at max RPM into 2nd...I have a '12 which I assume is the same as the 11. Only thing I did was put amsoil in the the transmission, and a catch can.

I still have my 12 and still love it. Simply preparing the man. Those items brought me to this forum which I really enjoy.I wish I had joined this forum before my purchase, would have helped me understand what was happening when my car ran like a dog after being parked for ten minutes, or when I had massive under steer which almost put me in a ditch on a warm summer day.. I am no dick by any means, perhaps just a little tougher than some. Hopefully my words are somewhat of a mental preparation for the man. I suppose I could have elaborated on some of my fixes to further help him out which are 90 % of my posts. Op enjoy your new ride, heat exchanger with fans, Toyo r888 and lower relocation brackets for the control arms do wonders to these cars. Revan Racing or VMP tuning are a very nice two companies to have on our side when it comes to experience and advice.