1995 Mustang Gt Review
The 1995 Mustang Gt, the last of a long line of Mustangs with the legendary 5.0 litre engine that sat in front of a 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic with overdrive. Having driven with both types of transmissions, I opted for the 4 speed automatic instead of the manual. This is not to say that the manual was less pleasing or inefficient. There's numerous routes a car owner can go once he acquires a car, and for myself the automatic was the perfect fit. Before I get into the potential that the 1995 Mustang Gt has, I will run through the standard features that come with the car. In between I'll give some suggestions on how to improve performance without breaking the bank.
Engine: 5.0 Litre SEFI HO V8 ENGINE
Transmission: 4-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION W/OD-inc; 5-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION W/OD
Safety: Driver Air Bag Dual air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) Passenger Air Bag Dual air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
Optional Safety Features 4-Wheel ABS Rear Defrost Vehicle Anti-Theft System
Standard Comfort Features: Bucket Seats Reclining cloth bucket seats-inc; head restraints
Optional Comfort Features: MANUAL AIR CONDITIONER-inc; R134A refrigerant
Well, all that is nice but what does all this add up to? It adds up to one fun and reliable vehicle. The 5.0 Litre engine was and still is one of the best engines Ford put out to date. The reliability and heritage of 40+ years is something most car companies can't provide. The Mustang was and still is part of the American dream for most car enthusiasts. There are of course a couple bad eggs in a bunch, but for the most part a Mustang owner doesn't have much to worry about.
My Mustang was a 1995 Gt, white exterior, black and tan interior with tan cloth seats. If you're luck to find one with leather you will be a tad bit happier.
The car stock is fun to drive and has a little bit of power to put a smile on anyone's face. Depending on how aggressively it's driven, the car will get between 17-21 mpg. However there is definitely room for improvement in terms of power, transmission, traction, and suspension. You didn't buy this car to keep it stock; you have to make it your own and in the process you'll find that horsepower is addictive to say the least.
For an everyday car the 1995 Mustang is fine the way it sits. It looks great inside and out. Provides reliability and longevity with enough performance to make a new owner happy. Inside everything seems to be in the right place and doesn't feel too cheap or fragile.
The Mach 360 stereo system sounds great and is loud and clear enough to enjoy all sorts of music. The front seats seem to hold the driver in place without making things uncomfortable.
As for the room in the back seat, if you're a little bigger you can forget about leg room. Though I did manage to fit three normally sized people in the back without any complaints (it was that or the trunk).
The trunk space is a little bit small and forget about putting anything over-sized inside.
To make up for the lack of leg room the climate system works well. The A/C blows freezing air when properly charged and the heat is smoking hot on cold nights.
The steering responds well and seems just right. The car seems to handle okay during normal driving, but things get a little uncertain at high speed cornering.
Mechanically everything seems to be as it should. You get a little bit of power when you have the need for speed, and 4 disk brakes to safely bring the car to a stop. The break pedal has a good, sturdy feel and with the disk brakes you'll feel much more confident.
Now if you don't safely come to a stop there are two nice airbags right in front to give you a cushion. Speaking from experience the seatbelts work well, and the airbag doesn't hurt the face as much as one might think.
Inside the engine compartment everything is easily accessible, for those times when you get the need to change spark plugs, or the cylinder heads or the intake (more on that below).
The 1995 engine 2 bolt main block came with hypertonic pistons, which freed up a couple horses in terms of horse power. Though preferably it would have been nice if Ford had an option for forged pistons. Though the hypertonic pistons work well and can handle a good beating, the added sense of security from forged pistons is always welcome.
The block also had a cast iron crank and cast I-beams that held everything in place. Again, forged would have been nice, but this is enough for most owners.
The block was topped off with a pair of E7 Ford cylinder heads which proved they aren't the greatest thing since sliced bread. Though they work nicely, the E7 heads restricted air flow and decreased the car's potential. Either porting or finding some cheap GT40 cylinder heads quickly solved that issue. Of course once the heads are off, might as well replace everything in sight and bring out the full potential of your new Mustang.
The lower and upper intake also created a bottle neck in terms of performance. Again most owners opted to find a GT40 upper and lower intake to create more air flow. Roller rockers should also be upgraded to 1.70 roller rockers to provide extra lift. Once you have the roller rockers, might as well put in a different camshaft. The E303 cam from Ford Racing is one of the best all around camshafts around, though there are better options available through other after market companies, like Trick Flow.
A bigger throttle body can also be put on with ease, the stock injectors can be replaced with 24 lbs injectors. To swap injectors one will have to calibrate the Mass Air Flow meter to 24 lbs for the car to run properly. Though a bigger fuel pump is not needed when just switching injectors, if you opt to replace the heads, intake, roller rocker, throttle body, and the injectors you are pushing the fuel pump beyond its capacity. A 190 lph pump will do just fine, but if you have bigger plans for the future it's the 255 lph pump that should go in. All these parts can be found in the Gt's cousin, the Mustang Cobra. This was the cheapest route to go, though not the best, it does provide a nice increase in performance. In my opinion it's money well spent.
One of the easiest and best upgrades a Mustang owner can do is the exhaust system. The cast iron headers are restrictive to say the least, and the rest of the exhaust isn't any better. There are numerous after market companies that provide exhaust components for Mustangs, again it's personal preference. I opted to use Ford Racing headers, a Off-Road H-Pipe (not legal in some states) and the rest was provided by Flowmaster.
This combination will give the car the classic sound and you'll soon realize that listening to the exhaust is even better than listening to the radio.
The stereo system comes in a couple different options. There's the basic which provides you with a cassette or compact disk player. And there's the Mach 360 system which sounds a ton better than the basic set up. If you don't have the Mach 360 system, don't worry, there are plenty of after market companies that provide excellent products that are even better. Though with your new exhaust system why would you want to listen to the radio anyway?
If you have deep pockets and an even fatter wallet there are tons of after market companies that provide performance parts for the Mustang. Though buyer beware, even though the 1994-95 have a 5.0 Litre engine, there are subtle differences in parts when compared to other year models.
The stock engine out of the factory is rated at 160 kW , 215 HP @ 4,200 rpm; 285 ft lb , 386 Nm @ 3,400 rpm. Once the addiction to horsepower becomes more than just an itch you'll be finding yourself doing anything you can to squeeze out bigger numbers. The options in the above paragraphs are the cheapest ways an owner can go with a tight budget.
Another inexpensive way to increase horsepower is to put on a set of underdrive pulleys. This will free up some power used by the accessories. Though most kits come with an alternator pulley, I recommend leaving the stock one so it won't bring unnecessary stress to the alternator or battery. One drawback, and this isn't true for every kit out there, is that you might need to buy a new serpentine belt. Most of the time the belt tensioner will handle the change just fine, but be prepared just in case.
If you are looking for the specifications for different year models I suggest going to www.mustangspecs.com, they provide more information than anyone will ever need.
Onto the transmission and rear end components.
The automatic transmission and the manual both work very well. Like I said before, whichever one you choose is up to you. However, the automatic transmission isn't perfect. The one flaw that I was most annoyed with was the sloppy, soft shifting that it provided. There isn't really anything wrong with that if the car is used for getting from A to B. But if you want smooth and firm shifting a shift kit is a must. You will notice the difference right away. And if done correctly the transmission will remain reliable and in most cases live longer than a stock transmission.
Now that you have everything at its full potential, what else is left? Well, the rear end of course. The stock rear end differential comes with a 2.73 ring and pinion gear. The gear is great for a grocery getter, but this is no longer a grandma's car. The most popular gear selections are the 3.55, 3.73, and the 4.10. Anything lower isn't worth upgrading to, and anything higher brings on other issues that would have to be addressed.
The 3.73 gear is a good all around set, but for a little more acceleration and performance the 4.10 gear is a must. However, if you opted to get the manual transmission it's the 3.73 you will be most comfortable with. Now I know what you're thinking, "the gas mileage man, THE GAS MILEAGE!" It really isn't that big of a drop. My Mustang gave me 17-18 mpg with a 4.10 ring and pinion. Highway and city mileage were both about the same and I literally drove the car everywhere. The one extra mile to the gallon you will get from the 3.73 is just not worth the fun you will have with the 4.10 gear.
The rear end differential unit can be left alone, but with all this extra power problems will soon appear. Not only is doing one wheel burnouts really embarrassing, a driver is not getting the proper traction to get all the extra horsepower to the ground.
There are numerous companies that a car owner can go to and some of them you should stay away from.
For the rear end differential unit itself I found that Eaton provides the best line of products. They offer a very reliable unit and the best part about them is that the parts inside can be replaced if they break. A limited slip or a Detroit Locker is the way to go in my opinion. I'll leave it up to you to decide as it is again a choice based on preference.
There is yet again one more upgrade that should be done at this point. The stock differential unit fits 28 spline axles. Since you already have to shell out cash to get a better unit, might as well get better axles. No point in getting a 28 spline set at this point. Switching to a 31 spline unit and 31 spline axles will make the car more reliable and less prone to spitting out the stock C-Clip axles if something snaps. One can also opt to use 33 spline or higher, but the 31 spline set will be more than enough for most owners.
So now that we have everything to make power and a means to get the power to the ground, what else is left? The one weakness of the Mustang is its ability to handle. If you're an auto-cross racer this is the last car you would want to take to the track. Like with most American muscle car the handling can be horrid. Fortunately there are ways to fix the issue.
Which ever after market suspension set up you choose make sure to do some research. The are so many different set ups to choose from it can often be overwhelming.
These next upgrades will consist of the springs and shocks. One can also replace the upper and lower control arms in the rear, but the stock ones will do just fine.
The stock springs on the Mustang make it look like a 4x4 ready to go through some mud pits. I suggest using either Eibach or Steeda springs for your set up. For the shocks I recommend the Tokico HP Series.
There are a number of ways this can go. You should decide whether the car will be used for going in a straight line, or a more sport minded package that will greatly increase handling.
Take a look at Eibach or Steeda setups for the springs. I recommend using a set up that's somewhere in between, like a drag/street set.
With new springs in hand it's time to get new shocks. Again another overwhelming experience to someone just starting to modify their Mustang. The Tokico HP Series provide a set up that will work for both drag racing and still provide great handling capabilities. Money wise they're not too expensive, though not cheap either.
With the suspension lying on the floor it's a good idea to switch to polyurethane bushings. This will help the car with handling, provide a smoother ride, and they'll last longer than the stock set.
Whatever set will end up on the Mustang it will be money very well spent. The increase in the amount of handling and driving performance will be well worth it.
Overall the 1995 Mustang GT is a great car to own. Stock or modified it will bring its new owner satisfaction and pride. It will be reliable as long as you take good care of it. Think of it as your child, unless you hate kids than think of something else. The 1995 Mustang is fine the way it is, but owners also have options to make the Mustangs a perfect fit to match their own personality.
If you have any questions or need help feel free to send me a message.
