Piston Slap: Ain't Skeered of No Blown Stang!

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

TTAC commentator 1trikpny writes:

Hi, I’ve got a 2005 Mustang GT Deluxe,5spd, no Leather, no options. Black with 18″ chrome wheels, 285/35 Sumitomo HRT-Z 3’s, I’m the second adult owner.The previous owner bought it new, and at 40,000 miles installed a Saleen Supercharger with a Brenspeed Stage 3 tune. 500 hp at the crank. Currently at 63000 miles. I’ve added BMR LCA’s, Relocation brackets, and Panhard bar. this car has been very well maintained all of it’s life. No smoke, no noises, everything is just right.

So what’s the problem?


I can’t help thinking about breakage, so I’m thinking of selling it. I really like this car, and don’t even drive it hard, but I am well aware that stuff happens. Although money is not an issue, any I put into repairs would be gone as far as resale. Right now the car is worth every penny I paid, including the BMR stuff.

I won’t replace it if I sell, but I would certainly miss it. It always puts a smile on my face!

What do you and the B&B think? Am I just worrying too much? I do that naturally………

Thank you in advance for thoughtful comment,

Sajeev answers:

Ah, the classic “is this relationship too good to be true?” question posed by many a tuned automobile owner. A scary proposition if this was a modified WRX with an unknown owner history, but somewhat benign with an adult-owned supercharged Mustang. Let’s find out why!

Assuming the computer recalibration is set for a healthy balance (in the air/fuel ratio) between component safety and dyno-pleasing power figures, there’s little to worry about. Continue to drive like an adult on premium fuel and the engine should be fine, as supercharging Ford V8s is far from complicated or dangerous. It’s been that way for years. Ditto the solid rear axle: Ford’s 8.8 is robust, even the Camaro boys love them.

The only concern is the transmission. While a stock Mustang gearbox is good for an impressive 360 ft-lbs, you could easily destroy it with hard launches/power shifting/regular application of full throttle on a supercharged Mustang. But money fixes everything. Rather cheaply in a Mustang compared to other tuned machines, I might add!

The point: you are indeed worrying too much. Enjoy the “adult driven” Mustang and find a worrisome issue that’s worthy of your time.

[Image: Shutterstock user Steve Mann]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Beerboy12 Beerboy12 on Aug 05, 2014

    Driving a car like this gently can do about as much damage to the motor as hooning it. Give it horns now and then, that's what meant for! Keep it until you have a real reason for letting it go.

  • Scottcom36 Scottcom36 on Aug 05, 2014

    You won't get back the money you spend repairing a "sensible" car either. I say enjoy driving it and pushing it some without beating on it.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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