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Factory suspension setups on Ford's S197 Mustangs aren't really up to snuff for the average performance enthusiast (or anyone else). The heavy weight of the fifth generation Mustangs combined with a live axle rear end do these ponies no favors and make cornering interesting, to say the least. That being said, replacing only a few basic suspension components will do wonders for the extremely rigid chassis of the S197 and make it fly around corners with relative ease. In general, there are two ways to get better performance out of the Mustang's suspension system: the easy way and the right way. The easiest way to give you suspension a performance bump is with a set of lowering springs. The ''right way'' (not that there's really a ''wrong way'') is by grabbing one of our premium suspension kits that generally include lowering springs on top of other uprated suspension gear.

Believe it or not, there was a time when Saleen demanded worship and deserved absolutely all of it. Their Fox Body specialty Mustangs, especially the supercharged versions, were the best way for Mustang fans to fly by Porsche owners while giving them a quick wink out of the window and redlining the supercharged, high-output Windsor 5.0L. The body kits screamed racing with their sweet curves that extended from their front air dams, to their side panels and ending at their gorgeous rear fascias topped off with one the most elegant spoilers to grace a Mustang. The sporty looks, massive performance hikes and Steve Saleen's racing name skyrocketed the humble Saleen Autosport onto the national stage. Further developments with the SN95 Mustangs brought in outside investment from Hancock Park Associates in 2001 that allowed Saleen to expand exponentially and made Hancock majority owners. At one point, Saleen offered 12 different production vehicles out of its catalog, including several Mustang variants. Saleen's vehicle production culminated with the production of the S7 Supercar that performed well in the Le Mans series while being the envy of the supercar world at the time. The S7 was the high water mark of Saleen, and the company began a downward spiral in the mid-2000s that saw the shuttering of the famed supercar and the eventual termination of all vehicle production under the Saleen name in 2011. Most outsiders look at the sad state of Saleen as being a mere side effect of the global financial meltdown of 2008, but Saleen's ultimate fate was written long before by short-sighted decisions, management struggles and competition from other manufacturers and Mustang tuners with superior business models. The Great Recession simply put the finishing touches on a coffin that was well-built by 2008.

Ignore the tongue twister of a title today and let's get down to it. ROUSH Performance makes some of the best aftermarket Mustang performance parts currently on the market, not to mention their excellent lineup of suped-up, finely-honed Mustangs. We love them, you love them (even if you don't) and their parts sell like hotcakes. All that being said, there's plenty of accessories from other manufacturers that look fantastic on ROUSH ''Staged'' Mustangs and can also give massive performance increases that even make veteran ROUSH pilots lose their breathe. The rest of our suggested upgrades cover exterior components that the ROUSH Complete body kit and 2010+ ROUSH Mustangs don't include in their various exterior packages.

The F-150 sector of ROUSH Performance has never received the love it deserved. While ROUSH Mustangs sell like hotcakes and are the source of envy for virtually the entire world, the excellent lineup of ROUSH truck packages is largely ignored and production numbers barely clipped four digits for any given year. The reason? They offered less performance than expected at the drag strip along with some vague combination of economic and sociological factors, probably. Maybe most people don't see enough general utility in the concept. We beg to differ. The fact that the fairly bare bones, supercharged ROUSH 500RC came standard with 445 horsepower and 500ft/lbs of torque out of the ROUSH's headquarters that helped pull and prod the heavy F-150 frame into real performance territory, proved once and for all that raw power has a utility all its own.

Even though we love Ford's Mustang to death, we can't deny that she's kind of a fatty. There hasn't been a single stock Pony under 3,000 pounds since the third generation Fox bodies, and after throwing on some our aftermarket performance gear, your Mustang will get even heavier. Our 2007 Trak Pak race car weighed nearly 4000 pounds AFTER being gutted and upgraded with racing modifications including a ROUSH TVS2300 supercharger, P51 short block and a complete SCCA-compliant roll cage, on top of other add-ons. Installing tons of power-enhancing mods will make all that mass less noticeable while cruising, but stopping is another story, and last we checked, braking was a fairly integral part of driving. Upgrading the braking system in one form or another is a practical must for any Mustang pilot from the daily driver to the Trans Am racers and hardcore dragsters. Let's face it: the factory two-piston front, one-piston rear calipers and blank rotors present on stock Mustangs just can't do an adequate job of slowing Ford's beastly Pony car down. The aftermarket, however, is a different story. Massive power and massive weight deserve massive brake systems and we here at Stage 3 Motorsports have brake combinations that fit practically any need or potential application.

So you have this Mustang and it's great. It performs extremely well, looks sexy, drives like a dream and is engrained in American iconography like a Greek column. There is something missing, though. Something that harkens back to the Mustang's early days, where you could hear the monstrous rumble of a huge carbureted V8 for miles before that muscle car actually came into view. The sound. We here at Stage 3 Motorsports provide a huge variety of exhaust components for 1996 to 2012 Mustangs that recaptures all of the huge, booming sound that the Mustang lost somewhere along the way and lets all five of your senses feel the power of your car. We can help you bring back the brutal sound that screamed of raw power born in a simpler time where lax emissions standards probably took a good decade off everyone's life, but let the Mustang and other works of American-made muscle car art really sing. Modern Mustangs, sadly, have had some of their teeth pulled in regards to their exhaust notes through emissions controls that keep your car from turning the planet into a deserted, post-apocalyptic wasteland and by Ford attempting to cater to the most Draconian of HOA noise ordinances. We are here to help you fight back.

ROUSH first began mass producing custom modified vehicles with the 1999 to 2004 "New Edge" Mustangs and offered nine different packages throughout that five-year time span from the appearance-only Sport version to the immensely powerful 440A that came standard with ROUSH's first generation of M90 superchargers, an exhaust kit and intake that gave that Mustang close to 400 horsepower. Though each ROUSH Mustang stands on the forefront of design, every ROUSH Mustang can benefit from power, suspension and styling upgrades that push the limits of performance and appearance. As these cars age, the parts available star to slowly thin out, but there's still time to turn some of the finest of Jack Roush's creations into something even more powerful and original.

The 2005 to 2009 Mustang model years saw an explosion of customized car designs. ROUSH performance offered up to 27 different variations of their customized Mustangs from their simple Sport modifications to their massively powerful P51B specialty Mustang. All of ROUSH Performance's Mustangs both look and perform amazingly well, but room for improvement and customization does exist. All of ROUSH's premium vehicles can receive suspension, power and styling upgrades that help to bring out the full potential of Jack Roush's excellent works of automotive art.

You own a ROUSH Blackjack Mustang. That makes us here at Stage 3 Motorsports hate you slightly, but it's that envious "I want that," passive-aggressive hate where we'll still play nice at car shows and other track events by saying hello and commenting on your car, but that underlying rage may still be there. After all, there's only 200 or so Blackjacks still around and YOU -- not us -- happen to have one. The Blackjack was the near perfect blend brutal power, slick styling and track-tuned suspension design that is still one of the most aggressive and vicious things on the street that could also contend with about anyone who dared step onto the track. And yet, there's still that itch, that gearhead itch in the back of your mind that prods you with a single word: "more." The first Blackjacks are about to drop out of their warranties, and the time has come to transform one of Jack Roush's proudest sons into something even more powerful, original and fearsome.

Steeda probably knows more about suspension systems than nearly any other aftermarket parts manufacturer for the Ford Mustang. They clearly know more than most of us, because on first glance at their Mustang ball joints for lowered Mustangs, I was scratching my head as to the possible difference this tiny piece of metal and bushing could possibly make on Ford's complex suspension system. The answer is extremely subtle, and based in the physics and mathematics underlying how the suspension transfers force, and how the Mustang's chassis handles load transfer through turns and hard corners.

ne of the most common questions that we receive from our customers here at Stage 3 Motorsports, is THE exhaust question to end all exhaust questions: should I get stainless steel or aluminized exhaust kits? Our answer is always yes. The real determining factor for the Great Exhaust Decision is the climate for where you live. For those of us who enjoy the dry, arid wastes of the American Southwest, Australia and Saharan Africa, aluminized exhaust systems are the better choice given their lower prices and the absence of humidity, snow and salted winter roads. For the rest of the world, we strongly recommend spending the extra money for a full stainless exhaust system that will actually save you a boatload of money in the long run.

Corbeau's enormous inventory of over 20 different fixed-back, reclining and suspension seats all available with different colors, sizes and fabric combinations is at once awe-inspiring and confusing for the average consumer. The sheer volume of potential choices is great in regards to customization, but overwhelming to anyone wondering which seat is best for their particular car or truck. The answer is fairly simple and is directly related to the purpose of your vehicle. In essence, your specific application will be the deciding factor in the type of Corbeau seat that you'll need whether you're a daily driver, semi-professional track driver, high-performance racer or an avid off-road enthusiast.