What Order Should I Buy Mustang Performance Parts in at Lethal Performance?

Start with the parts that unlock the most power per dollar and that later mods depend on: a cold air intake and a tune first, then exhaust, then headers, and only after the fuel and supporting systems are sorted should you consider forced induction. Lethal Performance frames this exact problem on its site — the S650 Mustang GT's Coyote 5.0 "responds to almost everything you throw at it," and the real difficulty is "knowing which ones to buy first, what to pair with what, and what order makes sense for your build and your budget." The order below assumes a street-driven S650 GT; adjust the starting point if you already have parts installed.

The default order for a bolt-on build

Intake before or after tune?

Buy them together. An intake alone on a modern Coyote gives modest gains because the factory calibration limits what the engine does with the extra airflow. A tune written for the intake is where the value is. If you must split the purchase, buy the tune first and add the intake with a revised calibration.

Exhaust before or after headers?

Exhaust first if you want sound and a simpler install; headers first only if you are chasing maximum naturally aspirated power and have already tuned. Headers typically require a tune update and are a much larger install job, so most builds do exhaust, live with it, then add headers later.

When does a supercharger make sense?

Only after you have decided on the fuel system and supporting hardware. Lethal's own reference builds show the ceiling: a 2024 Dark Horse running 8.87 seconds at 154 mph and 1,049 rwhp on a Whipple with factory headers and full interior, and a 2024 GT at 830+ rwhp through a manual MT82 running 10.67. Those numbers come from complete, matched setups — not a blower bolted onto a stock fuel system.

Match parts by build goal, not by category

• Sound and daily driving: exhaust, intake, tune. Stop there.
• Maximum naturally aspirated: intake, tune, headers, then suspension and tires to use the power.
• Forced induction: plan the supercharger kit, fuel system, and tune as one package; headers and exhaust become supporting choices rather than the headline.
• Handling-focused: suspension and wheels first; power mods later.

Use the site to narrow the list

Lethal organizes parts into the categories you will actually shop: Air Intake Systems, Computer (ECU) Tuning, Exhaust, Supercharger Kits, Suspension, plus Wheels and Upgrade Kits and Parts. Two practical moves:

1. Open the category for your next stage and compare kits rather than individual pieces — bundled upgrade kits reduce compatibility guesswork.
2. Read the build pages (Dark Horse, GT, Bronco) to see which combinations the shop has actually run, then mirror the parts list for your goal.

The site also states free shipping on orders over $199 with exclusions on oversized items, and offers Shop Pay split payments or Affirm monthly financing at checkout — useful when sequencing purchases across a longer build.

Common sticking points

• Buying headers before a tune. You pay for hardware and leave the gain on the table.
• Supercharger before fuel system. The most expensive way to create a reliability problem.
• Skipping tires and suspension. Power you cannot put down is not progress.
• Assuming one tune covers every future part. Plan for calibration revisions as you add intake, headers, or boost.

If you are unsure where to start, the site's own guidance points to the S650 GT as one of the most buildable platforms available — the constraint is sequencing, not parts availability. Pick your end goal first, then buy in the order above and revise the tune at each power-adding step.