The 2015 Mustang is undoubtedly the hottest thing in the performance aftermarket these days. Adding boost to a 5.0 is just about the most popular method of making tremendous amounts of power, and still being able to enjoy your car on the street. However, what do you do about the boost gauge?

2015 Mustangs, both EcoBoost and GT, equipped with the Performance Pack option receive two extra gauges. Those gauges come in the form of an oil pressure and vacuum gauge for the GT, and oil pressure and boost for the EcoBoost model. From the outset the vacuum gauge always seemed rather useless on the Mustang GT to us. Since our first drives in these cars we’ve wondered if the gauges were interchangeable. What would be required to make the EcoBoost’s boost gauge functional in the GT?

The thought of a factory, functional boost gauge, that doesn’t require a special pod, pillar, wiring, or cutting, that could easily be swapped in is a tantalizing proposition. There was the question of programming as well, would the computer need to be updated or could it even be updated to run the boost gauge instead of vacuum?

The guys over at CJ Pony Parts recently answered these burning questions with a recent video. CJ’s resident Mustang guru Bill Tumas, shows how easy it really is to swap out the Mustang GT Performance Pack’s oil pressure and vacuum gauge for the same cluster from the EcoBoost, but now equipped with the EcoBoost’s boost gauge. The panels that need to be removed are retained with just trim clips. The cluster that contains these two gauges requires only a torx bit for removal, and has only one electrical connection.

The final result is a factory Ford part that looks and functions like OEM because it is OEM. The install requires no cutting, no wiring, and no special tools or additional work. It is simply a plug and play affair.

The swap can be done in well under a half-hour by just about anyone. The cost of the parts is just under $300, and we expect that might come down as the cars age and Ford likely drops the parts prices. It might be nice if the guys over at Ford Performance would step in and offer a version of this in the catalog.

Adding to the cool factor here is that there’s no wiring work to perform, no cutting your dash or internal panels, and no reprogramming of the computer. This is truly a plug and play affair. Even the My Color function will work if your car is equipped with that option. Regardless, by the time you figure in the cost of a boost gauge, some type of pod to mount it, a way to tap into the factory vacuum system, and the accessories needed to install it all properly, you’re not out that much more money by going this route. There’s something to be said as well about having factory parts in the car, and an OEM look. Also if you ever return the car to stock to sell it, trade it, etc, you can swap the gauges back and you won’t have unsightly holes or damage from installing an aftermarket gauge. It’s a pretty cool trick, and it’s one of the many things Ford really got right for enthusiasts on the S550 platform.