Network
In the early days of S550 Mustang advertising, you might remember Vaughn Gittin, Jr’s famous 2015 Mustang RTR back in 2014. The car debuted with some visually pleasing and performance-oriented modifications. One of the many attention-grabbing upgrades however, was the RTR grille with LED accent lighting.
This patiently awaited and sought-after grille assumably dramatically altered the front of the 2015+ Mustang’s face, and enthusiasts fell in love with it at first sight. More than a year later, we’re finally able to get our hands on this awesome grille from our friends at AmericanMuscle with the intent to convey a do-it-yourself installation guide, using one of our reader’s cars, a 2015 Mustang EcoBoost base model.
The Parts
Examining the LED lighting accents instantly reveals their high-quality construction.
RTR Mustang Grille W/ Accent Vent Lights For All '15-'17 Mustangs
- LED Accent Vent Lighting
- Increases Air Flow to Radiator
- Injection Molded TPO Material
- OEM Fit and Finish
- Simple Installation – No Cutting Required
- Upper and Lower Grilles are Available Separately or as a Combo Kit
- Fits All 2015 to 2017 Mustangs
- PN 389944-A
Enthusiasts have the option to buy the grille in pieces (the upper, lower, and LED accent vent lighting) separately, but we’d recommend going straight for the combo package to get everything you need the first time. The RTR Mustang Grille W/ Accent Vent Lights (PN 389944-A) will fit all ’15-’17 Mustang models (except those equipped with the adaptive cruise control), and does not require any cutting or permanent modification to install.
While this grille looks simply amazing if you ask us, there are some added performance benefits as well. According to AmericanMuscle, the design of the grille enables increased air flow to the radiator (and intercooler on any forced induction Mustangs like the EcoBoost models), allowing for cooler IATs and engine temperature.
Manufactured out of injection molded TPO material and based on the OEM grille CAD for excellent fit and finish, the RTR grille combo brings plenty of strength and technology to the table; such as high-powered SMD LED lighting.
This produces a super-bright white light, yet only consumes around 1/10th of the power of standard incandescent bulbs. Additionally, the LED accent lights are rated at 100,000 hours of continuous use.
Installation
For enthusiasts with a keen eye, you may notice this Mustang EcoBoost was formerly rocking a Mustang GT front grille combo.
Installing our new RTR LED grille from AmericanMuscle couldn’t be any simpler. From start to finish, the process took us about two hours to complete, and required very little technical ability. From the average novice to the mechanically inclined and everything in between, AmericanMuscle provides detailed instructions for anyone looking to perform this installation themselves.
As a heads up, you’re going to need a few tools to get the job done. AmericanMuscle recommends a ratchet (we used a half-inch style one), along with a flathead screwdriver, and a 5.5, 7, and 8mm socket. Also, it’s important to note that it’s recommended you disconnect the battery before performing any electrical work on your vehicle.
Installation begins by properly jacking the car up off the ground. Since we performed the install in our garage, we used a set of trusty jack stands, along with our two-ton hydraulic jack.
We started by removing the eight clips that secure the plastic radiator cover to the radiator support.
From there, we removed an additional eight bolts which hold the bumper cover to the radiator support. Next, we removed the bumper splash shield.
We then proceeded to removed the plastic clips holding the fender liner to the front bumper on each side. To make things easier, we removed the front wheels, as you’ll need to do this to access a single 8mm bolt on each side of the bumper that secures it to the fender. This can be a bit of a pain, so be careful not to break anything!
After we removed the inner fender liner (and before you being to remove the front bumper cover), we unplugged the turn signals and foglights from their connectors. The easiest way we found to remove the front bumper cover is by moderately pulling one edge of the bumper at a time to relieve pressure from the clips securing it, then by cautiously removing it from the body in case anything is still attached.
Once the bumper cover was safe and secure off of the body, we removed the factory grille by pulling the grille away from the bumper slowly, to relieve pressure from the retaining clips.
We took our time with this to ensure we didn’t break any of the clips, and we used the aforementioned method for both the upper and the lower grilles.
On the upper grille is where we found the indentations where it needed to be drilled to house the new RTR LED accent vent lights.
We used a 13/64 drill bit and a cordless drill to drill out the three mounting locations on both sides of the grille, then used the supplied phillips screw and lock washers to install the fixtures.
The kit allowed us to use the provided double-sided tape backing to mount the control box on the back side of the grille.
A good tip is to hide it on a portion that doesn't show through the grille opening where the LED accent vent lights mount, as it won't be visually appealing (and could disrupt air flow to the radiator and intercooler).
We proceeded by locating the headlight harness, then unplugging it from the connector and pulling in the supplied light harness.
We then tucked everything back up into the frame rail to avoid the aforementioned disruptive look of exposed wiring.
Reinstalling the bumper cover with the new grille secured was as easy as reversing the disassembly steps.
Conclusion
The RTR grille really transforms the face of any S550 Mustang.
The owner of this ’15 Mustang EcoBoost was super stoked about his new RTR LED grille upon completing the installation. So much so, that he even commented that the car “looked like it had shark teeth” — adding to the already popular look of the S550 Mustang generation.
The LED accent lights will only illuminate when the vehicle is keyed on, or is running.
Post-installation, the new RTR grille really transformed the look of this Mustang EcoBoost. In fact, to the average car enthusiast (or person for that matter), you probably wouldn’t be able to tell if this Mustang was a V6, GT, or EcoBoost model just by looking at the front of it directly.
The fitment on this kit is perfect, which we believe can be attributed to AmericanMuscle using the OEM grille CAD to design this component. There's no gaps, no spacing, and everything lines up nearly perfect. So well in fact, that you might even think the car came with this upgrade from the factory.
If you ask us, the RTR LED grille combo from AmericanMuscle is a fantastic way to transform your Mustang’s front end. Head over to AmericanMuscle’s website and check out the grille combo for yourself here.
