intake and tunes

falcompsx · 09-28-2009, 10:23 PM

Hey all, I'm a Ford noob here and i'm looking to start doing minor things to my car to make a bit more power and improve the sound. I've installed an intake / catback exhaust on almost every car i've owned so far and never had a problem, but i'm looking at the fordracingparts catalog and their intake says a tune is required to run properly.

Is this true? I've never had to flash an ECU when installing an intake on my past cars so this strikes me as odd. I also don't have any reason to believe Ford would say this if its not true. Any insights?

Also, i'm wondering if i can get reccomendations between the ford intake, and the K&N(as well as what tuner i would need for this to work without damaging anything).

As far as exhaust, so far i'm leaning toward magnaflow and was wondering anyone had any experience with their 3" catback system(positive or negative). Also, ford has a package with the intake, tuner and axelback exhaust for ~900 retail, but i'm not sure its a very good deal, as the exhaust is stated as just being the stock unit from the GT500, and it just seems like a lot of money for a pair of mufflers, intake and tuner. I could spend similar money on a magnaflow, k&n, and a different tuner with similar results and have the parts i'd probably rather have.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

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Nuke · 09-28-2009, 11:41 PM

There are a lot of cat and axlebacks available for our Stangs and anything beyond the H-pipe does NOT require a tune. FYI, the stock exhasut flows well enough that any of the axlebacks and catbacks provide NO performance gains, just sound. With that in mind, a catback is a waste over an axleback.

Any of the CAI's that require a tune are equivalent in performance so don't sweat the CAI. It's the tune that's about 80% of the power adder of the combo so be sure to get your tunes from Brenspeed, Bama, VMP or Tillman. They are 4 of the preferred, better tune writers used by the forum members. The FRPP tune is lame compared to the others.

The search feature will yield more info than you can read.

BlackS197Stang · 09-29-2009, 09:17 AM

There are a lot of threads on this site about the exhaust questions. Exhaust sound preferences vary. As far as the intake/tune question, BBK is a great option. It's inexpensive, looks great, and with a tune, it'll produce about the same power as all of the aftermarket CAI's, but it's one of the few that doesn't require a tune. Mine worked great without a tune, but when I got a tune from Bamachips, that's what really made the difference. Any of the aforementioned tuners would be a good choice. By the way, I wouldn't recommend a bigger throttle body, the vast majority of experiences with these has been negative, including my own.

ffk_pennywise · 09-29-2009, 10:45 AM

Any intake and tune combo from Brenspeed would be great! I have the BBK with their tune and am completely happy.

BRENSPEED · 09-29-2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ffk_pennywise

Any intake and tune combo from Brenspeed would be great! I have the BBK with their tune and am completely happy.

Ha, I agree!

An intake/tuner package do wonders for the S197's. It's a completely different car after the tune. You typically gain 20-30 hp with an intake/tune but it feels more like 30-40 because of the better drivability, instant throttle response, more low end torque, increased top end power, and equal if not better MPG under light throttle, just try to stay out of it.

Exhaust is another great addition to set your mustang apart from others. My favorites are SLP power flows, MAC chambered and Boomtubes, and the Flowmaster Classics.

We have a lot of different sound clips on our site if you would like to hear some different setups.

http://www.brenspeed.com/videos.html

Here is a link to our intake and tuner packages, I would base your decision primarly on looks because they are going to net you about the same results. The Racer by C&L will create the most though.

http://www.brenspeed.com/05-08-musta...r-package.html

falcompsx · 09-30-2009, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRENSPEED

Ha, I agree!

An intake/tuner package do wonders for the S197's. It's a completely different car after the tune. You typically gain 20-30 hp with an intake/tune but it feels more like 30-40 because of the better drivability, instant throttle response, more low end torque, increased top end power, and equal if not better MPG under light throttle, just try to stay out of it.

Exhaust is another great addition to set your mustang apart from others. My favorites are SLP power flows, MAC chambered and Boomtubes, and the Flowmaster Classics.

We have a lot of different sound clips on our site if you would like to hear some different setups.

http://www.brenspeed.com/videos.html

Here is a link to our intake and tuner packages, I would base your decision primarly on looks because they are going to net you about the same results. The Racer by C&L will create the most though.

http://www.brenspeed.com/05-08-musta...r-package.html

Would you be able to tell me if any of the intake packages come with the new style dry washable filter elements as opposed to the more traditional oiled elements?

ffk_pennywise · 09-30-2009, 01:54 PM

If you want the new dry filter, you can get it from Amsoil. Thats on my list of things to buy.

07GT2NV · 09-30-2009, 10:21 PM

I got my tunes today and of course I wasnt able to empty the fuel tank for the 91 race tune yet so I installed the 87 performance tune and HOLY############ , wow amazing difference I have an auto, I went from a sled to a rocket I kid you not, I cant wait to install my 91 tune, for those that want to wait dont ( what ever tuner you go with ), my Brenspeed tune is awesome, sorry I waited this long, Instead of appearance mods I should have done this sooner, now this is what a Mustang GT should feel like !!!!

GT Bob · 09-30-2009, 11:05 PM

Unless your trying to extract every single hp possible from the car, your going to find just about any Tune/intake combo will yeild similar results. The main difference between them... the tuners preference for how he/she thinks the car should feel. Tuner A ight like a bit ore low end and skew his tunes that way, while Tuner B prefers it tp pull longer and harder up top. A K&N CAI with a tune will, give or take a little, feel just about the same as a C&L Racer, provided the tune is by the same person. You mentioned the dry filter, AEm's Brute Force CAI is a nice piece, and comes with the dry filter. I have one on my Wife's truck, and also had one on my Colorado up until I traded that truck in.

Also, not every Cold air intake on the market needs a tune. K&N, Aem, and even C&L (with the optional "no tune insert") can be run very safely without a tune.

Personally, I would make a point to give a call to anywhere I was thinking about buying a mail order tune and talk to the tuner if you can. Find out what he likes in a car and what kind of driving style he does. If it sounds good to you, and in line with how you want the car, pull the trigger. If not, there are plenty of other guys out there to try as well.

BRENSPEED · 10-02-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falcompsx

Would you be able to tell me if any of the intake packages come with the new style dry washable filter elements as opposed to the more traditional oiled elements?

We do not have any of the dry filters but you can always change the filter. It will not affect your tune.