Ricks2014GT

So i have it in my head i will be buying a bama tuner and possibly a cai to go with it. I have read the reviews stating how awesome it is, but you know those statements can be bought. I have a 2014 5.0 and am ready to add some mods.
My question is.......how much extra power are we talking? i noticed tonight that the wording states appx 50 "across the power curve". i am always thinking peak power. you know, bigger is better kinda thing.

is it worth 700 to drop this weekend on a tuner and possibly a cai?

Thanks for any input you may have. im sure this is an age old question and i have searched around a bit, but this is kinda like a reassurance question for me.

Thanks again,

Rick

spectreman

I had a Steeda CAI installed, as well as Steeda tunes for 87 & 91 octane, & GT500 exhausts- just the basic bolt-ons really. W/the 91 tune, the dyno showed an overall 25 RWHP increase, 9+ ft/lbs of torque, spread pretty evenly thruout the powerband. I did not dyno the 87 tune but frankly, I have a hard time telling that much of a seat of the pants difference between the 2 tunes. The 91 tune feels like it kicks/pulls slightly harder & that may be purely psychological.

So yes, it's noticeable from the driver's standpoint but was it worth the $700? For me, I'd say yes, however, I cannot believe the claims that the 93 tune delivers 44 RWHP & 50 ft/lbs of torque. Funny thing is I ordered the 91 tune, as my '14 GT is my daily driver & I wanted a conservative tune, but the other day I noted on the SCT that the tune read 93, not 91. I'm assuming that whoever programmed the SCT @ Steeda mis-titled the tune because if it is the actual 93 tune, then their claims are way off.

Bottom line- don't expect miracles- just a decent bang for the buck power-up. If you're looking for serious power, there are other ways to get it.
Lee

Ricks2014GT

Thanks Lee. I appreciate the info. Supercharger comes next year or later this year for the big power, but was looking for a slight bump from stock without wasting too much money.

spectreman

I did get some satisfaction from Steeda yday. I sent them an inquiry email about the tune/power & spoke w/one of their techs, a nice gent by the name of Don. He confirmed the tune had been mislabeled on the SCT & I indeed had a 91 tune installed, per my original request.

When I asked about the power gains, he explained it this way. Even tho I had the car dyno'ed before any mods, I had a full tank of 93 octane fuel in the tank. Because the car's computer is adaptive to octane ratings, the car was more than likely already producing more than the standard rated HP/torque if the car was running on 87 octane.

Once the bolt-ons (CAI, mufflers, SCT w/tune) were in place, it followed to reason that the overall increase in power would then not show as significantly, especially in comparison to a full stock car operating on 87 octane fuel. That made sense, even to a techtard like me.

At the end of the discussion, the numbers really don't matter that much to me & Don told me it wouldn't be worth it to install a 93 tune for more power since I'm consistently running 93 octane fuel anyway. The computer is compensating already.

As a matter of fact, the tune runs so well & I've been so pleased w/Steeda & their work, I do not even think I'm gonna get the car dyno-tuned to a higher level. The 91 tune is conservative yet powerful enough for my tastes; I've experienced ZERO issues w/the Steeda tune, something I cannot say for the other 3 companies I purchased tunes from. And considering this car is my daily driver, that's an important fact for me.

So I'll reiterate my initial comments, Rick, and say yes, to me it was worth the $700. Ain't no place around here I know of where I can use all the get up & go this car offers! Forget about putting on a supercharger!

Good luck!
Lee

Nuke

The 5.0 responds to a CAI & good custom tune on the order of 35-40 RWHP. That's been dyno proven, at least on the '10 thru '13 but Ford may have tweaked their tunes (I know they picked up about 15 crank HP) at some point.

gplracerx

That's a bit misleading. I'm pretty sure that the engine produces less than the standard rated HP/torque on 87 octane fuel. Besides, one should compare apples to apples, i.e. the HP/torque before and after modification with the same octane fuel. Taking credit for an increase in performance that was only the result of changing fuel octane approaches false advertising.

Cold Air Intake is also a bit of a misnomer as the stock 2011+ GT already gets intake air from the grill, not the engine compartment. The reason you need a tune with an aftermarket intake kit is that the intake tube is larger diameter, so the transfer function of the MAF is different from the stock intake tube. The ECU doesn't know this unless it's reprogrammed. Any HP/torque increase at high rpm is mainly because the area of the filter is larger leading to higher flow at the same pressure difference. More air equals more power and torque.

At low rpm, I would be surprised if there were a significant difference between the FRPP Pro-Cal tune and an aftermarket CAI and 91 octane tune with the same octane fuel. If there were a difference, I would worry about engine longevity.

spectreman

I'm not saying you're wrong or right; after all, I'm no engineer but I'm assuming the good folks @ Steeda have some background in this arena.

The tunes are very civilized and conservative; yes, it's putting our more power than stock but nothing extreme was observed on the dyno or that I can hear thru my daily driving, like pre-detonation. The power curve is smooth, there's no hiccups, backfires, excess decel burble or anything of the sort, & the air/fuel ratio remained in the appropriate range. I can't see why any of this would cause long term issues of any sort, especially since the engine will never be raced or pushed to any significant level of stress for long periods of time.

I admit to giving lots of thought about the Pro-Cal route but in the end, I thought it had too many limitations. To upgrade from that, you basically had to start over w/an aftermarket tuner & CAI and throw away the Pro-Cal & K&N filter.

So I paid my money, now I'll take my chances. I'm gonna guess that Steeda, w/its reputation & association w/Ford, ain't gonna do anything silly to damage their image or that relationship.
Lee

Bobby B

Torque is the principal element through 5225 RPM. After that, HP rules.

BrazenStang

To answer your question very simply, YES. It is worth $700 for a CAI and Tune on your 5.0.

You will feel the difference when you drive the car. If you run the car at the track you will get faster, and if you do a before and after dyno you will gain more power. The gains are proven and the car will put an even bigger smile on your face. Bama is a reputable company and great for the first few bolt-ons, until you get into big-boy stuff and go forced induction.

TheZman

Most regular n/a engines get about 20hp sometimes a little more and about 10 ft lbs from a can tune..some companies will claim alot more but its usually not the case. Turbo engines on the other hand see huge gains from them sometimes upwards of 100hp and 100 ft lbs of torque depending on the engine. One of the reasons i went with the ecoboost. Even in the diesel truck world with the turbo engines you see monster gains. I had an SCT tune on my 06 f250 super duty turbo diesel and it turned the truck into a monster!!! Of course it was bullet proofed too. God i love turbo engines...