This may seem like a stupid question, but its been a while since I've had a mustang, the last being 97 gt 5-speed. But I see everyone talking about C&L CAI with a tune? I'm asuming that is a cold air kit, but does the tuner come with it? or is it seperate deal? I'm confused about that? Also, I see people refering to 91 tunes and 93 tunes? I just got my 06 gt 5-speed and plan to put axle back stingers on it and i'm wondering if I should get CAI and a tune? Would I benifit from that with my stock motor? Need advice! Thanks in advance!

 

Not a stupid question at all,Chad. Welcome to the Forum. With these S197's which is what you have, the first mod should be a Good Quality Cold Air Intake (CAI), and a Custom Tune from a reliable Tuner. Stick around here and you'll find everything you need to know about your car, Enjoy your stay here.

 

C&L makes one type of CAI. If you get one you need a "tune" along with it, otherwise your engine will be running too lean.

There are various options out there for CAI & tunes.

I have a JLT II CAI & Brenspeed tune and there is a big difference from stock.

 

Thanks Bluestar.

Do you think it will be ok with just stock cats and an axle back exhaust like borla or bassani..... Also, the tuner will not harm the motor over time will it? I have to drive this car a long time! hehe!

 

If anything your car will be more efficient, I got better performance & better Gas Mileage after the new Tunes...........However, it's harder to stay off the Pedal once you get it.

 

So true....so true!!!!!!!!!!

 

You may already have this figured out but just to add a bit: there are many different cold air intakes available, C&L is one that is very popular. JLT is another. The "Tuner" is a separate piece of equipment, its a small computer that plugs into a port below your steering wheel. The "Tune" is the software program that the "Tuner" loads into your car's computer. The Tune controls the timing, air/fuel mixture, redline, etc, etc. So...by changing the Tune you can change the way your car performs. The CAI and the Tuner (with some Tunes) can be purchased separately but are frequently bundled. The Tune needs to be set up to match your car. In other words, the Tune needs to know what version of computer and software your car has and what modifications you may already have (like long tube headers, cams, head work, supercharger, etc). For this reason it is best to buy the Tune from a company such as bamachips.com or brenspeed.com who do lots of dyno testing with a wide variety of aftermarket bolt ons and set ups and have excellent knowledge of what will work best for your particular car. Another more expensive option is to have your car custom tuned on a dyno by a performance shop. The 91 and 93 tunes refer to the octane rating of the gasoline, i.e. a "93 Tune" is mean't to be used with 93 octane gas which has a higher detonation temp and thus can stand a bit more timing resulting in a bit more power.

Ford caters to the masses and to the bottom line. Therefore they intentionally made certain compromises, one of these is the stock air intake and tune. They are...to say the least...conservative. Purchasing an aftermarket CAI and tuner will not only unleash approx 20-25 more horses but greatly improve the throttle response, something that may be a little 'too much' for your ave joe or jane.

 

Note also that this is an easy do-it-yourself project using simple tools.

My Steeda Cold Air Kit had step by step instructions, and the SCT hand held tuner just plugs in under the dash.
I bought my combo from Brenspeed.com. http://www.brenspeed.com/mustang_2005/airkittuner.html

 

The reason everyome replaces the Airbox with a CAI is the factory MAF Tube is built into it.
The reason you really need a tuner is if the MAF Tube in the CAI is larger and once you bolt the
factory slot meter in the PCM thinks their is less flow than there is. It doesnt know about the larger tube.

The CAI+Flasher with Tune adds around 20 rwhp (conservatively).
However it raises the rpm limiter allowing higher shifts.
It gets rid of the Torque management. Instead of barely chirping the tires on a 1-2 powershift it rolls them.
It also makes the response Musclecarlike insteadof "Lets not scare Grandma".
It allows user adjustable parameters. RPM Limits, Shift Points (Auto), Shift Firmness (Auto), Fan Temps,
fine tuning of AFR and Timing, etc. Your tuner can also shut off rear 02's for Off-Road Pipes,
Disable Traction Control, etc.

A combination of all 4 factors took me from 13.4 @ 103 to 12.9 @ 107 mph. This despite 600' Worse air.
With just a JLTII CAI and BamaChips SCT Xcal3 93 Race (Max Response) "Mailorder" Tune.
Still on stock 17" Pirellis.

You will find the "mail order" tunes from the better tuners are often within 2rwhp of a dynotune
and much better in most cases than the "Canned Tunes" that SCT ships with the units.

When you consider their is little difference inprice most buy from BamaChips, Brenspeed, Evolution, Tillman,
VMP, etc. There are lots of tuners who do good work out there.

 

Thanks, that was very help full. So how do you like your BBK CAI? Did it make a huge difference in the feel of the car? The BBK is a little cheaper I think.....