Steeda CAI Installed
02-08-2008, 12:08 AM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Kenmore, WA
Posts: 51
Steeda CAI Installed
I installed the Steeda CAI and tune from Brenspeed recently and I finally took some pictures. I figured I'd post my experience in case it may help anyone else down the road. Overall I think the parts from Steeda are well manufactured I just think the whole package could have been a little better. I want to say that I am not expert when it comes to these kits but I also don't think it takes an expert to install the kits.
First, I purchased the "05-07 MUSTANG GT STEEDA INTAKE / TUNER KIT" kit from Brenspeed. It comes with the CAI and a new air inlet elbow. It took about 2-3 hours to install at a slow pace. The pack came in three boxes consisting of the air box & filter, the elbow and then the tuner. The Steeda directions are fairly lame and refer to 2x3 inch black and white photos that show you what they're talking about and how to do it. It's not a difficult process but mapping their words into an action would have been easier with some better pictures or directions. I actually had to refer to the Steeda site and look at a picture of the install for clarification on the vacuum line.
Taking the existing system off is a piece of cake. Preserving it is another story as the Steeda directions pretty much expect that you'll not be swapping the systems back and forth for things like warranty service. The only piece I had a problem with on the uninstall of the stock system was getting the plastic reducer out of the rubber air tube. It pops out with enough twisting and turning but I was unsure it actually came out until I did a little research on the forum. It would have been nice if Steeda had just included a new one. [ul][*]Installing the Steeda air box is fairly simple and easy with the exception of an extra mounting bracket they supply. The bracket attaches to the ABS box mounting screw which is impossible to tighten and loosen based on it's position. Then once the bracket is hooked into the ABS mounting screw it seems like the box wants to sit in the bay one way but the mounting bracket forces it another way. I wrestled with this a bit to figure out the best seating position without knowing the impact to hood clearance.[*]The rubber seal provided to protect the car from the sharp metal edges of the box is pretty lightweight and doesn't cover all of the edges. So, you need to make sure it's installed on the proper edges of the box.[*]The rubber cylander "hoses" that connect the air box to the elbow and the elbow to the TB are quality but they're nice and blue....and my car is orange. Black probably would have been a nice touch there. It's my opinion that the connection points could have been engineered a little better. [/ul]Overall I'm happy with the product but if I had the experience of installing the system on a friends car first then I probably would have gone with the C&L package instead. I had a full tank of gas at install time so I put in the Brenspeed 87 performance tune and it makes a huge difference. I noticed quit a bit of improved torque in the mid-range. I've yet to use the high-octane tune yet. I'll back every other persons comment that says if you want a quick and easy boost then this is the way to go (I've never used NOS).
[IMG]local://upfiles/69818/DA89D20E73584E55920EF9DA03A68162.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/69818/CC37DB4A5CB944B38EA214BDC0EE1471.jpg[/IMG]
First, I purchased the "05-07 MUSTANG GT STEEDA INTAKE / TUNER KIT" kit from Brenspeed. It comes with the CAI and a new air inlet elbow. It took about 2-3 hours to install at a slow pace. The pack came in three boxes consisting of the air box & filter, the elbow and then the tuner. The Steeda directions are fairly lame and refer to 2x3 inch black and white photos that show you what they're talking about and how to do it. It's not a difficult process but mapping their words into an action would have been easier with some better pictures or directions. I actually had to refer to the Steeda site and look at a picture of the install for clarification on the vacuum line.
Taking the existing system off is a piece of cake. Preserving it is another story as the Steeda directions pretty much expect that you'll not be swapping the systems back and forth for things like warranty service. The only piece I had a problem with on the uninstall of the stock system was getting the plastic reducer out of the rubber air tube. It pops out with enough twisting and turning but I was unsure it actually came out until I did a little research on the forum. It would have been nice if Steeda had just included a new one. [ul][*]Installing the Steeda air box is fairly simple and easy with the exception of an extra mounting bracket they supply. The bracket attaches to the ABS box mounting screw which is impossible to tighten and loosen based on it's position. Then once the bracket is hooked into the ABS mounting screw it seems like the box wants to sit in the bay one way but the mounting bracket forces it another way. I wrestled with this a bit to figure out the best seating position without knowing the impact to hood clearance.[*]The rubber seal provided to protect the car from the sharp metal edges of the box is pretty lightweight and doesn't cover all of the edges. So, you need to make sure it's installed on the proper edges of the box.[*]The rubber cylander "hoses" that connect the air box to the elbow and the elbow to the TB are quality but they're nice and blue....and my car is orange. Black probably would have been a nice touch there. It's my opinion that the connection points could have been engineered a little better. [/ul]Overall I'm happy with the product but if I had the experience of installing the system on a friends car first then I probably would have gone with the C&L package instead. I had a full tank of gas at install time so I put in the Brenspeed 87 performance tune and it makes a huge difference. I noticed quit a bit of improved torque in the mid-range. I've yet to use the high-octane tune yet. I'll back every other persons comment that says if you want a quick and easy boost then this is the way to go (I've never used NOS).
[IMG]local://upfiles/69818/DA89D20E73584E55920EF9DA03A68162.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/69818/CC37DB4A5CB944B38EA214BDC0EE1471.jpg[/IMG]
02-08-2008, 01:25 AM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: TX
Posts: 820
RE: Steeda CAI Installed
Wait 'till you get up to the higher octane tunes. IMO, the difference between 87 and 91 is bigger than the difference between tune and no tune.
I can't wait until I can hit up the 93 octane tune. I have C&L.
Happy driving!
I can't wait until I can hit up the 93 octane tune. I have C&L.
Happy driving!
02-08-2008, 01:27 AM
#4
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Kenmore, WA
Posts: 51
RE: Steeda CAI Installed
Good question. I've been looking for the official word. I've heard 20-25K miles depending on environment. It does need to be cleaned and re-oiled but I'm unsure of the recommended interval.
02-08-2008, 02:03 AM
#6
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 434
RE: Steeda CAI Installed
ORIGINAL: GW6
[ul][*]Installing the Steeda air box is fairly simple and easy with the exception of an extra mounting bracket they supply. The bracket attaches to the ABS box mounting screw which is impossible to tighten and loosen based on it's position. Then once the bracket is hooked into the ABS mounting screw it seems like the box wants to sit in the bay one way but the mounting bracket forces it another way. I wrestled with this a bit to figure out the best seating position without knowing the impact to hood clearance.
[/ul]
[ul][*]Installing the Steeda air box is fairly simple and easy with the exception of an extra mounting bracket they supply. The bracket attaches to the ABS box mounting screw which is impossible to tighten and loosen based on it's position. Then once the bracket is hooked into the ABS mounting screw it seems like the box wants to sit in the bay one way but the mounting bracket forces it another way. I wrestled with this a bit to figure out the best seating position without knowing the impact to hood clearance.
[/ul]
02-08-2008, 02:08 AM
#7
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location:
Posts: 929
RE: Steeda CAI Installed
ORIGINAL: sycd
Interesting about the extra bracket, I bought mine about a year ago and it didn't come with one.
ORIGINAL: GW6
[ul][*]Installing the Steeda air box is fairly simple and easy with the exception of an extra mounting bracket they supply. The bracket attaches to the ABS box mounting screw which is impossible to tighten and loosen based on it's position. Then once the bracket is hooked into the ABS mounting screw it seems like the box wants to sit in the bay one way but the mounting bracket forces it another way. I wrestled with this a bit to figure out the best seating position without knowing the impact to hood clearance. [/ul]
[ul][*]Installing the Steeda air box is fairly simple and easy with the exception of an extra mounting bracket they supply. The bracket attaches to the ABS box mounting screw which is impossible to tighten and loosen based on it's position. Then once the bracket is hooked into the ABS mounting screw it seems like the box wants to sit in the bay one way but the mounting bracket forces it another way. I wrestled with this a bit to figure out the best seating position without knowing the impact to hood clearance. [/ul]
Congrats!
02-08-2008, 07:10 AM
#9
6th Gear Member
RE: Steeda CAI Installed
I have the Steeda and love it also and I agree that the directions were somewhat pathetic.
I have the 87, 89 and 93 tunes and have never used the 87. I started with the 89 and have swapped between 89 and 93 and I prefer the 89 since it seems to pull harder in the lower RPM range (and I prefer that for tooling around town) whereas the 93 kicks **** in the upper range.
I have the 87, 89 and 93 tunes and have never used the 87. I started with the 89 and have swapped between 89 and 93 and I prefer the 89 since it seems to pull harder in the lower RPM range (and I prefer that for tooling around town) whereas the 93 kicks **** in the upper range.
02-08-2008, 07:14 AM
#10
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Greater Philadelphia area
Posts: 408
RE: Steeda CAI Installed
GW6
Tips:
*if you rotate your hose clamps so the heads don't show, you will have a cleaner looking installation.
*I saved the box that the steeda kit came in for my stock airbox for storage. I decided to return to stock tune and airbox for emissions inspection. I could have had Brent make me a tune to turn on the O2 sensors, but I had already started on the swap, so I did it that way.
*re-oiling depends on how dirty your filter gets. upon shipping its a nice, bright blue. Take a close up photo of it for future reference and use it for comparioson. I gotthe re-oilingkit from Steeda, as it contains blue oil (it was hard for me to find this outside of Steeda.)After about 7k miles I decided to clean and re-oil.The cleaning instructions come with thecleaner kit. I could not believe how much dirt, dust and particulates came off the filter, even after 7k miles. Ithen re-oiled.I believe that Imayhave over-oiled it a bit.Go easy on it when re-oiling.
*I did some research on this and over-oiling could potentiallyaffect your MAF sensor and could contribute to a 'too lean' code.
*Cleaning your MAF sensor is easy: remove it and use brake cleaning spray. It evaporates and does not leave a residue.
HTH
Tips:
*if you rotate your hose clamps so the heads don't show, you will have a cleaner looking installation.
*I saved the box that the steeda kit came in for my stock airbox for storage. I decided to return to stock tune and airbox for emissions inspection. I could have had Brent make me a tune to turn on the O2 sensors, but I had already started on the swap, so I did it that way.
*re-oiling depends on how dirty your filter gets. upon shipping its a nice, bright blue. Take a close up photo of it for future reference and use it for comparioson. I gotthe re-oilingkit from Steeda, as it contains blue oil (it was hard for me to find this outside of Steeda.)After about 7k miles I decided to clean and re-oil.The cleaning instructions come with thecleaner kit. I could not believe how much dirt, dust and particulates came off the filter, even after 7k miles. Ithen re-oiled.I believe that Imayhave over-oiled it a bit.Go easy on it when re-oiling.
*I did some research on this and over-oiling could potentiallyaffect your MAF sensor and could contribute to a 'too lean' code.
*Cleaning your MAF sensor is easy: remove it and use brake cleaning spray. It evaporates and does not leave a residue.
HTH