MrSandman

That really does not answer the question... as you would have to compare the tune alone with the tune+CAI combo.

The question is if a CAI adds anything to the tune. With the 4.6, the airflow was more restricted than necessary. With the 5.0, they spent a lot of time optimizing airflow.

Every tuner I've talk with says the stock air box is all you need regarding HP. The stock air box is in fact better because it is isolated from the hot air in the engine bay. The open CAI design is just sucking in the engine bay air even if they connect to the OEM inlet.

A CAI gets you the sucking sound.. and maybe better throttle response.. and that is all subjective.

The 11+ setup is totally different than the 05-10.. and they can't be compared.

lol... look at the Boss for God's sake.. that car is all about optimal air... and it uses the same air box as a base 5.0!

BairdGT

If it's a restricted CAI you won't gain any power over the stock intake as the restricting plate within the tubing is to keep it the same as the stock intake just looks better... If you have an enlarged one non restricting (eg. 101mm Steeda) you do gain from the intake/tuner combo.

My inlet temps are about the same maybe went up 1-2c going from stock to the 101mm Steeda intake (feeds off stock CAI inlet, only time you notice any increase in inlet temp is when your parked at a red light or at a stand still but any movement it's virtually the same.

Now some intake i've heard they are a **** poor design and even while driving temps are drastically increased but from me and my intake and friends with their intakes that feed off the stock CAI inlet underneath we've noticed MAYBE 1-2c increase if any at all except when at a stand still or parked..

Roush intake I have heard a fair amount of people bitching about how hot the inlet air is compared to what it was with the stock box which actually shocks me a bit since you would think Roush would have the best design as they only deal with Ford lol *shrug*

Nuke

Regardless of 4.6L or 5.0L, the CAI & tune gains on the order of 10% over stock, give or take a few %. Of that gain, roughly 80% is from the tune and the rest is from the CAI.

If you're looking for black & white #'s for RWHP and torque, then you'll be looking forever and will never be satisfied. You can perform back-to-back pulls and have different values each time.

wcgman

The article that Mustang 5oh mag did back in 06 on a 2005 GT in their testing indicates that a 16hp gain was made with the stock airbox, 91 tune and removal of the hydrocarbon trap. This equals a baseline with the stock air and tune of 271rwhp and 289rwtq. The numbers do indicate there's definitely a positive difference between stock air and CAI, but your mileage will vary depending on the manufacturer and the tune used, but generally speaking Nuke is spot on...10% +/- a couple of points is what you can expect.

Ski has already posted a link to the article which is on the first page.

I've wondered how this would apply to the GT500. I suspect that there's a lot of power locked away that isn't even being touched. CAI is going to help some, but typical manufacturer they've probably detuned the car quite a bit.

Blacksmoke

The tune adds MOST of the power.
In fact about 80%
The intake is the sidekick of the combination.

Anyone who says most the power comes from the cold air intake knows squat about these cars.