joemustmi

I am new to the Mustang world. I have a 2008 V4 4.0L and have read that a cold air intake and muffler upgrade will increase performance, horsepower, and gas mileage. I have an extended bumper to bumper warranty that I do not want to violate. Do Ford dealers have this equipment allowing me to keep my warranty intact? or is it ok to use 3rd party parts?

Thank you for helping a rookie,

Joe

themac5150

Ford racing offers the Power Pack for the V6, which consists of the Ford racing CAI and tune. Its covered by warranty if installed by the dealer. There is also a handling pack, which puts Ford racing shocks/struts, springs, sway bars under the car and lowers it. Everything else aftermarket is not covered by your warranty. Aftermarket doesn't void your warranty, but it can cause lots of butt pain if something breaks and they try to blame your aftermarket accessories. You really need to understand the relationship of all the parts, and have a grasp on the mechanics of a car to keep from getting hosed. I have aftermarket sways installed, if my brakes failed, they couldn't blame the sways, they're not related, unless somehow during the installation, I damaged the brake system. If I had installed a line lock system for drag racing, different story....
It also depends on how nice your service department is. Some people report good things about them, others have had bad experiences. It's your decision really. There is no "one" answer to this question, and it gets asked ALL THE TIME.

joemustmi

Thanks for you insight.... Also thanks for not pointing out my typo of V4... Even I know better. If I were to go with the Ford Power Pack what type of improvement will I get? Is it worth it?

Joe

themac5150

I can't answer that, I don't have the FR power pack. I have a C&L CAI and tunes from bamachips. It definately made the car wake up. Like it was uncorked. Much more responsive, pulls harder, funner to drive. I do have the FR sways, and dual exhaust kit with the x-pipe. The FR parts site lists the claims on the kit. I don't know how much HP my setup added. It's not that much, 20HP max. I'm not claiming I got that much, but I'm just putting it out there, CAI with a tune isn't going to give you a gianormous gain, no matter what the company/site claims. It was worth it to me, I've driven with the stock tune and airbox reinstalled afterward, it's like night and day. Not a GT by any means. Not choked feeling either.

joemustmi

Thank you again. You have given me a lot of information. I have a great Ford dealer, I know sounds like an oxymoron, but they are terrific, to find out pricing etc.

Take care,

Joe

themac5150

Also, with the aftermarket tuners, such as the SCT x-cal2,3, etc., you can swap between tunes, they come with your choice of 3. I have an 87 octane performance tune, a 93 octane torque tune, and a 93 octane performance tune, and I can go back to stock any time I choose. If I want to run cheap 87, 2 minutes tops, the tune is in. It takes longer to get back to the 93, you have to use all the 87 gas in the tank before you can go back, and I usually run another half tank of 93 before I load up the tune, just to be safe. The FR power pack doesn't offer that kind of variety. You put on the FR CAI, load up the tune with the rather unimpressive looking tune tool, and that's it. Premium gas from then on out. I'm not familiar with it personally, but looking at the pics of it, I don't know if you can even go back to stock with it. It doesn't appear to have a display of any kind.

my first mustang

Get in touch with Justin at vmptuning.com(321-206-9369)or any of the other major tuners. The tunes work very well,especially on automatic cars. The tunes are very easy to install and uninstall. The cai is also very easy to change back and forth. The axle-back muffler is also a good choice. But you have to have a tuner to get the most out of these changes. Highway mileage does improve,mine went from a best of 24.5 mpg highway to 29.1 mpg highway. The cars just run much better. This is the best first mods you can do to your Mustang V6!! Get a tune,cai and an axle-back on you WILL be very happy.