shinerttu

I bought a 2008 Mustang GT 5-Speed with a little less than 40k miles recently. I love the power but hate having a stock car. I used to drive a 2005 Nissan 350z with Nismo CAI, Nismo Cat back Exhaust and many other upgrades. I loved how that car sounded and hate driving a stock car. I have $800 I want to spend right now on an upgrade. Here is what I was looking at.

I was looking at getting the Ford Racing CAI with the SCT tuner. I like the look of the "Ford Racing" and since I enjoyed my Nismo parts so much, I figured I would give Ford Racing a shot. My opinion is if Ford engineered the car, Ford Racing engineers should know what's best.

My other option is the Stinger Ford Racing Axle Back exhaust. My concerns are that it seems a little pricey, but again see above for my logic.

I would like to know if you guys have any experience with these products, and what that experience is. Also, if you had to choose, which would you go with first?

I want the CAI and tuner because I would like to "feel" some performance boost. However, nothing beats the sound of a nice exhaust. That would keep a smile on my face for another month until my next upgrade.

Csrt4to5.0gt

Welcome and congrats on your new stang! I don't have any experience with ford racing products but I do have a diablo sport tuner and Bama tunes on my 13 5.0. You should definitely get a tuner and CAI. Americanmuscle has some nice combo deals with tuners and intakes. You will definitely feel a good power increase. If you have any extra $$$ you should pick up an X or H pipe to fit with the stock exhaust. I think the 05-09 GTs sound really good with an aftermarket mid pipe with stock exhaust. Sounds louder than just an axleback. Bama gives free tunes for life when you buy from them so if you need new tunes with new parts they hook you up. Good luck with whatever you decide.

jesse1125

Get the tuner and CAI. That will make the biggest difference from stock.

Nuke

The FRPP CAI & tune is mild in comparison to combos from Brenspeed and American Muscle(BAMA). The FRPP combo maxes out at about 12-15 RWHP gain whereas Brenspeeds and AM's are typically 20-25 RWP on the 4.6L. About 75% of the forum peeps are running non-OE tunes and only a small fraction of those are FRPP.

The axle back makes the car sound quicker. The CAI & tune makes the car quicker, period.

shinerttu

Nuke, Would the FRPP with SCT tuner from Bama push those numbers up? I am not looking at getting the Ford tuner. Or is it just that the Ford racing CAi is inferior.

shinerttu

Looks like the Ford Racing CAI claims 20 hp gains from AM.com but the Steeda CAI claims to produce 38 hp. Guess Steeda is the way to go?

ModBargains

Changing the exhaust is the more fun mod to do. Being able to hear the roar of your car is always something that I want to do as early as possible just because there are a lot of great sounds this car can make.

TheLockNLoad

4.10 gears and a tune, IMO best bang for the buck

tj@steeda

Our numbers are with the tune and CAI:

[QUOTE][Steeda's new Cold Air Kit for the S197 produces the greatest power gains of any Cold Air Kit on the market. Testing has shown increases of up to 38 HP and 30 ft lbs of Torque to the rear wheels with Steeda's Cold Air Kit combined with our Custom SCT Tune. /QUOTE]


http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-2...ir-intake.html

We are getting ready for our Black Friday Sale ... let me know if I can help assist with anything off-line. You can reach me at tim@steeda.com.

Best Regards,

TJ

Nuke

Getting the FRPP CAI and SCT from BAMA will net you more RWHP than the FRPP CAI & FRPP tuner. It's not the handheld tuner that provides the additional gain but how the tunes are written. Bama's tunes are more aggressive but not enough so to cause any damage (evidenced by the shear # of people that have been running BAMA and Brenspeed tunes for years with no issues). The FRPP tune is essentially the OE tune used on the '08 Bullitt and on the '10 4.6L for the supposed additional 15 crank HP.