Sorry to jump in here, but y'all just answered a question of mine. It sounds like on a 2010 GT, a CAI and tuner combo is worth "only" 15hp max?

 

You bought the tuner from jlt? Who wrote the tune for it? All tunes are not alike. You should have got it from AM. Free tunes for life....just saying.

 

Skip the aftermarket CAI all together and just go with the tuner. That's where the gains are coming from. 2010+ come with a vastly improved cold air intake from the factory and unless you have some sort of massive blower you won't see any performance boost from an aftermarket unit.

Factory CAI or aftermarket - the bottleneck either way is the throttle body.

 

the 4.6 heads don't flow very well, so don't waste your money on a CAI. the factory airbox is already a CAI and trying to improve airflow before the throttle body is useless.

 

Ok...so it sound like I need a new TB and Tune. What is that worth? I'm really looking at the HP per $$$ ratio here.

 

go with a shot of nitrous then....just sayin

 

While the 2010+ have "improved" airflow from the intake, there are still gains to be had for purchasing an aftermarket intake and tune. 15rwhp may not seem like a lot, but it is still good to free up those extra rwhp.

As far as replacing your throttle body, make sure you have a clear path to where you want to go before you start replacing parts. Once you start freeing up airflow, it will be a chain reaction, throttle body, manifold, headers, etc. Get a plan, and start building.

 

If want the best bang for your buck the forced induction is the only way to go. Replacing your car's CAI with a half-cold air intake isn't the way to go unless you have money to burn. Get the tune as that does have real results.

Look at how much these aftermarket "cold" air intakes are...$300, $400, and more. For a hollow tube. Does that make any sense? Of course not.

They are just like stereo systems at the big box retailers in that they are a HUGE source of profit and can have a markup of several hundred percent - even as much as 10 times what they should cost. Don't believe the hype. Put your money towards something useful. You don't need a throttle body - I was just pointing out that an aftermarket CAI still has the same small opening as the stock CAI so what are you really gaining? Nothing, because ultimately the air must go through the same size hole.

 

The biggest gain I've ever seen from a CAI & tune on a previously stock '10 GT is 9rwhp.

 

Thanks everyone for the input. As much as I don't see the benefit of a CAI, I ended up buying one for my 2010. I found an Airaid oiled CAI from a member on another forum. I paid $125 shipped for it. I figured little gains would be worth the money. I'll install it only when I get a tuner.