Many other things you can spend your $$ on, IMO.
Short shifter, etc...I just took mine of this evening and we'll see how the stock boot with the bigger TB and MAF is. I know that aluminum C&L "cold air" gets pretty hot sitting right above the passanger side header.
I did my exhaust first, that's what I recommend. Getting rid of the stock sound is crucial. My car had like 6 cats or some trash. For me, exhaust alone made a noticible difference (exhaust meaning Prochamber H-pipe and flows on my 98).
First of all CAI is pretty much useless and a waste of money....this is what you should do as first mods that are cost effective:
- Get a K&N filter from an auto parts store and stick that in the car and then rip the air silencer off.....voila CAI for about $40-50
- If you have a 5-speed get a shifter ASAP! I love my tri-ax but pro 5.0 and mgw work just fine...in my case I got the tri-ax shipped to the door for cheap so I chose that one.
- Get a new mid-pipe.....x or h whatever you like....I prefer X-pipes myself on 4.6 cars and magnaflow is a great company to get exhaust products from....also its a good idea to get a catback at this time as well although the mid-pipe will free up more power so get that first if you cant get both at the same time.
- Next is gears....if you are staying all motor then get 4:10s! No discussion about this get the 4:10s they are the best gear for 4.6 cars and they wont effect your MPG....people always say they do because when they get gears they cant keep their foot out of the gas...dont fear the gear 4:10s are perfect....lots of guys even get 4:30s.
That should keep you busy at first....those are pretty essential mods to get you into the low 13's...although you probably should invest in a set of drag radials...nittos should work just fine.
I gotta agree with those above. I have the K&N FIPK cai and was able to dyno before and after. It gave me 3 rwhp for $150. The ONLY reason to get a CAI is for the look -- if you only want the performance, just install a K&N drop-in filter.