BBK cold air kit and throttle body

Whenever you change how much air is coming into the engine it is wise to tune your car for optimal performance. You don't have to tune the car, but to get the most out of the CAI kit you will.

As for how to tune, a custom dyno tune from a speed shop is always best. Second would be a caned tune from a speedshop like bama chips http://bamachips.com/store/index.php?main_page=index. They use a custom tune with SCT tuners.

If you want to get the most from those mods, you would do well to invest in a tuner from either Predator or SCT. I think they are both pretty good, but I have experience only with the SCT XCalibrator 2. Not only will the tuner set you up for the best performance with the TB and CAI, but you can also ask to have a few other things done like turning off the speed and rev limiters, getting rid of throttle lag, and increasing shift firmness if you have an auto.

Bamachips seems to have a good reputation. Talk to them about what you want and they can set up a unit for you. It just plugs in to the multipin connector at the bottom left of the dash. Simple to follow instructions appear on the little screen. I think you'll be happy with the results.

get a handheld tuner. If Ford finds out you have flashed the computer...bye bye warranty...usually.

I read a good article in the June 06 Mustang Monthly about the BBK TB and Intake. It did say no tune was required but yes a tune would get you more power and torque with those upgrades with other benefits. A canned tune is cheaper easier to get but a custom dyno tune is usually more expensive and will give you the best gains and has to be done in a shop.

allcarfan said:

get a handheld tuner. If Ford finds out you have flashed the computer...bye bye warranty...usually.

Click to expand...

That is not true at all..After speaking with 2 of Ford's field service engineers..Ford has to prove, within a reasonable doubt, that any aftermarket part or parts, were directly responsible, for causing any of the factory parts, to fail.. Otherwise, Ford cannot legally void a factory warranty, for just modifying or installing aftermarket parts, on you're vehicle..In fact, both field engineers also confirmed, that if any Ford dealership should claim otherwise, Just quote the Magnuson-Moss act. which will usually shut them up, because most dealerships, are aware of the guidelines..Therefore, don't allow dealerships like that, to intimidate you..Should you happen to come across a dealership, who seems to be that unreasonable..Just find another dealership, that's willing to work with you..

Red,

If a dealership wants to void your warranty...they will..regardless if the part caused the damage or not. Most of them wont though. If you slap a K/N filter on your car and for some reason, you have engine damage....Ford can claim that the increased airflow fromt he high flow filter caused the engine failure since the car was not designed with that particular air filter.

Crazy stuff...but it can happen. Once it does, you are black-balled forever

There is a thread on here where someone had their warrantly voided over a part that had nothing to do with the failure...do a search for it as I dont remeber what the problem was but I think the dealership was in NY or NJ.

allcarfan said:

Red,

If a dealership wants to void your warranty...they will..regardless if the part caused the damage or not. Most of them wont though. If you slap a K/N filter on your car and for some reason, you have engine damage....Ford can claim that the increased airflow fromt he high flow filter caused the engine failure since the car was not designed with that particular air filter.

Crazy stuff...but it can happen. Once it does, you are black-balled forever

Click to expand...

First of all, before any dealership can LEGALLY, deny a warranty claim..The dealership in question, must go through a field service engineer (who is sent, directly from Ford corporate) who then conducts a full investigation..IF and then only if, after the conclusion of that investigation, should the field service engineer determine, within a reasonable doubt, that the car's engine damage, was directly caused by an aftermarket part..The results of the feild service engineer's investigation, are then submitted back to Ford corporate headquarters, then once the results of the investigation have been completely examined, by Ford..Ford will then send their determination and final decision, back to the dealership, confirming that the warranty claim, has been denied.. Therefore and I'll say this one last time..ACCORDING TO FORD POLICY, AS QUOATED BY 2, OF FORD'S FEILD SERVICE ENGINEERS, WHOM I SPOKE WITH DIRECTLY..NO DEALERSHIP HAS THE LEGAL AUTHORITY, TO VOID A FACTORY WARRANTY, UNTIL GIVEN THAT AUTHORITY, FROM FORD CORPORATE, ITSELF..Therefore, even dealerships are required to follow proper procedure..With that said, now you can all decide for yourselves, as to whether or not to accept the information, that I've provided..The way I see it, is you have 2 options..you can either take the word of a Ford dealership, who's only concern, is controlling their customers, by intimidation..Or you choose to take the word of 2 Ford engineers, who know all of Ford's policies, that also designed our Mustang's and have absolutely no reason whatsoever, to decieve nor disrespect their customers, as Mustang enthusiasts..Therefore, if this is how a dealership treats a loyal customer, after spending close to $30,000 + of their hard earned money, for a brand new vehicle..I would never do business with them again, End of story..

LOL, the same old story. I also have an F350 I HIGHLY modified....no warranty. Go read the warranty guide. If you as much as put a cell phone in your car....NO WARRANTY. Go read, its there. However, if the service writer is told of mods BEFORE you drop the car off, and they are cool, then maybe warranty and Magnuson-Moss Act don't come into play. If you want to persue legal action against ford about the warranty, you WILL lose....no if ands or buts. They got deeper pockets than you. But if you act like someone with sense to the service writer, things change. I took my '02 F350, pushing 700 ft lbs of torque in, told him my check engine light was on, askied "if" I voided my warranty with my mods up front, he said "we can overlook it" as long as its a covered part. If i had stormed in there demanding warranty work on my truck and acted like an ass, I would have been given directions to the door. I have 2 brand new GT's, if I modify them, I know what the consequences are. The old saying, if your gonna play, be prepared to pay. Nuff said

Well, I'm just confirming what I was told and personally, I'll take the word of a field service engineer's, over a dealership that doesn't give a damn, about their customers, hands down..As I also stated previously, If a dealership is going to be that unresonable, after spending close to $30,000+ Then, as far as I'm concerned..That dealership, will never get my business again, and can also go straight to hell..However, I've always had a very good relationship, with my dealer and as long, as I'm honest and upfront with them..Their more than willing to work with me, all they ask is this.. Whenever I bring my vehicle in for servicing, just make sure, to reflash back to stock, first..As for reading my owners manual, I've read it 3 different times, and it doesn't mention a single word, about the factory warranty being voidied, for just installing an aftermarket product..Perhaps, the policies for commercial vehicles, such as your F-350 truck, are different, compared to passenger cars are concerned..Anyway, I did post a copy of the warranty policy, by one of Ford's policy writers, quite a while back ..In fact, I'll look back into the archives and see if it's still there, and if it is..I'll re-post it on here..and if I can't find it..I'll scan some of the pages, of my owner's manual about the warranty policy, into my computer, and will then post them, and you can see and then judge, for yourself.. Also, I have no problem nor would I expect, my dealer to cover for damages, that were directly responsible by for ie an aftermarket blower or something like that..However, when it comes to just installing an aftermaket product, It is completely, illegal for any dealership, to void a factory warranty, and in this case, if I had to take my dealership to court..I can guarantee you, that I will not lose and here's why..I'll have both field service engineer's on my side, and that you can take to the bank..

Here's a copy of Ford's warranty policy

PonyX2 , here's that article, concerning the warranty policy, I submitted a long time ago. For those of you, who may be interested.. I found this thread on the The Mustang Source Forum, that goes into furthur detail about the factory warranty issues.. its an article written by Joe Bradley, who is manager of Ford's Warranty Analysis Department..I'll have to copy and paste the entire interview, due to my browser won't allow me to, include a hyperlink.. sorry for such the long post..
Modifying Warranty Awareness Know that when you modify your vehicle, you may also be affecting warranty coverage
Editor's Note:
A recent article in the SVT Enthusiast discussed the pros and cons of changing engine drive pulleys to help enhance power and performance. The story noted that one of the drawbacks to such an aftermarket modification is the possible effect it would have on the owner's New Vehicle Limited Warranty. When SVT's own Tom Scarpello read the story, he felt that the whole vehicle modification vs. warranty issue is one that deserves a little more than a cursory explanation, especially to performance-savvy SVT vehicle owners. So he asked Joe Bradley, the Manager of Ford's Warranty Analysis department, to add a little perspective on how certain vehicle modifications can affect the service life of some factory parts or systems, and how that may subsequently affect the factory vehicle warranty. The following is Joe's report.

By Joe Bradley

As you might expect from the company that formed SVT, the Ford Motor Company has many employees who are true performance enthusiasts -- folks who love and care for their personal high-performance vehicles as much as or more than the next guy or gal. Many of us, in fact, are true "weekend warriors" who can be found at the local drag strip or road course on Saturdays and Sundays, and tinkering under the hood during weekday evenings getting ready for the next event. As automotive enthusiasts, we certainly can appreciate performance machinery.

That said, as Ford employees we all want to do the right thing for our customers as well as for the Ford Motor Company. That is precisely why it is important to have a concise, easy-to-understand policy with regard to Ford warranty administration. For vehicles that are not modified, the Ford warranty policy is clear – the company backs its products within the guidelines of the new vehicle limited warranty, which is designed to protect the customer from defects in factory workmanship and/or material.

However, in the case of vehicles that have been modified, one needs to understand that the modifications may affect warranty coverage. This is simply because any damage or failure of new vehicle components or systems that was caused by modifications to the vehicle are not defects in "factory supplied" workmanship or material.

To illustrate this point, let's consider a small sample of vehicle modifications and see how they might affect factory components or systems: When it comes to changing the factory engine drive pulleys, there are some powertrain system and component concerns that deserve consideration. One would be any electrical and/or charging system problems that arise because of reduced alternator operating speed caused by the installation of underdrive pulleys. After all, the performance and serviceability of many system components are based on certain design parameters that include operating speed. The same goes for problems stemming from higher cooling system temperatures because of reduced water pump flow caused by the installation of underdrive pulleys. Increased underhood temperatures caused by owner-induced changes to a factory design-specification part can have a detrimental effect on any number of powertrain components or systems – some that may have long-range implications. And things can get even more serious when supercharger pulley changes are made, including head gasket leaks and piston and connecting rod failures. Also possible is piston damage due to detonation from improper air/fuel and timing modifications.

The installation of any non-factory forced induction system can also cause problems. Base engines modified with aftermarket superchargers, turbochargers or nitrous oxide injection systems may indeed bring about some power gains, but they can cause piston, connecting rod and/or crankshaft failures as well.

Other parts of a vehicle's factory-spec drivetrain are also susceptible to damage when engine torque and horsepower is increased. Performance chips or other power-enhancing devices increase torque loads on the driveline and can force failure of the transmission and/or rear axle. The latter problem can be especially true when owners switch to wider tires or racing slicks in an effort to increase traction. Even non "go-fast" aftermarket accessories such as remote starters, alarms, supplementary gauges and audio equipment can cause electrical system service problems if they are installed incorrectly or have improper connections.

When it comes to fairly evaluating the possibility of a warranty denial, there's one simple rule of thumb to follow: Although the installation of non-Ford parts and aftermarket modifications, by themselves, will not void the Ford New Vehicle Limited Warranty, failures that result from these parts and/or modifications may result in a denial of warranty coverage for such failures or damage.

The bottom line is, Ford Motor Company wants each of its owners to enjoy their product to the fullest extent – and that includes performance vehicles. But dealer service technicians have seen, and continue to see, that modifications may cause the original design to fail. The addition of aftermarket parts is a risk that each and every vehicle owner must evaluate for themselves. All that's needed is a reasonable dose of common sense. When and if you modify your vehicle, please consider whether the modification may cause another component to fail – and if it does, recognize that warranty coverage for that failure or damage will likely be denied.



Here is the way I see it.

1) From a strictly legal stand point it "can" void your warrantee on most drivetrain components.

2) Ford has laywers on staff, so in a legal exquisite feeling release of liquid waste product match you are going to lose. Legal or not, fair or not, the legal clout Ford could bring to bear will put the burden of proof on you.

3) The Magnasun-Moss act ( the one every preformance adder quotes) was originally written to prevent manufactures from voiding the warrantee on your car if you chose to use NON-Manufactures consumable parts like: Oil, Filters, Brakes, shocks, etc... It was NEVER written or intended to cover parts that are installed primarly to increass hp and torque. I doubt that the law would hold up in court when the components were installed mainly to add HP.

4) Look at it this way:

Lets say you break somthing in the Transmission after installing the tune. The Ford lawyer asks: Does this device add HP and Torque to the engine? To avoid purjury you answer "Yes"... You just lost the case....

5) However, if you have a good dealer who does preformance mods you probably have nothing to worry about. A Tune is not all that major of a modification and unless it is done incorrectly, I doubt any resonable person would think it would be responsible for breaking somthing...

Now, if you sho up at the dealer with DOT Drag radials and numers written on the windows,..... well... You are on your own....

heck, not only did I still have numbers on the window, I still had my helmet in the back seat! LOL!

Each dealership is different... The dealership I go to is amazingly cool with my mods... Like I said the service writer goes to get the car's milage and says "Why do you have a helmet in your car" wink.. wink..

The dealership went on to replace my TPS for free even though my Zex kit was still spliced into the TPS wire! But on the other hand one guy posted that his dealership gave him a hard time about the popping front noise... tried to blame it on his aftermarket muffler! LOL!

I was at a car show this summer.. Got to talking to a guy who worked for Chrysler as a Factory Rep... his sole job was to look at warranty claims... We were talking about me using Nitrous... He had seen numerous cars that had blown motors that he knew were the result of a power adder that had since been removed but said since there was no way he could actually prove that it was the cause the failure so they fixed it...

I agree though that tuner is a pretty safe bet....Notice that he basically said that Ford follows low (Magnuson-Moss Act) in regard to warranty process. If you did something that broke the car, and they can prove it, you are on your own. As you should be. If they can't prove it, or you didn't do anything, it is covered.

Also, the Magnuson-Moss Act is a WARRANTY act. Not just a "consumables" act. There is a lot in there regarding consumables (mainly because dealers were doing the "if you don't have use change the oil at xyz intervals with our oil/filter/etc, then your warranty is void!" kind of crap), but it also goes into general warranty protection. Including modifications.

And yes, Ford DOES have a lot of lawyers. There is also provisions in the act that force things to arbitration instead of the courts too.
I have had the service department scrupulously search to find the tune on our car and they cannot find it with ANY of the 3 types of scanners they use to update the computer or reflash with.
As in every time this issue comes up we find again that the results are highly subjective to the dealership at which you service your vehicle and at what lengths if any that they are willing to help you when it is or isn't a FORD problem. As scrming has posted we have the same luck with the dealer we use, they always are there to help. But 9 miles away at another dealer they would laugh and say "We have seen your wife tear the crap out of that car at the dragstrip, no way will we replace anything unless it is a recall or TSB. Even with that you will only get one chance."
Both dealers know we race and spray but one is proud to claim that they sold us the car and do warranty work. This isn't to say that if we spit parts out of the oil pan that they would help me get a new engine but they might chance it, and if the Ford inspector showed up the worst case scenario I would have to pay them for what they have already done. Fair gamble IMO.

In response to the original questions…

1) I do not have this mod but have read about it and have a little knowledge of how this specific BBK part as well as the stock MAF work

2) Like that which was previously stated, a tuner will allow you to make more power.

3) A custom tune may even give you more power, but the parameters changed to gain those extra ponies will probably be the same that you would change with a handheld tuner. The experience of the guy making your custom tune is probably what is getting those extra HP.


As I am sure that you know, there is a sensor that determines the amount of air being feed to the engine, commonly referred to the Mass AirFlow meter, (MAF). This is important, because the computer determines how much fuel to add to the air depending on how much air is coming in through the intake tubing.

Imagine if you held your hand in a flowing creek. Now put your other hand in the Mississippi River. Both stream are flowing at exactly the same rate, or speed. And if you didn't know which hand was where, you couldn't tell what hand was in what body of water, because the little bit of water flowing through your fingers is doing so at the same speed in both the stream and the Mississippi. However, much more water is moving in the Mississippi every second than is in the creek, even though it feels the same to you.

The computer in your car is sticking its hand (MAF) in the stream. The amount of air that it senses coming by determines how much gas will be added to that air. This calculation is made assuming that the MAF is in an air intake tube (or stream) of a certain size. The MAF reading is multiplied to account for all the air in the tube. If you stuck the MAF in the a larger tube (the Mississippi) and didn't tell the computer you had taken it out of the smaller air intake tube, it'd only put out enough fuel for the smaller air intake tube (creek) even though you're in the larger tube (Mississippi).

BBK's cold air intake maintains the same size air intake tube (little stream) as the stock air intake. Thus, the computer doesn't have to be recalibrated for being in a bigger air intake tube (Mississippi). Other cold air intake kits put the MAF in a much larger tube. Thus, a tune is required to recalibrate the computer for the larger tube size.

One of the ways a tuner makes more power is by optimizing the air/fuel ratio. From the factory, the computer uses a very conservative, rich tune to prevent the risk of detenation and prolong engine life. By leaning this tune out a little (less fuel, more air, or a combination of both), you can make more power. So part of the big gains from many of the cold air kits can be attributed to the tune alone.

The MAFs on this car are pretty finicky, so it is possible that you may need a tuner to use the BBK part, even though the MAF is placed in the same location as in the stock air tube. But it shouldn't, as advertised.

Hey Red, wasn't starting a flame war, just what i have learned form experience. I put a complete package from Gale Banks ( well known company) on my truck, they SWEAR it is covered. I read the owners warranty guide, no luck. it states:
the installation or use of a non ford motor com part (other than "certified" emissions part blah, blah, blah, i can't type that much and goes on to say cellular phones. I said WTF? But Gale Banks said my truck was covered, ....no way Jose. You are right that the law was designed for standard replacement parts, but us dumbass hotrodders like me take it too far. I mainly replied first off so people would know there are consequences. In all honesty, a little tweaking DOES help our new vehicles run the way they should and I am all for it. Like most other things, if done in moderation, no harm, no foul. So, I will put my flame suit on now and be quiet.
What was the original topic anyway?

Pony, I know that you weren't trying to start up, a flame war..And I also understand how very frustrating it can be, when certain Ford dealerships treat their loyal customers, like crap..And that's whom I'm directing my anger towards, because you would think, that after spending close to $30,000 for a new vehicle, the dealer should at least, be more than willing to show, some sort appreciation, by treating their customers, with respect..Instead of attempting to intimidate them, by using scare tactics, such as, if a customer even as little as installs or does any modifying, that their warranty, is automatically voided..And that is a complete lie, and these dealerships, know damn well, that it is..Which is indirectly, the reason why I contacted 2 of Ford's field engineer reps, was in order to get to the real truth, concerning the warranty polices, However my main reason's for contacting them, had really nothing to do with mod's..This was for a recurring problem, with my Mustang's drained battery issues, and I just ended up asking them, about the modifying polices, just out of curiosity..Anyway, as far as your F-350 is concerned, the only logical reason, I can come up with, about your manual stating, that if you even install a cell phone, you no longer have a warranty, would be because a truck, is considered as a commercial vehicle, instead of a passenger one..which I understand, shouldn't make any difference, and that kind of policy absolutely, sucks and IMO, shouldn't even exsist..Perhaps, if you read the article, concerning the warranty policy, that I posted..maybe there's a loophole or a way, to get around it..Otherwise, if I were you..I'd either look for another dealership, until you find one, who's willing to work with you, or I would demand, to speak with your service manager, and if necessary..Move up to the district manager, and if there's still no luck, try the regional rep, and finally, field service engineer and then Ford corporate, as a last resort..I'm sure there has to be a solution, somewhere..So anyhow, give that a shot, and let me know, how you made out..And I wish you, the very best of luck..