getting tuner and CAI from american muscle

NastyStang113 said:

How is it ridiculous? The tune is going to do things that you cannot modulate with your right foot or even your left. If you wanted it than it's a good option. It's a lot more than the guys charging money for "torque" and "race" tunes when all they do is alter throttle position.

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You can save more gas shifting below 3k rpms and a gentle throttle than you would with an economy tune and normal driving. That is, I think, one of the main missunderstandings about saving fuel. It is not in the engine, it is how you drive the engine. A V8 Mustang is capable of the same mpg as a 4 banger with the same weight (3500lbs) and general aerodynamics. The 4 banger just does not allow one to "waist" gas with quick acceleration, tire spinning, etc. Essentially, a V8 gives the driver the choice to get good mpg, or having fun, while a smaller engine restricts you to only getting good mpg. The same is true for an economy tune, it is going to restrict you better mpg, rather than letting you choose how you drive it. Not to mention, the mustang basically comes from the factory with an 87 economy tune. That is why we like to retune them, because the 87 economy tune is not as much fun.

02GTRX said:

Doug over at bama told me himself that the 87 "economy" tune was just smoke and mirrors lol. I ordered my jlt intake and tuner about a week ago and received the tuner yesterday...I don't know where my intake is.....
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That's really really funny.

good point, that might make it more difficult. It could be that economy tunes are helpful for automatics because they change the shift points.

I would just ask, is it necessary to be so concerned with gas mileage and octane price? Lets see how it works out, assuming you drive 10k per year.

93 octane, $2.50 gallon, averaging 16mpg:
[ (2.50$/gallon * 10000 miles) / (16miles/gallon) ] = $1562

87 octane, $2.30 gallon, averaging 16mpg = $1437

87 octane, $2.30 gallon, averaging 20mpg = $1150

So, best case scenario, you'll save $412/year. Granted, that is nothing minor, but considering you'll have to drive your beasty like a economy car to do it, you may as well just have an economy car, which would save you in car payments as well. I personally bought the stang to have fun, and am happy to spend 400 per year for the opportunity to do it all the time.

This sort of goes to what I was saying about driving style. If you have your car tuned to best performance on the highest octane, it will be there when you want it. The rest of the time, you can drive conservative to boost overall mpg. I am personally averaging 19mpg on a 91 tune (best available in my state). Thats because most of the time, I am very careful with the throttle, but I do find one open road at least once a day where I can floor it.

I also have a 3.31 rear which kinda sucks, but that is helping boost my mpg on the highway.