• Mustang Forums
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 1994 - 1995 Specific Tech

K&N filter or CAI which is better

  • Thread starter Thread starter golfpro187ho
  • Start date Start date Oct 19, 2004
G

golfpro187ho

New Member
Oct 13, 2004
30
0
0
Maysville Ky
Oct 19, 2004
#1
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #1
im thinking about buying a CAI for my 94 gt 5speed but have been reading on here and seems like their just for show...would i get as much hp gain with just a k&n filter....also getting ready to install h pipe and flowmaster 40s how much hp can i expect from these 3 mods...please let me know what you guys think...
 

onesticker

New Member
Feb 19, 2003
222
0
0
Jacksonville,FL
Oct 19, 2004
#2
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #2
CAI with a K&N filter
 

CManT1914

New Member
Feb 5, 2004
3,172
2
0
Killeen, Texas
Oct 19, 2004
#3
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #3
Just do a homemade CAI with a K&N filter. Homemade CAI With the h-pipe, if it's an offroad pipe (meaning without catalytic converters) you're gonna notice a real nice difference. After doing mine, I knocked my ET down by 3 tenths! The mufflers you probably won't notice any difference in power, but the sound will be worth it. Have fun
 
W

wytstang

Mustang Master
Mar 14, 2004
4,988
4
78
Summerville,SC missing South Fl. weather :(
Oct 19, 2004
#4
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #4
What he said ^
 

flyboy_323

New Member
Oct 13, 2004
57
0
0
San Luis Obispo, CA
Oct 19, 2004
#5
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #5
My first mod for my '95 GT was a MAC CAI. I didn't notice much of a seat of the pants difference, but it makes a cool sucking sound under load ;-). They say that a CAI is better because it's bringing in the cold air out from under the fender, but I donno how much truth there is in that statement because as the engine warms up, the aluminum tubing for the CAI gets very hot heating the air anyway. I think that the big differene over stock is the air filter, so you can really go either way. It does look cool though.
 

BlackVert

15 Year Member
Oct 3, 2003
5,589
9
98
Bethesda, MD
Oct 19, 2004
#6
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #6
cai made a difference for me. i installed a c&l 80mm mass air meter and left the filter under the hood. after idling for just a few minutes (think stop light) the intake air climbs to 140. with 5 minutes of idling, it was 165! typical cruising intake air temp was around 120. the higher the air temp, the more the computer retards the timing. that is where most of the power is lost.

after i moved the filter into the fenderwell, the intake air never gets above 5 degrees higher than the outside air.

i have a homemade cai using pvc pipe and fernco connectors. i am very happy with the performance, and the price ...
 
C

chrisilversvt

New Member
May 6, 2003
66
0
0
memphis,tn.
Oct 19, 2004
#7
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #7
i'm with black 96....my c&l ran hot with the filter under the hood...i also used 2 pvc elbows and put my filter in the fender and it dramatically reduced the temperature of the intake pipe...costed me about $10 to make the cai part,i painted it black and it looks factory...everyone at the car show i was in a couple weeks ago,thought it was a store bought cai piece...
 

squall9393

New Member
Feb 7, 2004
534
0
0
Oceanside, CA
Oct 19, 2004
#8
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #8
I'm all about doing a CAI yourself. My BBK is just a heat transfer magnet that looks good until it starts to tarnish.
 

1994Vib.RedGT

Member
Aug 19, 2004
585
0
16
Denver, CO
Oct 19, 2004
#9
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #9
could you buy a mac or bbk cai then attach a K&N filtercharger to it? Also, everyone has told me that densechargers work a lot better, but when i was down at the local mustang performance shop, they said they actually got better results with a MAC than with a densecharger
 

1994Vib.RedGT

Member
Aug 19, 2004
585
0
16
Denver, CO
Oct 19, 2004
#10
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #10
no one knows?
 

BlackVert

15 Year Member
Oct 3, 2003
5,589
9
98
Bethesda, MD
Oct 19, 2004
#11
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #11
1994Vib.RedGT said:
no one knows?
Click to expand...
no, but i do know that i have an old mac cai and the k&n filter i have (that came with my 80mm C&L mass air meter housing) is too big for it. post the diameter of the filtercharger you are talking about, and i'll post the diameter of the mac tube.
 

final5-0

Mustang Master
Apr 6, 2003
6,817
12
79
DFW Texas
Oct 19, 2004
#12
  • Oct 19, 2004
  • #12
golfpro187ho said:
im thinking about buying a CAI for my 94 gt 5speed but have been reading on here and seems like their just for show...would i get as much hp gain with just a k&n filter....also getting ready to install h pipe and flowmaster 40s how much hp can i expect from these 3 mods...please let me know what you guys think...
Click to expand...

WOW

first post

Welcome

I did the home made thing when I had ported E7's and a few boltons. I could really tell a difference from mid to upper rpm's. You can try it for just a few bux.

Later
Grady
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Progress Thread Progress Thread- From6to8's 1994 Cobra Supercharger install
  • from6to8
  • Sep 25, 2025
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 20 21 22
Replies
420
Views
9K
1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk- May 6, 2026
from6to8
S
Engine Stalls when downshifting/coasting
  • Scott_S
  • Nov 5, 2025
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
Replies
11
Views
692
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech Nov 6, 2025
Mustang5L5
Progress Thread Progress Thread- From6to8's 95 GT/Saleen Supercharged 331 install
  • from6to8
  • Mar 22, 2026
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 2
Replies
24
Views
880
1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk- May 6, 2026
from6to8
J
68 Mustang with Foxbody Engine Stalling Issues - MSPNP2
  • JayV68Stang
  • Mar 13, 2025
  • Digital Self-tuning Forum
Replies
3
Views
432
Digital Self-tuning Forum Mar 13, 2025
JayV68Stang
J
Which one of these 3 intakes make the most sense for my 331 combo
  • from6to8
  • Jul 25, 2024
  • 1994 - 1995 Specific Tech
Replies
7
Views
2K
1994 - 1995 Specific Tech Jul 26, 2024
AeroCoupe
Share:
Bluesky Email Share Link
  • Mustang Forums
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 1994 - 1995 Specific Tech
Menu
Log in

Register

  • Forums
  • What's new
  • Media
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?

X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?