Need ideas on first bolt ons.

ganador01

Founding Member
Jan 21, 2002
1,581
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38
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
About to get my 11' mustang in the next day or two. Help me decide on my first mods!

First mod:

Amercian Racing Long tube headers (unless anyone knows any better)
Possible change of exaust?
Which CAI system is working right now?

These are the questions i need help with!!
 
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I don't know if you plan on buying a bunch of stuff all at once or one at a time. I buy stuff one at a time & my first mod is always a good set of mufflers. Stock is just too quiet. But if it's power you seek right off the bat, go with a tuner. Just my $0.02.
 
Steeda's CAI is dope. I'm going straight there next week right after I get my car for the Spyder rims and Axlebacks. I wanted the CAI right away but theirs has so much flow that you MUST get a retune.
I don't want to change the tune until I know the car runs well and the steeda guy recommends 500-600 miles on car anyway, so that will wait at least a month. Good luck.
RC
 
Steeda's CAI is dope. I'm going straight there next week right after I get my car for the Spyder rims and Axlebacks. I wanted the CAI right away but theirs has so much flow that you MUST get a retune.
I don't want to change the tune until I know the car runs well and the steeda guy recommends 500-600 miles on car anyway, so that will wait at least a month. Good luck.
RC

The Steeda CAI requires a tune just so they can claim a gain of up to 44 hp/52 lb-ft torque.

It sounds much more impressive than the realistic 12 hp/10 lb-ft from the CAI itself for $389.
 
The Steeda CAI requires a tune just so they can claim a gain of up to 44 hp/52 lb-ft torque.

It sounds much more impressive than the realistic 12 hp/10 lb-ft from the CAI itself for $389.

Actually what I read was NOT from Steeda..it was in the 5.0 Magazine. They said the the flow is so much better with that CAI that the entire MAF curve has to be changed to account for it. Having said that, the price of the CAI and tuner are about equal to each other. If you spend that much for the CAI for 12 ponies, why not spend the same for another 30? In my case too, with an AUTO, it helps immensely.

Anyway...mods for our cars as of now (common ones) are as follows:

CAI with tuner
Full exhaust (from headers to mufflers) although from what im reading it's the headers that make the biggest difference in the exhaust gains.

The above will help with the dyno numbers. For track improvement, above plus good tires and some suspension mods.


RC
 
Actually what I read was NOT from Steeda..it was in the 5.0 Magazine. They said the the flow is so much better with that CAI that the entire MAF curve has to be changed to account for it. Having said that, the price of the CAI and tuner are about equal to each other. If you spend that much for the CAI for 12 ponies, why not spend the same for another 30? In my case too, with an AUTO, it helps immensely.

Anyway...mods for our cars as of now (common ones) are as follows:

CAI with tuner
Full exhaust (from headers to mufflers) although from what im reading it's the headers that make the biggest difference in the exhaust gains.

The above will help with the dyno numbers. For track improvement, above plus good tires and some suspension mods.


RC

I'm not saying don't get a tune or CAI, 75% of the Steeda CAI claimed gains are from an SCT tune that costs a few bucks less.

IMO 12 RWHP from a $389 CAI that requires a tune to net the full gain is not all that impressive or anything new. My KN FIPK on my 98 Cobra achieved the same 12 RWHP with no tune and was $160.
 
"Full exhaust (from headers to mufflers) although from what im reading it's the headers that make the biggest difference in the exhaust gains".

I thought I read that the biggest gains came from removing the cats. Why not just keep the stock headers and get an O/R X pipe? Arent they saying the stock headers flow nicely? Long tubes are just too damn expensive. Im doing a K&N drop in, O/R x pipe and a tune. And maybe some kind of muffler. :D