So, I installed the C&L Racer tune (it's the plastic one) and Tillmanspeed's 93 Race tune last night. Words cannot describe the difference this mod has made. I noticed immediately that the car was louder (stock exhaust, stock everything else) and sounded... angrier. As I pulled away from my driveway, I was alarmed by the ridiculous throttle response that made my neck jerk backwards when I wasn't even trying to go fast.

When I finally got on the main road.. I cannot describe how much faster my car felt. The car sounded about 25-50% louder from 2.5k RPM and beyond. It wasn't just louder, it sounded better. I was applying about 60-70% throttle and shifted to second casually, but my tires chirped and my car rocketed forwards. .. and I still had traction control & A/C on. This is an anatomically correct to-scale representation of the grin on my face: .

To anyone considering this mod: DO IT. I was originally going to get the JLT II package for about $80 cheaper, but then when I factored in the $40 heat shield that I would want, it was only $40 cheaper than the C&L (C&L comes with heatshield). Both are good deals though. I hate myself for waiting 1.5 months to do this mod. To anyone who is on the fence... after you feel what a cai/tune does, you will soon realize this: there is no fence.

Go buy a cai/tune and get off my lawn.

 

The install story & pics:
I came home last evening to find a C&L Racer intake and SCT2 in front of my door... it was getting dark, so I got to work right away, didn't even change out of my work clothes.

So anyways, in my hurry, I tried to install the factory torx screws into my C&L MAF housing. Well, turns out the threads don't match - they're not even close - but I just muscled it in anyway, and the head popped off. AWESOME!
MAF housing:


Closeup of my dumbassery:


Yeah, I have no idea how to get that out. The holes are one sided (if you try to look in the hole, you can't see out the other side), so it has to come out the way it came in... APDPerformance suggested going to a machine shop. For now, my MAF sensor is just connected by one screw (one really tight screw). It's making a good seal, but I put some duck-tape around it to provide some extra sealing just in case... until I can get to a machine shop.

Anyways, it was totally dark by the time I was done and I spent a good 30 min looking for lost tools in my engine bay with a flashlight (Note to self: never start work on car after 6PM )...

Before:


After:

 

My question for you is this.....What is the diff between the "street version" and the racer version?

I have a stock engine and I am going to buy a CAI, but I keep going back and forth between Steeda and C&L. I dont see anyone buying Steeda's though..any ideas why??

 

I think it might be the how the gas pedal position maps to the throttle position... I'm not sure, go to apdperformance.com and give them a call. (I usually have to try a few times about 10 min apart before I get through)

 

....But yet even when the screws did not match you still jammed them in there and most likely cross threaded them along with breaking one off at the head. Then you fixed it with duck tape and over torquing one of them. Hate to be a negative person, but good luck when you actually find screws with the right thread count. Taking your time really does pay off. Believe me I know how it feels to get new toys. On a side note, I'm surprised the kit wasn't supplied with screws if the factory ones did not fit. I would talk to somebody about it.

The difference is in the size of the MAF housing. I do not know the exact measurement but the racer version is bigger than the street version (ie. greater air flow rate).

 

Hey, I can laugh at my own dumbassery. This is embarassing, but they included screws with the correct thread count. Low and behold, when I tried the included screw in the other hole, it screwed in effortlessly. I had previously assumed they were not for those holes, because the threadcount didn't match the stock screws. It was getting dark. I wanted to play with my toy. So sue me.

 

Oops, misread your question. I thought you were asking about the difference between the Race & Performance tunes.

C&L Street intake:
Metal (aluminum?).
Can be used with nitrous applications.
Can be used WITHOUT a tune, by using the "no tune"-insert.
Slightly lower air flow rate.

C&L Racer intake:
Plastic.
Cannot be used with nitrous applications.
Can NOT be used without a tune.
Slightly higher flow rate.

 

Glad that it all worked out. I bought the same setup as you did and I ran a 8.7 @ 82.3 mph (8th mile) last night.

 

lol..I dont blame you for wanting to put it on fast. He[[ I dont even have mine yet and im excited..

I am assuming yours in the "trueflow racer"...this link??
http://www.bamachips.com/store/index...products_id=49

So can anyone chime in on if there is a reason to go with C&L vs Steeda? Ive read that the Steeda intake combined with the tune has the most gains, but who knows what was being favored.

It just seems like everyone has mentioned either C&L, or JTL and I havent seen any mention of Steeda, so curious why.

 

Well I'm under the impression that the best intake/tune combos are the JLT2 and the C&L, with both giving 28-32rwhp, with the C&L possibly giving an extra 1hp, but possibly not.

How much does the Steeda intake give on average?

 

26.7hp with the CAI and add 8hp with the high flow elbow. so a total of 34.7hp

 

So is that 34.7 measured on the dyno after both upgrades? Because you usually can't just add hp numbers. If you had 4 mods that do 10hp each, you're not going to get 40hp, maybe you'll get 20hp. But all I can say is.. try it out, dyno your car before/after and share the results! Maybe nobody has the Steeda intake because nobody's posting results?

 

I believe we don't hear a lot about the Steeda intake is because Steeda was late to the game. The Steeda intake has been around for awhile, BUT the high flow elbow was only recently introduced. Without the high flow elbow, the clear choice (IMO) would be the C&L or JTL. Also, for what it is worth, I believe the Ford Racing intake and the Shelby GT intake are the same as the Steeda intake. The only difference being the lack on the Ford Racing sticker on the Steeda intake.

 

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/tec...ons/index.html

 

CR did a turne for me after I installed the AR l/t headers and delet plates. It really woke up the motor. As soon as he gets the dyno in its going on it to get it fine tuned.
The difference in the street and racer is the intake tube and the MAF sensor. the racer tube is plastic and the MAF is 95mm. Go for the racer.

 

Dont want to alarm you krnpimpsta vbmenu_register("postmenu_1018703", true); but that filter is about half the size of mine at the end closest to the body. im guessing it's not all filters are the same. i have a c & l intake system. i thought they would all be the same

 

HA!! We told ya boy, we told ya. You'll never look back. Congrads and enjoy the heck out of it.

 

Would there be any real difference in power output between the "racer" and "street" C & L CAI with the same tune on an otherwise stock engine?

I could understand a modified engine taking advantage of the extra air flow the racer intake gives over the street version, but for a stock engine, I'm not so sure.
I like the appearance of the street version a little better, but if the racer version will make that much difference I'm all in for the racer version as well.

 

Hmm, do you have the "Street" version? Could be slightly different due to that.. Also, my filter is really cramped in there. I actually crushed it a little (I rotated the crushed side to the bottom where the camera can't see it) trying to get it in there.


Yeah, this is the best investment I've ever made.

Real difference? Probably not. If there is, I'm sure it's not over 1HP on an otherwise stock engine. But one bonus is that the plastic is alot more resistant to heat soak (vs metal). The slight difference might begin to come out after lots of hard driving. I say just get the Street if you like it better, cosmetically. You're not going to feel 1hp.

 

You will get a little more perforance form the Racer. It has a larger MAF sensor so the tune will take that into account.