Yeah, by all means if you're satisfied with the shifter then why change it. I can also see where you're coming from on knowing the stock capabilities before modding performance. The cool part about the CAI and tune is that you can always revert back to stock in about 10 min. Always a plus for when you have to take it back to the dealer. So I'd take it you're looking more for appearance mods?

 

Ditto on the lowering.

 

No matter which way you go ---

#1 is a CAI with a tune.

Then its what moves you -- old school gearheads go for the exhaust, midpipe and cat-back (gotta stay legal!... )....like my son said once, there's nothing better to wake up to then the rumble of a V8 shaking the garage doors ....then drop it, springs, panhard bar...tint...the full underhood kit from Midwest....looks aggressive, runs strong and sounds wicked....next 3 grand is UD pulleys, good set of shorty headers, new gears, CMRC delete plates....then more appearance stuff, hood, quarter and backlight louvers, new spoiler (or spoiler delete, your call)....then a Roush or full Eibach suspension, huff or puff (blowers or turbos for you yung'ns...), full front and year brake upgrades to 14"/13" discs....running about 20Gs...yeah, you could Roush/Saleen/Shelby but this way your car is really your car...and that, in the end, no matter how far or how near you take it, is what this is all about...make yourself happy and keep the stampede alive.....

 

What is the best CAI

 

My opinion:
Bassani axle backs
C&L (racer or street) tuned by Doug at Bamachips.com
CM deletes
MGW Shifter
4.10's (if your staying N/A 3.73's if your plan on going FI)
LT's (unless you plan on going the turbo route)
Cams

 

i bought my flowmasters 2 weeks before i even went looking for the car!!! talk about anxious

 

I know what you mean! I pick up my GT in July and I already have the Bassani's and BMR LCA's and UCA.

 

What intake does not require tuning? I might want to do it later but not right away.

 

as i was test driving it i asked the guy if puttin on axlebacks would void the warantee and he was like, well before you buy them call the service center. i said.........too late! ahahahah he was alittle shocked but then he said, wow, your really gotta be dead set on a car to start buying parts before owning it.

 

theres multiple threads on that question. and everyone will tell you, every intake needs a tune. but i went with the K&N since it was said to not need a tune. now yes, with a tune youll prob get an extra 8hp out of the intake BUT you will also get alot more with a tuner than just HP.

im still runnin the K&N w/o a tune since im strapped for cash. no complaints so far and i felt quite a difference in acceleration after i installed it.

 

I went through this very line of thought when I bought mine. As mentioned, the K&N doesn't require a tune, I think that's because it is the same inner diameter as stock around the Mass Air Flow sensor. It's supposed to get 15+ hp over stock. I went with the Granatelli CAI because it's 90mm (I think stock is 76mm) around the MAF, and they promise 25+ horsepower. The thing is, Granatelli will run without a tune, but it uses a inline signal conditioner module that plugs into the MAF to make it work. And it's not perfect. I think my engine ran rich in that configuration, and gas milage definitely suffered. To take true advantage of any CAI, you should get the tune to go with it. You'll definately see an improvement in power and fuel economy (assuming no change in driving habits ). Granatelli's intake goes for goes for about $400 or did when I got it(polished finish one, I think the cast finish is a little cheaper). Then to get the tuner later with a couple of tunes, it'd be between $300-400. On the other hand, I've seen a C&L CAI (which requires the tune) in magazines advertised at $600 with the tuner included. And, I've been told you can re-flash back to stock and the dealer won't be able to tell.

So really, it's cheaper to get the intake and tuner together, and there's not much of a reason not to unless you can't swing the extra $200 at the moment. But in the long run, it will save you $100-200, and your engine will be calibrated for your mods. That would include other stuff like exhaust (headers, an x-pipe, mufflers), forced induction (turbos/ supercharger), cams, heads, etc.

 

Althought it's already been answered a few times, the best place to start for performance is definitely an intake and tune (either from Bamachips or Brenspeed). You can't argue with ~25-30 RWHP for that kind of money. You'll also want to pick up an axle-back so that you can actually hear the exhaust.

You might want to improve the looks of the car a bit as well. Lowering spring will help immensely in this department; a slight drop changes the whole look of the car.

I bought my car a month ago, and my first mods have been as follows:
-15% window tint
-14" shorty antenna
-Magnetic trunk blackout
-Steeda Ultra-Lite Lowering Springs
-Steeda Axle-back Exhaust
-JLT2 CAI / Brenspeed Tune (UPS says it will be here Monday )

I'm extremely happy with how the car looks now, and am very anxious to see how she feels after installing the intake / tune.

 

definately go for performance mods before you do exterior mods.