I want to add a CAI but would only use the 87 octane tune. My main reason for the CAI with tune is increased throttle response. Of course I wouldn’t mind a bump in horsepower. Unfortunately, most of the CAI products only give the max gains. So if anyone has results from an 87 tune w CAI would let me know your overall thoughts on the following:

CAI vendor and the tuner (URL would be nice if purchased online)
Driving feeling (what did you feel like you gained?)
What did you actually gain in horsepower (Vendor spec’s ok)
Any issues, comments, or hysterical observations

Thanks

 

This is a good question i would like to know also.

 

I would also like to see what kind of HP the different CAI's are producing. Has anyone Dyno'ed before and after a CAI? What are the results. Interested in the Roush/Airaid to see what it gets.

 

You're going to get a lot of different opinions here, so just be prepared. The key, IMO, is not the CAI, but the tune itself. I think many members of this forum would agree that most of the CAIs (Steeda, C&L, JLT, etc) will provide similar results and that the real HP gain is in the tune.

I have a JLT II CAI with Predator tuner. This setup can be found many places, but I would suggest Bamachips.com for this purchase ($550). The tuner will come with three tunes that you select, so if you want an 87 octane tune, you can get one. The great thing about Doug and Bama is that his tunes are far superior to the canned tunes you might find other places. His A/F ratios are dead on.

I am currently running a 93 race tune b/c I want the most HP I can get. The tune almost completely eliminated the throttle lag and my GT pulls like he11. I also love the "sucking" sound the CAI makes, at first I thought it was a bug or locust hissing. I can't say for sure how many HP I have gained, but I'd ballpark it at between 25-30. The auto seems to have a bit more of an increase with a CAI and tune compared to the manual transmission (so I've heard). I can smoke the tires with ease in the automatic, which is fun too!

MM&FF's January issue came with a DVD where they added parts to a stock manual GT one at a time and dyno'd it each time. The HP gain with the C&L + 93 Race Tune with the Predator yielded a 14 HP gain (from 279 to 293).

 

i got the jlt and tune from brenspeed (brenspeed.com) and its amazing.

again, you pick 3 octanes and he sets it up for you. his site shows around 27-30 hp gains with a couple of the kits.

i have the 87 loaded right now.... wow. its a huge difference in the car. it totally feels like 30 hp to me, but its most likely not. i am going to fill up tomorrow and run a higher octane tune so i can see how much difference it makes.

the car even sounds different, the exhaust tone is different and louder and you can hear the intake suck air... its awesome.

the good part is even if you only want the 87 tune, you will have 2 higher tunes just in case!!!

 

I am somewhat cinfused by the tunes here. I think i want a jlt CAI but whats the difference in tunes and how do you know which ones to get?

 

whoever you buy the intake from will supply the tunes. you tell them what octane is available locally, around here we have 87-91-93 so thats what i got. my jlt came with the sct tuner. different packages have different tuners. all the sct is the hand held that downloads the tune to the car.

 

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/tec...ck_airbox.html

 

Just get a JLT intake and tune from Doug at Bamachips, install, and smile.

 

Great resource! I'd never read that before.

 

I have done a 87 before and after with the JLT and saw a honest 20 RWHP and 20 RWTQ. For 87 that's great.
You start to see the 25-30 with the 91 & 93 tunes.
Also note, this was a base SCT tune, I'm sure Doug andd Brent can get more.

Jay

 

I've been very happy with my Granatelli CAI. It didn't require a tune due to a MAF patch cable that adjusted things for the computer.

Sounds great, the throttle response improved, gas mileage improved slightly, and there was a definate boost in HP. Granatelli claims +25hp at the wheels. I don't know if that's true or not. I haven't dyno'd my car.

Here's a vendor link:

http://www.v8power.com/item--Granate...GMS410040.html

 

It always amazes me how some guys will want to spend money on mods and want to make more power but refuse to pay the extra couple cents for good gas...

There is no replacement for GOOD GAS. Your motor is just like your body in that it performs based on what you put in it.

Eat a lot of junk food and grease over time and see what happens. If you are getting ready to run a triathalon, you certainly wouldn't beef up for it by eating a dozen big macs right before the start.

If you can't afford good gas, then you shouldn't be spending your money on mods IMO. Performance & cheap gas have never gone together and never will.

 

I dont know about good gas, all an octane rating tells you is the rate at which it burns, the higher the rating the slower it burns, which true is essential depending on your mods but not neccesary if your running mild mods, Also higher octane fuels, contrary to popular beliefs has a tendency to leave more deposits behind because of the process that makes it burn slower.

So yes you can get more power out of higher octane, but is it really necessary all the time, especially since you can fit 3 tunes on a SCT, In my old stang just run my 87 tune until I wanted to head down to the track and reflash to 91(Cali sucks) and then switch it back when im done

 

You can use 87 octane with any CAI kit. Just don't bump up the spark tables and keep those values stock. The main thing you have to do is tweak the air transfer function to accomodate the change in airflow from the CAI kit. Everything else can remain the same to allow the use of 87 octane gas.

 

Nope,

 

is not directly connected then goes on to say that it prevents detonations


Detonation- Condition in which the fuel charge fires or burns to rapidly.Audible throgh the combustion chamber walls as a knicking sound.

so the higher the octane rating the more resistant it is to detonation, which is when fuel burns to rapidly. right out of my automotive txt book.

so I wasnt entirely accurate just getting my point across that octane rating has nothing to do with the quality of gas, yes its true it doesnt affect the way it burns, just when it burns, o.O

 

^^^ correct. Detonation is the #1 thing you want to avoid in your car.

There is no excuse that will justify the risk of crappy gas (even on cars that aren't heavily modded) as opposed to paying the extra couple cents.

Can you have a baby tune and 'can' you run crap gas - of course but why would you want to? Why wouldnt you instead want to have a "GOOD" tune and run good gas?

Yep - making the car slower by retarding the crap out of the timing to be able to run 87 octane is the way to go....NOT

 

I wouldn't use 87 octane with a stock tune. Get an 89 performance tune. You can get another two tunes with the cai so you may as well get an 89 Torque tune and a 91/93 tune as well. They can't do much with 87 tunes, and on hot days I could hear detonation at times with a totally stock car with 87 octane. Just get a setup from brenspeed/bamachips/tillmanspeed. There are 1.7 billion CAI threads on here, but don't bother with 87 stuff. If you do get a premium tune in the mix, you will eventually end up with it, there's no comparison. I'm so used to the 93R tune and I drive dozens of stock ones monthly at the dealer and can't believe the difference, the stock throttle feels like mud. If you are on a budget, just get the JLT CAI, there really is no performance difference(or none that make more power), its all about looks if you want to spend more money. Even if you drive a lot, the cost difference from premium to regular is a few cups of starbucks per month.

 

ah ah ah..... i run an 87 tune and it works great. runs a thousand times better than stock.

87 is what i usually buy, cause im cheap right now. i think it was worth it to get the 87 tune.