My first post here at this great web site.
I just ordered a new K/N air filter for my new 2005 mustang.
Will I need to have a tune done for this change? This is the only change I will be doing to this great car. Just wanted to make sure that this wouldn't make the car run to lean.
All I want is for the filter to clean the air better than the stock filter and maybe give a bit better MPG. I do have an Automatic if that makes any difference.

 

You can just drop it in and go, but for the best performance you should get a tune. Mine is the same as yours and automatic and I installed a K&N filter and after about 150 miles the check engine light went on. Not sure if it had anything to do with the filter or not, so I took it back to the dealer and they reflashed the computer with an updated program and it has been good ever since. After a 2 week period of having the filter installed I noticed a gradual loss of performance and a loss in fuel mileage and this lasted about another 2 weeks and then it went back to the way it was when I first installed it. Im guessing the computer was learning and adjusting, but it is good now and im doing a tune in the next few weeks just to be sure. You can feel a difference with the filter, it is a good product and every car is different. So maybe yours will be different......Good luck!

 

And welcome to the forum John, what color did you get?

 

I did the same, and I lost my hydrocarbon trap as well. I've lost gas mileage, haven't yet gained it back. It sounds nice though

If you leave your trap in, I think you'd be less inclined to "needing" a tune. But so far history has shown us that the computer in this car is very sensitive, so if you want to get the MOST out of ANY mods, a tune is in your future.

I haven't had one done yet, but it is going to be the next mod I do to my car for sure.

 

John, I was wondering the same as you.
That might be my first Mod also.
Sixtysix, you may want to get a tune soon. I hear the car runs too lean without the HC trap.
LilHog, I also have a WV Blue Auto. Everyone loves this color.

 

SC67Stang

How would losing the hc trap cause the car to run lean? I do not believe it.

 

Well if it is, it's nowhere near enough to cause any damage, so I'll wait till I have some fundage again before I get my Diablo

 

This is a stupid question, but what is this tune and where do you get it? I put my K&N in today, and immediatley noticed a drop in MPG. It slowly crept up, but nowhere near where it was-went from 19-20 to 16.

 

When we refer to a tune, we're talking about getting a device that has the ability to load different engine managment parameters. 2 company's offer such devices. SCT (Superchips Tuning) and Diablosport (The Diablo Predator).

This motor and engine managment system has been found to be extremely sensitive to change, and you just experienced it.

Goodbye to the good ole days when you'd "tune" your car by ear while turning the distributor.... yeah the distributor, another piece of automotive history these days!

Do a search in this forum on "tuning" and you should find plenty of threads on the details of the SCT tuner. The Diablo was just "pre-released" and only one guy on this board has one that I know of.

 

The current issue of 5.0 Mustang ran the car on the dyno before and after H.C. trap removal that showed a drop in HP, they got a nice gain after flashing the computer with HC removal. On the K&N filter issue:-

Is it true that the computer on the 05' Mustang must be re-flashed to
benefit from the installation of a K&N filter?

Thank you for your interest in K&N products. This is not
true. The filters are designed to work in stock applications with no
need to alter the base parameters of the ECU map.



Thank you,

Leon S. Collins

K&N Technical Support

 

Sorry, but just because it comes from K&N doesn't mean it's right.

Here's the real world:

I'm not the only one to notice that my gas milage has dropped since the K&N install.

Under any other circumstances changing to a K&N filter should increase your milage by a couple of MPG. Not decrease it by the same amount.

That alone tells me that a tune IS neccesary to get the "full benefit".

Leave it as is and you get NO BENEFIT, other than a nice little growl, and the loss of a couple MPG...Oh that's not a benefit

On the HC Trap removal, well we've all seen right here contradicting info. We've seen as much as a 7hp gain according to someone else's dyno. Now I don't believe either of them to be absolutely correct.

Reality lies somewhere in between, meaning there really isn't all that much to it, +/- a couple of horsepower don't mean shizz. I'm also very skeptical about how much restriction is taking place by the HC Trap anyway. Look at the thing from a cross-section, and I fail to see a "huge" restriction

 

[quote=SixtySix,February 14, 2005, 10:11 AM]
On the HC Trap removal, well we've all seen right here contradicting info. We've seen as much as a 7hp gain according to someone else's dyno. Now I don't believe either of them to be absolutely correct.

In the 5.0 article, there was an initial gain of about 5hp @ 2200 rpm and then it slowly declined. Peak HP was down by 2hp. Just sharing info, each car my react in a slightly different way depending on varying circumstances.

 

Exactly!

 

yes

 

Well, I was going to buy a KN, but now I think I'll get my KN as part of my C&L CAI kit. That will mean a tune of course....Boy does this all stink or what? Ford maximized this car pretty well before we even bought them, I guess that is a good thing....

 

Yeah, after digesting all this info on tuning and the 05', I figured a $50 experiment was worth finding out for myself what the deal is.

Conclusion:

Tune it!

At least buying a tuner isn't a one shot deal. It's something we're all going to need and reuse over and over again as we do mods to our cars. So from that aspect, it's money well spent.

 

Thanks, I had read everyone's experiences with the K&N filter and was secretly hoping that I could be one of the lucky ones that saw improved MPG. I had to argue with him over not taking out the HC trap; he found it and wanted to take it out when I put the filter in. As it turned out it I guess it wouldn't have mattered either way.

I'll gather my info on the tuner and see about getting one when I get my exhaust installed.

Thanks again.

 

Thanks, I had read everyone's experiences with the K&N filter and was secretly hoping that I could be one of the lucky ones that saw improved MPG. I had to argue with him over not taking out the HC trap; he found it and wanted to take it out when I put the filter in. As it turned out it I guess it wouldn't have mattered either way.

I'll gather my info on the tuner and see about getting one when I get my exhaust installed.

Thanks again.
[/b][/quote]

I put my HC trap and stock filter back in last week. I feel that the car is performing better especially when it comes to acceleration. The only non-stock item is the Bassani exhaust.

 

Hey Guy's, Installing a K&N in the 2005 V6 should not need a "Tune" should it? And yes I know that it will not make much difference, but I wanted to try it anyway! I plan to change the muffler soon also.

 

I INSTALLED A STEEDA MASS AIR FILTER KIT AND MAC EXHAUST MUFFLERS...

THE DIFFERENCE IS INCREDIBLE, EVEN WITHOUT A TUNE...

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON"...

I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO GET THE DIABLO FOR THAT SUPER TUNE NOW...

BY THE WAY, THE SOUND IS AAAAASSSSSSSUMMMMMEEEEEEE...

TURN HEADS LIKE CLOCKS!!!

DD