So you've gone back to stock tune and changed to airaid, what differences have to noticed if any? If I read your sig right you only other performance mod is the hpipes, yes? I ask cause mine is bone stock and I want a little more power without even worse mileage, and I'd like to tighten the shift points on the auto....cant decide on a tune, why are you anti-mailorder tune now?

 

I changed back to stock for the time being, not because I'm against or anti mail order tunes, it's just my personal preference that every car responds to tuning differently even if their similar cars and I've also read posts in which the air/fuel mixtures were off to the point where they were running too lean...

Now of course I can always take my car to a shop and have the air/fuel checked and have it adjusted, but if you're going to go through the trouble and expense of having a local tuner adjust somebody's mail order tunes then you might as well just have your car dyno tuned and know that it's tuned right for your car the first time...

What I really like about the Airaid CAI is you have the option to run the stock calibration and even with the non-tune insert, your engine is breathing much easier and doesn't work nearly as hard and then when you're ready to do mod upgrades, you simply remove the non-tune insert, get yourself a custom tune and you'll have more than enough airflow to support your mods, as once you remove the non-tune insert, the Airaid becomes a 100mm MAF housing built inside the intake tube..

As for what differences? Well so far, I've noticed better throttle response in the low to mid RPM ranges and my gas milage also seem a little better as well, but I am also running 87 octanes right now so I'm sure that you'll see better performance if you run 91+ octane instead...

For now, my main concern is that my car's engine is able to breathe easier with just the stock calibration and then when I'm financially able to afford getting my car custom dyno tuned, I'll be able to do so without having to purchase a different CAI...

Other than that, my only other upgrades are Pypes axle back mufflers and Steeda underdrive pulleys, as my H-pipe is factory stock...

Now if you're definitely going with mail order tuning? My first choice would be Doug from C&L, as I ran his 93-octane torque and race tunes for over 4 years when I was still running 93 octanes in my car, and this was also before he sold Bama to American Muscle 2 years ago but since then I've been running 87 octane fuel, as I won't pay over $4.00 + per gal for 93 octane...

My second choice would be Brenspeed, as they've been in the tuning business for quite some time now!

And then of course, there's also American Muscle/Bama...

 

Thanks for that
I like the same model specifically because it has the insert option, and it's the only one I've seen in the 300 price range that offers it also. And your point about lean mixture is spot on, I am down to the Airaid or the BBK. The BBK I almost bought at AM claims no tune needed, but almost everybody ends up with the idiot light on after install because of that very thing, fuel is to lean, sending me back to Airaid

I'm going the same way tune wise, I'm just having a hard time finding a good dyno and in the mean time I'm learning all I can on the do-it yourself stuff. Does the mailorder (I've never used) tuner allow you to change/modify the 87 tune itself? Im not paying for 93 either for a daily driver, but best of both worlds would be a 87 or 89 tune that let me set shift points, air/fuel mixture, etc

You happy with the pypes? I get a lot of recommends for FM Am Thunder but I think there is too much drone on them, I really like the Borlas but they aint cheap!

 

Other than Airaid, C&L also offers a non tune insert on their street intake kit, but for me personally, I prefer the fit and finish of the Airaid better..

As for the BBK ? it may be fine for those who just want to run a cold air intake, but your not really going to notice much improvement over stock unless you have it tuned and even then I wouldn't expect anything worthwhile from it, as rather than include a non-tune insert in a larger tube, they actually shrink the MAF size portion of their inlet tube smaller than your stock airbox in order to function properly without having to re-flash your ECM..

But another downside is once you decide to do future upgrades, you won't have enough airflow to support them because of it's smaller size..

On the other hand, since I've been running my Airaid for the past 3 days, there have been no check engine lights whatsoever and everything has been running fine with the non-tune insert so far..

To answer your question about modifying your tunes with a hand held tuner ? Yes both SCT and Diablosport allow the end user to change shift points, gear changes and adjust your timing, spark and fuel parameters, but unless you know exactly what your doing especially when it comes to adding spark that directly affect your air/fuel ect, I would seek the advice of an experienced tuner first..

As for my Pypes axle backs ? I really like them, but it at first it took awhile in getting used to the drone, but it's not really that bad once your above 2000 RPM at crusing speeds.. I also considered Borla stingers and MAC but they were both too expensive and wanted something inexpensive in polished 304 grade stainless steel, so in the end, I decided to go with my Pypes axle backs..

In the meantime, I'm really pleased that I'm able to help, and although I've been on this site for 7 years now, I've always continued seeking the advice from those who have more experience than myself and to be totally honest with you, before joining this site, I knew very little about modern computer controlled modules, processors ect and still continue to learn more and more about our cars even to this very day..

With that being said, that's what I truly value about TMS more than anything else