Nunja Business

Hey folks,

I have a very nice carbon fiber JLT CAI that I got for a screaming deal that I would really like to use. However, I cannot afford ~$400 right now for a tuner.

What adjustments would have to be made to the engine (idle, air/fuel, timing, etc.) to be able to put it on and use it? I have access to several good mechanics and could maybe get that done a LOT cheaper than buying a tuner right now.

The intake I have now is apparently a $99 fleaBay special that looks like two giant beer cans welded together. It sounds great and works fine (AFAIK) but I would really prefer to put the quality one to use.

blairnr67

Save up $400. Get a tune.

Nunja Business

Very easy to SAY "save up $400" but when you have mortgages, medical expenses, regular monthly bills and unforeseen expenses for more than one person, it is not so easy to DO.
I have already accepted that I will not be spending money on anything but fuel and maintenance till Summer.

Now, re-read my question and if you can answer it, please do.
I have already addressed the tuner aspect, that is NOT part of the question.

If my question were "Should I get a tuner?" your answer would have helped.

Anyone with actual answers?

tu3218

Is there a specific name of the cai or just JLT cai? I only ask because some require tunes and some don't. As long as it doesn't require a tune, you can put it on no problem.

Nunja Business

There is no "model #" or anything but JLT stamped into it, but it does require a tune since the guy I got from said it did (he got it with a SCT tuner I believe.

It is a very nice one - real carbon fiber, not just a pattern - with the huge, oiled cleanable filter. I understand that they are no longer made in real CF like this, if that helps.

It looks exactly like this one: http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/ite...sp?T1=JLT17+01

stupidgenius36

You're not gonna get the answer that you want, but I think you already know that...

Agent MOO

Do we have those settings for your exact setup? No.

The tuners who have done the research and dyno pulls on all the different combinations to get those numbers don't give their tunes out for free. Unless your mechanic buddies will put in a wideband o2 sensor and do that trial and error on a dyno and can program your car reliably I'd stick with the no-tune required intake you have on now for $0.

blairnr67

All I'm saying is, wait. You already have the CAI. You've been driving with with your current setup for how long now? Maybe putting the CAI on can wait for the tuner. Summer isn't that far away.

dly

Heres your answer NO it will not work. If you put it on your car it will run like crap. And also No, your good Mechanics will have no idea on how to set A/F flow and others things without a dyno and other expensive gauges to mearsure your engines proformance.
Stick with your present setup and perhaps sell your new CAI kit to help pay for your bills.

Nunja Business

Yeah, I wasn't looking for the actual settings (ie numbers/values) for those things. Just WHICH settings, like I listed in the original post: idle/timing, etc.

The number of people here who would actually know that kind of info would be a very small number I am sure, since pretty much everybody here is "plug and play" with the electronic tuners.
And I am not so stupid as to think the guys at AM would just hand out the details on a Bama tune, for example. Because then they would not be able to charge $50-100 each for them.

My guys have access to a dyno, so I know THEY will know. I was just trying to get an idea of what to expect, whether it will be a large or small job.
Since adding the CAI is really just changing the amount and rate of air fed through the throttle body, I am hoping there are only a couple of adjustments.

Guess I will just stick with the easier stuff like "should I bolt on this or that part" kind of stuff.

karman

NO
Do not get a tuner.
Do not put on the JLT.
DO NOT PASS GO.

You should sell the car because you if you cannot save up $400 in 4 weeks you cannot afford it.
What the heck happens if you blow a tire or bend a rim?
This is not a slam or a joke. This is the real world.
Sorry.

Nunja Business

WTF kind of a d-bag flame-baiting post is that?

I posted a reasonable TECH question in a supposedly TECH forum for GT Performance and I got smartass replies of which, NONE actually address the question I asked.
Nowhere did I say I am broke or working paycheck-to-paycheck like some of the kids here. Nor is this my first Mustang or muscle car. Far from it.
I am a grown man with a family (grandchildren too,) savings, a 401K, and securities. I also own a home with acreage, a Class A Motorhome, tractor, golf cart and three other vehicles - all of which get routine maintenance and repairs as needed.

Maybe I shouldn't have used the word "afford" in my original post. How about if I had said "justify" instead? I can absolutely AFFORD to buy the damned tuner.
I can AFFORD to buy a frickin' overpriced supercharger and slap that in too if I wanted to. Throwing money at something is easy. Having an active part in it is also worth something.
I could also have simply paid a contractor to remodel my wife's bathroom for me but I didn't. The payoff for that is multiple and not just in money.

That is not the point. I am looking for a way to accomplish what I want and use what I already have easily without spending too much of my hard-earned $$.
Isn't that the main point of this forum? I see posts from guys who have a body part from a different car they want to stick on theirs and people fall all over themselves with advice on how to jury-rig it and make it fit.
I thought I had joined an enthusiast site with members dedicated to helping each other with their Mustangs.
I had kind of hoped that I would get a straight answer like "Yeah, they will have to adjust the idle air and dwell" and so forth. Not dismissive and simplistic rants like the above.

And Karman - as for the "real world," I would wager that I have been making a living and buying, driving and upgrading cars for longer than many here have been alive.

StupidGenius - you were SO right!

tu3218

Yeah, I would just slowly save up for a tuner from AM. Tunes for life man. Plus they are really safe and great customer service. Orrr, sell the CAI and buy a tuner. I bought a tuner first and it was great. Had a noticeable difference in power and gas mileage. Then I later got a CAI and reaped the benefits even more. But even if was a non-tune required CAI, you still wouldn't see any improvements. I would set aside money whenever you can. Its definitely worth it! Plus with the tuner you can make stock backups in case you need to go back(emissions if you have them). Not sure if your buddies shop are capable of such a thing.

MorePowerTuning

The specific change needed is the Mass Air Flow Sensor #/min in relation to Voltage/AD counts needs to be increased to account for the increased diameter of the JLT housing the maf sensor sits in.

That change is done within the remap of the tune file. Without a tune, it will run drastically lean and very poorly if at all.

karman

No offense meant.
I think I got you to tell what your real world is, didn't I?
.

Cavero

You need the tune if the diameter of the intake tube at the MAF is different from stock. If you try to drive with it without a tune, not only is it going to run like crap like these guys have said, but you'll probably trip the limp home mode (wrench icon on the dash) which'll disable 4 cylinders, run like absolute feces, and you can only do 50mph.

Most of the improvement people get (especially with normal around-town driving) from a CAI+tune combo is actually from the tune. I could sit you my car with my stock airbox and the 89 (BTW, that's 89 for 89 octane and so on) performance tune, then change it to my CAI with the 91 tune and I bet you would barely notice the difference in how it feels (yeah the 91+CAI is definitely faster but not immensely so). Both tunes were pre-built by TillmanSpeed (not dyno runs --my 93 dyno run is a LOT better than the 91 or 89). A tune will make a ton of difference with how the engine behaves vs stock. A lot less lethargic.

LordBritish

I got SCT Tuner from eBay for a really good price.

You don't have to buy new.

They can email the tune to you.

Flagstang

it will not work

t-fatty

Love this thread. Gotta pay to play, bottom line.

Nunja Business

Finally, someone read the actual question and answered it!

Thank you so much for doing that. I was beginning to think that I was in the wrong place.
I am definitely of the mind that a conventional remap on a dyno is the answer for me. I can certainly get it done for less than a Tuner and tunes.
I am not likely going to track this thing and I am really only looking for a better overall performance curve using regular fuel with the CAI.
I don't need to change the tune so I can run high octane for a weekend of racing or anything. Daily driver is the focus.

Again, thank you MPT for a precise and direct answer.

The rest of you ... well, thanks for the entertainment.