how good is the factory cold air intake? i heard for stated that it was as good as any aftermarket intake, what are the opinions on here about it? am i better off just dropping in a K&N filter and getting a tune or is an aftermarket one the way to go? thanks for the help in advance.

 

On the GT, a good aftermarket CAI will greatly outflow the stock airbox.

The Steeda one keeps the oem style scoop that draws air from the grille/bumper area which in my opinion makes it better than most of the rest out there.

#2 on my list is the C&L and it would be #1 if it had the air scoop like the Steeda.

 

JLT is giving the most power and has the air duct like the Steeda.

 

both of these require a tune im sure. is the tuner cai package deal from american muscle a good deal to you guys? sorry about the noob questions I have been dealing with pushrod mustangs for years and know virtually nothing about these mod motor cars never mind s197 3V cars.

 

JLT plus 93 tune will give you 25-30rwhp. AM with its Bama tunes are good as is Brenspeed. Also give a look at VMP. Very good tuner and good packages.

 

C&L has a 'no tune' c.a.i. They found with a tune you will only get 3 or 4 more horsepower. It also uses the factory air duct.

 

Is it just about peak power or is it also about driveability, horseower and torque through the curve, throttle response, gas mileage, etc. We can get rid of all the driveability quirks from the factory including throttle hang, drive-by-wire delay, etc.

On top of that, we get rid of alot of unnecessary adders/subtracters that allow the whole PCM to operate smoother and give exact timing/vct/fueling results as we command, without too much interference from other sensors modifying our request.

 

Yeah, that throttle hang or lag or whatever you call it is really annoying . . . how do you learn to do a proper "throttle blip" when the engine responds 5 seconds after you blip your foot? (maybe a slight exaggeration there, but improved throttle response is the #1 reason I'll be getting a tune when the budget allows)

I have the Roush CAI in my 2010, the one that does not require a tune . . . I bought the car used and it came with that CAI, so I don't know how big a difference it made, but my guess it that it was very small. Roush claims 10 HP but, since the air flow difference is so small that is doesn't even need a tune, I doubt it did that much.