Cold Air Intake Debate
6/22/12, 03:54 PM
#41
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Unless you like it for the looks and perhaps the sound, I don't think a CAI is money well spent. Will you get 5 or 10 hp out of it? Maybe, but the stock setup is pretty good. That's just my opinion. I dynoed 401 rwhp and 389 ft/lbs with just a tune and that pleased me just fine.
6/22/12, 07:53 PM
#45
I'm not sure about HP gains but I got SCT tuner a month ago and JLT CAI 2 weeks ago. With tuner alone It did feel more powerful but lost 1 MPG after adding Cold Air power seemed same but gained 4 MPG
6/22/12, 07:57 PM
#46
Currently a Corvette Owner!
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6/24/12, 06:05 PM
#47
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Originally Posted by AMDanBailer
This is just a recommendation! I think that no matter what kit you go with, you will be very satisfied.
So hell yes Cold Air Intakes do a lot for a 12 GT !
I hope this helps! Hit me up if you have any questions.
- Dan
6/25/12, 05:32 PM
#48
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Unless you like it for the looks and perhaps the sound, I don't think a CAI is money well spent. Will you get 5 or 10 hp out of it? Maybe, but the stock setup is pretty good. That's just my opinion. I dynoed 401 rwhp and 389 ft/lbs with just a tune and that pleased me just fine.
6/26/12, 08:13 AM
#49
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My '11 GT has just an SCT with canned 91 octane tune, FRPP mufflers, and a K&N panel filter in the stock airbox. No CAI on my car as I consider them a waste of money, even though they look nice. My car put 409 rwhp and 382 rwtq down on a Mustang Dyno (SAE corrected #'s). It also trapped over 117 mph in the 1/4 mile recently at Bremerton Raceway near Seattle.
6/26/12, 09:20 PM
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Originally Posted by RedCandy5.0
You will gain on the dyno 10-15rwhp. The thing is they are running this with the hood open and high velocity fans. The true test is at the track were it has been proven no gain to minimal gain over stock box.
6/28/12, 09:42 AM
#54
WscottW,
Thanks for the feedback and support. Glad you are enjoying the Steeda CAI and Tune. If anyone is interested in forum pricing on the CAI/Tune, please PM or call!!!
We can get you the same positive feeback as WscottW.
Best Regards,
TJ
Thanks for the feedback and support. Glad you are enjoying the Steeda CAI and Tune. If anyone is interested in forum pricing on the CAI/Tune, please PM or call!!!
We can get you the same positive feeback as WscottW.
Best Regards,
TJ
6/28/12, 04:34 PM
#55
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With all of the test data that has been published on the effectiveness of upgrade air intake assemblies on these vehicles, it is hard to understand why anyone would question whether or not they produce more power, or are worth consideration.
As the American Muscle representative has said before, pretty much ANY of the aftermarket air intake upgrades will add a minimum of 11 rear wheel horsepower, and in some cases a few more horsepower. You will certainly NOT see gains much higher than 14 or 15 HP over the stock assembly on a basically stock or mildly modified vehicle. We have received word from Jake Lamotta at Lamotta's Performance in Florida that he saw gains that were in excess of what we would "expect" when installing one of our "no tune required" air intake assemblies on a 2012 "Boss" running the "track key" calibration. If you want the particulars, I am sure that he would share them with you over the telephone.
The factory stock air intake assembly that comes on the 2011+ Mustang GT flows 748 CFM. While this compares "favorably" to the stock air intake that was used on the 2005-2009 GT's, which flowed "only" 550 CFM, it still pales in comparison to the vast majority of upgrade air intake assemblies that were sold for the 2005-2009 models. Even the better designed "no tune required" air intakes produced for the 2005-2009 3V models flow substantially better than the factory 2011+ air intake assembly. Even though the 3V engine makes at least 110 LESS rear wheel horsepower than the Coyote models, clear gains are well accepted for these 3V cars even when they are totally stock otherwise.
One thing that can not be emphasized ENOUGH is the fact that the SIZE of the air intake assembly has very little to do with it's total flow capacity and performance. It is the DESIGN of the system that dictates the total airflow. The factory stock mass airflow diameter as molded into the factory box is 86mm, and yet our "no tune" assembly manages to flow a full 1,096 CFM (as compared to the stock 748 CFM) while still sending the same signal to the computer at a given airflow rate (the calibration data is on our website). In addition, this greater flow capacity is achieved with a mass airflow diameter that is very comparable to the air meter housing that is molded into the factory airbox assembly. Going up to our "tune required" kit nets an airflow increase of "only" one and a half percent (1,111 CFM) over the "no tune required" kit. This is because as the air meter diameter gets bigger, there is a diminishing increase in flow capacity, due to the fact that no matter HOW big the MAF section is, the throttle body opening is only 3.5" in diameter (roughly 85mm). Additionally, if you increase the mass airflow diameter "too much", the signal to the computer becomes unstable, resulting in issues at low RPM as mentioned above by a previous poster. On another forum, member "Kdanner" has wrote about this extensively and has provided actual datalogs to show what happens to the quality of the mass airflow signal as a results of this.
At this point, American Muscle is the ONLY company to have dyno comparison tested ALL of the aftermarket air intake assemblies available for these vehicles. The information is readily available on their website. The took the "Top 4 performing" units tested and made install and test videos for each which clearly presents the results. All of the systems were tested on the same vehicle, on the same dyno and tuned to the same timing level and air/fuel ratio. All you have to do is watch the videos that are on each respective product page and take notes. This will show you how the top performing units "stack up". It is important to note that when watching these tests, one should be mindful of the following:
1. The vehicle tested is an automatic. This fact alone makes the numbers roughly 20 HP lower than what you would see from a manual transmission equipped vehicle.
2. The dyno used is NOT a Dynojet running with an SAE correction factor. This dyno tends to read a little lower than a Dynojet model (roughly 10 HP less in this particular case). All numbers, both before and after, will be a little lower than what you would expect to see from an automatic model on a Dynojet running an SAE correction factor.
3. The peak torque numbers among "all" units are directly comparable because of the fact that at the RPM that the torque peaks, the engine is not making enough horsepower for there to be a clear difference among the different units. All of them are capable of supporting the maximum amount of horsepower that the engine can produce at that (midrange) RPM level.
4. The "incredibly high" peak HP and torque gains reported at the end of the videos have absolutely NOTHING to do with the air intakes being tested. This is due to the fact that the factory stock tune lowers/retards the timing down by 5 full degrees in the midrange RPM. When tuned, those 5 degrees are added back into the engine through the tune IN ADDITION to the other timing increases that occur within the other RPM ranges above and below where these peak numbers are measured. It is not unrealistic for 9 to 10 degrees to be added in the midrange due to this. The "big midrange bump" that is shown is a function of this, as the RPM point at which it occurs is below the level at which any of the air intakes could influence the HP level as compared to any of the others. Adjustment of the air/fuel ratio may also have some influence, but these high peak gains are largely due to the timing increases realized through the tuning.
Hope that you find this information helpful...
As the American Muscle representative has said before, pretty much ANY of the aftermarket air intake upgrades will add a minimum of 11 rear wheel horsepower, and in some cases a few more horsepower. You will certainly NOT see gains much higher than 14 or 15 HP over the stock assembly on a basically stock or mildly modified vehicle. We have received word from Jake Lamotta at Lamotta's Performance in Florida that he saw gains that were in excess of what we would "expect" when installing one of our "no tune required" air intake assemblies on a 2012 "Boss" running the "track key" calibration. If you want the particulars, I am sure that he would share them with you over the telephone.
The factory stock air intake assembly that comes on the 2011+ Mustang GT flows 748 CFM. While this compares "favorably" to the stock air intake that was used on the 2005-2009 GT's, which flowed "only" 550 CFM, it still pales in comparison to the vast majority of upgrade air intake assemblies that were sold for the 2005-2009 models. Even the better designed "no tune required" air intakes produced for the 2005-2009 3V models flow substantially better than the factory 2011+ air intake assembly. Even though the 3V engine makes at least 110 LESS rear wheel horsepower than the Coyote models, clear gains are well accepted for these 3V cars even when they are totally stock otherwise.
One thing that can not be emphasized ENOUGH is the fact that the SIZE of the air intake assembly has very little to do with it's total flow capacity and performance. It is the DESIGN of the system that dictates the total airflow. The factory stock mass airflow diameter as molded into the factory box is 86mm, and yet our "no tune" assembly manages to flow a full 1,096 CFM (as compared to the stock 748 CFM) while still sending the same signal to the computer at a given airflow rate (the calibration data is on our website). In addition, this greater flow capacity is achieved with a mass airflow diameter that is very comparable to the air meter housing that is molded into the factory airbox assembly. Going up to our "tune required" kit nets an airflow increase of "only" one and a half percent (1,111 CFM) over the "no tune required" kit. This is because as the air meter diameter gets bigger, there is a diminishing increase in flow capacity, due to the fact that no matter HOW big the MAF section is, the throttle body opening is only 3.5" in diameter (roughly 85mm). Additionally, if you increase the mass airflow diameter "too much", the signal to the computer becomes unstable, resulting in issues at low RPM as mentioned above by a previous poster. On another forum, member "Kdanner" has wrote about this extensively and has provided actual datalogs to show what happens to the quality of the mass airflow signal as a results of this.
At this point, American Muscle is the ONLY company to have dyno comparison tested ALL of the aftermarket air intake assemblies available for these vehicles. The information is readily available on their website. The took the "Top 4 performing" units tested and made install and test videos for each which clearly presents the results. All of the systems were tested on the same vehicle, on the same dyno and tuned to the same timing level and air/fuel ratio. All you have to do is watch the videos that are on each respective product page and take notes. This will show you how the top performing units "stack up". It is important to note that when watching these tests, one should be mindful of the following:
1. The vehicle tested is an automatic. This fact alone makes the numbers roughly 20 HP lower than what you would see from a manual transmission equipped vehicle.
2. The dyno used is NOT a Dynojet running with an SAE correction factor. This dyno tends to read a little lower than a Dynojet model (roughly 10 HP less in this particular case). All numbers, both before and after, will be a little lower than what you would expect to see from an automatic model on a Dynojet running an SAE correction factor.
3. The peak torque numbers among "all" units are directly comparable because of the fact that at the RPM that the torque peaks, the engine is not making enough horsepower for there to be a clear difference among the different units. All of them are capable of supporting the maximum amount of horsepower that the engine can produce at that (midrange) RPM level.
4. The "incredibly high" peak HP and torque gains reported at the end of the videos have absolutely NOTHING to do with the air intakes being tested. This is due to the fact that the factory stock tune lowers/retards the timing down by 5 full degrees in the midrange RPM. When tuned, those 5 degrees are added back into the engine through the tune IN ADDITION to the other timing increases that occur within the other RPM ranges above and below where these peak numbers are measured. It is not unrealistic for 9 to 10 degrees to be added in the midrange due to this. The "big midrange bump" that is shown is a function of this, as the RPM point at which it occurs is below the level at which any of the air intakes could influence the HP level as compared to any of the others. Adjustment of the air/fuel ratio may also have some influence, but these high peak gains are largely due to the timing increases realized through the tuning.
Hope that you find this information helpful...
Last edited by Tech@C&L; 6/28/12 at 04:39 PM.
7/3/12, 03:29 PM
#56
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^^^ Great Information.
Having read all of it, the power is gained from the tune. You do receive some power from the CAI, but you need to decide if that power is worth the price. I for one have just modified my factory intake to work with a C&L cone filter and MAF sensor housing.
In my opinion, $400 for 5-8 hp isn't worth it, but it does look a lot better under the hood.
Having read all of it, the power is gained from the tune. You do receive some power from the CAI, but you need to decide if that power is worth the price. I for one have just modified my factory intake to work with a C&L cone filter and MAF sensor housing.
In my opinion, $400 for 5-8 hp isn't worth it, but it does look a lot better under the hood.
7/4/12, 12:15 AM
#58
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+1 and amen! I've run up against a lot of 5.0's at our local tracks this season that have aftermarket CAI's & tunes and I'm consistently trapping 3-5 mph higher than them with my SCT tune & factory airbox. That proves to me that I'm getting more power to the ground.
7/4/12, 07:41 AM
#59
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Originally Posted by Five Oh Brian
+1 and amen! I've run up against a lot of 5.0's at our local tracks this season that have aftermarket CAI's & tunes and I'm consistently trapping 3-5 mph higher than them with my SCT tune & factory airbox. That proves to me that I'm getting more power to the ground.
7/6/12, 10:57 AM
#60
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Well I ordered the Steeda Instake and SCT Tuner from AM. I have not installed it on my car yet and Ive had it for 2 weeks now. This heat is just making me want to stay indoors all day. Hell I cant even enjoy the pool since it reads 92 degrees.
Maybe if the weather breaks on Sunday I will get my chance to install it and feel the differance for myself.
Maybe if the weather breaks on Sunday I will get my chance to install it and feel the differance for myself.