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Steeda CAI + Tune? + Kooks nocats

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Sesshomurai

Hi,
New to this part. Before I make any drastic power boosting upgrades to the motor (which I have mixed emotions on) I want to try some bolt on options. I intend to go American Iron Extreme with my boss and am working my way through the NASA ranks now.

The Steeda CAI I hear can add as much as 35 rwhp?
The Kooks longtube full exhaust no cat, h-pipe getup also adds some HP (Don't have the numbers handy at this moment, but I have them).

Cooltech says the Kooks will trigger the O2 sensor and CEL, which I'm fine with. I have bluetooth ODB2 and android apps to pull the codes and double check any other issues.

So what should I know before venturing into this? Will the CAI and exhaust have a cumulative HP effect? Or will the exhaust HP gain muffle out some of the CAI gains?

thanks for any tips. I've been researching past posts on this some as well.
 

Justin

Save the dawn for your dishes!!!
A steeda CAI will require a tune. So if you have a tuner from doing this you will be able to have the tuner disable the cel from showing up if you install the headers.

The two together will compliment each other. But you cant just take what the claimed hp gain is and add them together and expect to gain that. From most of what I have seen and read the gain with the two on GT's is around 40ish combined sometimes more sometimes less. Expect a little more on a boss.

I will be going with the kooks longtube system with the h-pipe that retains the boss side pipes. I have the Steeda CAI and AED tune on my car. I dont have a before power number on boss but uncorrected, running E85, on a very conserviative timing and fuel curve was 423RWHP and 372RWTQ SAE corrected 404/355. I will be heading back after I get the final revision on the tune and see what it makes then. The dyno I went to is known to read much lower than other dyno jets so take that for what its worth. Wish I had a base line from that dyno.
 

Sesshomurai

Thanks Justin. Sounds like we'll have similar system in the end. The kook system seems to add HP across full RPM band. I'm not sure where the CAI hp kicks in, but combined the two might add a good amount and help the coyote breath better for future HP adders.
 

Dig-It

Kevin
237
8
VA
Road Runner, Darren, not a Coyote. That's in the Mustang GT. You've got a Road Runner in that beast! ;)

Let us know what you get out of the combination you're looking at.

Kevin
 

Sesshomurai

Dig-It said:
Road Runner, Darren, not a Coyote. That's in the Mustang GT. You've got a Road Runner in that beast! ;)

Let us know what you get out of the combination you're looking at.

Kevin

Ahhh ok. I get my nicknames mixed up! Thanks Kev.

btw, just got back from VIR and ran a 2:25 on street tires (Full course). I only have 10 track days so far, but I expect to get down into the teens on VIR full early next season and beyond.
 

SteedaBrandon

darreng505 said:
Hi,
New to this part. Before I make any drastic power boosting upgrades to the motor (which I have mixed emotions on) I want to try some bolt on options. I intend to go American Iron Extreme with my boss and am working my way through the NASA ranks now.

The Steeda CAI I hear can add as much as 35 rwhp?
The Kooks longtube full exhaust no cat, h-pipe getup also adds some HP (Don't have the numbers handy at this moment, but I have them).

Cooltech says the Kooks will trigger the O2 sensor and CEL, which I'm fine with. I have bluetooth ODB2 and android apps to pull the codes and double check any other issues.

So what should I know before venturing into this? Will the CAI and exhaust have a cumulative HP effect? Or will the exhaust HP gain muffle out some of the CAI gains?

thanks for any tips. I've been researching past posts on this some as well.
Let me know if I can help you with the CAI and headers. We carry the Kooks headers as well. I can setup a package deal for you. :)
 

ufnavy06

Some say he has a tattoo of his face on his face.
I have the Kooks H-pipe arriving tomorrow but I would still need the headers. What's Steeda got the headers going for?
 

pufferfish

Supporting Vendor
1,094
66
Maryland
At the strip, I picked up 4mph with a CAI and tune on my GT. another 1mph with long tubes. Long tubes cost a lot and are hell to put in for 1 mph...and dealing with the CEL sucks. Also, I was pushing 145 on the straight and 1:27 laps at summit before the headers and nothing changed after. On the plus side, the car sounds fantastic now!

Oh, and the whistle is just part of having a CAI. Get used to it.
 

Sesshomurai

Justin said:
I need help with my CAI....it whistles at part throttle and everyday that goes by I get more and more tired of hearing it.

Justin. Just read this somewhere else[1], maybe it's related to the whistle or squeaking?

Take care to keep the rubber stoppers that are on the bottom of the airbox, as you will need those to keep the Steeda CAI from squeaking.

[1] http://www.stangtv.com/tech-stories/engine/let-it-breathe-2012-boss-302-intake-and-exhaust-install/
 

Justin

Save the dawn for your dishes!!!
I have plenty of other CAI in the past and none whistle like this. My cousins auto 11 GT with the orginal steeda CAI doesnt whistle nor does my friends 12 GT manual either. Just wondering if its boss CAI specfic.
 

Sesshomurai

I haven't done the CAI mod yet, but planning on the steeda. A wild guess to the whistle is that its air passing through a slit or tiny opening somewhere.
Could there be a leak or tiny fracture somewhere that's hard to see? Or an easy way to test for an air leak? I don't know diddly about CAI's yet, so if I sound dumb, that's why.
 

Sesshomurai

Yeah, after more research it seems normal and common, but can see it getting annoying. Maybe they will come out with a CAI "whistle delete" option later...
 

SteedaBrandon

ufnavy06 said:
I have the Kooks H-pipe arriving tomorrow but I would still need the headers. What's Steeda got the headers going for?
$1,027.28, let me know if I can help you with those!
http://www.steeda.com/store/kooks-long-tube-headers-for-2011-and-up-ford-mustang.html


Justin, I think you are the same one that I replied to on TMS about this right?
 

Sesshomurai

ill be getting the complete kooks exhaust too but also the rather rare kooks boss side pipes too.
 
Those of you going to the track one day or another will likely run into a Ford engineer or two and then you can get the straight skinney on the CAI. Ford spent a lot of time with the OEM CAI and airbox - had considerable experience from the past and current GT500's etc. and every one of the engineers will tell you that a CAI will NOT yield you any power benefits. A new radio antenna + tune will give power benefits.... so does that mean that radio antennas will yield power increases? There's a LOT of snake oil being sold out there - use caution!
 

Sesshomurai

Yikes. Well, I have the Steeda CAI+SCT Tune arriving today. Steeda is pretty reputable company and they provide Dyno's of their CAI + tune. Sure, the CAI alone will not yield any HP gains, but the tune corrects the flow opening and throughput in the ECM which I think is where the gain is had. More air, cleaner air, faster air. Isn't that the idea?

Aside from that, if anyone has any tips before I installed the Steeda CAI kit, let me know. And if the HP gains are not what they should be, the air flow will still be better than the stock intake, right?
 

SteedaBrandon

CoolTechLLC said:
Those of you going to the track one day or another will likely run into a Ford engineer or two and then you can get the straight skinney on the CAI. Ford spent a lot of time with the OEM CAI and airbox - had considerable experience from the past and current GT500's etc. and every one of the engineers will tell you that a CAI will NOT yield you any power benefits. A new radio antenna + tune will give power benefits.... so does that mean that radio antennas will yield power increases? There's a LOT of snake oil being sold out there - use caution!
To be honest, the Boss intake is good. Unfortunately, Ford engineers have their hands tied when it comes to certain aspects of any production vehicle (emissions, cost, etc.) in a way that aftermarket manufacturers don't. In your own post you're admitting that they left power on the table with the tune..

You will see gains from our CAI on a Boss versus a tune alone, right around 10-15 peak HP to the wheels.

Don't get me wrong, the Boss is a great value, but there are certainly ways to improve upon it where Ford engineers weren't able to due to various reasons.
 

Sesshomurai

SteedaBrandon said:
CoolTechLLC said:
Those of you going to the track one day or another will likely run into a Ford engineer or two and then you can get the straight skinney on the CAI. Ford spent a lot of time with the OEM CAI and airbox - had considerable experience from the past and current GT500's etc. and every one of the engineers will tell you that a CAI will NOT yield you any power benefits. A new radio antenna + tune will give power benefits.... so does that mean that radio antennas will yield power increases? There's a LOT of snake oil being sold out there - use caution!
To be honest, the Boss intake is good. Unfortunately, Ford engineers have their hands tied when it comes to certain aspects of any production vehicle (emissions, cost, etc.) in a way that aftermarket manufacturers don't. In your own post you're admitting that they left power on the table with the tune..

You will see gains from our CAI on a Boss versus a tune alone, right around 10-15 peak HP to the wheels.

Don't get me wrong, the Boss is a great value, but there are certainly ways to improve upon it where Ford engineers weren't able to due to various reasons.

Just installed the Steeda CAI + 93 octane SCT tune. I notice a difference in throttle response, exhaust note and acceleration, but roads are wet here still. Track event this weekend.
MAF air temps where running 50% of ambient engine compartment temps.
 

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