K&N CAI Experiences?

cowtown

Founding Member
Nov 4, 2001
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16
Victoria, BC Canada
Just gathering info, my first thought was to go with the WMS CAI kit. They're in town and I like the way the kit looks & works by and large. For me not having to use a tuner right now is a bit plus. I don't want to have to dick with it for the time being. For a little while my only mods will likely be CAI and a Flowmaster axleback, the rest being interior and exterior improvements to bring the car up to my tastes.

So that all being said I have read the 5.0 Mustang review of the K&N CAI and the results were pretty good considering the design and no tune, 17HP and 16TQ are not too shabby really. And at under $300US it's an attractive price. I'd like to hear from anyone on here that bought one and has run or is running it currently to find out how you like/liked it.
 
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Yeah the C&L would be great but it needs a tuner. I'm still considering it but it'd be a solid $900cdn by the time it got here. Not that it's out of the running but it's in a distant third right now.

The K/N FIPK CAI is one of the best CAI's you can get for your car.

That's a rather glowing endorsement. Any more info as to why you think that? Just looking for as much as I can get.
 
RPM outlet sells the C&L with the diablo for 660.00 shipped....makes a hell of a difference.....when you get it contact C&L they'll send you their newest tune which is alot better by the way
 
Shipping won't be free to Canada unforunately, but a pretty good price for $660US. Like I said definitely in consideration but we'll see. About $726cdn before shipping.

The thing that's irking me about the WMS install now is the modification of the wiring. And it's not that I am concerned about doing it, no biggie there, it's having the dealership complain. I don't think they will as they're quite into performance parts but you never know...

I
 
I have the K&N CAI and am very pleased with it.

I ommited the heat shield because of looks and I'm not out to squeeze every ounce of hp from this kit.

No tune required.

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baylor2010 said:
RPM outlet sells the C&L with the diablo for 660.00 shipped....makes a hell of a difference.....when you get it contact C&L they'll send you their newest tune which is alot better by the way
Purchase at your own risk from rpm outlet.They will never get my business.:notnice:
 
I sold my K&N Cai to get a C&L Cai, because I had an air leak around where the maf sensor mounts.
It looked like someone cut the hole for the maf sensor with a dull hot knife, it was not cut correctly, and that was just unacceptable.
The C&L has a machined aluminum pocket for the maf sensor which is the same mounting style as the factory.
With the K&N, they give you litte plastic spacers for the maf sensor to make up for their bad engineering.:notnice:
Just a heads up.
 
I had gotten that $350 price from Mopac and was going to go there, then I saw that Parts Source had 20% off of K&N, dropped in today and asked about the K&N unit and they looked it up. List pirce was $315 there, and they said I could have it for $290. Err OK! I like Mopac and all but $60 is a fair difference.

Took at look at that AFE off of their links and that is an odd looking thing. Any pics of it installed on your ride 05Canuck?
 
In spite of the 'assurances' I got from K&N, I installed their CAI on the stang, and ever since, in spite of two resets at the dealer, and an overnight negative disconnect, I cannot get rid of the 'check engine' light which shows the car running lean. K&N PROMISED that this would not happen and when I called them they said the 'overnight' route was the way to go.
Anyone else have this problem besides me? It sucks to always see that dang light lit.
Thanks.
 
Cowtown, I haven't had it dynoed but have no check engine or any problems and is much better then stock for me at least..lol

I'll send you a pic of it installed I can't seem to post here pics are too big..:nonono:
 
I installed a K&N Air Charger about a month ago. No problems with a check engine light yet (knock on wood). Install was pretty simple, and I do like the look. There was a pretty noticeable improvement in sound (complemented with my Corsa Axlebacks), and just a slight 'seat of my pants' improvement in power at higher RPMs. Got it for $275 shipped on eBay from seller autoaccessory4u (shipped quickly and well packaged).

Reason I chose the K&N was no tune was required, which in my mind makes it safer in regards to warranty issues (I can always quickly put the factory intake back on before taking it to a dealership for work). Whether true or not, I've heard a custom tune will show up on the computer, whether it's reflashed or not.

If you're looking for a very noticeable HP gain, K&N is not the way to go. If you're looking to save some $$$, improve the underhood look, improve the sound, and avoid a tune, I would recommend the K&N.
 
I've been running the K&N kit for about 2 months now and have no problems. The biggest gain is high RPMs. I noticed it went from a nice squeal when I shifted to 3rd, to now it will actually completely break traction and kick sideways:nice: !
Oh yeah, watch eBay for one. I picked mine up for $145 :D to my front door. It was used for about a month and then the owner decided to go C&L and Tune, but it looked almost brand new.
 
Yeah that's what I started to worry about, would I outgrow it to fast? Considering the tact I took with the Stang I ordered was I'm not compromising the features I went and cancelled my K&N order and ordered up the C&L with Diablo tuner. I'm getting a hefty retro cheque since my union settled our contract finally after 2.5 years (unions are good for one thing I guess). So I figured I'd take a few hundred and splurge on the better package, the rest is for vacation this summer. :)

Also got my Flowmaster axleback. She's quite nice. Should have the car Wed. night and it'll be modded by Thursday, lol!
 
I have no complaints about my K&N, i went with it over the C&L due to the extreme heat in the C&L on my friends GT. It seems to act like a heatsink where the K&N stays relatively cool, just my .02