2012 5.0 Exhaust tune

[stangsdado]

Hey guys,

I'm picking up a 2012 5.0 6-Speed next week and I'm planning some upgrades right away. From what I read on the net, the best thing to start off with is a Steeda Power Pack which comes with a CAI and a tuner. I was also looking into BBK LT headers with an off-road mid-pipe from them as well and wanted to know if there is a recommended tune for that setup as well and where I could find it.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[Clair Smith]

If you buy everything from Steeda, they will make a tune for you.

 

[TheShabz]

As far as canned tunes go, Steeda has tunes available, and as long as you continue to buy your upgrades from them, they'll re-tune for free. BAMA will also give you a good tune and they will give you free tunes for life, regardless of where you buy your upgrades from (at least from what I understand from the listing on AM).

Your best bet would be to get it dyno tuned by a reputable mustang tuner. That tune can be adjusted to the nuances of your particular car.

Now, that being said, if the car is still under warranty, you might want to consider the Ford ProCal tuner and tune. It will give you steady gains while not voiding the warranty. There's the dreaded #8 cylinder issue and Ford will instantly void your warranty and happily sell you a new engine should you have any other tune on there, though BAMA offers to warranty that particular issue and Steeda claims their tune has never caused that issue, though will not warranty it.

A note on the CAI. the stock intake is cold air. I question what kind of gains you'll actually get. For me, it's not worth it. If you're concerned more with seat-of-the-pants horsepower and not sheet horsepower, an upgrade in gears is your best bang for the buck.

 

[stangsdado]

Thanks for your response Shabz.

I didn't know about the cylinder #8 issue but I just read up on it and you're right. Bama offers a written warranty on any of their tunes for N/A cars.

The car has 9k miles on it so the warranty will be in effect.

With everything I've seen, I think I have the plan down:
1. JBL L/T - Off-road mid-pipe - an undecided cat-back
2. CJ Intake manifold (if the Ford estimates hold up and it produces 25HP more than the Boss)
3. Bama tune (with or without CAI, I'll research the difference between stock and aftermarket CAIs some more but you have a valid point on the stock being a cold-air)

If the Ford numbers hold up on the Cobra Jet Intake, that setup should be good for high 400s at the crank.

 

[tjsteeda]

Just to let you know about Steeda ... we have had 0 issues when our tune and CAI have been directly installed on a consumer's car.

Secondly, just because you install and aftermarket part on your car does not automatically mean the warranty is voided. In order for a warranty denial to take place, Ford would have to do an investigation to prove that the aftermarket part indeed caused the failure. Steeda would be in fact with you the whole way. Just remember no warranty covers abuse.

We work with Ford Motor Company and SCT to ensure that our tunes are top notch from the begining ... we stand behind our products 100% and if there were ever an issue with one of our products then we would go to bat for you ...

Yes ... our warranty is the fact we stand behind our products ... without a warranty ... you would think we would be in a risky situation ... but knowing these cars inside and out we find no reason to put a "limited" warranty on a product that we know won't cause an issue.

Our CAI is American Made right here by the American work in our facility in Georgia ... We are an ISO 9001:2008 certified company which means we are held to very strict standards.


http://www.steeda.com/blog/2012/03/mustang-cold-air-intake-truth/

We will update your tune when you purchase a part directly from us ... if you need revisions done to the tune then we will do those for free.

Since you are buying your parts at one ... one tune in the begining should take care of most of your tuning needs ... unless you were to upgrade to another part that would cause a tune revision in the near future.

We stand by our numbers and our history ... you can do a search for Steeda tunes and see how many failures they have caused vs. the competition ... but I will save you the time since 0 will come up for Steeda.

Also, Steeda races what they sell. You won't see to many other companies out on the race track every weekend like Steeda. We have a rich history and we feel it translates into our parts.

Best Regards,

TJ

 

[stangsdado]

Hey TJ,

Thanks for your write-up. I have nothing against Steeda, personally. As a matter of fact, my '02 GT was pretty much built and dressed with nothing but Steeda parts. But that was when you guys were 5 miles away from me. Now, you've abandoned me and I have nothing left down here except Mustang Specialties :riot: (where I refuse to go).

But in all seriousness, you're absolutely right about Ford not voiding warranties without an investigation. My old GT blew a hole the size of a baseball on the left head and even though the car had a lot of performance parts (pretty much all from you guys), they determined that it wasn't any of them that caused it and promptly fixed everything.

Still, the whole take-our-word-for-it as opposed to warranty-on-paper thing has got to have people worried (including myself). People are shelling out $30k for something and they want to have a peace of mind. Just my two cents.

 

[tjsteeda]

Stangsdada,

I havn't been at Steeda for a long time ... but we still have our location in Pompano Beach. Just trying to get some clarification in regards to abandoning you.

I understand your concern regarding the warranty and our "take our word" for it approach ... but as you know ... we are one of Ford Motor Companies largest aftermarket suppliers and we work closely with them in regards to the Ford/SEMA Technology Initiative Sharing Program . It would be in our best interest to maintain this relationship and keep a very clean image in the industry ... if we had issues in the market place and we were not making things right ... then we would be putting our company in a terrible place ... with not only our customers but Ford Motor Company.

Through the Technology Transfer Program information has been shared between companies ...and with this information ... we have an edge in the industry.

Your car's investment is one of our main concerns ... and we would not jeopardized it by selling you imported parts or by making unsafe tunes.

Best Regards,

TJ

 

[stangsdado]

So the deal on the '12 fell through. The dealer wouldn't come down ONE FRICKIN DOLLAR!

Needless to say, I came home depressed that night and just for fun, I downloaded the CarMax app and low and behold, there's a 2013 sitting in their showroom 30 miles away from my house.

I rushed and arrived 10 minutes before closing-time. Test drove her and had her out the door in less than an hour.

2013 Silver 5.0
7k miles
6-Speed
Brembo package
Got it for $6,100 less than new with the same options (plus no fees from CarMax unlike the $599 the other dealer wanted to charge me)

One question, at 80 in 6th, I'm at 2500 RPMs and there's that good-ol' high pitched drone from back in the day that I experienced in my '02. Is this normal or should I go to the dealer?

 

[Clair Smith]

With my stock exhaust I didn't get any drone, barely heard the car. I was the quietest car at the track
With my muffler deletes, I get drone at 2K. It goes away above that and below that mark.
So, drone on a stock Mustang doesn't seem normal to me?!?

 

[stangsdado]

Hmmmm. At what speed/RPM do you cruise? I'm barely getting 20mpg at 80mph and I'm at 2,500 RPMs in 6th.

Maybe I have gears... An improperly reassembled dif could cause a drone.

 

[stangsdado]

I should clarify... It's definitely higher pitched than what I had with my '02 5-speed. It's only present from like 2,300 to 2,700 in 6th and it's coming from the back, not the tranny.

 

[Clair Smith]

IF they did the gears (sounds like you have 3.73) and did not use the friction modifier, or enough of it, is can cause a howling? But, other than that I don't know? I don't think that the lack of friction modifier would only cause noise in a specific range. I would have the dealership check it out. My car stock have no weird noises, it was almost as quiet as my wife's Acura until I got on the gas hard.

 

[stangsdado]

I just did a rough calculation on http://www.corral.net/tech/gearcalc.html and it told me I have 4.10s. EEK!

 

[Clair Smith]

3.73, mine does 2500 at 80 mph

Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2

 

[stangsdado]

WTF was wrong with that calculator. Lol

 

[VistaBlueFrank68]

Dude two things Gear probs or mufflers. I had a 4.10 put in my old 2006 and it was load. The guy must have eye-balled it. went to a reputable shop and had 3.73 put in - quiet - and 4.10's suck gas. I'm sure my rear would have been destroyed soon. As for mufflers - cheep ones drone, I put Ford Racing axil back "Sports" $700 bucks. Google them take a listen.