Digital Tuning Ford Power Pack V K&n Cai

I have a 12 GT w/Brembo Brakes, 3.55 gear, 6M, etc. I've been considering the options for a little extra power, but I am VERY concerned about the different aftermarket tunes and blowing out #8 cylinder and having no warranty to fix it. Therefore, I am looking at the Ford Racing Power Pack - K&N filter w/ProCal tuner, or just getting the K&N CAI which does not require a tune (if I have a warranty issue after the K&N CAI is installed, I can R&R it with the original A/F back to stock).

The Power Pack adds about 16hp and the K&N CAI claims 20hp. I hope the 16hp for the PP is comparing the stock tune using 93 octane just as the PP tune requires the 93 octane (otherwise it's not a fair claim). I do realize the PP tune adds 60 lb/ft of torque at 1500 rpm's, so the results of the PP should out perform the K&N CAI. But with the K&N CAI I can run any grade gas at any time, not so with the PP tune.

I can buy the PP for $308 + $100 for the install (I'd do the install myself, but a Ford Dealer must do it for the warranty); and the K&N CAI can be had for about $340 which I would install myself.

I drive my 'stang on a regular basis and love the power, but I don't "race it", do burnouts or go to extremes too often (it scares my wife when I do). I do go to Grattan Raceway (2 mile road course w/11 turns) once a year for some real fun. I do like getting decent mpg on the highway cruising at 75mph or so, and I don't like buying premium gas if I don't have to. I have just over 5k miles on it after 8 months of driving it (not counting the 2 months of storage).

So what suggestions do you guys have? Are there other options to consider?
 
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Thanks Noobz347, but I were going to do that I would have just kept the 07 GT500 I had.

That part, we'll have to talk about another time. :scratch:

Seriously though... For the $600 plus you're talking about spending, for an increase you won't even feel. Bleh

You prolly traded the 500 because it wasn't Vista Blue. :chin
 
That part, we'll have to talk about another time. :scratch:

Seriously though... For the $600 plus you're talking about spending, for an increase you won't even feel. Bleh

You prolly traded the 500 because it wasn't Vista Blue. :chin

I'm talking about spending $350 - $400, depending on which one I choose. I do want to keep the warranty in effect especially after hearing about problems with #8 if you go too radical with a tune. The car is great in it's stock form, but I do remember from the 06 vert we had how much more fun it was with a tune & CAI.

My Shelby dyno'd at 533hp and 497 lb/ft. It was fun to drive if you love raw guts, but I decided I wanted something more balanced and civilized for regular driving, and driving at Grattan Raceway. A little momento from our local law enforcement and some prodding from my wife encouraged the sale as well.
 
I can tell you from my experience with my 2012 GT the Steeda CAI w/tune, & Borla catback made a bigggg difference in my car. You could feel the engine just come alive, kept the good gas mileage to until you stomp it.:lol:

I believe you 100%, but I do want to keep my warranty in effect as I only have 5k miles on it and don't want to risk blowing #8 resulting in major bucks on a new engine at my expense. I did a tune + CAI on the 06 we had, but that was only after my dealer told me it would not affect my warranty, and I had the tuner set it for using 89 octane. I played around a lot with the 95 I had, but those 5.0 engines were pretty much bullet-proof.
 
I'm pretty sure Steeda is considered a "manufacturer" of cars...an "OEM" if you will (same with Roush). My understanding is that their tune was developed with the folks at Ford to make sure the tune was as good as it could be and still maintain the bits Ford needs to make the car run correctly and safely. I have a Bama set of tunes (93, 91, 87) on my SCT tuner, and the 93 race tune "seems" to really wake the car up. I had the car dyno'd and it spit out a pathetic 363hp or so. The operator told me that was pretty normal for a stock car, not one with a tune.

I have since removed the tune and the car is back to stock. Complete with the stupid skip-shift (which I avoid by using the gas pedal). I'm going on a 6,000 mile road trip in July and wanted the ability to pick gas under 93 octane if needed (some states only have 91). That said, I would like to get a Steeda CAI and tune when I return from this road trip. I feel confident that Steeda will write a tune that provides the most performance you can expect to get from a tune, without coming close to blowing up the car.

If you are not putting premium gas (91 minimum) in your Mustang now, you should buy a Focus SE. The Mustang "runs" on 87, 89 but at the expense of power/tq (per the owner's manual). If you can't afford the extra $3.00 per tank to go with premium, then you may have picked the wrong car.
 
I'm pretty sure Steeda is considered a "manufacturer" of cars...an "OEM" if you will (same with Roush). My understanding is that their tune was developed with the folks at Ford to make sure the tune was as good as it could be and still maintain the bits Ford needs to make the car run correctly and safely. I have a Bama set of tunes (93, 91, 87) on my SCT tuner, and the 93 race tune "seems" to really wake the car up. I had the car dyno'd and it spit out a pathetic 363hp or so. The operator told me that was pretty normal for a stock car, not one with a tune.

I have since removed the tune and the car is back to stock. Complete with the stupid skip-shift (which I avoid by using the gas pedal). I'm going on a 6,000 mile road trip in July and wanted the ability to pick gas under 93 octane if needed (some states only have 91). That said, I would like to get a Steeda CAI and tune when I return from this road trip. I feel confident that Steeda will write a tune that provides the most performance you can expect to get from a tune, without coming close to blowing up the car.

If you are not putting premium gas (91 minimum) in your Mustang now, you should buy a Focus SE. The Mustang "runs" on 87, 89 but at the expense of power/tq (per the owner's manual). If you can't afford the extra $3.00 per tank to go with premium, then you may have picked the wrong car.

Hey Sparty92 - Thanks for the advice and "kick in the pants". I disconnected my skip-shift solenoid as per advice on this site. It only took me 5 minutes. When I had my 06 custom tuned, the tuner told me the difference between the 93 octane & 87 octane tune was only about 9 hp, so I got the 87 octane tune. I think I heard that, whereas this new 5.0 engine is rated at 412 hp on 93 octane, it drops less than 12 hp using 87 octane. I "spanked" a Camero SS on the highway pretty good (hitting 140 mph) a couple of weeks ago on regular unleaded gas - not something I do usually, but he was asking for it. One thing that bugs me about the FRPP tune is that you only get one tune - the 93 octane. I'd like to see at least one other choice that allows for a lower octane tune as well, but with better than stock performance. BTW - I wonder how many owners of the newer 5.0 engines in stock configuration run regular unleaded as compared to premium on a daily basis.
 
I always run my car on 93-octane. I figure the reason I bought the car was for the 412hp so I might as well have all of it on tap if and whenever I want it. Also, it's very cost effective at about $3/per tank.

I plan on getting a tune as well, but I'm waiting for my warranty to expire before I do.
 
Bama covers 8 cylinder misfire and issues. Steeda doesn't. Only reason I went with Steeda intake and bama tune over Steeda tune was for the warranty. Steeda only goes by the fact that they have never had issues. Nothing is perfect and i want my coverage for when problems arise.
 
Bama covers 8 cylinder misfire and issues. Steeda doesn't. Only reason I went with Steeda intake and bama tune over Steeda tune was for the warranty. Steeda only goes by the fact that they have never had issues. Nothing is perfect and i want my coverage for when problems arise.

So how much did you end up spending on that? Did you get more than one tune? If yes, what tunes did you get? What effects have you noticed on why mpg?
 
About $770. Am gives you free tunes for life. I got 91 street and performance tune and 93 race tune. I just run the 93 though. Drove from west Houston down to la porte and averaged 28.8 in some traffic.
 
I believe you 100%, but I do want to keep my warranty in effect as I only have 5k miles on it and don't want to risk blowing #8 resulting in major bucks on a new engine at my expense. I did a tune + CAI on the 06 we had, but that was only after my dealer told me it would not affect my warranty, and I had the tuner set it for using 89 octane. I played around a lot with the 95 I had, but those 5.0 engines were pretty much bullet-proof.
I suggest speaking with your service manager prior to doing any modifications if you are concerned with losing your warranty. Ford leaves warranty voidance up to the individual dealerships.

I'm pretty sure Steeda is considered a "manufacturer" of cars...an "OEM" if you will (same with Roush). My understanding is that their tune was developed with the folks at Ford to make sure the tune was as good as it could be and still maintain the bits Ford needs to make the car run correctly and safely. I have a Bama set of tunes (93, 91, 87) on my SCT tuner, and the 93 race tune "seems" to really wake the car up. I had the car dyno'd and it spit out a pathetic 363hp or so. The operator told me that was pretty normal for a stock car, not one with a tune.

I have since removed the tune and the car is back to stock. Complete with the stupid skip-shift (which I avoid by using the gas pedal). I'm going on a 6,000 mile road trip in July and wanted the ability to pick gas under 93 octane if needed (some states only have 91). That said, I would like to get a Steeda CAI and tune when I return from this road trip. I feel confident that Steeda will write a tune that provides the most performance you can expect to get from a tune, without coming close to blowing up the car.

If you are not putting premium gas (91 minimum) in your Mustang now, you should buy a Focus SE. The Mustang "runs" on 87, 89 but at the expense of power/tq (per the owner's manual). If you can't afford the extra $3.00 per tank to go with premium, then you may have picked the wrong car.
Let me know when you get ready for that CAI. If you purchase the CAI from us I can get you a free tune update for it. (as long as you have an SCT tuner)


Here's a good post to read: http://mustangforums.com/forum/7876124-post24.html

We provide free tune updates as long as you purchase the part from us.
 
I suggest speaking with your service manager prior to doing any modifications if you are concerned with losing your warranty. Ford leaves warranty voidance up to the individual dealerships.

I believe that the warranty he's talking about comes from BAMA at that point and not Ford.

That's said: I've seen a couple three threads about folks who had some sort of damage as a result of running a tune from BAMA but none of those ended in a situation where that warranty was made good.

I don't know what their policy is exactly but if you're counting on it for warranty, you better get it writing and signed in blood.
 
It seems that Sparty92 is not too impressed with Bama Tunes, so why would I go with them?

I ran the Bama 93 Race tune in my car all of last summer 2011. It really made the car feel pretty awesome, honestly. Just moving the TQ curve to the left really wakes up these cars. That said, I had it dyno'd this spring 2012. Weather was rather chilly...maybe 45-55 degrees. The dyno chart showed 363HP/369TQ. I told them I had a 93 tune, and the owner of the shop pulled up essentially "the same car" as mine and he put down 391 or so, with the shop's tune. I read some info about the Steeda tune with CAI and saw numbers of about 401.

Now, when I had the car dyno'd (It was a dyno day. Two pulls back to back, no A/F) they used 5th gear. I called Bama and told them of my "results" and they said they do pulls in 4th gear. Why? It's not 1:1? "That's just how we do it." So, I'm sure their HP claims are going to be different than someone pulling in 5th gear...and most likely, on a different brand of dyno.

Do I really car what numbers I put down? Not at all. The car is daily driven, year 'round. SNOW. SUN. RAIN. What I want, is a car that puts down the power and torque to the best of it's ability, and no more. I don't want the car to blow up. I don't want it to run :poo:ty. I want solid performance and reliability.

I read the article on Steeda's site, as well as other reviews online. It sounds to me like they, working with Ford data, create a tune that will unleash some more performance, improve drive-ability and maintain RELIABILITY. If that gives me 401 HP, great. If it gives me 390 HP, great. Do I care what the numbers are? No. I just want the car to be fun to drive, and not have to think about it. American Muscle sells parts. Steeda BUILDS CARS...and sells parts. That's kind of a huge difference. Steeda has been around waaaay longer than American Muscle. Way back when the Fox 5.0s were available as new cars.

Nothing against American Muscle, or Bama tuning. I just think I might feel a "little" more comfortable with stuff coming from an OEM. Steeda (I think) is an OEM, much like Roush.

The shop that did my dyno pull is well respected in the Mustang community (I think so, anyway). He writes tunes for the 5.0, so why not just buy his tune? I can't just buy his tune. I have to buy a CAI and have them install it, to get his tune. Is that unreasonable? Not really. But I think I can install a CAI (and tune) on my own. I'll have him install my Steeda springs, though. :)

With the Bama 93 Race tune, the car was faster than the tires. The OEM Pirelli summer-only-Brembo-brake-package-only tires. This is the weak link in my car. I think once I get a nice, juicy, solid tune with a CAI...and some wider, better tires...the car will do more than embarrass the few 911 Carrera S's that I've seen so far (that have already lost).

So that's my take on tunes. I'm sure there are great tuners out there that will give your car some serious power. I just want to know that the power I get will be there when I go start the car tomorrow.

The End.
 
Thanks Sparty92 for your post. There's a lot of good info there.

I am still leaning towards the Ford Racing Power Pack mostly due to the warranty issue, but I am wondering how many Mustang 5.0 engines have been blown due to improper tuning. I am also wondering how well those Mustang 5.0 drivers who have the FRPP like the tune. Also, does anyone know if the ProCal that comes with the FRPP can have more than one tune (just in case I want an additional tune or two on it later on)?
 
Thanks Sparty92 for your post. There's a lot of good info there.

I am still leaning towards the Ford Racing Power Pack mostly due to the warranty issue, but I am wondering how many Mustang 5.0 engines have been blown due to improper tuning. I am also wondering how well those Mustang 5.0 drivers who have the FRPP like the tune. Also, does anyone know if the ProCal that comes with the FRPP can have more than one tune (just in case I want an additional tune or two on it later on)?
Here are a couple reviews at American Muscle. They seem to be happy with the tune.