ok...so i've had the stang for like a week now and in the true spirit of a mustang owner...i need more speed and power. i think one of the most effective things i could do to this 2v mod engine in it's beginner stages of performance is improve the air flow. but since i am only a senior in high school i dont have the means to drop a grand on new heads/intakes/porting jobs. right now i'm thinking of buying a CAI. any suggestions on brands or are they all pretty much the same? right now i'm stuck between the BBK and AEM Brute Force...there's a poll above for the hell of it :icon_thum

 

K&N is suppose to be dyno proven

 

Remove ur air silencer and add a K&N drop in filter and call it a day!

 

I went with K&N, they make quality stuff.

 

i thought about doing that, made a post, and was told there wasnt one to remove or something like that

plus itsnt the K&N just a cone filter? not to be ricey but a big chromed CAI snaking down the side of my engine would look bitchin'...i dunno yet

ill have to check out K&N

 

Thats all you need, dont waste your money on a worthless cai.

 

When I first got my stang I didn't really know anything about the car and spent $200 for the K&N FIPK II expecting it to make a big difference, which it didn't....maybe 3-5 hp (just guessing) but I probably could have gotten the same results from removing the silencer and dropping in a K&N filter.

Oh, and it's not ricey to have a chrome or polished CAI. Hell if your going to spend $200 and only get a couple of hp then it should at least look good! ha ha

 

Like stated, save the money, buy a k&N, and save the money for some 4.10 rear gears. THOSE will make your car haul ***, and yes, they can be pricey, but I saved up and got mine while I was a senior in HS, so it can easily be done. Do that before ANYTHING else, TRUST me and everyone on here will prolly agree that gears are the BEST mod you can do to your car aside from nitrous or a blower.

 

With a 97, you have a potential problem with the "should-have-been-recalled-but-probably-is-still-in-your-car" intake, which WILL crack, leak, fail sooner or later (you may already have new intake - if the front part of the intake where the hoses go in is aluminum, you're already up to date with the intake)not to mention the fact that your 4.6 makes about 45hp less than a '99 and later. (This may still be true even if you have the new intake - the intake is only part of the upgrades that happened in 99).

You can get the PI kit (pricey) new, which will have everything you need, or get a used intake and heads out of a junkyard (cheap). Check around your area and see what you can find. Updating to the PI will yield at least the 45hp, and about 30-40 more if you do a port/polish job on the heads before putting them on. You'll need a dyno tune afterwards to match everything up.

You can add 45-90 hp with all this - and transform your performance.

OK, you can also add about 4hp by removing the silencer and fitting a $40 filter - or 5-15 (depending on who you believe) with a quality CAI (check out demolet, I think they are the most believable), which really DOES NOT include the sexy chrome jobs, who tend to get hot and defeat much of the whole "cold air" idea (I've got an early chrome MAC unit with a K&N that works fine but probably only adds 4 or 5 hp over the oe air box).

For "bang for the buck", the PI upgrade or 3.73 / 4.10 gears will do more for the driving experience than anything else I can think of.

 

If ur going to buy a CAI buy a full lenght densecharger from tunable inductions, they make the best.

 

:icon_thum

 

thanks for all the help!

but i'm stuck with one question? where is the silencer?

 

The silencer is the snorkel-shaped piece of plastic that sticks out of the fender side of the air box. Remove the cover of the air box and the filter and look where the hole in the side goes into the fender - that piece is the silencer. I've seen folks bend everything out of the way and rip it off with their bare hands - I'd recommend you unbolt the airbox and pull it off afterwards...

tripleblack

 

thanks triple black

after doing some more research i'm thinking a K&N cone w/ a C&L power inlet pipe, has anyone had good luck with the C&L pipes? or are they a waste?

 

I have a C&L intake plenum, and it works just fine. The company has a good, conservative reputation. I would compare the C&L (which is or at least looks like) aluminum to John DeMolet's products, as well as the K&N fipk.

If I were buying today, John's cai would be my pick - not least of all because of his customer service and willingness to work with the enthusiast. His cai designs utilize abs plastic, which he offers painted body color in oe Ford paints, as well as carbon fiber and black.

Since my car is already black, I would probably go with the basic deal, although I might consider the carbon fiber...

tripleblack

 

If you are really stuck on getting a new tube, go for the JLT kit. The C&L will heat up like a metal cai. JLT will even paint match your tube to your car color.

 

JLT? i assume they make ABS tubes?

anyways i made one step closer to better breathing, i just removed that damn silencer