I have a 2007 V6 5speed Mustang with daul GT take-off mufflers fed with stock 2.5" pipes on both sides with no crossover pipe.
I really want to install an X-Charger, but I think I'd just be throwing away the $4000 expense when I decide to sell the car.
If I install a CAI and get a tuner for it can I realistically expect the car to really feel any faster? I'm 62 years old and I'm not interested in drag racing or burnouts.
Any opinions would be helpful. Perhaps I should just go buy a GT.
You should go buy a GT; that and the V6 make a nice pair.
I can't speak about CAI, because I never had one. I can testify that a Tune will cure a lot of ills in a V6, including throttle response deficit. Even though you may not be interested in drag racing, my results showed a significant increase in performance with both performance and torque tunes, a finding that supported the seat-of-the-pants impressions.
Dollar-per-horsepower-wise, a good tune from a reputable Tuner will enhance the Mustang experience greatly. Only other change that makes that much difference is a decent axle-back muffler. With those two additions, you'll be set for life. Unless you get the Mod Bug, which is a very real danger.
You will definitely feel a difference with the CAI and tune, but run the risk of possibly voiding your warranty if the dealer ever found out. If you want the best "bang for your buck" and not mess with the warranty, go with some gears, you will not be disappointed !
The CAI intake helps! The biggest thing that I noticed was fourth gear acceleration. I have an 07 GT, and before the CAI, I noticed that once I got into fourth gear it seemed like I hit a wall or something. But once i got my CAI I have noticed modest gains in fourth gear! So I found it worth it!
I have had a GT for 2.5 months. I never drove a 6 but played with the idea of buying one before I bought my GT. I had the opportunity to drive a 2009 6, Vert, auto, leather for the weekend in Florida. Except for the sunburn it was a totally different ride than my car (see signature). I still liked the car, but it made me appreciate my car all the more.
They are 2 different animals.
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2008 GT Vert, Manual, Perf. White, Red Leather, Black Cloth Top, I-UP, Active Alarm, HID's, Heat'd Seats, GT Scoop, Sirius, Ford Nav, 18" Polished Aluminum Rims w/ Pony's, Ambient Lighting, Gentex Mirror (Electro/Comp/Temp/Homelink), Jaeger Flaps.
I am new to mustangs but I am not new to science or math.. The V8 weighs more and theoretically speaking you can achieve the same power of the v8 with your v6 with some engine mods that will leave u still weighing less....If you buy a CAI and a tune you should get your pony shelling out prob round 20 whp maybe even more depending on the tune...so do the math and stay true to your 6!! Not everyone needs a 500 hp monster
i am un-patiently waiting to get a tuner and cai. billthecougnut says your car will squak the tires in 2nd, maybe 3rd with the automatic. the motor has plenty of spunk, its just the trans that is whimpy shifting. a little more power would be cool, but i want to feel the shift, not just hear it. that alone would make the tuner worth it
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goina hundred in a 55, and i dont know why..
some things were just meant to be..
05 V6 auto, torch red, basic,:cool: a few mods
06 V6 stick, vista, premium (g/f`s car)
I can testify on the Tuner, I just Installed a diablo sport predator tuner on my 06 v6 auto, and man did it make a difference, im squeaking in 2nd, 3rd and 4th under WOT...trust me get one and you wont regret it..
Since I've been quoted here without even chiming in on this thread, I may as well put in my two cents. Yes I noticed a difference with the CAI, however, I bought a tuner at the same time and I installed a package deal. Tuner/CAI at the same time, so I am not sure which one gave me the most bang for the buck. You said you are not interested in drag racing, if so, then don't shell out the money for a supercharger because why? 220 or 230 hp is plenty for street fun with the right gears and exhaust note. Just about the only reason I can think of for shelling out 4g's for a s/c is if I planned to test the 1320 footer a few times. Gears will make the soyp feel that 220hp alot better, and you will have super fun with the car. I say spend your money on appearance mods if you are going to spend 4g's and don't want to drag race. That is truly the only setting where I think I will ever get to experience my supecharger (that is in my shed) in a way where it makes any sence. I have test driven several GT's and love them, and they are really cheap right now, but I still owe more than I can reap on my v6, so I will play with her until I have her juuuuuuust like I want, and If at that point i still want more power, then GT will be in the cards. Until then, I will tune/mod/beautify/and talk till I am blue in the face. My opinion: Get a CAI, and a tune at the same time, and feel what 25-30 more ponies and firmer shifting will do for this cool car. You won't be dissapointed.
I had the CAI and tunes.SCTXcal2 and some performance tunes. Very nice and didnt worry about the warranty.My car is newer(06)and still under warranty for awhile longer. Yes I did notice a very nice change,tire spinning gear chirpping shifts from an automatic. It was good.
But as with any other drug I needed more,,lol,,,so I purchased the Xcharger. Very happy now.Not worried about resale because my wife wont let me ...if I do sell it I can always take it off (the Xcharger) and sell it seperately.Besides it looks great sitting there under the hood and sounds great at WOT...13sec 100mph not bad either.
But ,yes a CAI/tune is a good jump,,,well worth it.
oh and I am 60...going on ...............
Same here, I'll be 60 in a couple of months and my "go fast" days are behind me. My '65 Mustang that I bought "slightly used" in 1966 while in high school will probably always rank as my favorite car. I bagged a lot of groceries to pay for that puppy.
Anyway, I bought my '07 V6 convertible as a second car, a toy to replace my Harley-Davidson that was becoming painful to ride due to an old neck injury in service many years ago. It was a former rental car that I bought at Carmax and it has been a really good car. All I want out of it is a fun to drive car with good acceleration for merging and having fun. No race car for me.
The only thing I've done to it so far is to put the Ford Racing dual exhaust kit and CAI on it. I didn't really care for the Ford Racing tune so I got an SCT X3 from Bamachips with their 93 octane torque tune. A significant improvement over the Ford Racing tune.
To my thinking, the car still makes more sound than power, even though it is much better than when stock. For example, from a seat of the pants perspective, I can't tell a lot of difference in the Mustang and my '07 4 cylinder Nissan Altima; however, this may be due to the fact that the Altima is much smoother and quieter and I'm prone to use more gas pedal than in the Mustang. If I tended to use more pedal on the Mustang I'm sure it would pull stronger than the Altima, but I'm not a fan of all the noise from the Bullitt mufflers when there isn't more power to back it up. Hey, I am turning 60 in a couple of months.
I think my next step is to change the gears. I'm thinking about 3:73 although everyone says use 4:10 in an automatic. I fear that the 4:10 won't be as smooth as the 3:73 even if they would pull stronger. The 3:73 seems to be a good compromise. Now I'm just trying to decide if I want to buy the gears, and a tracloc, and have them installed or simply go with the 8.8" take off.
There is a reputable performance shop about 50 miles from me that does this type work on race cars every day, but I suppose that any decent auto repair or transmission/differential shop could swap the rear end easily enough without driving 50 miles to the performance shop. I've thought about asking around.
Where do you guys think I should start, auto repair shops or transmission/differential shops? Any suggestions on this, besides do it yourself? That ain't gonna happen.
billthecougnut, i hope you didnt mind me throwing your name into the wind like that, but when you told me about the shift with the tuner, well i just cant hardly wait to get one. i was hoping you would catch this post and comment. besides the rear end, the cai/tuner combo will probably be the end of the performance mods for me.( of course then i can play with int. and ext. mods!!) but i`m sure it will never really end
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goina hundred in a 55, and i dont know why..
some things were just meant to be..
05 V6 auto, torch red, basic,:cool: a few mods
06 V6 stick, vista, premium (g/f`s car)
Thank you guys for all of your input. I'm going to go ahead and get a CAI and tune package. It sounds as though everyone has had good results with those.
Now I'm debating whether or not to install GT style painted rocker panel trim. I think the black trim makes the cars look longer, but since I have the usual Pony stripes (black) I sort of think there are too many black lines at the bottom. Any thoughts on this?
billthecougnut, i hope you didnt mind me throwing your name into the wind like that, but when you told me about the shift with the tuner, well i just cant hardly wait to get one. i was hoping you would catch this post and comment. besides the rear end, the cai/tuner combo will probably be the end of the performance mods for me.( of course then i can play with int. and ext. mods!!) but i`m sure it will never really end
NOO no I didn't mind, in fact it is pleasant that something I wrote actually stuck in someone's mind, I am sure you will be blown away by the tune.
(you will never be done modding trust me)
Will a Tuner and CAI really add power? 
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