I have a 06' Mustang V6 and am looking to add some HP without affecting the warranty. I was going to start with an intake since this seems the simplest to do. What kind of HP gains are usually found by adding a cold air intake? Are there big differences between brands or is one just as good as the other?

I was looking at a Steeda High Velocity Cold Air kit and it talks about reflashing the computer. What is "reflashing" and why would it be required for the Steeda product but not for others, say K&N? Any help/advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

The steeda probably gives better flow than the other manufacturers you listed and thus a/f ratio needs to be re-mapped. the "reflash, is baiscally a retune that is loaded into the cars ECU via the ODB port. you can usually buy an intake/tuner combo with the proper tune (ie., mated to the intake).

 

I have a C&L Street kit and an XCal2. I love the combo. I wouldn't really say any one brand is so much better than any other brand power-wise. You would be talking a matter of 1-5 hp. It all depends on what material you want and what you want it to look like. I would recommend getting a tuner afterwards, an out-of-the box tune will be fine, but a dyno tune is even better.

 

a tune should really been done with any mod that changes the air or fuel mixture or ratio such as that. while it would definately add power with the cai i wouldnt say its required. even a dyno tune on a stock car will help power out quite a bit. i would rather spend the $$ on something like gears though

 

Maybe I should start another post but how does your Xcal2 work? I see people talk about getting tunes emailed to them or buying them with tunes already defined to them. I see from the product description that there are quite a few things that can be changed, i.e. fuel adjustment, tire size, spark adjustment, etc...

Are the tunes that are pre-defined/email just tunes that previous mechanics have worked through and that appear to work best for certain applications?

Is this something that a novice can operate or should I just get a shop to tune it? What is the difference between using the Xcal2 and a dyno tune, or are they the same? Thanks for the help.

 

Email tunes are tunes that shops/tuners have determined to be the best tune for whatever combo. They email them to you, you upload them to your handheld, then program your car accordingly.

A shop can also dyno tune your car accordingly and store the tune(s) on your XCal2.

There is only so much you can do form the tuner without the SCT software on your computer.

I would recommend finding a good tuner close to you and working with them for the best tune for whatever combo you want/have. Dynotunes aren't typically expensive on a N/A car if you already have the XCal2. On the XCal2, you can store up to three tunes that you can alternate between. It requires physically plugging the tuner in and switching tunes. I definately think it is a great bang for the buck mod, and essential when you get to doing other things.

 

K&N is the only one that I know that doesn't require a tune. I think there's another out there, but can't recall the name. Honestly, if you are REALLY worried about your warranty, you shouldn't touch the car at all. You're not going to get the gains you would expect if you don't flash the PCM with any CAI. You'll get some, but it won't be enough for you. I know a few guys that had the K&N, but switched to another brand.
The chances of being denied a warranty claim due to a tune and a CAI are slim. If you had to take your car in for warranty, you could easily flash your PCM back to stock as well as slapping the stock airbox back on. I had a Steeda 90MM CAI along with a SCT tune. Others have had luck with the C&L CAI as well as the SCT or Diablosport tune. I personally think the very first mod should be a handheld tuner.
I will say this, it's an endless need for power. You'll gain 15rwhp and say you're done....then be looking for more in a few months

 

The only time they could not fix a problem under warranty is if the aftermarket item you installed is directly related to the problem. I would not worry about warranty stuff, expecially with bolt ons and a conservative tune. (like what comes with tuners)