I think I am finally going to start doing some performance upgrades on my SCREW now that the factory warranty is up. CAI, Exhaust, Tune etc. But in all my research I am finding little difference between all three upgrades between brands. There are plenty of opinions here and some obvious favorites between brands but there doesn't seem to be really much difference in "performance" between the actual brands. Take tunes for example. Everyone seems to be on the custom tune band wagon. But what are we talking about here an extra horsepower or 2 or maybe 1 or 2 better mpg? The Hypertech tuner is 200 dollars cheaper then the Edge and for the life of me I cant see where you getting anything worth the price delta. Can anyone educate me and convince me my money isn't better spent on something else? From a CAI intake perspective the Spectre is 200 dollars cheaper then the competition. What am I missing? JBA Performance exhaust in stainless is 200 cheaper then Magnaflow and others. Between these three upgrades we are talking 600 dollar difference and no noticeable difference in performance or quality that I can tell from research alone. Anyone have any experience between brands and or performance? Also the nagging question I have preventing me from pulling the trigger, can you actually feel the difference in a package like the three I mentioned?

 

These are estimates, ok? The hypertech will give you maybe 20 HP increase. The Edge, maybe 25 HP and a custom tuned Gryphon or Xcal3, about 30 HP. Plus your CAI will not benefit you much without a custom tune. The Hypertech and Edge are tunes for stock intakes. The Edge and Gryphon provide a monitor to constantly keep an eye on things, the others do not.

I had the Edge for a long time, and have now had the custom Gryphon tunes. There is no comparison. It's not just the power but also the shift and downshift characteristics. To get the most, safely, decide what intake you want and get custom tunes for it on either an Xcal3 or a Gryphon. I was content with the Edge until I got the custom tuned Gryphon, then I found out the difference.

 

these 3 are3 great ways to boost your performance. spectre is a good company. i believe their intake tubes are 4" whereas K&N is 3". your gonna get really the same performance from any muffler that is straight through like magnaflow, borla, or like u mentioned jba. are u gonna with the whole cat back kit, or just piece it up with a muffler and tip and have it all welded by a shop. that is the cheaper way to do to, but will still give u the same performance

 

So the 200 delta plus the cost of the custom tune 30-60 is worth it for the 10hp difference and shift characteristics? Not to mention what seems like come customer service nightmares?

If I'm reading it right you are suggesting if I get a CAI and the Hypertech or other stock tuner it wouldn't be "safe" as in it would run rich etc etc? So with those units keep stock intake (even though it is technically a CAI) or maybe a throw in K&N and the Hypertech tuner and I saved cost of CAI and Special Custom tunes with a good 20 increase in HP?

 

I was going to get the Cat back kit from JBA. Even though they don't list them for SCREW. Gonna have to call to make sure it will fit. Theirs is 350 and all the others start at 550. Pretty big delta

 

You could get a Roush system for $450, 304 stainless steel, and put it in yourself in about an hour. there are a few different options, offroad, legal, rear exit, side exit all very nice quality, and sound great.

 

1. Hypertech is crap, plain and simple. It makes very few changes and isn't worth half of what they charge for it. Sure they may make a few performance adjustments and may get you a little better this or that, but isn't worth it at all.

2. The Gryphon or any of the other custom programmers are done specific to YOUR truck. Specific to your driving habits and style. Specific to your modifications. Specific to your climate and altitude in your area of the country. Specific to what you are wanting to get out of the truck, whether it be MPG's, performance, towing, etc.

3. Each combination of mods, whether it is intake only or just a muffler or intake and exhaust or whatever you might do, will make different power and make different levels of adjustments with different trucks. We can sit here all day and talk about what gets you more performance with an intake and exhaust, but its not necessary.

Bottom line, you do what makes you feel best and what suits your need best. No one can answer that but you. For me, I went with the Gryphon. I don't want a generic tuner meant for EVERY single 04-08 F-150 ever made. I want a tuner that is set up specifically for my truck, with my needs in mind, and modifications in mind. And then on top of that be able to make timing adjustments, shift point and firmness adjustments, and having gauge displays as well, that makes it VERY WELL worth the price.

With as much money as I have spent on this truck and the time and sweat invested, I wouldn't trust crappy tuners like the Hypertech on it. I wouldn't trust anything but the best and proven products.

I think just the opposite in that it is ONLY a few hundred more dollars to be sure I am getting the best there is. After lots of research I went with the S&B Intake (enclosed CAI), Roush Off Road Exhaust w/ hi flow cats, and the Gryphon tuner. This gets me the sound, looks, performance, and most importantly, the DURABILITY that I want. To me the few hundred more spent on those mods over others is very worth it to me.

 

Agreed. Why spend a few hundred less then be unhappy later. Get what you want know, don't forget, you can space the stuff out. Get the exhuast first, then the tuner and intake around the same time. That's my suggestion. Good luck man

 

I don't think I would be unhappy with any of them truthfully because I wouldn't know what I would be missing. I don't have any expectations just yet because I dont know what to expect. The HP gains with the combo are a decent amount, abut 15% over stock, So I suspect it should drive like a different vehicle. For 1k it better. Stock the thing is sluggish so I'm hoping this puts some peep in the step.

 

If it were me, I would skip the CAI and do the almost free mod in the How To section. In fact, I did. Then go with custom tunes. The tunes are by far the biggest bang for the $. Bill at PHP did a dyno comparison of a CAI and just removing the restricting end of the stock intake. It was within 2 or 3 HP. Of course, I would do the exhaust, but that is for sound as much as anything.

 

As many have said, don't waste your time with the Hypertech programmer. If you want a decent programmer, at least start out with a used EDGE, because later on you can upgrade it to a Gryphon.

If price is what dictating most of your decisions, then check out the Gotts Intake Mod. It should cost you around $13 and will give you around 10 HP after it's been tuned for.

The cheapest exhaust you can buy is one that is custom built. Buy the muffler, X/H pipe and tips that you want, and have a local shop weld it all together.

You can skimp on a few things here and there, but do not skimp on a part that is dictating over all the parts, I'm talking about the programmer.

 

Cost isnt the only thing but just curious how much of a difference there really was between products and if the cost was justified. Sounds like there isnt much except for the tuner so it isnt justified for anything but the tuner.

 

That is my thoughts exactly. I have dual exhaust for the sound and a tuner with custom tunes for power and shift improvement. I did the $13 self mod of the stock intake and I'm very well pleased. I have about 60,000 miles with the tuner.

 

With exhausts there is a bit of a difference. Do you want it more for performance or more for sound? Performance wise, you want a straight through design, like magnaflow, borla, dynomax bullets, ect. Real aggressive exhasts tend to be chambered like Flowmasters, Cherry bomb's chambered ones, Flowpro, ect. Chambered mufflers will usually be loudest, but they hurt performance to some extent because they don't flow as well as a straight through design. I would try to find a mix that suits for needs best. In the end, it comes down to what Blue says, exhausts are mostly for sound, but there will be a bit of difference just to make you aware A Gryphon tuner is one of my plans for next summer, seems like one of the best mods you can do.

 

The Gotts Mod? I saw that one and it was for the old style 150. Is there a write up for the new style like yours too?