[Jackpine]

Originally Posted by axlehead

I have decided on getting the gryphon, I was initially looking at the Edge but was swayed this way from F150forum. But I have a few questions that I can't seem to find the answer to with the search bar. Two questions actually. I will be getting custom tunes so I was wondering if there is any real difference in power if I stick with the drop in K&N filter or add a CAI. Also are the custom tunes preloaded onto the tuner or do I have to download them later? I have an 03 F150 Supercrew 5.4L. Thanks. I will be purchasing soon.

Every post on this forum tells me that a CAI can give you a better boost in HP/torque over just the filter swap. Consider: A filter only lets in the max amount of air when it's clean. Ironically, it can also let in some potentially damaging crud at that time too. However, as its filtering surface gets coated with grime, its ability to filter finer and finer particles actually increases, and, its ability to pass air to the engine decreases. So, it's kind of a win/lose situation. A very high priced filter tries to filter to a very small micron level and compensates for the potential of reduced airflow by increasing surface area (through pleating or other fancy design techniques), but, I bet after about 100 miles in dusty conditions, you'd be hard pressed to see a difference over OEM.

The CAI, though, opens the intake area for air input and this does not change over time. At high RPM, the engine can get more air, so, it can also burn more gas and give you more power.

Oh, and look into the Gotts Mod CAI for your year model truck. It can save you some serious change.

On the Gryphon, Bill can send you the unit right away with "canned" tunes and you can download custom tunes later. That way, you get to play with it right away and I guarantee you WILL see a difference in performance, even with canned tunes. OR, Bill can delay shipping the Gryphon until he's loaded your custom tunes. That means you might be waiting 4-6 weeks for it. (Your tunes are written according to when you placed your order, and if there were 100 people ahead of you....)! I'd get the hardware right away, so I'd have something to play with.

- Jack