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2018+ manifold review (+JLT +Steeda Tune +No Lockouts) on a 2015+

mmarfan

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I procured a 18+ manifold earlier in the year and finally have gotten around to installing it about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Here is what I have experienced throughout the process along with a review:

Parts:
2018+ Intake Manifold
2018+ Intake Manifold IMRC adapter harnesses
JLT Cold Air Intake (Tune required)
SCT X4 Tuner with custom Steeda Tunes (purchased the lifetime tunes)

Install:
The intake manifold took me about 4 hours. The CAI took 15 minutes.
The install was straight forward. You do need to buy the vacuum lines and hose clamps/zip ties that the install guide calls out. I used a combination of VMP's guide and install video. As long as you follow those, you should be golden. The vacuum line routing was a bit strange, but it works. The tune flash from the SCT X4 was easy. It was a little scary to see all of the lights go crazy on the dash. It took ~10 minutes to complete

Install Issues:
The removal of the rear IMRC harness clips. Be ready to take a bit of time with that.
Make sure that you get all of the new IMRC adapter harnesses out of the bag. I almost forgot one.
Dropping things into the intake port. Yes I did. I just removed the old '15 IM and saw a small piece of tape from the injector harness drop right into the intake port. I'm actually glad that happened because I examined all the intake ports and found a piece of plastic gasket inside one of the other ports. I cleared everything out and plugged each of them with a towel. I recommend blocking the ports as soon as you have access.

Review:
I'm one who won't really feel the mods after install. I have done CAI on a lot of my cars and not really noticed a difference. The biggest improvement I ever did was a downpipe + tune on a MazdaSpeed6. I believe the mods on the Mustang equals that improvement if not more.
This review is all dependent on the tuner you use, but this is the Steeda tune review.
The first thing you will notice is that the throttle response is improved. It feels like sport mode (+maybe a little more) in normal mode. It's way more exciting to drive. I really like how the throttle inputs are compared to the acceleration. The low end torque is noticeably improved. Butt dyno says probably 20 - 30 ft lbs. The power band is vastly improved. The car is worthless at traction in 1st and slips fairly bad in 2nd. The car really kicks in at 4000 RPM and just carries hard to the 7500 RPM redline. The power pull is way more noticeable on the high end. My 11 year old daughter commented on how much faster it was the first time she road in it after the mods. I have no check engine lights or any strange driving hiccups. Everything seems to be normal. I have driven an '18 with the 10 speed and can tell you that the power is extremely close between the two cars. I would highly recommend these sets of mods. I would recommend keeping the IMRCs to keep the low end because the tuners can tune that out.

Negatives:
One negative that I have is if you give it more than 50% throttle, its pretty much requesting max load, so you don't really get any more. It becomes much harder to modulate tire spin.

Cost:
I did all of this for under $700.
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poncho@home

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Negatives:
One negative that I have is if you give it more than 50% throttle, its pretty much requesting max load, so you don't really get any more. It becomes much harder to modulate tire spin.
really? So ove 50% throttle pedal position it's basically WOT? This makes no sense.

Are you certain about this or is just how it feels to you?
 
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mmarfan

mmarfan

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It’s how it feels. I could hook up the tuner to verify. I have driven smaller low power cars to where this is the case and sometimes worse.
 

ypena02

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Which IMRC adapter harnesses did you use?
 

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DB83

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So this is with an SCT, and Steeda tune? And they are able to retain IMRC?
I've asked a very reputable tuner about keeping the IMRC with my SCT BDX and said it's not possible because SCT software doesn't give them the ability to tune the IMRC. ?????????
They said HP Tuners no problem, but SCT, nope.
 
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mmarfan

mmarfan

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Steeda did it on the SCT X4 that I have without a problem.
 

DB83

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I'll have to bring this up with them!
 

Zelek

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This "low end" loss everyone is mentioning is non-existent really. It's more in the tune than anything. Not to mention you will have to go with lockouts if you ever do forced induction one day. I still have a brand new set of VMP pigtails in the box never used.
 

DB83

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I'm not sure "non-existent" is what i would use. I've spoken to three different reputable tuners (you can probably guess which ones) and they all say there is definitely a loss of low down torque. Wether you would be able to feel it is a different matter, but there is a loss.
 

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It’s how it feels. I could hook up the tuner to verify. I have driven smaller low power cars to where this is the case and sometimes worse.
That is the tune and how the throttle mapping is setup.
 

BmacIL

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I'm not sure "non-existent" is what i would use. I've spoken to three different reputable tuners (you can probably guess which ones) and they all say there is definitely a loss of low down torque. Wether you would be able to feel it is a different matter, but there is a loss.
Only in 6th gear when cruising, or lugging it in 4th or 5th at very low speeds would you ever feel it. The IMRCs are wide open above 2500 rpm in the oem and most tuner's calibrations.
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