Steeda vs. Roush vs. JLT

[Poppacapp]

I don't quite understand what you're saying. How can all these companies claim HP and Torque gain with or without a tune, and you're saying it doesn't work?
And even if it was the tune, how can the gains be the same with the stock intake as an aftermarket, more expensive intake. That way, why would anyone want to buy an aftermarket CAI if their stock intake will function the same way.
Also, I thought a CAI is one of the most famous N/A mods. I could be wrong, I'm still learning about all of this, but to me it doesn't make sense.

Btw, since you asked earlier, I will not be using my car to drag race, it's my daily drive, and I just wanted to pump the power up a bit to make it more fun.

Because I personally saw no gains on my car at the track.. which is where I will be at often. My intake was supposed to give me an advertised 22rwhp without a tune. It did not. If I HAD gained this horsepower it would have shown in my trap speed at the track. Trap speed is a foolproof way to see if your car gained power or not. Mine did not.

tell you what... if you plan on going with an aftermarket intake. Do a before/after dyno with the hood CLOSED on the car.. not open. If you are going with a tune, ask your tuner to send a tune for the stock intake, and one for the aftermarket. With the hood closed, let us know how much power you gained.

I am not trying to slam the CAI manufacturers.. I am simply stating that for MY needs, I am better off with the stock intake. At the track, lower IATs are important. I did not notice a benefit with the aftermarket CAI... sure, it can lower the IAT once you get moving... but that does NO good at a dragstrip when the car is pulling timing at the start line.

We also have other members who have had better results at the dragstrip with stock intake vs aftermarket.

But for YOUR use, just to drive around with, and not be as concerned with IAT etc, you will like the CAI. It does give a nice grunt sound under WOT, they DO look good under the hood. As far as customer service, I can only speak to the vendor I dealt with and David with Steeda was awesome to deal with, and I highly recommend talking with him to help you make your mind up.

Sponsored

 

[Poppacapp]

you'll have to read the steeda thread couple of threads down, find where he posted that and the rebuttal responses to it to understand. the steeda does have power increase without a tune, members have dyno'd and proved it such as @Evolvd has. roush has gains without tune as well.

Evolvd slammed my same day method of testing, yet his "proof" is a single dynosheet from a different day than his baseline. MPH at the track tells the truth. Not a dyno on a different day.

Edit: And I would guarantee different results with the hood closed.

 

[Evolvd]

you'll have to read the steeda thread couple of threads down, find where he posted that and the rebuttal responses to it to understand. the steeda does have power increase without a tune, members have dyno'd and proved it such as [MENTION=13520]Evolvd[/MENTION] has. roush has gains without tune as well.

This is true, and what SOME people fail to realize is the dyno is a much more controlled environment for testing than any drag strip. Wind, track prep, wheel spin, radiant heat from asphalt...all of these are uncontrollable factors on a drag strip and are negated on a dyno...but I guess that doesn't fit their narrative so whatever they wanna think is fine, I know it makes power, I've proved it and that's all that matters to me.

Oh, btw when I did my dyno runs, the hood was closed for all of them, stock and Steeda...so there's that.

 

[Khyber]

 

[Need4Speed15]

Steeda will win this poll on this board because of recent hype and because of a great sale that Steeda ran, a bunch of members recently purchased them. I think all 3 CAI's you mentioned are great though and you really can't make a wrong decision. I personally run a JLT because I've run JLT products for years with my 2012 and now my 2015. Anyway, good luck with whichever one you choose!

 

[DoingOK]

I've been around a long time (50+ years). I ignore internet forum reviews because, quite frankly, only a small percentage of the people really know what they are talking about. I asked the three best tuners I know on the East Coast what they would use if it was their own car. All three said JLT was what they had the best results with. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Steeda unit (have their products as well) but went with what the experienced tuners recommended. I would expect the results to be relatively close with a majority of the improvement being from the tune.

 

[stoli]

I own Steeda, Airaid, and JLT....for what it's worth, here's my take on those three (Lund tune in place at all times, just modifed to support the different MAF requirements of the intakes)

AirAid:

• Best fit and finish, very unique design.
• The only one with a closed box.
• Excellent customer service - they even shipped me replacement parts for free after telling them I bought it used.

JLT:

• Probably the most popular intake on the market.
• Generally cheap construction, but you know you can't hurt it. It could seal better against the hood in front and on driver's side
• Super fast and easy install.
• Customer service is hit or miss. I bought a painted tube months ago and service was good. Contacted them again a couple weeks ago and never received a reply. Jay's reputation precedes him online.

Steeda

• Good fit and finish. Like JLT, it could seal better against the hood in front and on driver's side.
• Seemingly best engineering, from the velocity stack to the intake tube.
• Install is a bit tedious but fits well. Some don't like that you have to use and modify your oem box - I find this a bonus as it fits perfect to the grill.
• Customer service is second to none and is what ultimately sold me on buying a third intake. (I may have a problem)

Performance: I did a lot of drag racing this year with stock box, AirAir, JLT, and a combination of JLT and AirAid (JLT tube, AirAir sealed box) and there was no discernible difference except the JLT always had considerably higher iat's when staging and lining up. I never once had that issue with the AirAid. Just based on design, I'd have to assume the same issue may be present with the Steeda, I just haven't been to the track yet with it.

Drag racing aside, my Lund tune w/the Steeda intake is the 'smoothest' in low in the rpm band driving around town. I couldn't tell you if that is due to the velocity stack or just a difference in the tune. Either way, it was an unexpected bonus.

 

[daltron]

Steeda based on the fact that a lot of people rave about them here and that their forum support is pretty professional and awesome while JLT's Jay... Like Stoli said, his reputation precedes him.

 

[Strokerswild]

Out of those three, I'd personally go with a Roush since A) they work as well as any other, and B) they look the most OEM under the hood.

Steeda would be runner-up. I had a JLT on my GT500 and while function was as expected, it was frankly kind of a POS in terms of fit and finish.

Me, I'm (still) waiting for the Ford Racing unit, since my car's sitting until spring anyway (because MN). Once I have that, my car will get a Lund E85 tune.

 

[BBB]

I used to be pro JLT but their owner and is a giant crybaby so Steeda all the way!

 

[jkstang78]

Cant beat the OE fit and finish of our intakes.

Surprised they didn't post a picture.

But I have a Roush on my car and like it. The only thing I can ask to be different on this. Is with the filter they use. I'd like to see a filter that has an open front in it like the steeda filter.

I think in the future they could add an open front filter for some more air.

 

[Blk2015GT]

I dont think you can go wrong with any of the 3. But remember Steeda and Roush will install without a tune; that could be a big factor for many not looking to void their warranty with a tune that cannot just be taken off like the CAI.

Another factor is the Steeda requires you to permanently mod the little plastic duct in the grill (cut the resonator plastic off); Roush doesnt as it comes with a new one. You can buy another OEM one for warranty purposes, but they're about $45 on American Muscle http://www.americanmuscle.com/ford-air-inlet-resonator-2015gt.html Not cheap really.

So factor another $50 on top of the Steeda if you need to worry about going back to total factory setup for a warranty repair; and the Roush was already $25 cheaper full price direct from each manufacturer- $370 vs $395.

 

[MSMStannyl]

Steeda

• Good fit and finish. Like JLT, it could seal better against the hood in front and on driver's side.
• Seemingly best engineering, from the velocity stack to the intake tube.
• Install is a bit tedious but fits well. Some don't like that you have to use and modify your oem box - I find this a bonus as it fits perfect to the grill.
• Customer service is second to none and is what ultimately sold me on buying a third intake. (I may have a problem)

^ This blew my mind as I just recently installed the Steeda on my car (about 2 weeks ago) and I thought something was wrong because I couldn't shut my hood! Turns out I had to really push down on it for it to latch. After a day or two, I tried again and it was back to being fine. That's because the weatherstripping sealed to the hood so well that it had to "break in". You can clearly see the outline of the Steeda box on the hood insulation. I'm not sure how much better sealed you can get!

All of this being said, it is definitely worth mentioning that the Steeda will require cutting off your factory resonator on the cold air duct. This part took me a little bit by surprise. Not a big deal in the end as it will still work perfectly fine with the stock airbox if you ever need to put it back to stock, plus, they give you a plug to seal it (it's pre-filter anyway so not a huge deal even if it wasn't sealed other than sucking in some engine heat I suppose).

Bottom line, the Steeda is a beauty. When you hold that aluminum velocity stack in your hand, you know you've got some quality! I got the no-tune version (for now) so I have the aluminum restrictor insert. Again, beautifully made with a perfect fit.

I can't speak about any of the others mentioned simply because I don't have any experience with them but I was in the OP's shoes a few weeks ago and went with Steeda.

 

[stoli]

^ This blew my mind as I just recently installed the Steeda on my car (about 2 weeks ago) and I thought something was wrong because I couldn't shut my hood! Turns out I had to really push down on it for it to latch. After a day or two, I tried again and it was back to being fine. That's because the weatherstripping sealed to the hood so well that it had to "break in". You can clearly see the outline of the Steeda box on the hood insulation. I'm not sure how much better sealed you can get!

It doesn't seal along the driver's side or in front. There's actually a very significant gap. The back edge and passenger edge do, and tightly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jkstang78]

Just for comparison on looks alone the 3 intakes in 1 post.

I'd like to Muscle Mustang & Fast Ford or one of the other Magazines get all the intakes available and do a test on them like they use to do on the Fox bodies 5.0 motors

Sponsored