FRPP manifold or c&l manifold?

[Garrett brittain]

Hey guys I’m back with yet another question,

I think I may have the chance to purchase a c&l intake manifold, which are now discontinued and impossible to find new.

which one is better? The c&l testing I’ve seen says it shows 10-15 hp increase on a stock car (idk if I believe that but it sounds promising at least)

mans the FRPP testing I’ve seen basically shows no power increases except for high rpm builds.

should I take the risk and go for the c&l or play it safe and get the FRPP?

My car has cams and a cai right now, I want to do a TB, intake manifold and long tubes in the future

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

You're really splitting hairs between the two manifolds performance wise. The main difference is that since the C&L is aluminium, it'll tolerate more boost but it's also heavier and more prone to heat soak. The choice may actually come down to price and which one you find more aesthetically pleasing.
I don't see much advantage to installing either of these 7000+rpm capable manifolds if you have stock unported heads, especially with stock valve springs that effectively limit the engine to 6800rpm. A stock manifold with the charge motion control valves deleted already flows a generous 250-260cfm of air per runner when you consider that the intake ports of the stock heads flow 225-235cfm. You really need CNC ported heads (unless you're a DIY head porting wizard) with upgraded valve springs to take full advantage of aftermarket intake manifolds that flow over 300cfm per runner (C&L is claimed to flow 325-330).
Keep in mind that you'll lose some torque in the 3300-5200rpm midrange but the good news is that installing LT headers would offset that. A 62mm TB also mitigates some of that loss.
Here's some further reading:

https://www.cundnracing.com/05-10V8MUSTANGINTAKEMANIFOLD.html

 

[Badd GT]

In my experience, they are both nothing but eye candy that will cost you performance unless you add a centrifugal supercharger. Take your delete plates out of your stock manifold and call it a day.

 

[Mustang dog]

Never ran the c&l, I tried to find one a couple years back, but opted out for the Ford racing manifold. I like it cause I’m on a centri setup, with stage 3 ported heads, cams, LtH, and springs. So I can take it to 7200 rpm. I’ve had a chance since then to purchase the C&L since then but decided to keep the Ford Racing. Heat soak, and weight, was the big decider, for me.