Cold-Air Intake (CAI) systems have pretty much reached the level of being considered "common" bolt-on accessories for late-model Mustangs.

It seems there are a lot of aftermarket manufacturers making CAI systems for 'Stangs, and enthusiasts are quick to ditch the factory airbox assembies on their Ponies, and installing the inlet-air improvement kits as a way of enhancing performance.

After reviewing hundreds of CAI systems over the years, we're OK with saying that for the most part, CAI technology has been fairly "cookie cutter." Air enters a conical filter and flows through a round tu...Wait a minute. There's been a change. Head across the jump and I'll tell you about it.

R2C Performance (www.r2cperformance.com) has changed the shape of cold-air induction for Mustangs, literally, by developing a predominately square-shaped, 3-inch inlet tube for its S197 CAI system.

Big Steve found this setup during one of is perusals of Mustang sites on the 'Net, and I got to install and dyno test the unique setup (along with a few other basic bolt-on upgrades for '05-'10 Mustangs) during my trip to the East Coast last month.

Of course, the details of our research (dyno figures) will be laid out in a future issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords.