Hey man, I used to own a 1999 Ford Contour SVT. It's alsost the same car as yours. Same 2.5L and all. I went and put on a Vortch Surpercharger and it was totally awesome. The best mod that I ever made for that car. The only other things that I had done to it were a Borla exhaust system and a short-throw shifter. I never had any issues with the system or the car. That particular car and engine is quite durable. It can handle the power without much risk at all.
And almost all vortech systems are designed to be put onto the stock cars without risk of damage. They know what they're doing.
I don't know if they still make the system or not..but even if you can pick one up used it would be a great addition.
another plus for a K&N filter, in addition to the (minor) hp gain and sporty sound, is the fact that you can clean them yourself and that they come with a lifetime warranty... filter replacement costs can nearly cancel out the price of buying a K&N
Linear Mode
