Curious if anyone here has experience with upgraded cold air intakes. Any real benefits, or just sound and looks?
That’s basically going to act like a warm air intake. The stock setup pulls air from the fender, but this one pulls from both the fender and the engine bay.
Paz said:
That’s basically going to act like a warm air intake. The stock setup pulls air from the fender, but this one pulls from both the fender and the engine bay.
I was super confused when I first saw these. Why would anyone want to pull in hot air? Shame on you, K&N.
Paz said:
That’s basically going to act like a warm air intake. The stock setup pulls air from the fender, but this one pulls from both the fender and the engine bay.
I had a K&N CAI on my Mustang. It just replaces the OEM filter box, maybe with a slightly larger one and a bigger K&N filter. But unless you’re upgrading other parts like the throttle body, you’re not going to see much difference in performance.
You’ll get a nice sound if you really stomp the gas, but that’s about it. No real gains over stock air flow.
Remington said:
You’ll get a nice sound if you really stomp the gas, but that’s about it. No real gains over stock air flow.
Exactly. No boost in performance, but it does sound pretty cool honestly.
Totally not worth it.
4 Fast 4 Furious vibes.
If you want better airflow and good filtration, get an AFE dry drop-in filter.
Exposed filters might sound cool with a turbo but without proper heat shielding, they can lead to higher intake temps. It’s all preference—this isn’t really a performance platform anyway. But yeah, 90-degree summer air is still better than hot engine bay temps.
@Gerald
AEM has a dry drop-in option too.
They do—and it’s solid. AFE just goes the extra mile by posting their ISO test data. Shows they stand behind their stuff.
I put one on my Tacoma back in 2005. It just made it louder with zero power gains. Pulled it off a year later.
I’m a big fan of my APR intake.
If you like the look, go for it. But don’t expect more power. The throttle plate is the real bottleneck, not the filter—unless you’re at wide open throttle constantly. And that growl people like? It’s just messy airflow. Stock setup is tuned for smooth flow over the MAF so the ECU can do its job right.
Do you believe in unicorns and the tooth fairy?
Clears throat… volumetric efficiency, people.
You’re not gaining anything over the stock box. But hey, if you like how it looks and want to spend the cash, go for it.
This is next on my list too. After doing some digging, I’ll be going with a dry filter instead of an oiled one—heard the oil can cause issues and pull stuff into the intake.
It’s mostly going to make your engine louder and might even hurt performance. If you’re chasing better throttle response, maybe look into a Pedal Commander. I haven’t used one myself but they get decent reviews. Or just use that money for a solid tune-up—plugs, filters, fluids, brakes, the works.
@Bright
I had one and ended up taking it out. Caused issues and even put my truck into limp mode more than once. When it works it’s great, but not worth the headaches. Mine’s sitting on a shelf now.
Adley said:
@Bright
I had one and ended up taking it out. Caused issues and even put my truck into limp mode more than once. When it works it’s great, but not worth the headaches. Mine’s sitting on a shelf now.
Good to know. I’ve seen tons of used ones on FB Marketplace—guess now I know why. Thought it was just people selling their trucks.