Thoughts on Cold Air Intakes?

[Mopar_maxi]

Can you share more information on this intake?

I made it myself. 4” carbon fiber tubing, couplers, 6” bellmouth on the end with a 6” ID air filter. Relocated the factory coolant overflow and the air filter draws cold air directly from the grill where the coolant overflow originally was.

 

[theblet]

I made it myself. 4” carbon fiber tubing, couplers, 6” bellmouth on the end with a 6” ID air filter. Relocated the factory coolant overflow and the air filter draws cold air directly from the grill where the coolant overflow originally was.

Looks nice. I thought it was weird that your TB isnt verticle. Is that because of the 6.4 intake manifold?

 

[Mopar_maxi]

Looks nice. I thought it was weird that your TB isnt verticle. Is that because of the 6.4 intake manifold?

You’re correct. 6.4 truck intake manifold

 

[DEG]

Old thread but more food for thought for those considering spending their money on a Cold Air Intake or even a performance air filter.

Your current intake draws air from in front of the radiator along the right lower side of the radiator. Many aftermarket cold air intakes, like Mopar and Vararam draw air from in front of the radiator above the radiator. The air at the top of the radiator is 10-100 degrees hotter than the bottom of the radiator so you are probably getting warmer air into the intake if drawing it above the radiator than you are with the factory setup. Mopar-maxi's setup with the filter completely in front of the radiator behind the grill is probably drawing colder air that most manufactured CAI's.

The only real change you are getting is a high airflow filter that very likely provides no added benefit whatsoever, but filters less dirt. The guy in the video below tested several performance filters to each other and his factory filter and found no difference in HP or Torque. He even noticed no real change in performance tests between a dirty filter and a new one; reasoning that factory design allowed for much more airflow that a factory tuned engine would ever attempt to draw.

 

[Darksteel165]

Old thread but more food for thought for those considering spending their money on a Cold Air Intake or even a performance air filter.

Your current intake draws air from in front of the radiator along the right lower side of the radiator. Many aftermarket cold air intakes, like Mopar and Vararam draw air from in front of the radiator above the radiator. The air at the top of the radiator is 10-100 degrees hotter than the bottom of the radiator so you are probably getting warmer air into the intake if drawing it above the radiator than you are with the factory setup.

The air coming in from the top of the radiator is not 100 degrees hotter.
You can literally see the air temp of your intake via the sensor before your throttle body.

Are you going to start talking about oil weight and politics next?
Dude just stop, I can't even anymore, reading what you type feels like it's making my IQ go down.

 

[DEG]

The air coming in from the top of the radiator is not 100 degrees hotter.
You can literally see the air temp of your intake via the sensor before your throttle body.

Are you going to start talking about oil weight and politics next?
Dude just stop, I can't even anymore, reading what you type feels like it's making my IQ go down.

Just more ignorant nonsense from you. It's like you have no reading comprehension ability at all and most points just fly way over your head.

I said air at the top of the radiator can be between 10 and 100 degrees hotter and that is a fact. Regardless of the exact temperature, the temperature at the top of the radiator is hotter than the bottom.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Old thread but more food for thought for those considering spending their money on a Cold Air Intake or even a performance air filter.

Your current intake draws air from in front of the radiator along the right lower side of the radiator. Many aftermarket cold air intakes, like Mopar and Vararam draw air from in front of the radiator above the radiator. The air at the top of the radiator is 10-100 degrees hotter than the bottom of the radiator so you are probably getting warmer air into the intake if drawing it above the radiator than you are with the factory setup. Mopar-maxi's setup with the filter completely in front of the radiator behind the grill is probably drawing colder air that most manufactured CAI's.

The only real change you are getting is a high airflow filter that very likely provides no added benefit whatsoever, but filters less dirt. The guy in the video below tested several performance filters to each other and his factory filter and found no difference in HP or Torque. He even noticed no real change in performance tests between a dirty filter and a new one; reasoning that factory design allowed for much more airflow that a factory tuned engine would ever attempt to draw.

While the coolant temp may be warmer at the top of the radiator, the air coming in from the front of the truck is ambient air temp. Now if it was drawing air from behind the radiator sure. But the air coming into the Vararam and RAM Air is exactly the same temp as what would be coming into the stock air box.

 

[DEG]

While the coolant temp may be warmer at the top of the radiator, the air coming in from the front of the truck is ambient air temp. Now if it was drawing air from behind the radiator sure. But the air coming into the Vararam and RAM Air is exactly the same temp as what would be coming into the stock air box.

Perhaps, but that ambient air will travel through plastic exposed to the radiant temperature given off by the radiator. In addition to the top of a radiator being hotter than the bottom, heat rises. Also, the metal hood will tend to reflect heat back down putting more radiant heat above and below the air intake ports. The difference may be so tiny as to be insignificant but these companies are trying to market their "cold air intakes" as being better than what you already have. The air won't be any cooler than the factory intake and could potentially be warmer.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Perhaps, but that ambient air will travel through plastic exposed to the radiant temperature given off by the radiator. In addition to the top of a radiator being hotter than the bottom, heat rises. Also, the metal hood will tend to reflect heat back down putting more radiant heat above and below the air intake ports. The difference may be so tiny as to be insignificant but these companies are trying to market their "cold air intakes" as being better than what you already have. The air won't be any cooler than the factory intake and could potentially be warmer.

Maybe if you were parked with engine run jng for long periods. As soon as you start driving the incoming air will be right back to ambient. Bases on your what ifs, the factory air box is behind the radiator and hot air under the hood will heat it up. The intake tube from the air box to the throttle body will heat soak and increase air temps. The intake for the factory air box literally attached to the radiator and will get warm increasing air temps. I can keep going

 

[Nascar Tommy]

Old thread but more food for thought for those considering spending their money on a Cold Air Intake or even a performance air filter.

Your current intake draws air from in front of the radiator along the right lower side of the radiator. Many aftermarket cold air intakes, like Mopar and Vararam draw air from in front of the radiator above the radiator. The air at the top of the radiator is 10-100 degrees hotter than the bottom of the radiator so you are probably getting warmer air into the intake if drawing it above the radiator than you are with the factory setup. Mopar-maxi's setup with the filter completely in front of the radiator behind the grill is probably drawing colder air that most manufactured CAI's.

The only real change you are getting is a high airflow filter that very likely provides no added benefit whatsoever, but filters less dirt. The guy in the video below tested several performance filters to each other and his factory filter and found no difference in HP or Torque. He even noticed no real change in performance tests between a dirty filter and a new one; reasoning that factory design allowed for much more airflow that a factory tuned engine would ever attempt to draw.

Thank You captain buzz kill!

 

[Nascar Tommy]

The air coming in from the top of the radiator is not 100 degrees hotter.
You can literally see the air temp of your intake via the sensor before your throttle body.

Are you going to start talking about oil weight and politics next?
Dude just stop, I can't even anymore, reading what you type feels like it's making my IQ go down.

He saw it on the Interweb! It must be true.

 

[DEG]

Maybe if you were parked with engine run jng for long periods. As soon as you start driving the incoming air will be right back to ambient. Bases on your what ifs, the factory air box is behind the radiator and hot air under the hood will heat it up. The intake tube from the air box to the throttle body will heat soak and increase air temps. The intake for the factory air box literally attached to the radiator and will get warm increasing air temps. I can keep going

You have missed the point entirely. The air box for nearly all aftermarket airboxes are also behind the radiator. They are either on top of the engine or many use exactly the same location as the factory air box and even use the same air inlet location. The air will not be colder in any of these aftermarket CAIs that it will be with the factory setup.

 

[DEG]

Thank You captain buzz kill!

Not a buzzkill if it prevents a few from wasting hundreds of dollars on something that has absolutely no performance benefit.

I realize some here are intolerant to positions that do not reflect their own perceptions of reality. Social media is filled with people who only want to hear an echo chamber.

 

[Darksteel165]

You have missed the point entirely. The air box for nearly all aftermarket airboxes are also behind the radiator. They are either on top of the engine or many use exactly the same location as the factory air box and even use the same air inlet location. The air will not be colder in any of these aftermarket CAIs that it will be with the factory setup.

No one says the air will be colder. The truck has an CAI as it's stock airbox, just like the aftermarket ones.
I would be hard pressed to find any modern car\truck that does not have a cold air intake (CAI) from the factory.

 

[DEG]

No one says the air will be colder.

False. Nearly every manufacture of aftermarket CAI's claim they allow colder air to reach the engine. The description of the Mopar CAI specifically says, "Our bolt-on CAI directs cooler outside air in through a cone filter and funnels it into the intake manifold." Wouldn't be very effective marketing if they told you the truth and said something like "Our bolt-on CAI directs the same temperature of air as your factory air box into the intake manifold."

The truck has an CAI as it's stock airbox, just like the aftermarket ones.
I would be hard pressed to find any modern car\truck that does not have a cold air intake (CAI) from the factory.

Yes, that's been my point the entire time, but you seem miss the point and just cherry pick snippets to attack me.

I even mentioned in my original post that the only thing you are really getting from a CAI is higher airflow air filter. Even with that, tests show that will not provide any performance changes unless you make other modifications that result in your engine requiring more airflow that what the factory box will allow. All you are doing is changing the sound and allowing in more dirt.

 

[theblet]

CAI manufacturers say it will be colder with their intake. The fine print probably says “Inlet air temperatures will be colder during the winter”

It’s marketing

 

[HSKR R/T]

You have missed the point entirely. The air box for nearly all aftermarket airboxes are also behind the radiator. They are either on top of the engine or many use exactly the same location as the factory air box and even use the same air inlet location. The air will not be colder in any of these aftermarket CAIs that it will be with the factory setup.

No, I addressed the point you made about the Vararam drawing in hotter air. You are just deflecting now. Nobody is saying it will be colder air than the factory set up. It's well proven that they offer no added performance. But you literally said the Vararam would bring in hotter size which just isn't the case

 

[HSKR R/T]

False. Nearly every manufacture of aftermarket CAI's claim they allow colder air to reach the engine. The description of the Mopar CAI specifically says, "Our bolt-on CAI directs cooler outside air in through a cone filter and funnels it into the intake manifold." Wouldn't be very effective marketing if they told you the truth and said something like "Our bolt-on CAI directs the same temperature of air as your factory air box into the intake manifold."



Yes, that's been my point the entire time, but you seem miss the point and just cherry pick snippets to attack me.

I even mentioned in my original post that the only thing you are really getting from a CAI is higher airflow air filter. Even with that, tests show that will not provide any performance changes unless you make other modifications that result in your engine requiring more airflow that what the factory box will allow. All you are doing is changing the sound and allowing in more dirt.

Nobody in this thread is claiming colder air. Anyone with a lick of sense knows manufacturer claims are exaggerated. But there is a sucker for everything out there. Which I why, for reasons I can't even begin to fathom, throttle body spacers are still a big seller.

 

[LITTLEREBEL]

After doing two different intakes and exhaust on my truck, I should've just done a drop in filter and called it done, because my MPG's have dropped significantly.

 

[Nascar Tommy]

Not a buzzkill if it prevents a few from wasting hundreds of dollars on something that has absolutely no performance benefit.

I realize some here are intolerant to positions that do not reflect their own perceptions of reality. Social media is filled with people who only want to hear an echo chamber.

But it looks so COOL!