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aftermarket cai vs stock intake

23K views 85 replies 45 participants last post by  Intense-Dakota 
#1 ·
Cold Air Intake??

Is a cold air intake actually what it claims. the stock air box on the new rams look like they are basically already a cold air intake. what makes these after market ones so much better, is it because its a cone filter setup or what? can i really expect a 15 hp gain like the claim. also if they are the way to go will a 2011 kn cai fit on a 2012?
 
#5 ·
cai good or bad?

looking at purchasing a k&n cold air intake, any thoughts on this, will i notice any increase in power milage etc, any downsides to having this I've read that sometimes it will make your eco act funny? any thoughts/opinions? should i get one
 
#8 ·
I have tried a couple different cai's and I went back to the stock box, I can't stand the noise they make. Our engines are very noisey, have a lot of resonance, hence the HEMI HAT. If I could get my hands on a BFI, that is about the only one I would use. It wont make a noticeable difference on the street, and I run a headlight track intake, so the stock box works for me.
 
#9 ·
I have the Volant CAI, it's fully enclosed and it does not generate much more noise IMHO, over stock with my Magnaflow 18. I do know that the open CAI's will be much louder, I had this on my last truck (k&n). Of course I put these on at the same time so it may not completely accurate.
 
#10 ·
Are you running a hellfire camshaft? Just curious.... If you are how do you like it? It's the one I'm really leaning towards getting.
 
#12 ·
Out of all the exhaust changes I have done, that is the best sound I had. Bone stock exhaust from heads to tip except for a muffler delete. Once I get the new system fixed the way I want it, I think I will be happy, I'll post a sound clip. Still not sure if I want to dump it, or use the side exit before the rear tire that it has now.
 
#14 ·
so kinda been thinking bout purchasing a cai such as a air aid or k and n , but it seems to me that the stock air intake seems pretty well set up, closed from the engine bay unlike most cai that just have a heat shield, stock sucks air from fender, unlike open cai like k and n, seems to me the only thing that the aftermarket would have on these stock intake would be the cone free er flowing filter am i right? or am i missing something here? why people think cai so much better than stuck? whats ur opinion and or the facts behind this?
 
#26 ·
Your basically right. Most companies who sells CAI's either pulls from the fender and or the engine compartments. They are not a true CAI system.

I researched this in depth and found only one company that has a true CAI, and that's Banks. I have it on my truck. But this system is only for diesel. The filter housing replaces the OEM, it pulls from the fender and they have a nozzle that pulls from under the front fender. Nothing is from the engine compartment. This gives me nothing but the ambient air from outside. The system is good.

The next closest system is the S&B CAI. They draw from the fender well and they also have a nozzle that extends from the bottom of the filter housing. But the opening of this nozzle is short compared to the Banks and can draw some air from the engine compartment.

There is a 3rd option that some have used, and that's called the Home Depot CAI system. They buy the parts from Home Depot and drill a hole in the bottom of the fiber compartment, connect the fittings, routing the opening to pull in cold air. Since the compartment is inclosed, it hide the monstrosity of a set up.

That's about all the choices you have for a TRUE CAI system. As mentioned by the others, you have the options of different filter and such. True CAI systems are somewhat limited to some diesels trucks at this time.

Look for the best filtration of the air with the best flow rate possible.
 
#15 ·
Save your money. CAI will not do anything except make your truck louder when you get on it. If you really want to spend some money on your truck, buy something to increase the visual aspects. Window tint, steps, vent visors, wheels, although do not go bigger (you loose fuel milage),hood scoops, stripes just to name a few dress up items. Performance items are a waste of money and may void your warranty.
 
#16 ·
Performance items are a waste of money and may void your warranty.
This statement is at best grossly misleading. There are a multitude of performance items on the market today (tuners and exhaust systems being but two examples) that will afford solid gains in horsepower and torque. There are also many that are a solid waste of your money, i.e. the proverbial "snake oil".

Your best bet is to do what you did - solicit opinions and advice from others who've tried aftermarket items on their trucks, then make your decision based on what you learn and what you want to do with your truck.

Regarding CAI's, I agree with your assessment - the stock airbox does a pretty good job and (in my opinion) your money is probably better spent elsewhere. I installed a Volant CAI on my truck shortly after I bought it, and the mileage actually dropped slightly (more airflow = more fuel burned) and all told, I'd have rather spent the $300 elsewhere. That being said, the cash I spent on a SuperChips tuner and Magnaflow exhaust reaped benefits that made the cost more than worth it!

Good luck with your rig, and post some pictures!
 
#17 ·
i got a knn cai for 226$ its not so expensive,

as far as sound, i think just that was worth the money spend

as far as horse power, well if you dont do anything you wont get anything,... 15whp is not the end of the world but at the end if you take all the extra hp that you gain from every mod its there you'll get result

k&n certified that you get 15 whp,.. my self i think my truck did fell more responsive with it,.. and before it i had a k&n drop in filter

their is also a vendor on our site,.. vararam i think,.. that stats that their new cai will outperforme any other outhere garanted, i believe they says 1/2 a second to 60miles faster and 3th in the 1/4miles,...


anyway good shopping
 
#19 ·
im doign the same hting man... i ordered afe stage 2 dry filter and im getting a tuner and an exhaust in a few weeks with more air in like you said more air needs to go out as well so just getting the cai ....in a sense no wont help u(and u need to stay out of it)....but with all the mods together like crusher said oh most definetly....maybe what Dbryant said is the better route for u.... obvisously u didnt get this truck for mpgs so unless ur gunna spend a little bit more to actually see those gains just get something small at first and go from there.... headlights, HID kit, tints etc.....
 
#20 ·
It does seem like some of the bolt on mods give you very little gains. However I had a 95 Z28 and after adding a CAI,headers, catback exhaust,MSD ignition and wires,Hypertech programmer and 3.73 gear it was a totally different car. Bolt on mods compliment each other but don't seem to do much by themselves. The real big gains usually come from head and cam changes IMHO.
 
#21 ·
Even changing your 'drop-in' air filter to something that flows better can help a little. If you are going to a cai its probably best to go with a system where the filter is enclosed. I have a diy intake and the filter element is open under the hood. I plan to change it out and do something where the filter will catch fresher air as opposed to just air in the engine bay area.
 
#22 ·
What makes everyone think our Hemi trucks are not making enough HP already. If it was so easy to add HP the factory would do it. There is no way a CAI will add 15 rwhp by itself. All the difference made in the 95 Z28 was more to the gear change to 373's than anything else. Its your truck and your money, spend it any way you like, but most of the mods listed can void your warranty.
 
#23 ·
so if i get this right, your saying that the dyno test on k&n site is fake or not good? or i got you wrong

as far as cai , i never heard somebody saying that it voided their warranty, iwent to the dealer many times with mine on and they didnt even mention it

a other thing to think of, in a already nearly 400hp vehicule, you wont feel that much difference by adding 15hp(regardless of to way to gain 15hp), specally if it weigths 5400pounds,..

but like i said previously, for me just the sound added by the cai was worth the upgrade

but this only my opinion,
 
#27 ·
I did some home work on here about the CAI and ended up putting a Drop in K@N filter into the factory box. I live in the prairies and it gets dusty here. My old truck had a CAI and i was cleaning it every 3 months because it was sucking dust and dirt like mad. At least the factory box keeps it sealed up well and still has good cold airflow. I have only had my K@N drop in filter in for about 6000km but it is still spotless. I didn't notice any gains really but i put it in after about 1000km after buying my truck so i didn't get to know the truck to well with the old filter. It definatly breaths better.
 
#28 ·
K&N is a good brand, yet many don't like the oil filters for many reasons. Except for my diesel, I have them on everything else I have.

Might I suggest a pre-filter from OutterWear or any company you can find. They pre-filter the air to something like 5 microns before it gets to your K&N material.

I take cross country trips each year and the last trip was through Oklahoma, Texas panhandle, New Mexico and the eastern part of Arizona when the fires were going good when the farmers were plowing for planting. Visibility was very poor. In Vegas I pulled the filter and it was so dirty I couldn't see the filter material.

With a pre-filter would have been a pull the pre-filter, wash it, let it dry and replace. Could have saved me from constantly cleaning my oiled filter. The pre-filter can be used again and again until the elastic is shot or you tear the material. I got them on all my filters now.
 
#30 ·
Guys, a little info on warranties. If the dealer says an aftermarket part (example, lift kit) caused another part (example, wheel bearing) to fail, all they have to do is say it did and you're stuck. You can't force them to do the repairs. What can you do? Hire a lawyer and wait to go to court and try to prove it didn't, while your truck sits and waits for repairs. I don't know about most people, but I can't. Therefore no mods until warranty is up. Just so you know, this very thing happened to me in 1984 on a Chevy Blazer. I paid for the repairs myself after the dealer told me to hire a lawyer.
 
#31 ·
well maybe each dealer is a bit different, but you can tell your dealer, listen, i just bought you a 55000$ truck, if you want me to buy a other one, make this go on warranty, the dealer dont pay for the repair they perform on warranty, dodge pay the dealer for it,

in my case, i have a k&n cai, diablo programmer, mufflex muffler, resonator deleted,catch can...and more(i take the programmer of before i go to dealer),.... and i went because my idle wasent stable and also for a noise in the engine when started in cold weather . i have almost all the performance bolt on mod possible except for throttle body and y pipe and headders but thats comming soon :)

and they never even mention my mod, they reflash the computer, and change the part that was making the noise,

also dodge them self sell mopar cai that is warranty if install by them, they sell lift kit, exhause system,....

k&n did debate the waranty issue and you can read this on their internet site and it is clearly stated that legally they have to accept the warranty coverage with their cai
 
#33 ·
I'm new on this site, but not new to making HP(circle tracker for 30 years) AND I've owned 9 Dodge Trucks since about 1990.As far as the cai goes... a waste of money...buy a K&N stock replacement filter for stock air box, lots cheaper. unless you get the air coming in from a clean air source ( under the hood is not clean air) it's useless. Tried one in 2000 Dakota w/4.7, no difference in anything except my wallet. lol!!! In 8 of my 9 (1st one was a 72 work horse) ranging from 3.9 to 318 use K&N drop in with slight increase .5-1 in mpg, a "little" better throttle response. For you guy's claiming increases in Camaro's and cars in general yes a little better than stock air filter... but if this was a true 15 hp gain every racer I know would be buying them because that would be cheap HP. Go to any circle or drag strip and see for yourselfs. Spend the $$$ on a good chip/programmer!! They're right on exhaust, let that puppy breath out what it's taking in. I had an engine builder dyno my "04 4.7 before and after exhaust mods ( we were both curious).......a true 12 hp gain and went from 17 to 20 hiway/mpg @ 70mph and I get (depending on my lead foot)15-17 towing a 3500lb race car on a 20ft trailer. K&N Filter $30 -Exhaust $350= hp and better fuel milage!!!!
 
#35 ·
well one thing to remember, 15hp on a 5400pound truck wont change the world,...

the other thing, it is very possible to gain 15hp a a nearly 400hp v8
if it was on a 130hp l4, then i would agree,

but i still dont thing k&n fake their dyno sheat,.. if they would claim every kit does 15hp then it would be different

also, their is vararam that garantes that their new kit the air grabber will bring you down 3th of a sec on the 1/4 miles, if not they give you back your money pluys the shipping.... so if they give that garantee,.... it speak for itself

altought i'm sure the cai does not always improve alot the hp, i'm sure that you wont see the same improvement on the 4.7l that on the new 391hp hemi 5.7 en even the older hemi might not see the same improvement,... and deffeneletly not on the older carburator truck,.. because the carb dont ajust by themself...
 
#34 ·
Tire sizes

also I will be dropping tire sizes from 265's to either 245 or 255 depending on how they look after I drop rear tomorrow...we'll see about mpg vs hp. Gotta a used tire dealer going to let me try a used set of each before I buy the new ones!! I'll let you guy's know what the results are in a few days!!
 
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