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CAI Evaluation

316K views 644 replies 235 participants last post by  guy65 
#1 · (Edited)
I see a lot of posts and questions about CAI's, so I thought I'd do a little checking and do some comparisons. Everything is based on my Ram, 2010 with the Hemi. I'm sure there are other CAI's out there but these are the more common ones.

BFI $329.00 not enclosed and not out in the cold air.
K&N $322.00 partially enclosed and not in the cold air.
Airaid $365.00 partially enclosed and uses some cold air from fender connection, would use full cold air if it was fully enclosed

AFE Stage 1 $336.00 fully enclosed and uses cold air from the fender connection.
Volant $405.00 fully enclosed but has hole in bottom for scoop attachment which would be easy to block. Uses outside air connection on fender.

For my money were I to buy a CAI, I'd go for the fully enclosed CAI's hands down. CAI means "Cold" Air Intake. In my mind any CAI that does not get its air from outside the engine compartment is not a true CAI.
 
#349 ·
I don't recommend the spacer. I put an airaid spacer on my 07 and found it did nothing other than make a sickly whistling sound. It honestly sounds like there is something wrong with my truck. But i do recommend getting a fastman throttle body instead. I will be ordering mine shortly.
 
#358 ·
Anyone tried Spectre CAI and if so what do you think.Everything I have read and googled seems to make me beleive they are a great product, infact they are compared to there K&N counter part.And some i have read claim they are or were K&N fans, but after trying the less expensive spectre they wont go back. Got one comeing for my hemi, so i will see if i like them better , have used plenty of others befor.

Plus my brother who owns a harley shop has been useing spectre products for a long time, but also still uses K&N.
 
#360 ·
I have used CAI takes in the past and have used other spectre parts, this will be the first spectre CIA though, from all i have read and heard, it should work great.

As far as the hot air, it isnt possible with theses type of CAI not to get better results than stock.

Once the old is taken out and the new in there is plenty of space around the wheel well to allow colder air up and plus you have a vacume inhaleing also. And with the heat sheilds around it, they do prevent some of the engine heat from mixing. Theses point down-the ones i would call fail are the ones that only lay horizontal at the end of the pipe.
 
#361 ·
I just know the spectre on my step father's F150 has a "heat shield" but it is completely open to the under hood. It does nothing to block hot air from the filter. Other than that it is as good as any other I'd say.
 
G
#362 · (Edited)
Oh my goodness....I'm about to piss off the forum. Gentlemen, I've run performance vehicles, and the CAI only makes a difference when you're looking for more dense air to push thru a throttle bosy...usually with a turbo which needs the cooler and more dense air to produce the horses and reduce the detonation factor needed to propel the car to a higher level of performance. Do a run in the morning with cooler and more dense air, and you get better times in the speed trap\. Increase the size of the throttle body in conjunction with the CAI factoring in some engine performance data, and depending uipon the setup of your engine, you just MIGHT get some better times. Most of this aftermarket stuff is fluff. There are so many folks out there just itching to add on a doo-dad that the marketing divison makes some totally unsupported claim about. We all want a bigger, faster, more efficient, gas efficient roadster than the other fellow that we're all on the hunt for everything from a light bulb to a CAI, throttle body, bigger wheels, or other doo-dad that will allow us to out perform the other guy. When I ran Porsches, I actually went back to the FACTORY air filter...proved to be better than the other after market maufacturer....won't say the name, but it's a BIG competitor. I did this after quite a bit of research and not just on a whim.

Believe me or call BS on the whole thread....but do your own research before you bank on the propaganda of the retailers. Now for a disclaimer...it's not all BS, but some of it is .....let's say....stretched a bit.

Drive safely.....Cj

In this case, we're dealing with a UTILITY vehicle....designed to pull trailers, haul lumber, sandbagas, or simplly act as a daily driver. CAI's and mufflers do little or nothing to do anything for your performance except give you a more throaty sounding vehicle. To some, that equates to faster, better, more efficient. Why do you see so many Abarth mufflers on Subarus, Hondas, andd other imports? Because they equate sound to performance. The better the souind, the faster it goes??? Guys, we're not dealing with the sound barrier, we're dealing with actual data produced by th stats taken off dyno...not the propanda written up by a CAI manufacturer who claims an increase of 20 horses or XX torque.

I simply ask you to request the dyno specs from these people who make these exhorbinant claims. Where's the beef? Where do you get a 6 mph increase in the overall mileage figures of a tank of gas? (sorry. there's no spell check in this program, but I think you get the idea)
 
#363 ·
compare apples to apples, our hemi's are waay different animals then a subaru or a porsche and will respond to cai's and exhausts differently.. i do agree with you that some do equate loud sound to performance which is humorous. i run the biggest magnaflow because i want it really quiet in the cab but also wanted a better flowing muffler than stock and not sound loud on the street either. As for cai's, I do run a bigger one than most. I really don't dyno much anymore unless it's for a gtg. I do all my performance mod comparisons at the track and a stock cai doesn't flow as much as my engine needs to perform well.
 
#364 · (Edited)
No dyno results here, but I'll go you one better...Every mod added to my Ram has resulted in reduced times at the track.
I have 200+ time slips over a two year span that range from 15.3's (stock) to 14.5's (intake,exhaust,tuner only) down to my best at 13.8's on DR's.
No internals, turbos, supercharger, or spray, stock motor right down to the cast iron exhaust manifolds.

I can make a dozen passes at the local track for $25 and take all day to do it,
Dyno pulls cost $100 a shot ( for 2 runs) and only measure from 3500-5600 rpm in 3rd gear.

Call it snake oil if you want, but if you add up all the little 10ths you can cut with minor "supporting" mods and tweaks you CAN end up shaving a second....or more.
Also, mechanical advantages such as gear reductions, smaller sticky tires, and torque converters
make a LOT more of a difference on the road and at the track, BUT that only shows up on a track slip, not on a Dyno graph.

Headers are going on next, then 4.56's
I'm heading for mid-low 13's in my 5300 pound 4x4 snake oil brick real soon LOL!
 
#366 ·
I agree with BlackRamHemi. A example of this on my ride, added a K&N CAI and it seemed sluggish on the low end and then i changed the stock exhaust to Magnaflow. The throttle response and gain was IMO greatly improved. Anyway its the combination of a lot of little things that add up.
 
#367 · (Edited)
Next on your list, if you're looking for a little more, without breaking the bank
a Fastman throttle body $212, and a Magnaflow Y pipe $30.

more air in, more air out = more power.
an internal combustion engine is basically an air pump.

Every little mod measured on its own may seem useless to some,
but gradually removing restrictions, no matter how small add up to more free flowing system as a whole.

it only takes 10 tenths to equal a full second quicker than a stock truck, only getting there 1 tenth at a time ? who cares? it's fun!
Now a second my not sound like much, but its over 10 truck lengths on a quarter mile.

:wavey:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWsIASP8FNA
 
#369 ·
Ok, I tried to find if this had already been answered, but I couldn't, so here it is: I have it narrowed to the Air Raid or AFE. The AFE looks easy to install since it uses the bottom part of the stock airbox. Does anyone know of any other major differences? Does the "tri-lobe" intake tube mean anything? Thanks!
 
#370 ·
In short, I choose the AFE, works and looks just fine, all the CAI systems will improve the air flow over stock.... Unless your racing or in NASCAR, the small differences really do not matter much, go with the one you like and the one that fits your budget, each one has advantages and slight disadvantages, there is no clear performance winner in the CAI wars, The HP gains vary slightly between brands and can be compared on their web sites.... Hope this will assist you in your decesion....
 
#371 ·
I have a TRUE CAI. I retained the stock box because it is sealed from the engine heat and ran a duct done to my large air scoop the pulls straight from the outside air. And it is force in with speed right now I have the stock filter and have already noted a 1 mpg increase. I will be swapping to a K&N drop in soon.




Maybe I will do a fiber glass intake tube to smooth out air flow to the TB.
 
#372 · (Edited)
I have to say I have noticed a slight gain in mpg and the response is a little better,I just added a 4" air inlet along with the stock inlet and added a k&n drop in filter.Seems to be as I said a little more responsive and the fuel millage has improved.The cost 0$ and a little time. best mod for the money.(approx.14 square inches stock fresh air opening,added another 12.5 square inches=26.5" total of cold air from outside of the engine compartment)









going in for service soon can't wait to hear what they have to say about that add on lol.
 
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