cold air intake is it worth it?

[zworld]

I've heard that ford has made the factory intake pretty good. So I'm wondering if spending 350.00 on a CAI would just be a waste of money? I'm leaning toward just getting a K&N drop in 50.00 bucks and achieves the same result? Sure they look really cool and I've always had them, but I don't usually drive around with the hood up.

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[Zelek]

It's all over the forum man. Not worth it on an 18+. Drop in filter and be done with it. The only thing a CAI can help with is in the very high RPM's and even then it's minor.

 

[Wolfe]

I don't believe you will see any noticeable benefit from an aftermarket CAI, by itself. From my understanding, similar to throttle bodies & inter coolers, they are more supplementary upgrades that will allow you to handle the increased air flow and keep engine temps down when you later start adding more the expensive stuff for increased power.

The CAI itself is "relatively" cheap so depending on your budget, its one of the things that may be easier to add earlier just to have instead of dumping a wad of cash on everything at once.

Some people have noticed have noticed "better" mph or "throttle" response but ultimately I think that will vary by driving style.

Like you said, I believe the stock intake is pretty solid up until the very upper end of the power spectrum so it really depends on how you plan on running. I'm also unfamiliar with how the 5.0s react to it versus the ecos so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Unless you plan on adding an insane amount of power, I'd opt for a reusable the high performance filter and call it a day. The only reason I changed mine is because I won it in a contest lul.

 

[boos550t]

Unless you are doing other performance mods with it, CAI is a waste of money.

 

[ALLSTOCK]

factory cai is fully optimized.

cai is a waste of money just by itself.

 

[Sigma6]

Get a dry drop in filter. It’ll save you over time vs a a paper one... skip the wet one & a cai. Save it for a tune or exhaust (if not done already).

 

[nastang87xx]

Unless you get an intake that is TUNE REQUIRED then it is not only a waste but a step backwards. And even as Zelek said, the top end gains really aren't massive either as these engines are pretty dialed in. If you want to start changing the torque curve in a dramatic way, you're looking at changing out intake manifolds, cams, heads or a combo of all three.

 

[Zrussian13]

I have the jlt and while I agree with the others that gains are probably minimal at best, it does add a nice little extra rumble to an already good sounding car.

 

[Zinc03svt]

In 40-50 degree air I’m sure a JLT will make a tad more peak power over stock box. But, in real world driving your never going to notice that 3-6 whp tops. Plus, once season temps go up along with sitting in traffic any gains are heat soaked with 25-30 degree higher inlet temps over box. Car pulls timing around 110 degrees...

I guess if you wanted the best of both run the open intake winter time and switch back to box in summer. Would need separate tune for JLT.

 

[JJR512]

This has already been mentioned, but I'll say again that by itself, no. As part of of a system that includes exhaust and tune, yes.

 

[Flyhalf]

well..i tested yesterday on Dyno

JLT is 10whp more vs OEM 2018 with closed hood
21 whp with open hood* better way to simulate a test that in theory generate HEAT to make the car reaching 170mph.

so yes it is worth it for my experience

 

[Flyhalf]

It's all over the forum man. Not worth it on an 18+. Drop in filter and be done with it. The only thing a CAI can help with is in the very high RPM's and even then it's minor.

hey take a look at the video Zelek..
I might try also steeda as next test

 

[JJR512]

well..i tested yesterday on Dyno

JLT is 10whp more vs OEM 2018 with closed hood
21 whp with open hood* better way to simulate a test that in theory generate HEAT to make the car reaching 170mph.

so yes it is worth it for my experience

Just for clarification, did you mean the closed hood test was the better way to simulate a test?

 

[Flyhalf]

Just for clarification, did you mean the closed hood test was the better way to simulate a test?

No
I think the opposite, but many guys before the test asked me to do it..

other suggested the reason i loose power with hoods down is.
heat. Your trapping heat around the box and not enough airflow getting to the filter. Again, remember the car is going 150 MPH + ( with all the heat generated to get the car at those speed )and you do not have that amount of air flowing around the entire car. Air at that speed is pushing all around the engine compartment keeping temps down. This is why hood down is not the right way to test parts.

 

[JJR512]

No
I think the opposite, but many guys before the test asked me to do it..

other suggested the reason i loose power with hoods down is.
heat. Your trapping heat around the box and not enough airflow getting to the filter. Again, remember the car is going 150 MPH + ( with all the heat generated to get the car at those speed )and you do not have that amount of air flowing around the entire car. Air at that speed is pushing all around the engine compartment keeping temps down. This is why hood down is not the right way to test parts.

I don’t know which way is truly the best, but I know a lot of guys think it’s hood down. They say that hood up shows a greater power increase that isn’t realistic of what can be expected on the road. With the hood open, you’re blowing a lot more air into an open-box CAI than what will happen in real driving. You’re also getting a lot more air blowing through the engine bay which might be providing some more of the air cooling you’re talking about. I don’t believe there’s much air cooling going on in the first place, but if I’m wrong, consider that with the hood open, you’ve added a very large opening that allows more air to flow through and around the engine bay. So for these reasons, I suspect open hood testing is less realistic, and I suspect these are also why a lot of others believe the same thing.

(This assumes that your dyno shop uses a large high-speed fan in front of the car being tested.)

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