I am currently looking for a cold air intake and have narrowed it down to the AFE Stage 2 or the Riffraff intake. Riffraff is about half the price of AFE but still looks like a good set up.

If you have either one of these please post whether you are satisfied with your choice and any changes in performance, MPG, things of that nature.

I here the AFE's have issues with drowning out in heavy rains, has anyone experienced this problem?

Any and all feedback will be much appropriated.

 

first off, what engine do you have ?

I would be remiss not to tell you changing from the stock air intake to a 'higher flow' intake means, USUALLY, poorer filtration for not very much benefit....

Especially if you have a turbo diesel I would suggest you stay with the stock intake...
it will flow enough air for more hp than you will push through it unless you are spending $10,000 on upgrades...

but it's your truck so go fer it

 

Sorry, I have 2002 7.3.

Was looking at the intake, exhaust and then a SCT Tuner. I dont plan on going over board with engine mods, just looking for the cool sound and little extra HP.

I thought the higher end intake filters did a better job then the factory? I dont have much car filter knowledge but based on what I know about HVAC filters the concept of the after market intake filters seemed to make sense. They all advertise for better flow and filtration.

I am all ears though and here to learn. Would I be better of with an exhaust system?

 

the experts will be along shortly

my humble opinion (and what I did n my 05) was a good flow thru muffler and a tuner and a scangauge II to monitor it...

my 1st Ex was a 2002 7.3 limited that I tuned
2nd was an 03 6oh that I put a turbo back and tuned...


and none had an air intake upgrade...

 

I have a Stage 2 with the Pro 7 filter. It's been on the truck for almost a year now and I'm comfortable with my purchase. I clean and reoil it every 10K miles. You can see what else I did via by sig block.

The AFE is very much "open" but here in Houston we get some real downpours. I've not had any trouble but then I don't go "blasting" thru 3 feet deep water either.

I will tell you that you will hear the intake rush, waste gate opening, etc (at least with the Stage 2 I have). The MBRP exhaust (with "straight thru" muffler" also lets you hear the Turbine (not sure the neighbors care much for the whstle when I leave the house).

Since I did all my mods pretty much at the same time and almost immediately after getting the truck, I'm not sure of the effect on MPG. I can tell you it made a huge difference in towing.

Best mileage I've gotten has been 20.2 MPG on the Highway at 65 mph in a 300 mile round trip to Louisiana (no tow).

D

 

dont be scared of an intake! either one of those 2 choices will suit you well and youll like the results......those 2 choices filter better than stock and outflow the stock setup.......

 

I don't know much about the six-oh's, but it's my understanding that the stock intake is a good one and doesn't need upgrading to breathe better.

That's not true for the 7.3's. For the 7.3's, upgrading the intake is something you wanna do. It helps the engine breathe better and it will perform better and control EGT's better when custom tunes are added.

Why SCT tuner? A custom chip will be better for you.

There are a lot of top tuners available for the 7.3L engine...DP-Tuner, PHP, Tony Wildman, Tyrant Diesel, Swamps, etc....but I'd recommend Jody at DP-Tuner.

A custom chip with several tunes at the touch of a button is much more versatile than a flash tuner.

Stewart

 

So, correct me if I am wrong but every time I want to change the tune with the flash tuners it has to be plugged in and reflashed?

Also, is there a tuner out there you all recommend that has a digital display with all the necessary gauges are incorporated into the display?

Has anyone had the AFE and the Riffraff that could compare the two?

 

I would suggest the S&B over the AFE personally.

 

Correct.

With a chip like DP-Tuner, when you wanna change tunes, you push a button.

Stewart

 

RiffRaff,

That's cool you are a supporter of this forum. Do you offer discounts for members? I assume the S&B is the intake that you carry.

Is the wast gate or turbo wine really loud with your intake or more importantly is it loud inside the cab?
Is the filter assembly all plastic and is the included filter like the K&N, requiring cleaning and oil treatments?

Since you are a supporter I am leaning more towards your intake. The members here have saved me so much time and money. Thanks to all of you that provide assistance to those of us in need.

 

Clay doesn't have a Riffraff branded intake. When you keep referring to "his" intake, do you meant the 6637 filter setup?

Here are the setups Clay sells: Riffraff Diesel: Intake Kits / Filters

Stewart

 

I have the 6637 from Riffraff. Don't have any other mods yet and I can't really comment other than its a little louder and the filter replacements are cheaper. Plus I was able to get rid of a bunch of plastic crap from inside my engine bay.

 

Sorry, I was referencing the name of the site not thinking about the intake system. I am looking at the S&B 75-5028 or 75502. Not sure which filter would work best for my area, maybe you all could help. Whats the benifit of a dry filter verse one that requires cleaning and oiling, other than not having to replace it?

 

I have the RiffRaff 6637 setup and like it alot (2001 Ex with 7.3L). Has a good swishing sound when letting off the accelerator. I have to believe it breaths much better than stock. You will not find better service than RiffRaff or better answers than Ford-Trucks.com. - - just my 2-cents. (I also looked hard at the S&B setup - but why spend the extra $)