looking at purchasing a cold air intake for my truck 97 F-150 4.6 4x4 im looking for a little bit of extra fuel millage while also getting a little power increase in the truck, my question is how will that effect the engine since the MAF sensor is in the stock air intake tubbing?

I know i asked before but any other suggestions for away to squeeze a few more mpg out of the truck?

 

Google "Gotts mod" and save yourself the $300+ bucks (for gas).

 

after market air intakes will lighten your wallet, not increase milage, but will make more noise and look cool..

 

Pretty much. Your truck came from the factory with a cold air intake that is rested to flow at twice the CFM that the engine can move at redline. This means that there are no fuel economy gains to be had and little performance to a stock motor.

Fuel economy could be had on some early TB injection, and carbed setups, but modern engines do not benefit. If the freer flowing filter increased airflow, the computer will measure that airflow and increase fuel accordingly. So might argue that you could save fuel by using less throttle because of the increased flow, but this is not the case. More throttle does not increase fuel flow until you get to the point of WOT enrichment, which is around 50-60% throttle. If you could get more flow at a tipping point, then maybe so gains could be had. Basically if you increased flow just enough that WOT was not needed as often. The throttle plate however is really what controls airflow, not the intake or filter. A good CAI might increase throttle response, but increased response is not necessarily an increase in total performance or fuel economy.

If an increase in performance and economy is really your goal, a tuner is your best bang for the buck, other than simply changing your driving habits. A good custom made tune (not a generic off the shelf one) can deliver increase in economy and performance by using more aggressive timing and playing witht eh mixture. You can even have both in one tune. You can tune to run leaner under light throttle, to minimize fuel consumption, then enter a rich mode under WOT with more timing advance to produce more power under hard acceleration. But tuners cost money, especially combined with a customer tune. Unless you drive a lot of miles each year, you may never reclaim you investment.

 

Khan is right on the money.
The biggest item to understand is the throttle plate opening controls airflow.
Even at random opening changes as you normally drive, the opening area is so small compaired to the total airflow capacity of the intake that there can be no gain from anything but a lower temperature of the air or barametric pressure change increase, then still it's the same deal of throttle plate flow.
After all, the 4 cycle gas engine is a 'vairable efficiency' engine controlled by 'allowed' airflow input.
I have a monitor running continiously and can see the intake air temp vs the outside air.
As I drive, the air temp after 'normilization' is never more than 2 to 3 degrees warmer than the outside and in most cases the same.
What I do see is the tendency of the differences to get wider under very cold conditions.
I assume it's the tolerence accuracy of the IAT at lower temps gets worse because it does not track the air temp as well.
This in it'self can be a cause of poorer fuel mileage under very cold conditions.
To repeat in a different way, even if you removed the air filter and put an 8" stove pipe in place of the stock parts, the airflow will be the same.
Good luck.