Theres alot of talk and i am seeing that most people like just a filter change?


I have been reading alot of threads and whenever someone asks about a cold air intake like Banks or S&B or aTe they are steered to the napa.


Why?


New to trucks so trying to read as much as i can. I will not be driving off road mostly on the road or sometimes hauling my cars to car shows.


I like the aTe but is about $400 and the other 2 are about $300, why?


thanks for again covering a topic thats been herre alot

 

The main reason (well for me at least) was that the 6637 is the most cost effective (cheapest) option to get a high flow filter / intake set up on my rig. I (so far after about 2 years) have had no issue with it. Some of the drawbacks to this set up are the amount of noise from the turbo that comes back through the filter (not really been an issue to me, can't hear it over my stereo) and aesthetics.

The AFE and the S&B look better, and are quieter during operation. The AFE is good as long as you have stock injectors and turbo, but doesn't seem to have enough airflow to cope with any upgrades in this department. That's when the S&B comes in.

There is talk about how the 6637 pulls hot air in from the engine bay, whereas the other two pull from the front of the engine and / or the fender. My only issue with this is that once you get above about 20mph the amount of air flowing into the engine bay provides about the same ambient temp as the other two. I live in Florida and even when stuck in traffic (sat still, and all too often!) at the height of summer have yet to see any issues with a significant rise in EGT's or any other temperature reading I have.

Again a lot comes down to personal choice and what you and your pocket book can handle, but for me the 6637 has been a no brainier.

 

Quite a bit of information on the topic. Here's one thread that may be helpful.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...s-and-b-4.html

 

To be fair that is the older version of the S&B. The newer version has a larger filter and the box is different.

 

There is some argument to the oil treated re-usable filters vs. the old fashioned paper filters.

The tests I've seen, S&B always scores very well in the filter ratings. AFE is a popular option because it started out that way on the 7.3 and old habits die hard.

The 6637 is much the same. It's a cheap way to get into a different filter, and it's an upgrade over the stock airbox that is prone to leak dirt.

The problem I had with the 6637 is the drone it caused in certain road conditions. My fix was to build a cold airbox around the filter modeled after the AFE box.

The down side to the oiled filters is they must be maintained, and they require a certain period of time to clean, dry, and re-charge before driving.

 

Agreed the new S&B kits are upgraded, that's whats in my truck. As to oiled or dry, S&B has a write up to help make the decision. I went oiled.

Replacement Filters

Cold Air Intake Kit - Cotton Filter - 1998-03 F-Series 7.3L - Powerstroke - Diesel Trucks