2000 F350 In need of new CAC boots and there’s a lot of them out there. Who’s had the best luck with what brands? On my 6.0 I had AFE on the cold side and Dieselsite on the hot and they seemed to hold up well. I also plan on putting a crankcase vent filter in the future to help keep the engine bay cleaner

 

The Dieselsite one's are very nice, we just put a whole new set of those on my fathers 2002. I have always liked Riff Raff's. You can't go wrong with either of them.

 

I'm a fan of the RiffRaff products

https://www.riffraffdiesel.com/plenu...t-kit-99-5-03/

 

I installed Riffraff boots and T-bolt clamps many years ago. They have been looking great and performing great since that day.

Even up near 40 PSI of sustained boost sometimes. Had two blows off situations, but those were my fault.

 

Silicone boots doesnt have to be any specific brand.
Just pick some with 4 or 5 layers of fabric.

 

From dieselsites website:

 

Boots doesnt have to be any specific brand.
Just pick some with 4 or 5 layers of fabric

 

Another fan of RiffRaff's boots.

Lol good correction.

 

The "Best CAC Boots" are a bit of a challenge to find.

To consider what is actually "best", any legitimate comparison might first focus on the physical material properties that might predictably distinguish boot performance and longevity.

Even while @HKusp very appropriately calls attention to Bob Riley's own fastidious attention to details at DieselSite, making a very legitimate argument about the INABILITY of a regular silicone boot (even the 500° rated boots from RiffRaff) to prevent the permeation of hot oil vapor through the material, it remains unclear if even the DieselSite boots "inner fluoroelastomer super lining" is actually capable of meeting the permeation resistance of the SAE J1527 standard, which became an EPA emissions mandate imposed for model years 2007 and up.

The reason why I question the lining in the DieselSite boots is due to the use of the word "fluoroelastomer." Emphasis is on the second half of that word, "elastomer". Now, had the lining material been stated as "fluoroCARBON" then boom, I'm all in, because a fluorocarbon lining passes SAE J1527, no problem. Fluorocarbon, otherwise called FKM, is also known by the Dupont trademarked brand name of Viton.

So while Viton / FKM / fluorocarbon is indeed a fluoroelastomer, there are also OTHER non carbon fluoroelastomers used in silicon CAC boots that are not as expensive as fluorocarbon, and do not have the same resistance to oil vapor permeation. One such popular fluoroelastomer is called fluorosilicone. Because DieselSite does not identify which fluoroelastomer is used in their CAC boots, the possibility remains probable that they are lined with fluorosilicone, which still would be significantly better than just silicone like most aftermarket CAC boots, but still do not pass the SAE J1527 permeation test as a fluorocarbon / FKM / Viton lining would in the same thickness.

If any supplier's CAC boots are lined with fluorocarbon, they paid good money for that liner, and you better believe they are going to brag about it, by name, so that the customer (usually oem engine manufacturers) know and understand the value inherent in what they are buying.

I don't want to get too deep in the weeds here, but to compare silicone versus fluorosilicone on the ASTM #3 Oil % Volume Change After 7 Days at 300⁰ F, silicone swelled +40%, whereas fluorosilicone swelled just +5%. Even more dramatic is the Diesel Fuel % Volume Change After 7 Days at 75⁰F, where a silicone swelled +100%, fluorosilicone swelled +17%, and fluorocarbon swelled +1.5%.

The physical properties of the lining material makes a big difference in CAC boot performance. Let's put it this way: Freightliner uses fluorocarbon lined boots.

It just so happened that I looked into this topic recently, because about a month or so ago we had a thread here about iffy aftermarket turbo inlet boot fitment, and wanting to find a constructive path going forward, I proposed an idea to the turbo vendor involved in that thread to produce their own boot that was 4" in, 4" out, that would look IDENTICAL to the OEM boot, with external ribbing that would give it a bone stock appearance. The problem is, the OEM boot is made out EPDM externally, not silicone. EPDM has even worse permeation resistance than silicone. One can easily find overseas manufactures who will produce an EPDM rubber inlet boot quite cheaply, but getting one lined, like the OEM boot is lined internally (look inside and you'll see), might be another matter. So I sent a second email, urging the vendor to consider the importance of the interior boot lining, as it is continuously exposed to hot oily CCV vapors, just like the CAC boots are.

Back to material properties on CAC boots, another gotcha to look out for are CAC boot vendors who advertise that their boots are fiberglass reinforced. At first glance, this sounds like a reasonable idea, as everyone knows the heat resistance of fiberglass. But the problem with fiberglass fabrics embedded in flexible CAC boots is that the glass fibers break apart inside. That is why polyester ARAMID fibers are used in good quality CAC boots.

To buy the best, one must look to the materials, not the brands.

 

So, if someone wants the "best" boots, they should find properly inner-diameter sized fluorocarbon boots and cut them to the proper length, if they are not available in the lengths desired.

Who is going to be the first to find a reputable supplier for a full set of properly sized ID fluorocarbon boots?

 

Fluorocarbon LINED boots. The bulk material of the boots themselves would still be aramid reinforced silicone, and for the hot side rating, iron oxide infused silicon (what makes the reddish orange tinge in 500° silione boots).

 

So basically, the lesson here is to use Adel Wiggins tube connectors with viton o-rings on the ferrules.

https://www.adelwiggins.com

 

Stock ones are good IMO.

 

Ford OEM Stock vs Banks Silicone Techni-Cooler CAC coupling boots. (Hump Hose type absorbs vibration and permits slight offsets in tube to casting fitments)

These particular Banks boots are not fluorocarbon lined, but Banks builds the hopped up version of the Duramax engine for the JLTV, and the CAC couplers on that vehicle are fluorocarbon lined. We can't get those particular boots, but as suggested earlier, Freightliner has 3" diameter fluorocarbon lined silicone CAC wire reinforced coupler hoses readily available, if anyone wanted the "best".

 

I installed Riff Raff boots about a month ago, and I love them! Cleaned the inside of the boots and the pipe with acetone and sprayed some hairspray on each connection! Worked great! But if you do go with Riff Raff’s you need to buy their clamps as well, the stock clamps won’t fit the new boots!