I dont know how companies can get away with this....

I was reading an article in Sport Truck Mag today from the April 2004 issue.
The article is about the Air Raid intake for the new F150.

I laughed a bit..... but It would be nice if It really did boost up the go power that much

 

I purchased this intake filter system. Added power,but was to noisy for me....

Made alot of noise when you got down on the gas....

 

I don't buy any of this air filter crap from Air Raid or K&N.. Why would any vehicle manufacture leave 20hp laying on the table if they could get by just putting a free'er breathing air filter on the vehicle..?? Why would any manuf put a air filter on that is restrictive enough to cut 20hp from the engine?? If Ford was buying 800,000 of them they wouldn't be costing Ford 50-250 bucks(depending on the type) either.

Ford spends millions devolping engines for best power and fuel economy....then blows it by putting a 10 buck air filter on that restricts the air flow...?? Get me a break..

I've said this on lots of other web sites. If you want to see if the stock air filter is restricting the air flow just remove it and go for a ride.. No, don't take it down a dusty trail, but a 10 minute ride on a dry highway won't hurt a thing.

 

I've always thought that same type of way, but I don't know too much about it.

 

Ford doesn't use these ENTIRE intake systems (not just a filter difference) like the Airaid mainly because most people would find them far too noisey as stated above. Also the filters (K&N) allow to much larger particle size dirt into the engine. Bad for engine wear. I also find it doubtful that you'd get 20 HP at wheels.

 

Ford and other companies DO NOT put these aftermarket type filter systems on their vehicles for the reason somebody already pointed out...THEY ARE NOISY...and not only that the filters dont filter as much until they get dirty..does that make sense? Anybody who put an aftermarket drop in filter knows that right off the bat it makes a difference in performance...why is that? its because the guaze type filter IS NOT filtering as much and is letting the engine suck in more air. Once the gauze type filters get dirty it works BETTER by filtering the particles better and letting less crap into the engine, but then you are back in the same place power wise as running a stock one. I have a banks drop in that I just removed after 6k miles...why did I remove it? Its dirty and I put a stock paper one back in until I get another FREE aftermarket drop in.

I wouldnt pay for an aftermarket drop in I get them free to test them!

The complete intake systems make more power by allowing much more air in. With letting more air in, noise is increased quite a bit. On a dirtbike, which are now to be under 96dBs if you are racing offroad the difference between cutting holes in the airbox vs not cutting holes in the airbox is 3dBs on an XR650...and a 3dB gain is doubled sound to the ear...

Noise and less filtering is why the factories dont use these types of filters....but dont listen to me...im just an engineer. Not only that, the oil on these filters can get into the sensors that are along the path of most intakes and throw off everything.

On the superduties...the drop in K&Ns actually flowed LESS then stock!!! My buddy tests this stuff all day long...I get the inside tip!

As for the ludicrous claims from the intake company...they do it under ideal conditions like 100% humidity and they probably dyno the truck with a stock dirty filter and then pop there set up on and dyno it again...also remember that every dyno puts out different results...those with dyno experience know exactly what im talking about.

 

I dont care what kind of dyno we are talking about or what kind of dyno operator we are talking about...20hp and 46 ft lbs of torque is pure bs for just about any bolt on part, short of major engine components. That is ridiculous!

 

I agree 100%...they prob came up with that number by saying that "it flows 7% better and 7% of 300 is 21 so we will be conservative and call it 20HP"...

But in testing race motors I have seen results vary from one dyno to the next by 10% and sometimes more...

 

No way I'd disagree that their claims are unreasonable. I'll even give you the less filtering when clean issue although I've been running oil filters for years on every single vehicle I've owned with no filter related early wear or failure. I'll also conceed that a DROP IN oil filter efficiency approaches but does not match the restriction of a stock filter when dirty.

The issue is the stock system vs a replacement cold air induction system. The factory snorkel tapers down to approximately 2" diameter where it goes through the side panel. For the life of me, I can't think of a single reason Ford would do this unless it was to reduce air intake noise. Reduced air intake noise means reduced air to the engine, perhaps not 20 hp worth, but a few and reduced mileage to boot.

Are you saying that an opened up air intake system like the AirAid becomes as inefficient when dirty as the OEM snorkel which is obviously not optimized for power?

I won't buy that.

 

I'd have to agree with this logic. I have had several mustangs and the first cheap mod you do is always to remove the stock air intake box. Its always put in at the factory to control noise. Some like it loud, and some don't but but its easier to remove something to make it louder. Also, the reduced diameter of the intake piping is going to decrease airflow and thus to some degree (albeit a small one) reduce power. Opening your intake and also opening your exhaust such as catalytics and mufflers will net you more power for moving more air. Also, did anyone else notice how huge and heavy the factory muffler is? I am seriously considering putting in an aftermarket muffler with the stock exhaust at least.

I always multiply what vendors claim their products put out for HP increase by about 60% for a more realistic gain. Only way to tell really is to dyno before and after. Another thing vendors can do to bump up numbers is to have other mods done that will further increase the performance of their part. For example, Airaid might have had a custom cat back exhaust system that would have better utilized their intake kit.

My .02 anyway...

Truckasaurus

 

Good point. Another thing I do is look at their dyno. They qoute the maximum gain regardless of where it occurs in the rpm range. I look at the gain over the rpm range where I need power. That's what I base my decision on.

I'm in the process of researching mods for more towing power and better mileage. Here's an interesting clip I found when reading on the subject:

They mention 1% to 3% which is 2 to 6 hp at the ground. This is a more believable number. They also make the point some people miss that mods build on each other. An air box only may be 1% to 3%, but in conjunction with an exhaust mod it may deliver more.

Finally, before you scoff at 2 to 6 hp, I believe that 2hp will tow an extra 500 lbs at highway speed on level ground with no headwind.

 

Nice post...I think this was what I was trying to say but more eloquently put. I think one of the best tools in the poor man's garage though when all else fails is how mods feel on the butt dyno!

 

Gettin more air into the engine doesnt help that much. and could actually hurt HP if its not cool/cold air. Sucking in underhood hot engine air is TERRIBLE for performance. If you put a "Cold" air intake on without a heat sheild, it WILL not help horse power.

 

Very well put fellas! Now, with all that said and done......which brand of Cold Air intake do you guyz think provides the best all around results? AEM, K&N, AIRFORCE ONE, AIRRAID or VOLANT??? All those decisions. I guess it basically would come down to which do you prefer to see under the hood huh?
I like the look of Airforce One and heard nothing but good about them except the cost. So I'm on the verge of either goin with that or the Volant system w/Downtube.

 

personally, I think they will all do a good job of providing as much air as the engine needs. I've installed an Intake on every vehical I own or have owned. (96 ranger 2.3L, 90 mustang GT 5.0L, 98 sonoma 4.3L (notice this is the only GM EVER!!), 99 explorer 4.0L, & now my 04 F150 5.4L). ALL have seen a marginal increase in performance but mainely it seems to "clean up" the power delivery. Much smoother running. Now I know there's only so much an intake will do but what do you expect for a few hundred dollars? Horse power gains on large displacement motors aren't cheap or easy. They are to low reving w/ to much mass. This is just an easy way to help the big air pump work better - as is exhaust. "What goes in must come out" etc.