ok i just orderd my intake also. and i got a couple more questions. is there any chance that if i go through a lot and i mean a lot of water or mud that it could suck it in from the open intake? i got a friend who sais that he did this and locked his moter up (it was a dodge) but i dont know if it was truthfull or not.also i alredy have a k&n drop in filter will that fit on the mac intake? if not is the one on the mac a pretty good filter

 

Nate, you'll be fine. Just stay out of 3 ft of water. It's nothing bad for your truck.

I can't believe so many people are agreeing with me for the 1st time! lol I have to order me a mac intake soon! Then headers. Then pulleys. Then some other stuff, then I might be able to have the power of a V-8...

 

Lol, who cares about the power of a V8!!

It's all about the love for your truck, I love mine to death!!! haha

I'll keep my truck til she takes a crap on me thats for d*mn sure, and I might go out and get another V6 F-150 after that, or a small V8 (4.6L). That's awhile down the road though, considering my baby's only got 44k on er.

 

Actually, the Intake was one of his first mods.

Also, even if you did gain 11 rwhp at say 2500 RPM's, that still more power to the low end...maybe not the high end passing stage, but one is just as good as the other IMO.

Look, bottom line and if you don't agree with this then you are just dumb!!

The more efficiently air/fuel flows through your truck, the more power you will get. The MAC Intake (or any Intake for that matter) is far more efficient than stock, and if you say you actually lose HP by putting on a more efficient air supplier, then something's wrong with ya.

Chew on this for a spell will ya...

I ran at best (and yes, I suck at racing) a 16.9 on my all stock motor...a friggin' 16.9! That sux when you compare me to Jimmy Dean's all stock 16.4 he ran. Anyways! After the Intake a Flowmaster, I ran a 16.7ish...not a huge difference, but still a difference and losing hp doesn't make you go faster my friend. Then I put the chip on and bang, I pull 16.4's consistently!

Anyways, I could never sit here and agree that putting an Intake on my truck will make me lose hp...that's ridiculous, and there's no proof to it other than your saying it's so. There is proof, however, of people gaining hp from just an Intake, just as Garrett said it. rant over...for now!

 

Joseph, there is no need to take this discussion so personal. You are entitled to your opinion as am I. If the topic stays calm and the discussion continues one of us may learn something useful

It’s true that you get more HP from increasing the volumetric efficiency of an engine. I’m not disputing that. The difference in viewpoints is that I do not believe the stock filter creates any restriction on a stock motor. The amount of air ingested by the engine is controlled by throttle size, throttle position, intake plenum design, intake runner design, valve size, valve lift, valve timing, and the flow characteristics of the exhaust system. Installing a larger filter does not give an increase in flow. Converting the truck bed to a five-foot by six-foot air filter would not change anything because the filter is not the limiting factor.

Here is an example: The stock filter on my 1998 4.2 was a huge cone assembly with more surface area than the stock filter on my 04 Lightning. The Lightning with a pulley and tune produces about 400 rwhp and is not starved for air. Why would the 4.2 need more air at 160 rwhp than the Lightning at 400? The answer is: It does not!

 

Again, I still say the flow makes a big difference. Not the size of the filter. The straighter the shot, shorter the ducting, stuff like that. Engineers spend alot of time figuring this stuff out.

 

Is your aftermarket filter in a different location than stock? Does it have a straight, short duct?

 

(sitting on the sidelines watching.)
So far civility has prevailed. That is a good thing!
I enjoy a "spirited discussion". Every now and then, I'll stay out of the fray just to watch others have their fun.

Be nice, and have fun!

 

Did anyone know that most of the high performance aftermarket intakes for the Lightning’s are filter only replacements? You keep the same old rubber tube that connects the throttle body to the MAF. You have to ask yourself why they would do this on the high-end of the performance spectrum?

Sure they sell pretty chrome and/or polished replacement tubes separately, but no one makes any HP claims for the tube replacement.

 

Kenne Bell is a recognized automotive professional who designs and sells superchargers. His website describes “under hood exposed filters” as being right behind the "little intake fans" and "throttle body spacers" on his list of most ridiculous aftermarket products

 

Ok, so you're saying the filter doesn't make much, if any, and in some cases decreases, the difference in hp? That, I do agree with in every aspect you have just stated. A filter is a filter to me...obviously I'd buy a K&N over stock just because I'm a modding freaky kinda guy...and just so I can say I have a K&N.

Now then, an aftermarket full intake (ie: tubing, filter, clamps, housing, and everything else) does make a difference in hp for the upside. That can't be argued with due to the fact that it's been proven.

Also, I know what your saying about air-flow... If your Intake claims you flow 5,000 cfm, does that mean it's gonna flow that much? Of course not...it's gonna flow however much the computer and all the other stock parts (ie: upper and lower intake, TB, and so on and so forth) allow it to. All that means is that, if given enough push, it can flow that much. I think that's why I get such a boost from my chip...My stock 1/4 is around 16.9 - 17. My chipped 1/4 is a consistent 16.4. That's a pretty big jump for a chip, but I think the Intake and exhaust are helping flow that fuel/air faster and more efficiently. In other words, the more mods I get, the better the intake will perform...kinda.

Also, I'll be the first to apologize for any rude remarks towards anyone here...I love you guys! You're all awesome in my book, and I'm thankful to have worthy opponents to debate these things with! Sigma, you rule dude!

(and I want your friggin' Lightning!!!)

Maybe one day I'll get a SC and buttload of mods and slicks and maybe be able to keep up with you, but I'll have to let the Intake do the talkin' for now!

 

It can be argued, but I’m going to give everyone else a chance to add to the thread while I do a little more fact finding research…

The chip should have given you 15 to 20 HP, which it obviously did. Using the standard HP to ET calculations 20 HP should drop your ET by 0.54 seconds. Chip=money well spent!


No harm, no foul – This has been the most entertaining thread we’ve had in quite some time. I’m enjoying myself…

 

Ok, guys, I’ve been searching the web all morning and cannot find enough reliable dyno data for the 4.2 to conclusively show anything about the pros or cons of Open Filter Intake’s, or any mod for that matter, on our engines. I did find quite a few sites showing HP losses measured on the dyno following the installation of Open Filter Intake’s on other vehicles/motors. Anyone interested should do a search, review the available data, and make their own informed decision.

Since I could not deliver conclusive evidence concerning the 4.2, I’ll concede the debate.

Here are a couple of ancillary facts that we might find useful later.

A common estimator for intake volume on a 4cycle-gas-combustion engine is 1.5 CFM per HP. Using this estimate we can see the 4.2L needs somewhere around 300CFM to produce 200 HP.

The formula to determine the minimum filter area of an automotive paper air filter is (cubic inches displacement * max RPM) divided by 20839. For our 4.2L this works out to about 67 square inches of filter area. The stock filter in a 4.2 has (ignoring the pleats) 71 square inches of surface area. Depending on the depth and number of pleats the manufacturer puts on an actual filter it could easily have many times the 71 square inch surface area.

 

I have the MAC intake kit bought from Motorhaven.
Here are my observations:

a) I definitely saw no DECREASE in performance based on the seat of my pants.
b) No discernable increase or decrease in MPG.
c) I do seem to have a bit better performance under hard accelaeration once the engine get a little above 2600-2800 rpm.
d) used oil analysis shows no indication of inferior filtration performance (contrary to what many will say is to be expected with all oiled media filters)
e) I really like being able to wash and re-oil my filter without having to buy a new paper element. (Others would prefer the opposite and would view the wash/oil process as a hassle. It is a benefit to me)
f) Would I buy it again? Yes.

With all due respect to all parties involved (including Bell) it is my opinion that this is one of those subjects that can be debated until the cows come home and there ain't gonna' be a clear cut right/wrong decision.
It is NEITHER a big detriment nor a big benefit - and because of that, which ever you decide, you can't go wrong.

But the discussion sure is fun.

 

Amen to that!