I am looking for the opinions of anyone who has tried the JLT Ram air intake. I understand it needs a tune and I am wrestling between a custom tuner and this intake or an Edge and a Volant. I love the idea of the gauges on the Edge, but the custom tune appeals to me, too. If Bob Jusnes jumps in here as he has in the past on this topic, how is the JLT considered a CAI when it appears to just be an open filter under the hood? Do you still swear by this over the Volant after using it for a while? How are the noise levels on the open filter compared to an enclosed box like the Volant? I have never run an intake before so I am not sure how they sound. I only do occasional offroading, but one thing that bothers me about the JLT is it seems like the open filter would be easier to get water and junk in.

 

I do still like the JLT as my favorite intake with a custom tuner. Its not so much of a CAI, as it is a RAI, ram air intake. Its main advantage over all of the other intakes on the market is the MUCH larger MAF housing, and much shorter path for the air to take. This builds the most power you will find in any intake for this truck, and its also the reason you need a custom tuner to use it.

The JLT makes some underhood noise, as you could imagine, having no tube or anything. It makes more noise than a Volant does, HOWEVER, the JLT wont make any resonant or droning noises like any of the intakes with the tube, which I was most impressed by.

As far as the open filter thing, just look at your engine, see where it gets dirty. It would take a big water hole to get water on the top of your engine. And there is a large shield under the JLT assembly that blocks engine fan wash and should block a lot of water and debris coming up as well. And remember that the volant has a large open hole on the bottom of its box too that you would have to cap off if you were worried about water. Though it still does pull through the fender if you do that.

As far as the tuner goes, I think everyone knows my standpoint and reasoning on that one? Always go custom, even with a Volant intake.

 

Bob, how does the ram air work on this intake? Do you need a new hood? Is it just the compression under the hood? Doesn't the temperatures under the hood feed hot air into the intake? I looked at the pictures you have on the web site and can't see how the ram air works. Thanks

 

Eh, ill have to revise my statement then and call it a "Short Ram" intake. Its not much more than an elbow, machined alum MAF housing, Filter, and Heat shield. The hottest of the air under the hood is deflected by the heat shield under the intake, but YES it will pull in warmer air than most other intakes. The key is that it pulls in MUCH MORE air, so much more, that it overcomes the lower density issues with higher volume.

 

And you have dyno data to back this up compared to the Volant or are you just stating from your seat of the pants feeling in your truck?

 

Unfortunately I dont have the dynowork from the day we tested intakes, but JLT has their own numbers posted, and I can personally vouch for the validity of JLTs dyno numbers. I know Jay Tucker personally, so I stand behind his dyno results. BamaChips should be picking up their mobile dyno this week and we will be able to get a much better reading on mods and more proof, but I do know for a fact that the JLT flows much more than the Volant. This is why it needs a tune, the factory calculations for the MAF wont work because there is more air flowing past than it knows about.

 

Right, I can see why it would flow more, but I am curious as to what that actually works out to in real world power compared to what I am assuming is a cooler aired Volant.

 

I see now that your site shows the S&B CAI as being your favorite. Has your testing shown better numbers on that one than with the JLT?

 

The S&B is one of the best if youre not using a tune, but if you are going to use a tune the JLT is definitely the best.

 

I was checking out the new ram air tube for the Volant CAI but I have a few questions I hope someone can answer. Since the end of the air duct in in the tow hook opening (low to trh ground) will the tube work with vechicle that see a lot of snow, like I do in Northern Maine? Do you have to remove the two hooks? Will the tube work with factory fog lights? I have a 2006 4X4 lariat supercab with the 5.4..
Thanks in advance for anyone who answers these questions.

 

You have to remove the tow hook to install the tube, but then the hook gets reinstalled.

Even if you pack the end of the tube with snow, it will still pull in air from another hole in the airbox, so you wont have to worry about choking the intake.

There will be no issues with the foglights.

 

I installed the JLT with a Livewire and am very inpressed with it. I had Justin at VMP Tuning make me a custom tune and have lived happy ever since.. I would recomend it.

 

My experience:
2006 5.4 FX4
baseline dyno run 231rwhp and 289rwt
install bassani exhaust
dyno run...no change
install Volant intake
dyno run...no change
SCT Tune...
dyno run 251rwhp and 319rwt

SCT Tune woke up this motor, the exhaust and intake made me feel good!

 

4.6 has the baseline factory hp at 231. The 5.4 should have around 300.

 

300 is the rating at the flywheel, not the wheels. You have to take into account the power lost between the motor and rear wheels.