Not quite. A point will be reached when restriction is so bad that HP suffers greatly. Here is a video:

YouTube - MOV01314

This was a brand new filter (1 week old). The media was so restrictive that the truck couldn't get out of it's own way driving down the road. So your assumption that I highlighted in bold is completely and totally wrong.

And this ladies and gentlemen is what happens if you leave a stock airbox on a high HP Powerstroke too. Even with a free'er flowing media element, the stock airbox setup is too restrictive, and that restriction is noticed even on a truck with nothing more than a chip. This is street proven over and over again.

The 6637 has also been street proven over and over again.

And for the record Ernest, you mentioned earlier that my 6.0L intercooler made a difference in how my 6637 filter performed. That's incorrect, as I ran a 7.3L intercooler up until within a few months of swapping in the AFE Stage II setup.

I also ran the stock turbo for 85K miles, with a majority of those miles running a 6637 filter. Guess what? The combo of a chip, high altitude, and a 6637, my turbo was in PERFECT condition when I finally replaced it with a BB turbo. If anyone had the right set of conditions to blow a turbo with a 6637, it was me. Heck, I even ran 3.73 gears on 36" tires, which helped keep the RPM's in the range where the turbo was in the surge zone longer than a stock truck. I drag raced, towed, off-road, hauled, and did everything else with my truck. My turbo didn't crater. Yours did. I ran a 6637 filter, you didn't. This is what we call street proven, and so is GMM's double redundancy temp tracking.

 

Funny somebody would mention trying to fabricate a a hood scoop onto a Super Duty hood and then have it match and seal to their air intake for a TRUE cold air intake. I began looking pretty hard the other day when I discovered all this controversy over the 6637 and like air filter options. This is one functional ram air SD hood option. They have a few others. They also have a cold air filter system that matches the hood for a seal to the air box. This is just one I found…there are probably others.

It appears there is an air duct sandwiched between the layers of the hood that has intake air scooped up and then you cut out an inlet for your air intake box directly under the opening that seals when you shut the hood.

Ford Superduty 1999-2003 7.3L Diesel Functional Ram Air Hood (Excursion/F250/F350/F450/F550) (#24006)
http://www.suncoastramairhoods.com/eshop/shop/index.php?productID=346

And this is the air intake kit.


Matching Cold Air Intake for Suncoast Ram Air Hood 24006

http://www.suncoastramairhoods.com/eshop/shop/index.php?productID=399&product_slug=matching-cold-air-intake-option-for-suncoast-ram-air-hood-24006

This stuff isn't’t for the faint of heart. The sticker shock would be the biggest hold up for allot of folks. Plus I don’t know how they would function in heavy rain, snow or freezing rain? I can't possibly see them working without compromise in harsh conditions. But boy they look cool.

 

CharGriller, My buddy is a ceramic engineer and we are in the process of drawing one up.

I think instead of that design I would prefer a low profile carbon fiber scoop on the right side in front of the filter area. I would most likely cut into where the hood dives down.

That way it's centered over the intake filter to maximize flow. Then a rubber cover and a plate that would bolt onto the bottom of the duct to really try to keep out water/snow etc. Perhaps even a screen on the bottom of the duct to keep big stupid bugs out.

mmmmm... carbon fiber.. so sexy..

Also if I were to fabricate this I wouldn't mind building a few for some select brave souls to try it out.. I think 806 for a hood is retarded.. If someone could fab a box and duct for like $300-350 you'd go crazy with orders..

This is all reliant on the fact that a duct like this would work..

 

Sounds like your serious! Who knows you may be on to something. Sounds like with your setup folks could keep their bug deflector to keep the bugs off their windshields? The bug deflector might even cause those stupid bugs to be swept up and over the air intake. Then of course the deflector might prevent adequate air being drawn into the scoop too. So many ideas...so little time.

Oh well it's fun playing around with this stuff. Did you mean the hood scoop seal would be fabricated to seal right over the stock intake box? Or would you box in a 6637 set up? Even with the stock filter box the true ram cold air would be a fantastic improvement I think. A person might set it up so as to give the customer an option of a stock or high performance filter option with the ram air?

 

I wanted to know which filter set up was best in my truck, so I read here and got mixed opinions. Being the way I am, I decided to test. I knew it would be easy to test, especially the temp side with how easy I can get the correct tools to do what I wanted. I also watched boost and rpm vs speed with each filter and made Excel spreadsheets with graphs from AE to back my findings up (I actually did thiswith every mod I did so I had proof that what I was doing was helping performance and longevity, the ones that I left on my truck were the ones that made a difference, no matter how minor).

I also ran some other tests on my and one other 7.3 and a 6.0 (which the 6.0 did not get a 6637, but something close to it) and had close to the same results.

I ran my testing unbiased as I could to make sure I was putting the best I could into my truck. I am hell on vehicles, so I wanted to make sure I gave my truck every chance it had to live a long life with me at the wheel.

 

Well IMHO I think anyone running the stock air box should replace that before modifying the hood and putting in a duct.

I would prob fab a box enclosing the 6637 air filter and building that box to the contours of the hood. so it would be like putting a cap on a bottle. It would seal the box and the air would flow in from the air intake duct. I mean this could be strictly optional as well.

When me and my engy buddy discussed it I think a vent alone is a great source of air. But a box would most likely decrease the temp because the box would have heat sheild on the outside to minimize radiant heat.

The Cheap route would be the duct. If you wanna get fancy you can get the box.. But I think a box for production would be rather spendy.. where as a duct should be pretty cheap

 

Your making sense to me. I was wondering how much easier it might be to place an air scoop on the right front fender exactly in line with the boxed in 6637 or similar? There would be the advantage of having an air tight seal from inside the engine well that wouldn't be disturbed every time one opened the hood.

Seems it would less complicated, cheaper and a fixed fender scoop could be designed to look macho or cool or sexy whatever you want to call it?

It could be designed to flow seamlessly into the lines of the vehicle. You could fab a semi-flexable or semi ridgid shaped to fit the opening gasket type grommet seal with a fastening system that produced a hidden seamless look.

I wouldn't mind the look of a fender scoop if it looked good and was funtional.

It's hard to explain what I mean but the scoop on the outside of the fender would have a neck going through the cut out hole that snapped or connected into the filter air box fastening the two together. Does that make sense? The scoop and the cold air box and filter would sort of become one assembly.

 

We thought of that.. but then there is that big black end cap in the way. If not the endcap then the battery.

You are thinking on the right path tho.. I don't like the hood integrated cap either but that seems to be where we are so far.

By no means saying your idea doesn't work.. we just thought that the end cap made it difficult. With that said.. now that I think about it.. you could fab a pipe for the 6637 to bend at almost a 90 degree angle allowing for a huge portion of filter to be exposed to direct air from outside.

now you got my head spinning haha..

I found this duct for the hood. Large Carbon Fiber NACA Air Duct.

carbontrix

With a duct like this you could easily flow a ton of air.. as well as look sweet.. I need to go get measurements.. the lines of the hood may make this duct unuseable.. but i'm sure I can find something haha.

The kidney vent set might be right up your alley for the side vent.. or a ricer BMW M3 vent haha.. you do that and I will find you.. seen those Stride gum commercials? that will be me..

 

Were going to have to watch out! I keep going on this and the next thing you know my 2000 F-350 will be sporting those classic front fender port holes like a 1950's Buick!

Think it's my bedtime!

 

This was an interesting read, good testing!

The testing we did on intake temperatures was not this detailed but when you see clear HP gains at the rear tires on a dyno by bringing in cooler air its pretty clear there is an advantage to cold air!

Our BD Super Scoop for the 6.4L not only showed gains on a dyno but won SEMA's new product award. I was skeptical of the gains but seeing was believing! Testing the BD 6.4L on the dyno with a BD Tuner installed we were able to add 12HP by installing the Super Scoop and bringing in cooler air, keeping in mind the truck was not traveling (dyno run) so even cooler air could be introduced when traveling.

 

Dave does your company have a similar set up for the 7.3 or are we sorta suffering from being or living in the past when it comes to aftermarket technology?

I would guess from the interest shown on the 7.3 forum that such a kit as shown for the 6.4 wold be a mover for the 7.3 also?

 

We do not offer one for the 7.3L but I agree it could be a big seller, with the 7.3L you are not living in the past for after market products because there are just so many 7.3L's still on the road. We are actually looking back to the 7.3L for the simple reason there are so many still out there. Our Intercooler upgrade should be ready in less than a month, than after that you never know... I will suggest it to the R&D department. With the success of the Super Scoop and the recognition from SEMA it is a definite possibility. I will keep this thread informed on any progress.

 

Well for starters Tenn's truck had a stock turbo and an exhaust and a DP tuner and he'd just laid down 300+ RWHP at Smokin 2007 a few months prior to doing his testing which among other things was designed to measure the VAF=Volume Air Flow ft^3/min=CFM for a stock 99.5 version truck as a function of RPM, BP, IAT, ambient temperature, ambient pressure, etc.., so the blue diamond points on the above graph and the CFM numbers in the data table give the CFM for a "tuned 99.5 truck" with a stock turbo.

As you can see from the last row in his data table at RPM=2,800, BP=21 psi, and IAT=132 F he pulled a 12" H20 suction at the air filter and this caused a VAF=555 ft^3/min to flow through the 6637 which is the highest blue diamond CFM point on the graph.

Since the testing Tenn upgraded from a stock GTP38 to a GTP38R turbo and he can now pin his restriction gauge at a 15"+ H20 suction which according to the 6637 graph gives a VAF of at least 650 CFM. The graph below gives a model output where Tenn's measured BP numbers are overlaid in black. As you can see from the "red" BP=27 psi curve Tenn must now be getting at least a BP= 28 psi or higher to get his current 650 CFM.

The displacement and rpm of a turbo's compressor wheel determine the VAF into the turbo just like the displacement and RPM of a naturally aspirated engine determine the VAF into the engine which flows a VAF equal to its displacement once every two revolutions of its crankshaft. So to get more VAF into a diesel you need to spin the turbo's compressor wheel at a higher rpm which generates more heat in the charge air and causes more wear and tear on the turbo's bearing or get an upgraded turbo with a larger displacement compressor wheel which of course is the best approach for getting more VAF.

 

Dave thank you for coming on and offering some encouraging possibilities. I wouldn't think it would take much for BD to put together a "true" cold air intake especially with the knowledge and resources a company such as yours has.

But then what do I know? I would like to see someone such as yourselves expedite their energy toward a product line that would economically fill this needed niche. There are allot of us in the wings that I know are hoping the same thing. Thanks again.

 

You have my word I will use all my influences to have something similar created for the 7.3L's. With all the success of the 6.4L Intake Scoop it should help.