Hello all. I just picked up my new 09 fx4, blue flame. Almost had it for 3 weeks now. I'm curious to see or hear if anyone has put in a Volant CAI? My old 04 had an airaid system. Thanks for your input.

 

I've got the Volant on order. I'll let you know how it does.

 

Thank you, looking forward to it.

 

It is my understanding the 09s already have a 'better' intake setup than the 'older' models and the CAI is not needed.

 

ALL CAI's are a waste of money.

 

Wrong, wrong, wrong

 

Dyno your truck before putting it on, and then dyno it afterward. Don't go off what the manufacturer claims; do it yourself. you will gain nothing but a $200.00+ loss in your wallet.

 

I can't speak for this truck but their are plenty of vehicles that gain good horsepower from a CAI. A few years ago I had an 03 Cobra Mustang. My Steeda CAI added 11 rwhp. Now this is partly due to the motor being supercharged but to say all CAIs are a waste of money is an inaccurate statement. And yes this was determined on the dyno before and after.

You are right for the most part a CAI alone adds little or no HP. When added in combination with exhaust, programmer or other mods it will help.

 

my 05 gained with i installed the volant. volant is a good quality intake. let me know how it goes for you.

 

It will help with a supercharger a little. I too had an 03 SVT Mustang. After getting some work done on the heads, and some different underdrive pulleys, it was actually too much power as the tires would spin at any speed below 90mph when floored. A CAI on an otherwise stock vehicle, by itself, is a waste of $$$. This subject comes up every month on both the 04-08 boards, and this one.

 

Gotta agree with both of you

CAI by itself...absolutely worthless

CAI + Tuning = more HP


we're only talking 5-10 extra ponies though. maybe. But it is a great supporting mod.



on the 2009's though, Bill over at PHP has shown +7 HP with just tuning and removing the section of the OEM intake between the Fender and Airbox...the little snorkel thingy. I would save my money personally and just do that.



I had the Volant on my old FX4, and then the RoushCharger & their CAI. The Volant is an awesome product. I would buy one again just for the noises. But not for performance. It didn't do squat on that aspect. I think it made the throttle control a bit better though.

 

So I take it you have done this? Post the dyno info please.



The gains a CAI gives is hard to notice because its not that much power and it all up fairly high in the rpm range. Some intakes can throw off the MAF thats why custom tuning with the CIA in mind is best. I honestly don't like all the noise cancelling chambers on these late model trucks which will create turbulence in the intake. A nice smooth tube is better.

 

If you do an online search for “air filter test” there is a lot of very good information. IMHO, the CAI units are NOT WORTH THE $$! Unless you are talking about a system that was specifically designed for a specific application there are very little hp/tq gains actually achieved in a street use vehicle and there are very few docs that these mfg’s can produce that actually show an increase in hp/tq in the power-band range of a relatively stock street vehicle.

I would avoid oil impregnated filters. While they have their purpose in off-road applications, Ford/GM/Dodge all have “watch-out” bulletins where the oil has contaminated intake sensors. - they even have a training video for the tech's on this (flatratetech.com) .

If you look at the flow data, WIX HP filters flow 98+% of K&N and have a much smoother flow post filter plus excellent filtering, for a fraction of the price! The OE’s have an excellent air intake system the only issue that really exists is the plastic intake tube with it’s noise canceling design- that does reduce the intake efficiency a little but makes it very quiet!. You can use a WIX OEM HP replacement filter in the OEM plastic manifold box and either remove the plastic tube and replace it with a piece of pipe/hose, etc or remove the tube completely and replace the tube by building an air ram type intake into the air box manifold (where the pipe use to attach)- make sure ti terminates above the fan shroud to avoid water intake or fan induced pulsations.

 

I have seen several dynos before and after Intake mods, It is not about how good the aftermarket ones are, but how restrictive your stock one is. I have seen impressive gains with just a cai, and others have been no better than stock. If your stock setup is good why mess with it?

 

I don't have the dyno results anymore from an older application that I DID get dyno'd before and after. I actually lost 3hp with an exhaust and a cai. Talk about feeling "stupid", and being out $900.00 in parts. It "felt" like I'd gained a little, but the dyno didn't lie. It was a different application than a truck.

I'm positive Ford didn't design their intake system with anything that was going to cause the engine to lose power. I'm pretty sure they spent more money designing it than Volant did in researching their design for a cai, also. But, that's just my opinion...