FX4stealth

This is an interesting forum to say the least. Some act with such authority and act like things learned and tested and retested thousands of times in the Mustang world do not apply to the truck world. News flash, the 5.0 is the Coyote engine from the mustang. The 5.4 and 4.6 are in the same family and respond similarly. I like how some say a HP gain from a CAI is BS and the companies are all lying about their dyno charts. K&N not only would have been sued long ago if this were true, but they would not have grown so successfully to the size that they are now by trying to pull the wool over peoples eyes. My early experience is with the 4.6 and later the5.4. Through learning from others that independently test products, I learned what these engines respond to. My last truck was a 5.4. My Shelby GT500 is a 5.4 and with increased air flow, long tube headers, increased boost, it is putting down over 650 HP to the tires. The 5.4 truck responded well to exhaust, intake and a Troyer tune. When the Coyote engine came out, the hope in the Mustang world was that it would respond from these type of mods. Testing, a lot done by Muscle Mustang and Fast Fords showed that in most cases, the 5.0 responded even better than its relatives, the 5.4 and 4.6. I stated earlier, MM&FF tests in stages, stock, CAI, exhaust and so on. It is all available in their archives. Do I believe that the K & N or Roush can net an 11HP PEAK HP gain with their CAI?, absolutely. Keep in mind that is peak and you will not see it over a broad range, but it is there. Unlike a lot of what I read, I actually tested and dyno'd as I modified my various mustangs. On my own 5.0 FX4, I have a CAI and cat back exhaust. All i can say is I would not want to race my pre modified 5.0 with the way it is now, it would not even be close. Next step will be a tune or 2, but that is just for fun, it already goes like a scalded cat. For me playing with the 5.0 is just fun, applying what I learned in the past and seeing similar results puts a smile on my face. When I really feel the need for speed, that is what the Shelby is for. I will say this though, I am very very impressed with the 5.0, it is a great all around engine and an incredible starting point. Over on the Mustang forum there are people getting crazy numbers out of the 5.0, most without having to rebuild it with stronger internals. Roush has a blower for the 5.0 truck right now that will give us 570 HP. I can personally back up Roush, I had a Stage 3 supercharged Roush 4.6 and my own dyno testing backed up their numbers almost identically.

MurderFX

Here's the thing, I'm not going argue rather a cai helps or not. But I do have an afe intake on mine, had a k&n intake on my Silverado, and a upr inner fender on my cobra. I don't think they are fools gold either, I just personally like the way they clean up an engine bay, and have a better sound IMO. Any performance increase is a bonus. But let's be honest here guys, even if they get max hp increase that is claimed ( not saying they do, not saying they don't) 10-12 hp in a vehicle as heavy as our truck would go entirely unnoticed.

KLG

Perhaps, I had the same thought while I was watching that video of those Brits testing CAI systems on that turbo-charged, in-line six cylinder engine!

And while the 2007-2009 GT500 results might not translate to our NA 5.0 engines, it is a real-world example that a CAI can be a building block to achieve some noticeable power gains.

Just to be clear, I had a 2010 GT500 that came stock with a CAI.

There are going to be a bunch of opinions on the benefits of a CAI system, which is fine and is expected. I think that is what the OP wanted to help him make his decision. In the end, people will make their decisions based on what they read and what they experience. As long as they are satisfied with their decision, that is what matters.

In my case, nothing I have read on this forum would have dissuaded me from installing a CAI system! (Along with the Borla ATAK cat-back exhaust and 5-Star tune).

I am satisfied and it is all good!

KLG

Agree, the 5.0 responds well to bolt-on upgrades. The 5.4 & 5.8 GT500 engines did too.

The E-Force looks to be a respectable upgrade for our trucks as well.

--KLG--

svenny

Now I have been hearing from some people that aftermarket cold air intakes don't do anything, and I have just a few questions.
if an aftermarket cai changed the tone of the truck, it has to be doing SOMETHING, right?

if they don't do anything besides noise, would there be any problems with one? Basically I'm asking if it's possible to LOSE power with one?

to me, the slightest hp increase would be ok, when lining up at the track with an identical truck without a cai.

One final thing, would an aftermarket cai be more beneficial for a turbo engine like the 2.7 or for a big engine like the 5.0?

Midwest Aftermarket

I replied to your other post, but I'll post here as well in case you see this first.

First off I'll simply start by saying that CAI's do help vehicles, however, the gains you'll get are minimal at best. This is an intake were talking about here for your truck's engine, not a supercharger or twin turbo kit that is spewing out 30+lbs of boost. Now with that being said, the CAI can help simply because more air means more fuel usage, which means, in turn, some extra horsepower boosts. Nothing extraordinary mind you and of course depending upon the year of the vehicle and engine size etc. But no you should not have a LOSS in power for any reason unless you installed something incorrectly.

Currently, our shop truck (2013 FX2 F150 3.5L Ecoboost) is running an aFe stage 2 intake and after that was done you simply notice some better sound resonance from the intake and we noticed some slightly better shift responses. Nothing major mind you, but better than stock I will say that much. Now also keep in mind this truck currently now has an MBRP exhaust, Edge CTS2 Tuner, and we've done some adjustments with the turbos slightly for a little extra boost and added a Turbosmart blow-off valve. So in the grand scheme of things we have probably added an extra 50-60 horsepower on paper.

Now the stock Ecoboost claims about 365hp at 5,000 RPM, and the peak torque gains are within the 1700-5000 RPM area. After all our installs we have estimated our F150 is only in the ball park of around 385-390hp at the 5,000 RPM mark. Could be more or less but we would need some more time on a dyno to actually get numbers exact.

Moral of the story is that it helps to have some other performance upgrades, (tuners, exhaust, turbo mods, etc.) to truly get more out of your vehicle. Simply doing a CAI install will give you some MINOR improvements but nothing crazy. Invest in some other mods to possibly do together to help give you some better performance stats!

Hope this helps! Sorry for the long winded post!

JasonD

I’m new to the F150 community, but I will say I saw a mpg difference on my 07 Explorer. I added a K&N cia and opened my exhaust some. I pulled a 5420lbs trailer before and after the mod. Everything else remained the same. I gained 3 mpg. No tune. I feel I increased power due to better fuel economy. Just my 2 cents though.

MJ63

AFE momentum GT
sets up like stock but with alot more flow
I'm quite happy with it