DylanCulbreth

Looking to get a little performance boost for my truck and have been looking at CAIs and possibly a tune but i have a few questions
First off my truck
2013 STX Reg Cab 5.0 with fox 2.0 all around and a block in rear , RK grille guard and 275/70/18 hank arms, needless to say i have definitely noticed the loss in mpg which I'm looking at ways to gain back, now i know anything beyond 1-3 mpg increase is fantasy but id be happy with getting back to the 15s in the city right now I'm at 14.5

my question is what are the pros and cons of a CAI? do they make any difference are they worth the money? and which ones perform the best and have the best fit? also is it better to have an oiled filter or dry?

I've thought of tunes but i live in the houston tx area and I'm not sure what they look for in emissions inspection here and I've seen a few threads where guys who had tunes had some issues with inspection in texas like certain things misfiring even after returning to stock, any truth to that? id hate to get a tune and then not be able to pass inspection

thanks for any advice or help.

BLUE MAGIC

Forget the cai and get the tuner.

I've been also looking into getting a cai but have found nothing but negative reviews as far as gains. Our intake is more then enough for our trucks, only thing you'll get out of a cai is noise and drone...

I just got myself a sct x4 yesterday from mpt for 379. I'd say get a tuner instead. You can always go back to stock since its stores the factory tune

Boostking

Blue Magic is correct. An intake on the truck is going to do very very little, if anything at all, aside from some extra engine noise. Personally, I think it sounds better with the intake because you can hear the engine more, but for power, the gains are minimal at best. A tuner will be the best bang for the buck, both in power and for fuel mileage. Grab an SCT X4 or Livewire TS and be happy.

gDMJoe

OEM, stock .....

• already CAI.
  .
• CFM exceeds engine requirements/needs. *UNLESS über engine modifications are done.
  .
• any increase in air flow comes at the expense of filtration.
  .
• no contaminating the MAF sensor with oil. *Which reduces performance and MPG.
  .
• Motorcraft, OEM air filters ...
  • meets|exceeds engine air intake CFM requirements.
  • good for 30,000+ miles (depending upon conditions).
  • ABSOLUTELY NO possibility of MAF sensor oil contamination.
  • dispose and replace maintenance.
  .
• there are NO performance and/or MPG gains with aftermarket air intake systems. *If you're looking for performance and/or possible MPG gains, put your $$$$$ towards a tuner+tune(s).

Otherwise - Get an aftermarket air intake ...

• for the engine bay cosmetics.
  .
• for the increase in growl.

Do it for any other reason and you're wasting your $$$$$
.

ABN Panzer

^ x2.
Your truck came stock with a CAI.


I fell prey to their advertising on an older vehicle and while the aftermarket intake sounded 'throatier' in the cab of the truck... it offered nothing else.

TNathe

JLT makes the best intake for the 5.0. It does require a tune due to the diff MAF.

As for gains. I will post next week what gains my 4.6 sees with just an intake. I had a dyno done before i installed and am going back next week to get it measured again. Nothing else will be done.

"CFM exceeds engine requirements/needs. *UNLESS über engine modifications are done."

Such bull****. Since you are throwing that out there, what ARE the CFM abilities of the engine? And how much CFM does an OEM filter flow. Would love to see these numbers because otherwise ur talking out if ur *****

Troponin

When I switched to my supercharger, I had a CAI installed for added air. It did make a difference in my application, however, I had forgotten how much extra work dealing with a CAI was. It's worth the effort for me, but man, I wouldn't do it if the truck was still NA. Just not worth the trouble.

These days, there MOST modern vehicles get the most performance from is opening up the cats and headers. Even mufflers are becoming less restrictive and the results of those are diminishing. You will need a custom tune for these changes though.

DylanCulbreth

I appreciate all the input looks like a tune is the only practical thing to do thanks everyone

dieselhunter44

The stock intake pulls cold air from the wheel well; so called "cold air intakes" pull air from the wheel well and the blazing hot engine compartment. Unless you're going forced induction the stock filter will work perfectly fine.

Tothemax

I agree. Get a tuner.