Agent.zero

I own a 2011 FX4 5.0 and I have read many threads on the CAI and there is a great split For or Against but this isn't about that.
My real question is could someone please explain to me why the OEM air intake is designed the way it is and what benefits does this design give your engine.
Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

kozal01

iTrader: (2)

The OEM intake is optimized for the stock tuning of your engine as it comes from Ford. It draws cool air from outside of the engine compartment, usually from the fender or grill area. The snorkel for the intake is usually located in a place that helps keep rain out of the intake. The stock intake is also designed to be quiet. Beware of many of the aftermarket "Cold air Intake" systems as many of them are exactly the opposite of a "cold air" intake.

Agent.zero

Ok I understand that but there seems to be some curious kind of design which incorporates hollow spaces that seem to just take up space but I'm sure there is a reason behind them. I am wondering what these design features give to the system and how are they better than a cold air system that doesn't seem to restrict air flow.

The Boz

The OEM intake is designed for optimal performance while still trying to meet fuel economy, safety, and weight requirements. Since they are spending thousands of dollars on parts to build the truck, they have to use some low-cost components to keep the price down and be competitive with other manufacturers. One of the areas they save money on is the OEM cold air intake. It will work fine, but you can easily gain better performance by upgrading it. Aftermarket cold air intakes add more performance by routing air directly into your intake manifold through a high-flow, high-efficiency air filter and a less restrictive shorter pipe. I hope this helps answer your question.

kozal01

iTrader: (2)

Those are silencers to lessen the annoying intake sound. also, just to be 100% clear, the OEM intake is already a CAI (cold air intake)

JCR 56

Basically, the OEM intake was designed to work with the truck it is on, and it is a cold air intake as compared to a lot of the so called aftermarket cold air intakes, which are actually hot air intakes.

Skwerl

If you are referring to the large bubbles or pockets molded into the Ford CAI, those are for noise reduction. All computer designed to minimize noisy air disturbance or whistling . Just as a bubbling stream has little diversions or eddys where the water spins back in the opposite direction, the side pockets in the CAI can help bleed off and calm the noisiest air rushing into the intake.

Unfortunately they get in the way when working on the engine and are ugly to boot.

Bubbabiker

Exactly. Also know as the Helmholtz resonator box.

stubborn hook

OEM intake also typically keeps water out of the engine better than an aftermarket. Aftermarket CAI might be a little more free flowing, because it doesn't have the baffles and silencing chambers of the OEM intake. Also because of the less restrictive and larger surface area filter that typically comes with an aftermarket CAI.

ShirBlackspots

I wonder if it's possible to add a baffle to the intake tube of an aftermarket intake, like my Volant, which has a fully enclosed filter box, utilizing the factory intake hole in the fender (which has an option for adding a snorkle tube, whose intake is just behind the bumper. I wonder if I should cap the hole for that in the bottom of the air filter box, and that might make it quieter?)