So as ive been thinking of add ons for my truck I got to thinking, how in the heck would a aftermarket intake help at all. I understand it can take in much more air rather than sucking it through a 2.5" tube but its getting the air directly from under the hood by the motot, air thats probably 160+ degrees rather than sucking in air from the inside the fender. The only intake I see made to get the best of both worlds is Volant. Just wondering what everyone else thinks on this

 

On my K&N kit it usually brings in air about 2 degrees Warmer than ambient air temperature. Atleast that's what my edge tells me.

 

S&B, sealed intake from inside fender and from under hood area;
http://www.sbfilters.com/Cold-Air-Intake-Kits/F150_3

Why do most high performance vehicles draw cold air?

http://www.sbfilters.com/Support/Why...-About-Filters
Myth 4

 

Its all a balancing act. I know i'm restating a lot of that info^^, and over simplifying a bit so don't bust my ***** for that. Flow is important as well as temperature. Colder air is more dense, which leads to more air/fuel mixture, whether that colder air is coming from the cowl panel, through a hood scoop, through the grille.
Flow is also important, this is the reason these trucks get different power curves with AF1 vs K&N vs whatever other intake system. Unrestricted flow seems like the best option, so why not always use a large diameter, short intake tube? Velocity is also important. The engine pulls air in at different rated depending on engine speed. A large diameter tube might perform great at higher engine speeds but lose velocity, and therefore low end power. A smaller diameter tube may give great low end power but restrict airflow on the top end. I recomend calling someone who is very experienced with these particular engines like Troyer Performance or PHP. They can help fit the right system to your driving habits. If you want to make your own, do a little research, and have fun with it. But don't expect to see the results these guys get with extensive R&D on flowbenches.

 

None of this has ever made any sense to me.

Way I see it, you would have to recalibrate the MAFS (Programming) to see any gains from adding an intake system, regardless of what the manufacturers of the intakes say.

It is just not logical in my mind. If the air is measured as it hits the throttle body, why would you expect to see gains from throwing on a fancy tube? The stock intake is a CAI.

Unless you spend another $400 on a custom tune, this area of modifying seems like a big waste of money just to open the hood and see something different or hear a hissing sound when you stomp the fun peddle. And it always kills me when people say how their mpg's go down when in reality they have gotten addicted to the hissing sound. It's like a false sense of supercharge.

 

MAFS will re-cal there self... Mass Air Flow Sensor...key word sensor...it will sense the amount of air flow prior to entering the throttle body.

 

Actually the air from the fender well is usually near ambient temperature, and the stock configuration can draw more than enough air (see link). With the Gotts mod (3" tube) you can relieve the restriction in the system. IMO that's the best of all worlds: cheap, proven on an unbiased dyno to gain power, and keeps good filtration.

http://forum.gopowerhungry.com/2004-...t-results.html

 

6yrs ago I bought a True Flow intake when my truck was new. Thinking it would add 15 HP (it didn't) using the the fender wall for breathing cool air. Anyways its been on there since, and the red sure looks pretty, but was it worth the 200+ bucks I spent. Maybe, but probably not. Should've bought better rotors instead.

 

So...increasing the size of the air tube will get you HP gain ...so Spartan54 is wrong ??

 

Basically from what im seeing no, none of them are worth the cost to add onto your truck