Which Cold Air Intake Should I Go With?

I want to add a cold air intake system to my 2012 1500. I was leaning towards the K&N any thoughts?

K&N is the best bang for your buck. S&B is pretty good from what i hear, same with airraid, and vararam.

I went w S&B, no regrets looks and sounds bad @$$

I like the design of the volant but its a little more expensive, the k&n is cheaper and I think will give similar results if not better.... k&n is a very reputable company and they do dynotest which on our trucks is showing 15rwhp gain... k&n is what ill be ordering for my truck tomorrow

Have the volant, looks great, sounds awsome, fitment not so good!
After reading a few reviews now on order S&B intake!

http://www.ramforum.com/f44/s_b_intake_review-18850/

You can't trust dyno numbers that manufacturers throw out for their products because there are so many variables to take into consideration when running a dyno that it's crazy. For example, you could a truck, dyno it in Denver and then turn around without making any changes to it at all and dyno it in phoenix on the exact same dyno and you'll have different numbers.

The thing I like about S&B and Afe is that they actually run their intakes through an airflow test and say how much their intakes flow better than stock.

Here's a quote out of my review thread, first part is from my contact at S&B and the second is from me

" "We don't actually dyno our intake kits at S&B Filters because we feel that there are to many variables that cause inconstancies in results. Performance can differ depending on the modification in each truck. We do however test our products using the ISO 5011 Airflow and Efficiency process which is the industry standard. This measures the air flow and efficiency of each kit and filter and provides consistently accurate results."

And that make sense to me and got me to look to see if I could find out what the other companies say their airflow improvements are. Afe actually was the only one I saw that listed not only the dyno improvement numbers but they also included their airflow improvement numbers. Afe Stage II give you a 22% increase over the stock intake system and the S&B actually gives you a 30% with the plug install the scoop or a 36% increase with the plug removed. without contacting them or doing any real digging outside of auto anything, I cannot find what the other intakes are rated to improve your airflow by."

U should try AFE cold air intakes.. they use the stock air box and i get pretty good pick up with the dry flow filter as well.. easy to maintain.. hope that helps..

you know what the only reason I was gonna go with the K&n was because ive had good results with it before, and was going to get a really good deal on one from a buddy of mine but after seeing your review I really like that S&B i think im going to just cough up the extra dough for the S&b instead.... did you get the dry disposable or the oil cleanable? is there any reason to go dry instead of oiled? seems like a waste of money to have a dry disposable when you could have a cleanable one so why offer both? im assuming it should fit my 2013 i hope

It'll fit 2013, shouldn't have any issue's since nothing intake related was changed.

I was actually sent both filters because I was a tester but I haven't used the dry disposable yet, it's actually sitting under my table in the living room still, lol. The reason why they still offer dry filters is because some people don't like cleaning oiled filters. The only thing I don't understand is why S&B made a dry disposable instead of a cleanable dry flow filter.

Oh and the reason to go oiled instead of dry is because they've been proven to out flow dry filters from what I've read over the years.

awesome man I think im going to take the plunge and order the s&b sometime this week just gonna try to see if I can find a better deal if possible.... too bad auto anything doesnt have s&b they are having a 15% off site wide sale on orders $150+ with free shipping that would put the S&b intake at about 250 shipped .... if k&n is what your looking for their also throwing in a free recharge kit with the k&n filters which with the discount would cost you 220 and a free recharge kit

2K10HemiRam said:

It'll fit 2013, shouldn't have any issue's since nothing intake related was changed.

I was actually sent both filters because I was a tester but I haven't used the dry disposable yet, it's actually sitting under my table in the living room still, lol. The reason why they still offer dry filters is because some people don't like cleaning oiled filters. The only thing I don't understand is why S&B made a dry disposable instead of a cleanable dry flow filter.

Oh and the reason to go oiled instead of dry is because they've been proven to out flow dry filters from what I've read over the years.

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Damn, I must have read that article wrong I would have swore that the dry out flowed the oiled. I ordered the dry filter, so if you decide you want to get rid of your dry filter at some point hit me up, lol.

When it comes to intakes, S&B, Volant, and Vararam are the top performers for the 4th gens. Best bang for buck would be the S&B, and the best performing has proven to be the Vararam.

Ranger, I think you're making a good choice going with the S&B. It's a little more than what you were going to spend initially but you'll be extremely happy you went with it in the end

sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3

redsand said:

Damn, I must have read that article wrong I would have swore that the dry out flowed the oiled. I ordered the dry filter, so if you decide you want to get rid of your dry filter at some point hit me up, lol.

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In most cases oiled always out flow dry because of the fact the dry filters are cramped with more material to catch all the debris you don't want in your motor while a oiled filter will have less material but the oil they get coated in helps catch debris with very little to no effect on the air flow. All of that is coming off the top of my head from what I remember reading in the past.

But now however, it seems S&B has come on to something that other companies haven't. I just looked at the S&B site to see if I could find anything saying the difference in airflow between the two filters and right off the back, first article on their slide on the home page was mentioning how their dry filters flow the same as their oiled cotton filters. So I guess when it comes to S&B, you can't go wrong with either.

Thats for all the feedback, this was great, I think I may go with the S&B now. One question. For anyone running the S&B did you also spend the extra and buy the scoop?

I think someone else has ordered the scoop but I can't remember who. I have one as part of being the beta tester but I haven't been able to install it yet because I have tow hooks and the bracket they made doesn't work with trucks that have tow hooks. I actually sent them an e-mail last night checking up on the status of their redesign of the bracket as they were able to get a ram in the shop finally that has tow hooks. But hopefully soon, I'll be able to get the new bracket and mount it finally.

I am not a huge fan of the design of the scoop for the 4th gens. I would much rather the scoop be facing forward under the bumper instead of facing down.

As for the dry vs oiled debate...you will never find the right answer to that question. I am one of the guys that prefers the dry filter simply because they are much easier to clean. Performance wise, you are not going to feel any difference between an oiled or dry filter, so the easier one to maintain wins in my book. On the S&B, the oiled looks better though as it is red and is visible through the clear lid on the airbox. If you dont mind looking at a white filter when you pop the hood, then I would go with the dry.

I really do think the varram would give you the best gains being that its ram air, and helps force the air in rather than having to suck it in through a tube.... I just hate how big and bulky it is... in my opinion the S&b looks nice and sleek while the varram kinda covers up the entire engine bay

OK, just pulled the tiger on the S&B w/Scoop. Should have it by Wed this week and will post photos after install. Again thanks for all the good feedback.

A lot of brands are good but i have always been a K&N product man so go with that one great sound and power