Cold air intake kits - yes or no

[AzCats]

Only you can decide for yourself if it is worth it. I was always a naysayer myself until I finally bit the bullet after S&B came out with the new redesign. I though, worst case, I could resell it and not loose a whole lot. After getting it, I am very happy with my purchase and would buy again. It's not loud and does change the throttle response in a good way. Ask 50 people and get 50 answers. Only you can decide for sure!

Well said!

 

[gofishn]

I like the looks of the Vararam and the S&B. If you live in snow, Vararam is out.
Google vararam snow filled. Known issue.

as for performance upgrade . . . only at wide open throttle and you can get the same thing, for about $20-$50, modding the stock airbox. That;s what I did and could not be happier. Spent the $300, saved,on Roadkill Stinger soundproofing for the truck and could not be happier.

Look in my build thread for how to on modding the stock air box.
can even make it a RAM AIR CAI you wish, with air coming in directly behind the front grill.

 

[zogg]

I installed a volant on my 2017 ram after a magnaflow muffler. Looks cool and adds a little sound to the exhaust. No increase in mpg, and little if any hp increase.
I bought the volant because it comes with the Donaldson air filter which is supposedly the best available

 

[Ram Night]

My understanding is it's not as much cold air as it is volume. They provide more surface area and less restrictive " plumbing" . there have been dyno measurements showing a 15 hp increase before & after.

The stock air filter assembly and filter is a CAI and will out flow the throttle body. Aand the 15 hp increase is very questionable on a stock engine, 1 maybe 2 is more realistic with a good system.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

The biggest advantage to a quality aftermarket intake is better filtration and less restriction in air flow. The better filters and smother piping to the throttle body is where the advantage is. As you mod the advantages of the intake increase. The engine is an air pump. the less restrictions for it to pump air the more efficient it becomes, and it will make more power and hopefully will gain mpg too.

Plus they sound and look cool lol

 

[Dark Knight 500]

This man knows what he’s talking about, and should more than deter you from installing a CAI


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Typetwelve]

I used to put them on my cars...but it didn't take long for me to realize that for the most part, they're useless. The stock intake system on the 5.7 is actually pretty solid. It's rather compact, has few restrictions, and if my memory serves me correctly, draws air form outside the engine bay.

Some cars used to have highly restrictive systems that draw hot air in, had gigantic mufflers on them, or had restrictive piping...not so much anymore.

 

[mohemipar]

This man knows what he’s talking about, and should more than deter you from installing a CAI


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I’ve seen a few of this guy’s videos before, he’s an obnoxious blowhard who just likes to bash on things to get views. I could hardly stomach watching what I saw of some of his stuff. He spews on about things like he’s an expert but just talks about things in a general way without giving actual detailed knowledge about it.

Anyone who does any research at all knows that you will see minor benefits on a stock car from a PROPERLY designed intake, and much better benefit when it is tuned and paired with other mods. You want to look for things like an enclosed air box with the box having very smooth walls. Is the overall design of the box efficient for the engine? Where is the box pulling air from? Is there a snorkel to help cool down temps faster? Air tube material? Saying it is completely useless to put a quality, properly designed intake on a stock car is BS. Not even close to all factory air boxes are built for performance sake from the factory and can almost ALWAYS be improved somehow. The factory wants to build an air box that will do what it needs to do to meet the MPG requirements and keep the car QUIET. Look at all the baffling and alien looking **** GM puts on the LS truck intakes… Majority of buyers today want a quiet engine. It doesn’t need to be a RACE CAR to be worth improving the intake. LOL. I think that guy’s vid is geared toward 17 year old kids who are putting hot air intakes on their Corollas and think they are gaining 30 HP?

Even the open top Mopar CAI's are hurting temps at idle. The Daytona's come with these from the factory and have slightly higher idle temps. But they sound cool and look cool, and the air temp drops faster than the closed box, so who is that guy to tell someone they are stoopid for wanting it? Personally I will do a Hellcat box/snorkel on my 392 Charger.

Specifically for the 5.7 Hemi Rams, the stock box is certainly fine, and a better design than you can expect on your average car. But you can still see improvements.

Oh and you won't get a CEL if you pull the battery before touching the sensor.

 

[Tray Burge]

S&B with the snorkel and a filter sock is what I run...best one out there except for the Varam which is a whole different best.

View attachment 94884

The Vararam beast!

 

[GIJoe2010]

Yup. Keeping my stock air box, putting in an AEM dry drop in, and modding the corrugated section of the stock intake tube with a straight tube.

You mean like this. This is 3.5”/89mm inside diameter 45* and 90* silicone couplers and a 12” 3.5”/89mm outside diameter aluminum pipe. The 90* coupler at the throttle body has a 1/2” hole drilled out for the AIT sensor in roughly the same spot as the OEM tube. I put a little silicone on it for insurance but it went in super snug, twisting it in clockwise like a screw, so there was no damage to it nor opening up the hole unnecessarily. The 2 gripes I have is the 90* isn’t as tall as I would have liked so it pushes the engine cover down a little, and I will need to cut the aluminum pipe down an inch or 2 as there a is a slight distortion where the aluminum meets at the 90* coupler at the TB. Total cost for all was just shy of $40 shipped.

I haven’t had a chance to drive it yet, but hitting the gas in my driveway, the throttle response seems better. The only thing left is getting a dry AEM drop in filter (coming from @Nick@GotExhaust here on the 12th). I’m still puttering around with modifying the bottom portion of the air box in a similar fashion others have done with hose going to the grill or another spot outside the engine bay. I may also paint the aluminum pipe with some flat black high temp paint, but I kinda like it as is as it matches up to the other silver/aluminum under the hood.

I will update tomorrow with throttle response review.

 

[CarKnockerJim]

Lots of research on my end...I really like the Vararam set up...a little more power and LOTS more looks

 

[GIJoe2010]

Throttle response update:

Throttle response is definitely improved over OEM. Acceleration under WOT or just normal conditions (from a stoplight/sign) is smooth and linear. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of lag, “hiccup” or whatnot.

From a roll, again the truck accelerates fast and smooth. At WOT, the tranny kicks down perfectly to an appropriate gear and the engine/tranny seem to sync up more seamlessly, keeping the power where it needs to be in the sweet spot in the RPM range. When not accelerating at WOT from a roll (freeway speeds), the truck doesn’t seem to want or need to kick down the tranny more than the necessary gear (or 2) to speed back up to the appropriate speed (65 to 50 to 65).

On cruise control on the highway (ranging from 70-80mph), the truck rolls smooth and easy. As mentioned above, acceleration going up a hill is smooth and the tranny only seems to kick down the necessary gear to accelerate and maintain set speed.

All this is still using an OEM paper filter and the stock air box, I believe there will be additional improvement with the higher flowing AEM filter.

With as simple as $40 invested for some couplers, clamps and pipe I believe it was worth it for me and my truck. Results may vary though for you.

 

[JB1]

You mean like this. This is 3.5”/89mm inside diameter 45* and 90* silicone couplers and a 12” 3.5”/89mm outside diameter aluminum pipe. The 90* coupler at the throttle body has a 1/2” hole drilled out for the AIT sensor in roughly the same spot as the OEM tube. I put a little silicone on it for insurance but it went in super snug, twisting it in clockwise like a screw, so there was no damage to it nor opening up the hole unnecessarily. The 2 gripes I have is the 90* isn’t as tall as I would have liked so it pushes the engine cover down a little, and I will need to cut the aluminum pipe down an inch or 2 as there a is a slight distortion where the aluminum meets at the 90* coupler at the TB. Total cost for all was just shy of $40 shipped.

I haven’t had a chance to drive it yet, but hitting the gas in my driveway, the throttle response seems better. The only thing left is getting a dry AEM drop in filter (coming from @Nick@GotExhaust here on the 12th). I’m still puttering around with modifying the bottom portion of the air box in a similar fashion others have done with hose going to the grill or another spot outside the engine bay. I may also paint the aluminum pipe with some flat black high temp paint, but I kinda like it as is as it matches up to the other silver/aluminum under the hood.

I will update tomorrow with throttle response review.

View attachment 122354

View attachment 122355

Damn that’s cool, you should post some links to where you bought those pieces

 

[Tray Burge]

Damn that’s cool, you should post some links to where you bought those pieces

You can get all the hoses and clamps here:
www.siliconeintakes.com

 

[Ram Night]

Do a search for intake airbox mods,you should find articles on adding a ram air tube to the stock box if you're so inclined

I a