Cold Air Intake Question - Just Looking to Avoid Check Engine Light

[BobinTX]

I'd rather drink my Big Gulp through a large straw, not a coffee stirrer.

 

[turkeybird56]

I'd rather drink my Big Gulp through a large straw, not a coffee stirrer.

Hmmm to slurpee with a spoon or wait till melts lmao.

7-11 kid huh lol.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

Here's MA Mipars version of a CAI. It's attractive, cost more than you want to spend and easy to find used almost anywhere, the key is to get the silver aluminum M, when buying used. Winter /summer set up. Open in the summer closed in the winter.

It sounds great, doesn't add a single BIT OF HP or Torque but will lighten your wallet at purchase and anytime you put your foot down.

Highly recommend, spend it all, don't leave anything for your children. Enjoy life.

 

[Tray Burge]

Run a clean white rag or your hand around the inside of the intake tube,as K&N's are famous for dusting the engine,and it'll show up on a clean rag if it is.

I'll second that, mine had the K&N hot air sucker system when I bought it and I threw it in the garbage as soon as I could swap it out to the Vararam, but I run it with a dry filter now. My K&N was the old style though with just the metal open partitions, it wasn't sealed at all.
When I recently redesigned my throttle body intake tubing and intake coupling I was actually surprised how clean my TB intake was. I read where some people complain about dust getting past the filter, but if you assemble it correctly nothing gets by the filter.

 

[Wild one]

I'll second that, mine had the K&N hot air sucker system when I bought it and I threw it in the garbage as soon as I could swap it out to the Vararam, but I run it with a dry filter now. My K&N was the old style though with just the metal open partitions, it wasn't sealed at all.
When I recently redesigned my throttle body intake tubing and intake coupling I was actually surprised how clean my TB intake was. I read where some people complain about dust getting past the filter, but if you assemble it correctly nothing gets by the filter.

The downside to the Vararam is if you live where it snows and the roads get slushy. There's pictures floating around of the vararam full of drifted snow. My buddy put one on his truck years ago when we had a Chinook and the roads had about 4" of wet slush on them,by the time he roared out to my place to show it off,the filter had gathered up enough wet slush from city traffic,that the filter was sagging and leaving big gaps,so i ended up driving him back to his place to pick up his factory box assembly,and we re-installed it back on his truck on my driveway.They're great if you live where there's no winter,but if you live where there's snow for several months of the year,i'd hang onto the stock airbox and re-install it in the fall,then put the Vararam back on in the spring.

 

[Tray Burge]

The downside to the Vararam is if you live where it snows and the roads get slushy. There's pictures floating around of the vararam full of drifted snow. My buddy put one on his truck years ago when we had a Chinook and the roads had about 4" of wet slush on them,by the time he roared out to my place to show it off,the filter had gathered up enough wet slush from city traffic,that the filter was sagging and leaving big gaps,so i ended up driving him back to his place to pick up his factory box assembly,and we re-installed it back on his truck on my driveway.They're great if you live where there's no winter,but if you live where there's snow for several months of the year,i'd hang onto the stock airbox and re-install it in the fall,then put the Vararam back on in the spring.

Absolutely, I've seen em on here. Hey, but on a positive note they show how great they suck air (and snow) in through the air grabber too!
Thankfully, I live in Georgia where that's not an issue, plus my truck never leaves the garage in the winter.
On another note, my actuator and controller came in, the controller works, but the actuator is DOA. Waiting on a replacement now from Amazon. Good thing I'm a patient man, appreciate all your help on that btw.

 

[BobinTX]

I'm not a mechanic, marketing guy, attorney, nor do I work for K&N. But when K&N publishes data charts (like attached) and encloses one with each unit shipped out, there must be some truth in advertising to their claims. It might not seem like a huge increase in performance to some, but I can hear it, see it and feel it after installing their product. So, I'm confident and happy in my choice, regardless of what the skeptics on here say.

 

[Adamcr68]

I'm not a mechanic, marketing guy, attorney, nor do I work for K&N. But when K&N publishes data charts (like attached) and encloses one with each unit shipped out, there must be some truth in advertising to their claims. It might not seem like a huge increase in performance to some, but I can hear it, see it and feel it after installing their product. So, I'm confident and happy in my choice, regardless of what the skeptics on here say.

I had a K&N for a little while, drank the kool-aid, but the argument against it I read here changed my mind.
The truth in their claims are from very controlled tests, hood open and a fan blowing, I believe.
I ended up with the S&B that pulls air from the fender, like my stock one did from the start, no complaints and I like the look.
To do it over I would’ve done the conversion to the stock box to allow it to pull more air.
I guess that put me in the skeptic club, really the only thing that matters is you’re happy with it.

 

[deepblue27]

Although it's a bit pricey... It clearly makes a difference on my truck.... especially with 3.92 gears and a cat-back exhaust!!!

 

[KansasArt]

Some CAI require a tune, most do not. On a stock engine, you’ll see very little difference in performance unless you add a tune. My preference is the Vararam, it has the sound you’re looking for as well as the the 60’s / 70’s nostalgia look. There is a CAI / Ram air system available for the 4th gen rams with the sport hood but expect to spend a couple thousand dollars in Canada

What cai require to be tuned? Just curious.

 

[Wild one]

I'm not a mechanic, marketing guy, attorney, nor do I work for K&N. But when K&N publishes data charts (like attached) and encloses one with each unit shipped out, there must be some truth in advertising to their claims. It might not seem like a huge increase in performance to some, but I can hear it, see it and feel it after installing their product. So, I'm confident and happy in my choice, regardless of what the skeptics on here say.

Little tidbit for you,a good dyno operator can make a dyno say whatever he wants it to say. Always take claims like those with a "big" grain of salt as they've manipulated the numbers to whatever they want,and K&N has one of the worst reps in the industry for manipulating dyno numbers.
Any air filter that flows more air odds are also lets more dirt particles through.Make sure you use a clean white rag and check out if it's letting any dust through,by wiping out the inside of the intake tube occassionally,i'd do it every oil change

 

[BobinTX]

Any air filter that flows more air odds are also lets more dirt particles through.Make sure you use a clean white rag and check out if it's letting any dust through,by wiping out the inside of the intake tube occassionally,i'd do it every oil change

Knowing nothing about the automotive air filter industry other than I want a good one for my RAM, your recommendation about checking the air intake tube at each oil change with a white rag for accumulated dust sounds like sage wisdom learned from decades of experience. Thanks!

 

[Djs hemi]

What cai require to be tuned? Just curious.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Hmmm to slurpee with a spoon or wait till melts lmao.

7-11 kid huh lol.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

I understand CAI mods are highly controversial with hemi engines. That said, in early Jan. 2026 I installed a K&N NextGen CAI intake on my '21 RAM 1500 hemi and and very happy with the new, deep growl it produces under acceleration AND increased performance (quicker acceleration) that others say is a placebo effect. No check engine light ever came on. K&N includes dyno charts with each unit they ship, and they guarantee a 19% increase in HP and torque over factory air filters by installing their CAI. Performance gains are achieved by a larger air intake box that allows the engine to consume larger volumes of air through the less restrictive K&N oiled cone filter over the smaller box with the smaller disposable, paper air filter. Less air restriction equals better combustion, resulting in better performance. Regardless of what others say, I'm happy with my mod. Do a quick search on YouTube to see unbiased video reviews.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Flip the top of the air cleaner over, and U get a great growl from under the hood.

@turkeybird56 - the good ole' days, eh Brother!!!!

 

[mikeru]

I understand CAI mods are highly controversial with hemi engines. That said, in early Jan. 2026 I installed a K&N NextGen CAI intake on my '21 RAM 1500 hemi and and very happy with the new, deep growl it produces under acceleration AND increased performance (quicker acceleration) that others say is a placebo effect. No check engine light ever came on. K&N includes dyno charts with each unit they ship, and they guarantee a 19% increase in HP and torque over factory air filters by installing their CAI. Performance gains are achieved by a larger air intake box that allows the engine to consume larger volumes of air through the less restrictive K&N oiled cone filter over the smaller box with the smaller disposable, paper air filter. Less air restriction equals better combustion, resulting in better performance. Regardless of what others say, I'm happy with my mod. Do a quick search on YouTube to see unbiased video reviews.

I'm genuinely glad you're happy with your K&N. If nothing else you've probably improved the intake sound, and for many people that's enough of a reason to buy a CAI. You claimed that your K&N NextGen CAI gave you quicker acceleration, but you didn't say how you measured that. I suspect you're just trying to objectively judge the before and after experience. A change in sound can really affect your perception of acceleration and speed. Meaning the butt dyno can be a powerful thing. No judgement from me if that's the case here.

I took a look at the K&N website to see where they "guarantee 19% increase in HP" but I couldn't find that. Can you point us to where they make this guarantee? Instead, I see where they include a dyno chart which shows a 14.3 hp increase and 15.1 lb/ft increase. Lets just say for the sake of argument that this is true. That's significantly less than 19% for either hp or torque (about 1/3 of the 19% you claim is guaranteed). Another thing that bothers me s the actual hp and torque numbers in their dyno chart. They seem quite low compared to dyno sheets I've seen for stock Ram 1500's with the 5.7 Hemi.

I honestly am quite dubious about their claimed increases. There is no mention of the atmospheric or weather conditions for either run. You will see a big difference between doing one run on a cool morning and the other in the heat of the afternoon. There is also a disclaimer which IMHO lets them off the hook if someone doesn't see similar results in their own testing. Along with the disclaimer there is a comment on how to find more information about testing protocols but I can't seem to find that anywhere.

I've never done a dyno test with stock intake versus aftermarket, but I have owned several different CAI's on different types of vehicles in my lifetime. And I've done some of my own testing on 1/8 mile runs comparing stock and aftermarket. And I have yet to find one that adds any real gains. IMHO the aftermarket CAI industry is a lucrative scheme to separate people from their money.

 

[turkeybird56]

@turkeybird56 - the good ole' days, eh Brother!!!!

View attachment 583381

YUP: But not that prolific on the carb. My 67 Ss Impala had a Monster bottom piece that went all the way up the side of the gigantic filter, flipping the lid only left like a 1 inch gap, but it sounded mean, and maybe, just maybe, I got 1 HP increase, lmao.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

YUP: But not that prolific on the carb. My 67 Ss Impala had a Monster bottom piece that went all the way up the side of the gigantic filter, flipping the lid only left like a 1 inch gap, but it sounded mean, and maybe, just maybe, I got 1 HP increase, lmao.

I had a 77' Granada 2-dr sport coupe with the 5.0 back in the day... customized a longer threaded bar to catch the butterfly over the lid, and I put on a giant truck air filter instead... just to grab more (hot) air...lol

I easily got 1.5 to 2 HP gains... lol

I also sounded pretty good, too!

 

[Tray Burge]

I so badly need a custom tune, but waiting till I get it all buttoned up before I do. (Six Pack scoop)
I noticed a huge difference when I rebuilt my intake tubing from my home-made set-up I had previously. Keep in mind, my whole set-up is custom too.
before: Nasty, inefficient hosing, intake air reduced by 1/2 and wasn't sealing. (the notch was to clear my ac lines)

Updated: Re-positioned the Vararam pan TB inlet to the back of the pan and utilized 3.5" turbo tubing. Night and day difference in off the line take off.