Mopar CAI and Sport Hood Ram Air Kit in the rain

[cnewby2]

I've read several threads about the combination Mopar CAI and Ram Air Kit for the sport hoods, lot of debate about the functionality/benefit of these mods.

I've had the Mopar CAI installed now in my truck for close to a year, was one of the first things I did once I bought the truck. I also bought the Ram Air Kit (82214741AB) for the sport hood many months ago, but hadn't installed it mainly due to concerns about rain getting in.

I did finally install it not too long ago though, after ordering a hydrophobic pre-filter wrap to ease those concerns. The pre-filter I ordered and you can see in the photo is FilterWears K259K. I ordered it off Amazon. It fits the filter perfectly.

So, yesterday it was a very rainy day, and I had quite a bit of driving to do (all highway). Most of the time I was driving was a pretty good downpour. When I got home, I open up the hood to check if/how much water had gotten in, and there was quite a bit as you can see in the pictures... I'm really glad I have the pre-filter on there.

Just wanting to share my experience with the ram air kit and concerns with rain getting into the air box. It definitely happens (at least in heavy rain), but the pre-filter I used is a perfect fit for the Mopar CAI filter, and makes me feel much more comfortable driving with it in the rain.... Honestly, I don't know if it really matters that much though, I'm sure the engineers figured that in when designing the Ram Air Kit/Mopar CAI, and wouldn't want to put a part out (especially with their name on it) that could damage your engine just from normal/daily use.

 

[DwnDak]

Good choice. I would assume that because its Mopar direct, it would cover any issue that may arise. However, if its not dealer installed, it may void any future warranty issues.

Good call on the filter wrap, your bases are covered. I've been thinking about doing this only for the fact it makes the hood functional, but the cost is outrageous... Honestly.

 

[stimpy433]

Good choice. I would assume that because its Mopar direct, it would cover any issue that may arise. However, if its not dealer installed, it may void any future warranty issues.

Good call on the filter wrap, your bases are covered. I've been thinking about doing this only for the fact it makes the hood functional, but the cost is outrageous... Honestly.

You don't have to have a dealer install it for it to be still covered by warranty. I've talked to 3 large dealerships and all have told me it doesn't matter who installs it.

 

[raggdoll]

If you hydro locked your engine, I can assure you FCA would not cover this if not dealer installed...

 

[Ramitiner]

Only if they can prove that the install was done incorrectly

 

[craigsez]

I have to honestly wonder how much air actually gets into the scoop.....They know that most of these trucks will not have that ram air filter system and have to allow for it in their aerodynamics design...So I wonder is that a dead air spot which means its almost useless or does it get hit with a lot of air which affects aerodynamics..

 

[Dangulo]

I have to honestly wonder how much air actually gets into the scoop.....They know that most of these trucks will not have that ram air filter system and have to allow for it in their aerodynamics design...So I wonder is that a dead air spot which means its almost useless or does it get hit with a lot of air which affects aerodynamics..

You can always purchase one and test it

 

[cnewby2]

Good choice. I would assume that because its Mopar direct, it would cover any issue that may arise. However, if its not dealer installed, it may void any future warranty issues.

Good call on the filter wrap, your bases are covered. I've been thinking about doing this only for the fact it makes the hood functional, but the cost is outrageous... Honestly.

Yeah, the filter wrap definitely gives me much more confidence that it's "safe" to drive in rain and I don't have to worry about water getting in.

But I completely agree on the cost, it was quite high and not really sure of the return on investment with it yet...

 

[travelinty]

I would love to put the kit on my sport but I figure I'll wait to put a procharger on first and make it worth the $$$ and work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JB1]

I have to honestly wonder how much air actually gets into the scoop.....They know that most of these trucks will not have that ram air filter system and have to allow for it in their aerodynamics design...So I wonder is that a dead air spot which means its almost useless or does it get hit with a lot of air which affects aerodynamics..

well if water is getting in then you can bet air is too, something is pushing that water in

 

[Dangulo]

well if water is getting in then you can bet air is too, something is pushing that water in

Well said!

 

[craigsez]

JB1...I said "how much" not if any...AND ".So I wonder is that a dead air spot which means its almost useless...I cant see it givein a ram air effect,then again I did miss that day in aerodynamics school lol........Now im thinkin how many on here actually have it and find it effective to discuss it....So far not many when you compare it to other cai stuff..

Now don't get me wrong im not sayin anything bad twards the mod of choice but we all kinda give each other thoughts and tips as to what works..

 

[RedSRT4Me]

JB1...I said "how much" not if any...AND ".So I wonder is that a dead air spot which means its almost useless...I cant see it givein a ram air effect,then again I did miss that day in aerodynamics school lol........Now im thinkin how many on here actually have it and find it effective to discuss it....So far not many when you compare it to other cai stuff..

Now don't get me wrong im not sayin anything bad twards the mod of choice but we all kinda give each other thoughts and tips as to what works..

I'd say most of us who have it, have not purchased something else to compare it to. I mean hypothetically speaking spending 1k on cai's just to figure out if one makes a couple more horsepower than another doesn't really seem logical.

 

[craigsez]

True..
Again it makes me wonder......
If they are there and not used wouldnt you think assumeing it affects airflow in a negitive way why would they keepem??
If they help why wouldnt they set them up to run like that from the get go any why offer a hood w/o scoops??

 

[17CrewCab1500]

I bet you spraying your garden hose in there - there wouldn't be water in the intake 2-3" past the filter. Look at the incline of the tube - you would have to have a HELL of a lot of water and have to be WOT to even think about getting water up in there.

I am willing to bet you are safe.

 

[Ram-in-PA]

I have to honestly wonder how much air actually gets into the scoop.....They know that most of these trucks will not have that ram air filter system and have to allow for it in their aerodynamics design...So I wonder is that a dead air spot which means its almost useless or does it get hit with a lot of air which affects aerodynamics..

Well, since he got water in the air box, I would assume there is some flow entering into the Sport Hood opening. I would also suspect that there is some vacuum and/or venturi effect happening that pulls air flow into the that opening. Still, its a pretty expensive option that really should have come from the factory, that utilizes both sides of the Sport Hood into a vararam type intake.

 

[Ram-in-PA]

I'd say most of us who have it, have not purchased something else to compare it to. I mean hypothetically speaking spending 1k on cai's just to figure out if one makes a couple more horsepower than another doesn't really seem logical.

I often wonder if Mopar even has testing data on that Sport Hood/CAI and if it made any dyno difference, or, is it just an after-though add-on to make them a few bucks on the dozen units they might sell?

 

[bigred74]

Just curious if that prefilter wrap causes any restrictions on the airflow for the main filter?

 

[gto64gto]

My wife bought a 2017 Ram 1500 with sport hood last October. I have not put a ram air set up on her truck yet but I would not use the hood scoops for this reason. I have made ram air set up for ever vehicle I've had and all most have a ram air pick up behind the grill or near bottom of bumper and have a flexible pipe from pick up to filter. It always has a loop that goes lower than the filter with a couple of 1/4 in holes at the lowest point to get rid of rain that's being rammed into the pick up by highway speed. I've never had a problem with a wet filter. If you think about it, you can design one for less than $50.00. On my Charger, I made a modified scoup and used a rain gutter extension from Lowes and used high density foam to seal tube to bottom of stock air box, for less than $25.00. With a good set up, you can run stock air cleaners and save a lot of money and have a better system that picks up cool air from the front of the vehicle under pressure and will not let water run up to the filter

 

[cnewby2]

Just curious if that prefilter wrap causes any restrictions on the airflow for the main filter?

The way I see it is as long as the prefilter is less restrictive than the main filter itself, it shouldn't restrict the overall air flow through the main filter. In other words, as long as more air can pass through the prefilter than the main filter can pull, there should be no negative effect on airflow.

My wife bought a 2017 Ram 1500 with sport hood last October. I have not put a ram air set up on her truck yet but I would not use the hood scoops for this reason. I have made ram air set up for ever vehicle I've had and all most have a ram air pick up behind the grill or near bottom of bumper and have a flexible pipe from pick up to filter. It always has a loop that goes lower than the filter with a couple of 1/4 in holes at the lowest point to get rid of rain that's being rammed into the pick up by highway speed. I've never had a problem with a wet filter. If you think about it, you can design one for less than $50.00. On my Charger, I made a modified scoup and used a rain gutter extension from Lowes and used high density foam to seal tube to bottom of stock air box, for less than $25.00. With a good set up, you can run stock air cleaners and save a lot of money and have a better system that picks up cool air from the front of the vehicle under pressure and will not let water run up to the filter

I did something similar many many years ago with my 4.7 Dakota, created a custom intake. Not quite a ram air intake, but similar. But with the sport hood, I really like that it is now functional. With the filter wrap the rain is a non-issue, but without that, I would be concerned. That is exactly why it sat in the garage for months before I installed it.