the filter in our box though is also restrictive... the conical filter will increase performance alone.

 

yes, but a k&n drop in will improve, not as much as a cone, but having the ram air/cold air will help even more.

 

I have a '99 Durango with the 318 and I bought the K&N CAI for mine. It sounds amazing and raised the MPG by 2 highway. Not sure about HP. K&N site says it adds 10hp.

 

Web sites post up numbers like"10 hp" when the real numbers are not even close.


Anyway, to add more information on this topic and settle the overall assessment. The fact of the matter is, if you want to spend $200 - $300 on a under hood CIA that simply pulls HOT air in so be it, however if you wanna spend $60 bucks tops on a true COLD air intake that has induction as you go down the road then go for the home brew. And if you wanna spend like $500+ then go with a ram air hood and intake system.

The FACT of the matter is, your OEM engine will not suck in more air then the intake valve and cylinder will allow unless forced. So with that in mind what is better for more power and increased performance? The answer is simple!

COLD AIR! So you can put a $300 dollar dual air horn on with dual cone intakes and you still are going to get as much air in as you can, however that air will be HOT and that will just add to the heat that the engine is already plagued with therefore increasing the temps and hindering performance. However if you pipe in COLD air you get more mass of air into the cylinder which brings in more fuel and that increases power and performance with an added benefit; it helps to cool the motor therefore increasing even more potential.

But even then you have to take in consideration of intakes and exhaust systems, but lets not get into that in this thread. Anyway the best system would be a ram air CAI with direct intake casing, but other then that a $60 dollar home brew is going to give you more as you can see. So to prove my point let me say this, I had a 1998 Durango with a 5.9L. In it I had a Fasman 52mm TB, custom intake, P&P heads, bored motor 30 over, 3" CAT-back Magnaflow exhaust, custom trans and over sized TQ converter.......blah blah blah! My motor got just as much as it could burn a with all of that off a home brew intake.

That being said, do what you want but the truth is here in front of you and most people will NEVER come close to what I had in mine.

 

+1 hydra

 

Your probably right hydra, but I still got Improvement with mine when I got it. I was just looking at one of your other posts (not here) and found the DIY cold air intake. I think since I already have the K&N CAI I am going to do something similar to your build, but with a few changes to keep the setup I have currently. After I do that i will post my results with pictures back on this posting.

 

Oh you will see some improvement with it that's for sure, what I was getting at is it isn't the best because it is hot air.

 

I used to do a little bit of part-time work for a performance/lift shop time to time and have just "hung out" there a good bit while they were in business & we've tested these out a good bit. As far as the "CAI" goes, gains are minimal, but there are some. You lose the restrictive plastic "hat" in front of the TB and have greater surface area with a cone filter, you do have some gains. About 7-10 HP reach the rear wheels. Seen NO real difference between the home-made "sh*t tube" ones right on up through the flea-bay $100 ones all the way to the $300 K&N, Air-Raid, etc. ones.
So I'd just make one and stick a good quality cone filter on it.

Now if you start talking TRUE CAI's, the ones that pull air from outside the vehicle (like the Vararam, etc.), the gains will easily double. Of course, you run a risk of pulling water in if you're the off-road type or even drive on pavement in places where downpours cause a good amount of standing water on the road.

Making one can often be better than many of the $75-$100 ebay ones. I've seen some really **** poor quality on some of them, broken supports from road vibration and failed seams/welds. The K&N and others in the $200-300 range are good quality, but just don't offer any measurable performance benefit over a $25 (plus filter cost) home-made one. Plus you can paint it any color you choose and have a sense of making your own mod yourself.

I bought the K&N when my truck was off the lot less than 3 months in '04 (didn't know nuthin' about them back then). But I've built about 2 dozen for friends, huntin/fishin' buddies and a few forum members since then. They are easy to make and for the minor gains, there is just no reason to drop upwards of $300 on one.

The gains will get better if you go on to mods that can make use of the greater air-flow. Mods like heads, headers, larger TBs, etc. will all show better gains with a CAI than alone.

Remember this though: More HOT air in = greater fuel economy but less power, leaner mix. More COLD air in = more power, richer mix, and poorer fuel economy.
Although the differences are small as the PCM will attempt to make corrections back to the pre-programmed A/F ratio based off of the air sensor(s).

You'd see a much greater difference in a carb'd engine...

Here is my seven year old K&N (note I have a pre-filter because where the farm is in south Georgia the dirt road to paved road ratio is about 50/50. Red clay dust will do a number on the filter fast and dirty up the oil pretty quick).



And a couple I made for members here: