I was reading about the advantages of CAI, and the debate regarding any real benefit from it. So, I opened the hood of my 2001 Dakota 4.7 and looked at the stock system. There is a short tube to the box and then a tube runs to the front of the engine behind the right headlight. I then looked at a few systems online and it looked like it was running to the very same place. So what is the advantage of a K & N system or Volant over stock? Is it airflow through a less restrictive filter? If so wouldnt just buying a K & N Filter do the same thing? Or, is it that the other systems have larger tubes? What is it exactly that gives an aftermarket CAI an advantage over the stock set up? Seems to me that the air temp in a stock system would be the same as an aftermarket system.

 

It has a lot to do with the smooth flow of the air to the throttle body as well as isolating the intake location to a cooler part of the engine bay to shield it front hot engine temps. Most are less restrictive than stock systems which are sometimes filled with baffles and such to cut down on noise. More air equals more power.

 

What he said...

That huge box on top before it enters the TB is covering up a baffle which just kills air flow, but as DakCC said, it is to cut down on noise. That's why a lot of times, just by adding a new air intake, the exhaust seems louder. The aftermarket ones do have better heat shields to reflect the heat rather than the plastic stock box that will only absorb heat. Some true CAI's have the inlet pipe routed directly into the wheel well where there will be cooler air, unlike the stock one that just turns in that direction and is terminated before it enters the wheel well.

That being said, the power & gas mileage gains are really negligible considering the cost. It will make the truck sound better (especially coupled w/ an aftermarket exhaust), if that's what you're going for. You can buy cheap ebay air intakes, but you get what you pay for. They are cheaply made, poorly put together, and won't give you quite the performance a more expensive one (Volant, K&N) will.

Hope this helps, let us know if you have further questions...

 

i have a performance air filter in the stock air box and i put a 3" abs pipe inside the rubber accordion thing to smooth the air.

 

Skip the K&N filter! The filtering is terrible on them especially if you drive in dusty conditions!

 

I drive on A LOT of dusty dirt roads in the summer (anyone in Vermont knows what I'm talking about) and my filter works great... It picks up more dust than a dry filter would and doesn't clog. Never had a problem with... and again if you drive in Vermont, you'd understand. 80% of their backroads are dirt and dusty as hell in the summer. You'll find dust everywhere. Outside of racing Baja I don't know where a normal person would find dustier conditions.

My father-in-law has a K&N on his Tundra too. Puts 50,000 miles on a year, 10-15k of it are on dirt roads if not more, and just cleans it once a year with no problems...

I'd like to see some evidence, tests backing your statement. Not saying you're wrong, just haven't had that experience.

 

Pull out a k&n and hold it up to the sunlight and look at the light that shines through it. I guess after so many washes they get even worse. Coming from the atv community they are liked for the hp gain but no one will dare use them in dusty conditions. Its really up to you I mean if you have good luck with them then use it. As for me I wont use one, even more so with all the air that my truck pulls in. I use an afe dry filter which doesnt require to be oiled and it does great.

 

i agree. use something else. i use an amsoil filter