Last year you posted on the FIPK replacement with the Mopar Performance air cleaner. Couldn't find any update post on results and was wondering how this setup is doing now that the summer is here? MPG, power, etc. Anyone?
WC

 

I have a Mopar 14" performance intake like Silvers too. It makes about a 1-2 mpg difference for city driving from my experiences, and is more than 1/2 the price of a name brand CAI like K&N FIPK. It looks and sounds great too!

I have a 1999 Ram with 50,000 miles on it andI started with the intake only. I have since added new plugs, Mopar Performance 7.5mm wires, brass contact rotor and cap, Fastman 50mm throttle body, and a high flow cat and Flowmaster 40 muffler. All of these mods have taken me from 10 MPG in the city, to 14 MPG in the city.

I must say that I also have a 1/2 ton truck with heavier 3/4 axles, 37" tires, 4.10 gearing, and my truck is a 5spd. Since I did all of these mods over the course of a 2 week period, it's hard to say what helped the most. I can say that the spark plug wires gave me a noticable increase in responsiveness and power. Almost as much as the Fastman TB, and remember, this is on a 50K milage truck, so hardly worn out or in need of new spark lug wires. So don't think just because you have a low milage truck, that you cannot benefit from changing components you think are fine.

My catalytic convertor was nearly plugged too, but I did not know this until I took it off and switched it for the high flow model.

The bottom line IMHO is that even though you can effect the milage of a full size truck, they are never going to gas mizers. You could take the money I just spent trying to improve my trucks milage and buyan oldHonda off your neighborand wind up with way bigger savings.....lol

 

I am still very happy with the setup, and I am still only running the paper filter. We have had a few days in the upper 80's/lower 90's, and I have noticed no problems with heat as some on here speculated. My wife even drove it one hot afternoon this weekend, and commented on how much pep it had (she hasn't driven it in some time). Still some very hot weather to come (July and August in Colorado are a touch of hell sometimes), so I will see. But I figure that if I notice any decline in performance during the hottest months, that is really on 2, maybe 3 months out of 12, so I consider myself to have a good setup for the vast majority of the year where I live. Having run my FIPK the previous year, I can say that I doubt it or any other so called CAI would perform any better then this setup is performing. I plan to stay with it as it meets all my needs from an air filter assembly (function, performance, looks, and ease of maintenance).

I have not seen any noticable mpg change either positive or negative.

 

Did you notice any difference in exhaust noise or tone after installing the Mopar Performance air cleaner?

 

No, exhaust tone/volume did not change that I could tell. The only difference in noise is what comes from the engine compartment. You hear more sucking sounds at various points of throttle. People will tell you that it is unique to the round filter, but it is not. My Airaid CAI sounded the same, as did my FIPK to a lesser degree. That noise is always there, it is just how much the air assembly muffles it. The stock air assembly mutes it almost 100%, but for CAI's, the closer the filter is to the TB, the more audible the sound. That's why the FIPK is a little quiter, but I could still hear the same sounds with it. Some people like the sound, others do not. I personally kinda like it.

 

I was thinking about this the other week. These setups could actually net slightlybetter fuel mileage than a cold air setup. The iat is one of the main sensors in determining fuel and timing. I know for a fact that, with my setup, the iat reads alot cooler with the plenums in place than it does with them disconnected mimicking an open filter. So what is the cold air accomplishing- more fuel during open loop and more timing in open and closed loop. What would the hotter air accomplish- less fuel and less timing. Depending on where this moved the power curve in relation to the 'usual' operating range, I think it could save gas.

 

The only comparison I have is to the stock set-up and in mid 90's heat the Mopar Performance air cleaner assembly gave me slightly more power and throttle response and I believe I'm up a little in MPG, but I don't keep close enough records to back that up. I'm not sure how the Mopar would compare to a CAI as all I have is the stock air box and the Mopar Performance Air cleaner. I'm still running the paper filter in it for now.

 

My custom CAI is as quiet as stock(no underhood sucking or hissing) but it made my exhaust louder. It doesn't make sense to me.
https://dodgeforum.com/upfiles/58523...D1B44625B0.jpg

 

Thanks guys, appreciate the update. Y'all seem happy with your choices. Some of the reading I've been doing tells me that the CAI systems are overrated. Maybe just something flashy to sell. Sometimes I guess the old ways still work well.
WC

 

In the case of a Ram, I think that is true. If the engine compartments were smaller, like in a car, I think the CAI is a good way to go. From the testing I have done, my truck's engine compartment gets plenty of air up into it from underneath and from through the grill and stock air openings. It is a cavernous space in there, and seems to only get warm when standing still.