I have seen that a cold air intake can be made from either metal or plastic from many posts online. That they come commercially made in either material or homemade in either material. My question is how does the PVC hold up if you use that. It is hands down the cheapest way to go if you plan on building it yourself. The problem im running into is that no one seems to post how the PVC holds up after having it on their truck or car for a few months. I live in texas and it can get pretty hot here. Ambient hot air plus engine heat im sure the temp will get above what PVC is rated for. I forget the actual temperature now but its like 140 or 180ish. MY worry with building a CAI from PVC is that, the temp getting too hot and the piping begins to deteriorate or melt. I also found that they make ABS piping which has a bit higher heat rating instead of PVC. What do yall think, is it okay to use PVC, it will hold up?

 

I have a commercial unit with a chrome pipe - which is really chromed plastic. Bought it in '04 - long before I knew anything about making one. I've since made about 25 for other people almost all who live in either Florida or south Georgia and I've not heard from any of them that they've had a problem. Also of note, about half a dozen of them were made for people who's mail order (usually ebay) ones broke and almost all broke the same way. The cheap pot metal bracket coming off the tube snapped due to road vibrations. In these cases I basically just re-did the tubing out of PVC.

Schedule 40 PVC seems to be holding up rather well and in my own testing against my own K&N I've found that the intake temps seem to be cooler with the PVC ones I've made vs. my chromed ABS tube but the difference is small, like 4-6* but in every case, sitting trucks side by side and running for the same amount of time, the PVC one is the one that gives the slightly cooler reading on the sensor at the TB.

Do a search, there are pics of mine all over this section and probably pics of about four or five of the ones I've made for members...

 

Hey hammer how'd you do the brackets? I'm currently running zip ties. Also what about a heat shield?

 

I've had mine on for about a year now and the only issue I have had is with the rubber coupler that connects the intake to the throttle body. It keeps coming off I think when I hit bumps no matter how hard I screw it on

 

I've usually bend an aluminum sheet for the shield, although a few I've made I've kept the stock box as it's really the "hat" or baffle in front of the TB that causes the real restriction. For the bracket, believe it or not, I pick up a $2 aluminum shelf bracket from my local Ace Hardware.

This is one I made for a member on here maybe three years ago (who I haven't seen log on for over a year now - dunno whatever happened to him) where we decided to use the stock box as a shield AND still use a cone filter:

 

Thanks hammer, ive seen a bunch of pics just from doing a google search. Just was not sure of the lifetime of this creation. But if your saying youve done atleast 25 of them then hey sounds pretty good to me. And like i said ive found a bunch of other ones too so they must hold up somewhat good. Its for a 2005 3.7, so im not going to be doing anything hardcore driving or offroading with it. Just want alittle mpg increase and sound better.
08HEMI......have you tried a smaller diameter coupler since the one u have keeps falling off?

 

The coupler is the right size. I think it's just all the speed bumps I encounter going into and out of my apartment complex. My next idea is to duct tape the screw down so it cant move lol or make some better brackets since I'm not using the sturdiest thing ever (that metal stuff with all the holes in it that you can buy in a coil, idk the name of it).

 

You using the black boot in the same department as the PVC pipe in Lowe's or Home Depot? Those in 3" are the only ones I've used and NEVER had one come loose and some of these I've made are in Jeep Wranglers that hard core off-road...

 

Yea I have the black 3"-3" one from Home Depot. Idk why it keeps coming off. I keep shoving it on the TB as back as it will go. It could be my TB ground wire is stopping it from going all the way back. I'm gonna check it out tomorrow. I haven't really been home for the last two weeks and it's been raining today so I haven't gotta the chance to check it out lately. If anything I'll just relocate the ground because it didn't start happening until I did that. It's between that and the "brackets" holding it up

 

^^ is there room enough to try putting two clamps on? i'd hate to open the hood and see duct tape lol