Yo guys, I'm sure yall are tired of all the posts asking about intakes, but just hear me out.

I have an '04 Ram QC Sport with the 4.7L. I'm debating between some CAI systems. Any input would be great. I'd rather hear it from someone who has used one than the manufactuer. I'm looking for both benefits: mpg and hp

Thanks guys

 

I have the Dodge Mopar CAI...no complaints. I didn't see to much difference in MPG and there was a small HP increase, but not enough to brag about. The sound improved greatly and so did response. Plus the satisfaction of knowing that your truck has clear nasal passages makes me sleep better at night [sm=sleeping.gif].

 

Here's a poll that was taken a while back:

https://dodgeforum.com/m_1066783/tm.htm

 

Honestly i have the Volant and love it. I had a local Offroad shop put a k&n on my truck so i could see the difference and i was not impressed at all. The Volant is the way to go. And it has the Powercore filter that has a 100,000 mile warrenty on it. Alot of people talk about the ones off ebay but im not impressed with those either for my buddy has one and i let him drive my truck with my Volant and he went and ordered one that night cause he fell in love with it. It sit in a completely heat resistant box and sit a little lower than the original factory box to get good cold air away from the engine. Its easy to install fit perfectly and takes maybe 30 minutes to install tops. And if you dont have exhaust, it gives your engine a deep roar when accelling. But i added the flowmaster cat-back with custom piping and it helps alot. With both of those added i gained 2-3 MPG (added the good old way with paper and pencil and over 3 full tanks) Hope that is descriptive enough to help you.

 

To me,all intakes ,apart from the OEM one, are the same.No matter how much air it says it bring in it all has to go through the little opening called the trottelbody.Unless that opening is opened up more more air is NOT going into the engine.My belief is CAI are just there to make a loud sound and to fool you that you gain HP and MPG.

 

I am going with the AEM Brute Force with the synthetic filter. It does not require oil and it filters just as good as the ones that require the oil. Plus I got it for alot less than the Mopar and the shipping was free.

 

I don't buy it. Now granted, a CAI intake by itself, doesn't do a lot for you. But added to other mods (exhaust, tuner, headers, etc.) it significantly helps. It's a case where the sum of all the parts together gives better gains than the total of the parts individually. If it is of little or no benefit, then why is a CAI required or at least strongly recommended by most LT header manufacturers. It is also listed as a required item (along with headers & exhaust) on the specs of the more aggressive aftermarket cams, at least the ones that don't also require headwork).
I've seen the dyno numbers of an '05 Hemi QCSB 4x2 with a Flowmaster 40 and Superchips tuner alone, then the numbers with a K&N series 63 added. The gain was aboutseventeen peak RWHP, which is significantly higher than the 10.5 gain that K&N claims for that CAI. To me, it means that the CAI acted to enhance the other mods or basically to help them reach their potential.

Besides, your theory on the throttle body needing to be wider to let in additional air is not true. Take a look at exhausts for example, you need to find the proper pipe diameter for optimum air flow. Too thin and you create unwanted backpressure, robbing you of HP. Too thick and proper air scavenging cannot take place, also, robbing you of HP.Many people and muffler shops have put huge honkin' pipes on performance trucks/cars, just to watch performance degrade and have had to takethem offin favor ofsmaller diameter pipes.

And one more point, you say they are all the same EXCEPT the OEM one. The Chrysler OEM Cold Air Intake is nothing more than a AEM Brute Force with the Mopar logo on it, or at least as of six months ago it was. Just FYI...

 

I bought an S&B based on a local performance shops recommendations. Not a trur performance shop but they quit a bit of non standard stuff including custom exhausts.

So far I am pleased with the CAI. The truck seems to accelerate so effortlessly now. Haven't had it long enough to comment on mileage gains but I think I am seeing some improvement. It's hard to get worse. LOL