Hi all, Sorry if this has been discussed. I searched and really didnt find anything. Maybe doing it wrong. Would putting in a drop in kn air filter be as good as a cold air intake? I have a 05 ram hemi 4x4. I just had the magnaflow exhaust installed from cat back. Im in CA so there are alot of emissions here. I couldnt find where to make one that would be CA legal. I found a CAI kn brand for 220, and for the drop in is 50. What type of performance gains will I see if any from each other. Thanks for all you input

 

Yes a Drop in K&N Is adtually better.
Drop in K&N: A little bit more air but still keeps it cold
CAI: Alot more air but a lot hotter air

 

Do a drop in and keep your air filter box and then just remove the hemi hat and put in some tubing in its place. Only the cops and emissions testers that actually know what a Ram should look like underneath will be able to tell

 

It's really not that straightforward I would say, but I would agree, if you are worried about being carb legal in CA, drop in k&n will be easiest thing to do. Honestly unless you are custom tuning your truck with the whole nine yards (intake, cam, headers, exhaust), a hi-flow intake will sound awesome, but the gains in hp or torque from stock vs drop in vs most cai's are pretty negligible. I think it cleans up the engine bay and sounds good, that's why i chose to build my own.

 

here's an old post from our buddy drew explaining about cold air vs. more air and how you need to tune for it to avoid running lean or rich.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/4th-gen...yes-or-no.html

 

Thanks guys for all the info. I think it will be best for me to stay with a drop in. I really appreciate the input and help you all provide.

 

I love this forum. I have learned SO much more about my truck in the month I've been a member here than the YEAR that I have owned it.

 

I made a post about what CAI's actually does, but can't seem to find it right now... I'll look more later.

but the basics of it were that a CAI actually just shifts the torque and HP curves over to a higher RPM, which reduces lower RPM HP/TQ numbers. So unless you plan on getting a tuner, there is nearly no advantage of a CAI on an OEM tune.

But to each their own so enjoy

 

Well there you go, take it and run with it, you got some good facts here!

 

I just installed a k an n cai on my 08 hemi and i noticed a difference between my drop in and now my cai feels smoother and better throttle response plus I love the sound when I get on it lol.