Does anyone know if there is actually a difference between the K&N or AirAid Cold air intakes (besides the filter themselves) and the others that I have seen on EBay going for like $20-$40??? I just don't see the point in paying for the name if the others work just as well....Does anyone know why the huge price differenc or notice any differences in the performance???

 

For the most part you pay for the name, but with the name comes quality. For example if you pick up a ebay CAI it is going to be pretty cheaply made... You might as well make it yourself out of 4" PVC, rubber joint connectors and hose clamps. (I have seen someone do it, it wasn't pretty) I have the K&N is is very well made, looks great, and performs well, and comes with Dyno sheets to prove performance gains. I have heard the AEM Brute Intakes are really good and the new BOOST from Fram is supposed to be really good as well. I like the idea of the dry filter, but I had already bought the K&N set-up. I had the K&N on my El Camino, on my Mustang GT, and now on my Ram.... I have no complaints.

 

yah, i'd have to agree with bgblueram, your mainly gonna pay for the price but also get the quality out of it. I had one of the ebay CAI's on my 4.7 untill i switched to a K&N and i really didnt notice much of an improvement after going to the K&N. I have a AEM BruteForce on order now cause i was able to get it fairly cheap, but had i not, i would be buying a ebay CAI. just my $.02 worth

 

I looked at all those Ebay CAI kits, great price. Wouldn't expect much. But a lot better price than the Mopar kit... ouch!@#?!?


I was told to get a PVC/plastic tube kit, NOT metal, since the metal will hold the engine heat??

Is this true, should I try to find a PVC kit or just go with the mass on Ebay?

 

Well there are some kits such as the K&N FIPK system where the tubing is made out of some kind of heat resistant composit material. The Dyno sheets do show that it made a little more horsepower than the chrome kit, so that may be a good way to go.

 

Thanks for the advice, I just can't see why such a difference in price, over $100, it really doesn't look like they are much different from each other, I guess I'll keep looking for a good used K&N ;o(

 

JUST FYI I NSTALLEED A FIPK KIT FROM K&N THE PLASTIC COMPOSITE ONE. WHAT A DIFFERANCE. GREAT THROTTLE RESPONSE AND SOUND. OH AND THIS WAS ON A 04' HEMI 1500, WITH SUPERCHIPS PROGRAMMER , FLOWMASTER SERIES 40. I DID ALL THREE MODS SEPERATE FROM EACH OTHER TO VERIFY NOTHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN. THE K&N FIPK CAUSED THE TROTTLE BODY TO FLUTTER UNDER LOW IDLE DRIVING. IT ANNOYED THE HE?? OUT OF ME. CALLED K&N ENGINEERING WITH POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM THEM (MORE REASON TO PAY FOR K&N). THEY SAID WITH MY MODS I NEEDED THE METAL TUBE TYPE. REMOVED THE PLASTIC KIT AND INSTALLED THE METAL DEFFINTE DRIVABBILITY CHANGE. COUPLE GUYS HERE AT WORK DID THE SAME WITH JUST A SLIGHT DIFFERANT PERFORMANCE MODS AND THEY LOVE THERES. LIKE I SAID FYI

 

I'll have to agree with everyone else, really your just paying for the name as well as the quality of the system. As far as the plastic vs metal, the metal will give you a bit more sound while the plastic will muffle the sound but beware of whick K&N CAI you buy, a while back alot of people were complaining that their CAI went bad causing chips of the plastic composit to break off and get sucked down the intake causing lots of problems. This is also one of the problems you would have to deal with when you purchace one of those $15 Ebay CAI.

 

My 2 cents still favor the AFE High Breather; maybe just because I now use one and have seen others too. The AFE is way too expensive even if you do find a good price. The quality is there and I haven't heard of any long-term problems / but after saying all of that just evaluate the good information shown in the other commentary, save some $'s and buy what you like.
Good Luck on your choice whatever it may be!

 

I dyno tested and track tested an airram intake vs. the "short tube" technology intake. The airram won at the track by .07 and on the dyno by 10hp. I raced 3 times with the airram and 3 times with the other intake. All 3 races with the airram were quicker by almost .1 and then the #'s were backed up on the dyno.

Long story short...intakes make a difference.