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Cold Air Intake...

Salmanilla

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I am still searching for a New Gladiator. Too impatient to order one...

BUT question is about Cold Air Intakes. Has anyone tried these with a Gladiator? I plan to trade in my 2018 Sahara so I don't want to invest the money into something I don't plan on having much longer.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with CAI mods.

Sal
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I am still searching for a New Gladiator. Too impatient to order one...

BUT question is about Cold Air Intakes. Has anyone tried these with a Gladiator? I plan to trade in my 2018 Sahara so I don't want to invest the money into something I don't plan on having much longer.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with CAI mods.

Sal
Wouldn’t they by the same as a JL Wrangler?
 
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Salmanilla

Salmanilla

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Yes, but I don't want to install, remove, re-install... Just kind of lazy like that.

;-)
 

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Cold air intake unless you go with a snorkel set up with a pre cleaner is a waste of money, plus it depends on the type and area you drive in, road, trail, mountain, desert, sandy, rocky, tailor to your needs.
 

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bgenlvtex

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Largely a bunch of hokum, and filtration quality in even the best brands is dubious at best.

Speaking to the filtration aspect, using them on high performance engines with a short life expectancy and operating on the ragged edge of reliability may have some virtue. Using them on an engine you are wanting to keep operating for hundreds of thousands of miles is counter productive.

Used oil analysis will almost always show an increase in silica(sand), which only gets into the engine through the fuel(infinitesimally small chance of this happening) and intake air.

Like many other things people will tell you they have used them for years without issue, and I would bet that they have. But issues unseen is not the same thing as issues non-existent. Very few people do used oil analysis, particularly on gas engines.

With regards to the "cold aspect" virtually all of these units use thin wall aluminum or steel ducting which sinks engine bay heat and transfers that heat the the charge air. If they insulated them they would work better, but not look cool, hence they are largely form over function which is in stark contrast to their purported value.

So if you are looking for a way to burn some cash, increase engine noise, potentially decrease the service life of the engine, while possibly gaining imperceptible amounts of horsepower then a CAI is for you. If you just want it to look cool and have something to talk about CAI is also for you. If none of the above is true, then trust that the engineers who purpose built the oem air box had some idea what they were doing and keep your money.
 

Alaska-HWY JK

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Largely a bunch of hokum, and filtration quality in even the best brands is dubious at best.

Speaking to the filtration aspect, using them on high performance engines with a short life expectancy and operating on the ragged edge of reliability may have some virtue. Using them on an engine you are wanting to keep operating for hundreds of thousands of miles is counter productive.

Used oil analysis will almost always show an increase in silica(sand), which only gets into the engine through the fuel(infinitesimally small chance of this happening) and intake air.

Like many other things people will tell you they have used them for years without issue, and I would bet that they have. But issues unseen is not the same thing as issues non-existent. Very few people do used oil analysis, particularly on gas engines.

With regards to the "cold aspect" virtually all of these units use thin wall aluminum or steel ducting which sinks engine bay heat and transfers that heat the the charge air. If they insulated them they would work better, but not look cool, hence they are largely form over function which is in stark contrast to their purported value.

So if you are looking for a way to burn some cash, increase engine noise, potentially decrease the service life of the engine, while possibly gaining imperceptible amounts of horsepower then a CAI is for you. If you just want it to look cool and have something to talk about CAI is also for you. If none of the above is true, then trust that the engineers who purpose built the oem air box had some idea what they were doing and keep your money.
Agree completely! Those, aftermarket steering stabilizers and high lift jacks are the biggest cash grabs from new and sometimes not so new Jeep owners.
Closely followed buy to many lights and light bars.
 

Jeepers!

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Agree completely! Those, aftermarket steering stabilizers and high lift jacks are the biggest cash grabs from new and sometimes not so new Jeep owners.
Closely followed buy to many lights and light bars.
Don't forget oil catch cans
 

SleepyJeep

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Agree completely! Those, aftermarket steering stabilizers and high lift jacks are the biggest cash grabs from new and sometimes not so new Jeep owners.
Closely followed buy to many lights and light bars.
Idk about that - the last Jeep I drove was a TJ and I just completed a trip thru the mountains from MD to OH with my truck bed filled with my moving stuff and I really could have used the steering stabilizer just so that I feel a bit of tightness on the road esp. coming from driving sports cars. it took me like 45 minutes to an hour to get used to the loose steering LOL

Regarding lights - I am going to add a KC light bar on the windshield mainly for looks and I know it will prolly get used on the trails maybe a few times a year... but visual aesthetics is important too ;)
 

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XJ2JTChris

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Agreed with the above comments with it being a waste in this particular case. The prices are absurd. That being said, my bullet proof xj, and wj both got a cai when i was younger. The reason though, was strictly for a better feel for throttle response, and the straight 6 sounds great under load with a cai. If i had to mod a 4x4 engine again, i would never consider a cai. Total waste of money. Plus these modern day computers control our throttle....so i doubt you would even feel a difference in throttle response like i did with my 4.0's. Furthermore, the intake companies will boast and brag about dyno numbers being honest for the most part, you'll get up to +25hp.....this is bullshit. You need accompanying mods to see that, AND here's the kicker....even if you did see 10 to 20hp....i promise you will not feel that difference. Now on the other hand, my LS1 camaro with a heavily modified motor, NEEDED the intake because i swapped heads, intake manifold, and opened up the exhaust to 1 7/8" primaries, without the "cai" box and smooth/larger bellows, the 92mm throttle body and matching intake manifold wouldn't get the desired amount of air to complement its size. So unless you plan on going big and swapping heads on a lame little v6, i would put the money elsewhere. Yes i said it....the motors in these new jeeps are lame. Lol.
 

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Catch cans on direct injected engines have purpose and value.
For regular use, it seems like a bunch of hooey to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Seems to me that most people who get one is because it's relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and pretty cool looking.
 
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bgenlvtex

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For regular use, it seems like a bunch of hooey to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Seems to me that most people who get one is because it's relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and pretty cool looking.
Crankcase ventilation goes into the intake air, without fuel (solvent) to wash it into the cylinder. The oil carried in the crankcase ventilation is then deposited in the intake runners and carbonized in the intake ports of the cylinder head, disrupting charge air flow, robbing power and efficiency.

I will say, that the overwhelming majority of people who install catch cans, don't know its function or why they are doing it.

I've had 2 GDI engines, still have one, neither had /has a catch can but they do serve a useful function.
 

rvillano8188

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Largely a bunch of hokum, and filtration quality in even the best brands is dubious at best.

Speaking to the filtration aspect, using them on high performance engines with a short life expectancy and operating on the ragged edge of reliability may have some virtue. Using them on an engine you are wanting to keep operating for hundreds of thousands of miles is counter productive.

Used oil analysis will almost always show an increase in silica(sand), which only gets into the engine through the fuel(infinitesimally small chance of this happening) and intake air.

Like many other things people will tell you they have used them for years without issue, and I would bet that they have. But issues unseen is not the same thing as issues non-existent. Very few people do used oil analysis, particularly on gas engines.

With regards to the "cold aspect" virtually all of these units use thin wall aluminum or steel ducting which sinks engine bay heat and transfers that heat the the charge air. If they insulated them they would work better, but not look cool, hence they are largely form over function which is in stark contrast to their purported value.

So if you are looking for a way to burn some cash, increase engine noise, potentially decrease the service life of the engine, while possibly gaining imperceptible amounts of horsepower then a CAI is for you. If you just want it to look cool and have something to talk about CAI is also for you. If none of the above is true, then trust that the engineers who purpose built the oem air box had some idea what they were doing and keep your money.
I'm going to venture to say that you know what you're talking about based off some of the statements I've read from you. That being said, there's a usefulness in upgrading basically anything on a vehicle, whether it be visual or producing, so saying to trust the engineers on anything is a counterintuitive statement considering at some point, I'm sure you'll upgrade something on your vehicle.

Utilizing your knowledge, what other options might there be in the marketplace? The OP is clearly trying to find something to produce more performance.

I'll start:

Probably one of the higher end intakes I've seen, as it comes with multiple filters for multiple functions, and the price point shows as much
Sealed Housing to avoid the sand issue
Roto Molded tube to limit the heat issue

https://afepower.com/afe-power-52-76217-momentum-gt-performance-package
 

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