Cold air intake. What are the pros and cons?

[Tbanks]

Pros:
Makes my Supercharger whine

Cons:
Sucks for water crossing(i remove it and put my stock box back on during raining season or any trip that requires crossing rivers)

I have BorlaAtak cat back so it goes well together. I did gain power but thats more do to more breath for my SC

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[kevman65]

Now, with ALL that said, if you want a CAI that will actually benefit you.

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/intake-systems/75-5121d-cold-air-intake-dry-filter-extendable

WITH

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/hood-accessories/as-1014-s-b-filters-air-hood-scoop-system

Can lower your engine temps. There are some videos out there (from one of your fellow Texans) where he compares air intake temps, ambient temps, and engine operating temps. He also puts it on a dyno, but he failed to consider how long it takes the brain box to relearn so it wasn't an honest comparison.

 

[DanW]

Pros: sounds nifty neat

Cons: CAI alone does nothing for the vehicle and can cause your MPG to drop.

To fully gain benefits from CAI, you need a full size, less restrictive exhaust AND a tune to allow both items to work.

And some magic pixie dust. They've squeezed just about everything you are going to get out of this engine in this application. You can do a tune, but everything is a compromise. You'll give up longevity and possibly durability if you go that route. And you'll need to run E85. Ethanol strips oil from cylinder walls and increases wear, so there's the long term durability compromise.

The pro of a CAI is that it might sound really good. Same as with an exhaust.

Awhile back I offered any vendor to send me their CAI and I would dyno my Jeep, baseline, and then with CAI, and I said if I gained more than 3hp, I'd pay full retail. Nobody stepped up. Why? Because my nephew, who builds racing engines (4 Piston Racing) would do the dyno with no tricks.

Wouldn't you think someone would have sent theirs to me? They'd have sold the hell out of them if any meaninful hp was gained.

So beware of the vendors making hp claims. They know the tricks with the dynos.

If you really want hp in this engine, run premium gas and drive on a cold day. You'll get 1-3hp (that you won't feel) with the gas and you'll get 3hp for every 10 degree drop in temperature. A 20 degree drop will get you more power than any CAI is going to give you.

And, the stock air intake actually gets cool air. It sucks it in from the lower passenger side through a hole in the framing by the radiator. It flows right up in there and the air box intake is fairly well shielded against engine bay heat.

One other pro.....some of them look really nice, too.

One more thing....If you off-road, run a stock paper filter. Cloth filters do not filter well enough to handle fine particles. You will not find anyone running a cloth filter in Africa, Asia, or places where their lives depend on their vehicles and their off-road capability. They run snorkels and paper filters.

 

[Fastwake]

I also would not waste my $

 

[Mball488]

What about upgrading to the MOPAR larger diameter tubing like the one that comes with the snorkel package? Would that help at all?

 

[HenrytheDestroyer]

Ardberg.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

What about upgrading to the MOPAR larger diameter tubing like the one that comes with the snorkel package? Would that help at all?

Extremely doubtful - and I'm basing that on old-school stuff........... Besides, the air flow is actually limited by the "throttle body" and intake runners, and the fact these run the valves in low lift mode below 2800 rpm.

Anyway, one of the things you need for lower rpm, lower speed driving is velocity of the air. Too big a pipe and the air is lazy, you lose any ram or siphoning effect.
People years ago found that the larger the air intake, the larger the runners of the intake manifold itself, the better for extreme RPMs, but drivability was crap.
My gut tells me the intake manifold itself, as well as the air tubes leading from the air box, etc. are made to give best over-all performance at all speeds.
Increasing the pipes in will do nothing for you unless you intend to race or run high RPMs - like above 4,000, most of the time.
Almost all mods like the fancy air box/air intakes and so on have shown gains only at high RPM. I've watched testing on a Ford truck and the only gain was above 5,000 RPM. Do you plan on running that fast most of the time?
Lower RPM, below 2800, the valves in these are in low lift mode anyway, so you aren't pulling the air like it is when above 2800 RPM and in high lift mode. So in this case, you may well be doing a disservice to the engine. The air box and piping can handle higher RPM and at the high lift, it's going to more than handle air needs below 2800 rpm when the valves are in low lift mode.
But those selling this stuff rely on many vehicle buyers being stuck in the 1980s or earlier when displacement and RPM was king, when 3,000 RPM at 65-70 mph was the norm and you needed AIR moving in.

I should run the calculations on the 3.6 and see just how much air these things need - like we used to do to calculate how much carburetor we needed. I bet the air box and pipes on this would flow enough air to keep a modest 360 cid engine happy.

 

[DocMike]

Same.

Gladiators come with a cold air intake.
If you like throwing away your money I like expensive Scotch.

 

[DocMike]

Edited @ShadowsPapa for clarity

you can hear it sucking


I could be a smart-ass and say "not another CAI thread!" but will resist. Maybe? LOL

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Edited @ShadowsPapa for clarity

I'm easy and cheap - MD 20-20, or a blackberry brandy, etc. A friend from the DC area was given a jar of home made whisky by a lady he knows after he worked on her Mercedes on the side....... since I have sinus issues, I was the only one at our swap meet who tried it who liked it. Man, I could breathe so much better after a few sips. Some refused to even try it.
I wonder if my doctor would write me a prescription for that stuff?
Medicinal purposes only, of course.

 

[DocMike]

You sure that was not injector cleaner?
You get on the medicinal you'll end up out here with all the pot.
I love some real moonshine....apple pie stuff is the best.
Lately I go high quality low quantity.

I'm easy and cheap - MD 20-20, or a blackberry brandy, etc. A friend from the DC area was given a jar of home made whisky by a lady he knows after he worked on her Mercedes on the side....... since I have sinus issues, I was the only one at our swap meet who tried it who liked it. Man, I could breathe so much better after a few sips. Some refused to even try it.
I wonder if my doctor would write me a prescription for that stuff?
Medicinal purposes only, of course.

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