Cold Air Intake vs. Stock Intake ??

[MTR]

Greetings folks.

I am in the middle of deciding whther to replace my stock air filter for $20 or go ahead and order a $60 cold air intake system I found online. I know that with the Jeep, the stock intake has a benefit in that it has a tube that receives air from the very top of the engine, preventing water from being sucked in when going through deep water. My truck is in the shop and I can't check underneath the hood, but does anyone know if there are benefits to keeping the stock intake system? I figure I need to decide now that the filter needs replaced.

Thank you

[surfsupl]

The OEM intake it came with is (in most cases) going to be the best - sounds crazy but here's the real deal -

The reasons anyone makes a "cold air intake" are:
1) To sell you something that "looks cool" and makes noise (keywords - sell you something).
2) Because "Fast & Furious" was just such a cool movie and "you gotta be like them, dawg".
3) You'll think your ride is that much better than the next one just like it (they made thousands of em).

Now back to the real deal -

Most "cold air intakes" are misleading to begin with. If the filter is an open element (you can see the filter) and it's under the hood, it is actually a "hot air intake" (in other words - they lie and sell you something). When was the last time you ever felt a cool breeze under the hood of a car/ truck? A true cold air intake has to take in air from an ambient source - aka outside the engine bay. If you want one that bad for the "cool factor", or if your car/ truck doesn't breathe from outside the engine bay, find one that fits that description.

The air that the OEM (the one it came with from the factory, or Original Equipment Manufactured) air intake breathes in is usually from just behind the grille itself, or sometimes from a fenderwell. This "air charge" is actually cold (or ambient temperature air), as hot air will just drop your ignition timing (because of pre-ignition or detonation) as the temperature of the intake air increases, and take all your HP with it.

Let common sense help some on deciding just how good an aftermarket part or system is:
1) Why would the Manufacturer short you on the performance it could have for an extra $100?
2) If you gained MPG with a simple piece of tubing and a "one size fits all" air filter element - wouldn't they do that at the factory that built the vehicle?
3) Who do you think has more money and resources for Research and Development - the company that designed and built the entire vehicle, or the company that made that "cold air intake"?
4) If something you could buy and install yourself would actually add HorsePower and MPG, why would any vehicle manufacturer waste millions designing it the way they did (and lose the edge on the competition)?

Add to that the water protection that a stock OEM air box is designed to provide. Water intrusion is a HUGE concern to prevent damage, and here's the reason, air compresses and water doesn't. If an engine breathes in water, and tries to compress it, it will break in a big way.

Some "cold air intake" kits have a water intrusion valve that is basically a ping-pong ball in a sleeve - good luck trusting an engine to that. I know where they got the R&D on that design, just open up a wet/ dry shopvac and you'll see the same thing. Amazing how brilliant these things are when you dig.

[MTR]

Nice, well that's what I was looking for. I agree, after looking in the engine, my intake takes air in from the fender, pretty solid design.

[Jason.MZW20]

The stock intake systems are a compromise based upon California's strict emissions standards. Therefore, manufacturer engineers can't simply develop an intake system that flows the absolute best. If you take apart the intake box, you'll notice a charcoal filter element that restricts flow quite a bit. What's it for? Fuel vapor absorption when the engine is shut off after running to prevent any vapor from escaping through the intake box/piping.

There are genuine cold air intakes that are enclosed to prevent hot air ingestion. And when the engine ingests a small amount of water, that water is turned to steam, which cleans engine deposits when carefully controlled. It does cause a slight misfire because obviously water doesn't ignite, but so does SeaFoam.

The amount of R&D spending by a manufacturer is nullified because they too have restrictions from emissions standards. What you see under the hood is the result. A compromise between performance and emissions standards for new vehicles/engines. Because individual throttle bodies are obviously the most efficient way for an engine to ingest air, but not the most practical or emissions friendly.

[MTR]

Is there any way to remove the charcoal filter?

[tomsturf]

I replaced my original filter w/ a K&N drop-in from Advance Auto......increased peformance and alittle help w/ mpg.

[drew02a]

The Charcoal filter is easy to remove.

DIY: Secondary Air Filter Removal - Tacoma World Forums

[cheapskate]

No disrespect to surfsupl but read the following and judge for yourself. These guys did an actual test on several types and ran them on the dyno to clear the air. Also, turns out that the dry filter vs the oiled type does not flow as much air and therefore, probably wont pull the same numbers. That you can find on AFE's own website.
Toyota Tundra Cold Air Intakes | After Market Parts | Tundra Headquarters

[scottto93]

had a k&n and took it off and sold it..... loud as all get out... i think the only advantage to something like that is that they are free'er flowing.... but free'er flowing also means it wont filter as good.... if you drive in dusty conditions i wouldn't recommend going with something of this nature....

[sr5mike]

For the most part so called "Cold Air intakes" are snake oil. A great way to separate you from from your hard earned cash. As stated above how can it be cold air if it is drawing it from the engine compartment? The air under the hood has gone through several heated layers (rad. tranny cooler,air cond.) and then rests right next to a 200 degree engine. Now does that sound like a nice cool place? To top that off the place a less restrictive filter ( more dirt in the engine) in the dirtiest place on my truck. These companies will sometimes post dyno #'s but they can be skewed. If you have ever been to a dyno run you know what I mean. First of all the dyno has a tolerance of about 5 HP average. Second did they let the engine cool down between runs. Did they take multi runs is it a average or there high vs stock low. Did the runs come on the same day? they do not tell you everything but then again they are looking for fools. When looking at mods keep one hand on your wallet.

[Highwaylizard]

Originally Posted by MTR

Greetings folks.

I am in the middle of deciding whther to replace my stock air filter for $20 or go ahead and order a $60 cold air intake system I found online. I know that with the Jeep, the stock intake has a benefit in that it has a tube that receives air from the very top of the engine, preventing water from being sucked in when going through deep water. My truck is in the shop and I can't check underneath the hood, but does anyone know if there are benefits to keeping the stock intake system? I figure I need to decide now that the filter needs replaced.

Thank you

The stock air box is a true cold air intake. Additionally, unless you are drag racing, the stock set-up will flow all the air the engine can use under normal operating conditions.

You can realize some performance gains by adding a scoop directly connected to the air box. I did this and have gotten another 1.5 MPG on the highway as well as improved my passing power from 50 to 90 MPH. I am also running a True Flow intake, an Aero Turbine, and foolies. The location of the scoop has been as source of controversy since the day I posted it. The scoop is located under the passenger bumper and connects to the air box via a tube routed through the fender well.

I have had this installed for over 20,000 miles and have driven in heavy rains as well as standing water with no water ever having made it to the air box. I did find two good sized oak leaves in the air box but never any water. The only problem I ever encountered was driving out of Michigan during an ice storm. I had to be back in Indianapolis - otherwise I would have waited it out. The scoop did collect a significant amount of ice but did not ice up or get clogged. The point being to all this is that unless you submerge the scoop there is no way in my experience that you can draw water up into the intake.

This guy has been very instrumental in my research and testing.. USAFTUNDRA also did a ram air intake of a differing design with similar results.

Insofar as the stock versus aftermarket air filter there are more opinions than I care to consider. From my standpoint with my current intake set-up it makes sense to run a non-paper element. The True Flow foam filter works well for me and will last a long, long time. With the service life of a foam filter it will pay for itself over time.

Having said all that - unless you are going to mod your exhaust with headers, a good free flow or tuned exhaust and muffler, only doing the aftermarket intake will not get you any gains beyond the audio-bling factor.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.