CAI or drop in air filter, worthwhile?
- Thread starter armoredsaint
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Oil when properly with the proper oil put it in your car and drive it for one day then take it out and hold it to the light. None of this however is any way any scientific evidence of how well a filter does or does not filter. Now there have been test and independent Laboratories test these filters and different types of filters. They test for filtration ability and for air flow. This is what you would need to look into if you wanted to accurately discuss whether these filters are good or bad or just how much worse they may be.
Anything else is just conjecture and personal opinions without any data to back it up.
I will also say, even going the route of personal experience... No one has ever had an engine fail because of lack of filtering the air properly..
There are people that have run engines for years with no air filters or big gaping holes in the air box where the air was bypassing the filter all together and the engine still run just fine.
His kind of like when people say you should flush your brake fluid as if it's going to give you more life to some component or some part on your car. It's not going to do that. It just isn't. It will make you feel better but it won't make any component and your brakes or the brake lines last any longer if you flush the fluid out every 3 years or if you never do it.
Many people believe it will but it's just their belief. They have no evidence either way. They flush their brakes and then if they do have a brake line rupture at 16 or 17 years old they think well it would have happened sooner if I wouldn't flush them. They are incorrect. I have tons of experience with this on tons of vehicles well maybe not tuns because tons is 2000 I'm only up in the 1400 to 1600 right now.
And it makes little to no
difference whether you flush your brake fluid or not.
Deadman
Full Access Members
I've run these on ATV's and they show their flaws immediately. They do great with a foam pre filter over them for the fine dust, otherwise it goes thru the K&N.
You must mean an outerwear. The foam covers are more open than the gauze filter not adding any fine filtration. I have had dozens of bikes, quads and trucks with K&N with zero problem. Fine dust or not. I have a 1990 Suzuki LT500R that has had one on since the show room. I have a 2006 LT450RR with a totally open air box with one in it. Sand dune, desert racing and play riding they have never had a dust ingestion problem. These are old machine with tons of hard miles on them and they are still killing it. Hell, the first Polaris RZR’s has dust ingestion problems with a paper filter and factory box. I have not seen this problem yet on my Can-AM X3 but fine dust is being reported passing the factory paper filter. Pretty sure it’s user error for most the K&N failures and air filter failure in general.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Never used one, looks like they still make the red ones (fine dust). The green ones where very open. When I was racing I would have the Outerwear on a string so once it got packed with mud, dirt or whatever I could pull it off without getting off the machine and have a new clean filter for the rest of the race.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Those pod filters have always been lousy.
joethefordguy
Full Access Members
I have to agree. getting actual results, as opposed to what it "feels" like, is like pulling teeth. I've been researching this for some time, and absolutely NOBODY can tell me how much the intake air stream temp drops with a CAI.
EDIT: having said that, I simply do not believe that running a K&N or other CAI is "like no filter at all", regardless of how much light can be seen through it when held up to the light. some filters may not be as good as others, but I doubt any filter you can buy today does 'no filtering at all'.
hyperbole, wild exaggeration, etc., contributes no value to technical discussions meant to improve our rides.
also, chevys are shit.
Last edited:
RAYMOND ALAMO JR
Member
i have 06 expedition with maintenance up to par. I had a K&N air filter in my factor intake and it felt a bit lazy and was noisy. So put the factory air back and returned it to Walmart.
Scott Carden
Full Access Member
Ok I agree that those so called cold air intakes are bad, really a hot air intake. I use a drop in k&n filter in my 2014 king ranch with no issues and it traps more dust. I clean the intake tube and filter once a year and don’t over oil the filter. The intake tube on my 2014 is a good design and so is the air box itself. However take note that under the filter you can see the air intake tube that feeds the box from behind the fender is smaller that the tube going from the box to the engine. If you remove the box and change the air box intake tube with something larger from the PVC plumbing area of Home Depot for a couple dollars you will still retain cold air intake and see as big of gain as you would from any aftermarket system for a fraction of the price and still retain a completely stock looking system. If I still lived up north I would use regular motorcraft air filters but down here in dusty Texas an oil soaked filter keeps things cleaner. On that topic has anyone ever seen a 5.4 torn down with 400,000 miles on it? I have, several actually. Most of them were not maintained properly and still have very little wear compared to other engines. Yes you have to do timing sets and rockers on them but most internal engine parts are in great shape. Don’t ever discount the engineering department at FMC! Those guys do know what they are doing. They put millions into R&D and have been building trucks longer than anyone. Ford sells more fleet trucks all over the planet than anyone. Always remember perspective! And market influence play a big part in how things are made. Everything is made for the general mass market. Anything different than that and you have to modify it for your desired wants and needs. In comparison Ford makes a very solid and reliable truck that is more readily modifiable than most. Nothing will ever be perfect or exactly as one person wants because then the next guy will want it another way. For example I think the F150 should have had independent suspension years ago. I want my EL king ranch to have the Raptor motor and electronics package. Everyone wants something different and every mans thinks he is right in his own mind.lol
OP
OP
armoredsaint
Full Access Members
I went ahead and ordered the KN drop in filter this morning from Amazon, it'll be here this evening already! Same-day delivery.
NevadaGeo
Full Access Members
I have been debating the cost of aftermarket CAIs for a few days now. Wondering about a higher air flow drop-in using the stock housing would be adequate for a SPP HO Raptor engine at higher elevations. I have used the AFE dry drop-in on past trucks and wondering if that would be adequate for pulling in more air intake over the oem filter. Seems like the higher flow drop-in would be adequate. I know the argument will go on forever, but the best bang for the buck for me would be the drip-in as opposed to compete new housing, snorkel and tubing of the aftermarket CAIs.
Similar threads
