CAI - Wheres the cold air coming from?

[VA epxy]

On a Cold Air intake Kit - Where is the "cold air" coming from?

I have a 2010, so I can only find the "open element" deisgn... Doesnt this just suck in air from under the hood ? They have "Heat sheilds" but how do these work? doesnt the hot engine air just go over and around the heat shield? or does the heat shield fit snug against the hood creating a larger closed box...but youd still just be pulling air thru the fender like the stock design wouldnt you?

But I do see the benefits of the smooth tubing and cone shaped filters provided in the CAI kits. And they do look Cooler.

 

[sgtowing]

They are supposed to fit tight against the hood. The cold air comes from the fender. Ant additional power comes from the free flowing filter and less restrictive intake.

Try Volant. They have a sealed box design. That is what I have.

 

[VA epxy]

Thats what I was guessing but wasnt sure.... "heat sheilds tight against the hood, and that the Cold air comes from the fender"...same location as the stock boxes.

so its basically the free flowing filters and streamlined pipes that give a little performance boost.

I did see the sealed box design by Volant, which I liked... but I have a 2010 - I havent been able to find any sealed box designs for this year.

 

[ELVATO]

It usually comes from the hole in the fender. Actually, I think Troyer on the F150online forum did some test a while ago. IIRC, the stock intake pulled in the coldest air.

Probably why ppl notice decent gains from the Gotts mod, which keeps that cold air while reducing some of the restrictions.

Either way, when I datalogged mine (and open air style AFE), I noticed the intake temperatures climbed up pretty high (130-150ish) when standing still in traffic on a hot day. But, once I had started moving, the IAT dropped to within a degree or two of the ambient air temperature.