Cold Air Intake vs. Stock Intake... Help!

I have recently been deciding wether or not to install a cold air intake in my 2001 3.4L Tacoma. I have seen a few Tacomas with cold air intakes installed and I must admit-- they sound really good. From what i've researched, these "cold air intakes" actually will suck warmer air into the engine as opposed to the stock intake (which draws air from the fender.) If I were to install a cold air intake would there be a noticeable loss in performance? Or would the installation of an after market intake increase my HP?

Thanks!

 

There is a lot of info on this subject. I still have my factory oem cold air intake. i put a K&N filter to replace the paper one. Many of these after market coldair intakes have been tested but i know only one that is truly tested by Toyota. The TRD for the money may be you best bet. I personaly like the K&N but i need wheels first so saving up for it now. Good luck. Let me know witch way you go.

 

I've been looking into the CAI sucking in hot air from the engine. It seems when the vehicle is running but not moving, Yes the CAI takes in warmer air, but not much of a difference. When the vehicle is moving, it sucks in colder air. So if you do alot of idling or rock crawling then stick with the stock intake, but if you are a normal driver, then by all means get a CAI.

 

save yourself some money and research the deck plate mod.

 

I noted a loss of about 1mpg when I added my CAI. With no noticeable power gains. Mostly because the stock intake is more of a cold air system than any in-bay CAI.

The only thing an aftermarket CAI is good for is making more noise (which gets old after a while). And they let in a lot of dust if you offroad at all.

Stay stock, and do the deckplate mod if you want noise.

100% stock w/ a dry paper filter (OEM) is best option IMO.

Engine protection>noise and "HP"

 

I wanted to do the mod but i see a lot of conflicting info. some say no improvment others say it dose??? aynone care to add their experiences?

 

when i did mine i did a six inch plate i def felt a little better throttle response as far as mpg i drive a truck.... i really dont care about mpg

 

They DO improve flow. But our engines and trucks were engineered by some really smart folks, and our motors are designed to run at its best the way they rolled off the assembly line (only exception could be the exhaust).

Any time you increase flow you sacrifice filtering efficiency, even with a "performance" drop in filter.

The loss of MPG (at least in my case) and the loss in engine protection is a bad trade-off IMO for 2-3HP.

 

I upgraded to headers and a performance exhaust, so I felt I needed more airflow to get the benefits from the newly aquired exhaust system. If you're sticking with the stock exhaust manifold then stick with stock airbox.

I'm happy with my K&N CAI, but I'm not sure I gained anything from it, except the knowledge of how to install one. I have seen no difference in MPGs or power, but I don't do any off-roading nor did I dyno it prior to the install. Perhaps I should have dyno'd it before and after.

It is what it is....and here's mine.

 

Stay with stock box and do the deck plate mod..and leave yourself the option of being able to cover your filter. I'd hate having my filter exposed like a cai system, it'd get covered in mud and water at least once a week lol.

 

i have a k&n CAI it sounds nice and i noticed slightly better throttle response but i installed a throttle body spacer at the same time; so i can't tell you if a CAI really adds a difference. Also with a CAI you have to take off the filter and clean it and re-oil it. It's not hard but takes awhile for the filter to dry. Overall i'm satisfied with my CAI. If you're unsure if you wanna spend the 200+ for the CAI try the deckplate mod. Its a lot cheaper and just as effective

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=131119&stc=1&d=1325276997

K&N intake

 

hhmmm.... If the truck is sitting still the engine heat will make it's way to the CAI. But a vehicle that's moving will provide the CAI with fresh air. The hot air from the engine with the truck moving will be forced directly under the car, not forward and to the right.

 

No I haven't analyzed intake temps on a SC, but my Ultragauge does that. Dang, I should have recorded before and after temps.

Again, I added JBA headers and JBA exhaust so I wanted the increased air flow going in.

I guess K&N, Airaid, Spectre, etc. all have it wrong. In Wisconsin, our below zero temps will make up for the difference 10 fold with the increased engine heat I'm shoveling into the intake.

Does anyone have any stats on this? Given the same variables (outdoor temps, traveling speed) how much hotter is the air with a CAI versus the stock airbox?

 

x2

 

Seems odd to me that it's called a Cold Air Intake when it's not really "cold". Seems more cars are "cold" from the factory these days, pulling from fender wells, skewps, ports, etc, but I remember seeing older cars w/the intake right there in the engine bay. That wasn't "cold". IMO, a plastic partition around these CAI's is just after-thought design.

But what do I know.

 

I have run an K&N intake for about 6 years and have no regrets. I had my first problem this year but might have actually ended up better off because of the outerwear I always run on the filter. If I had the deckplate mod I would have sucked in lots of mud. I made a few changes to the sheilding and second time out a totally clean outwear and filter.

Now I also think there are probably better ways to spend your money. I do feel like I do get some gains but I have lots of mods to go with it.

 

Generally opening up your air intake and exhaust will give you higher top end power however, it usually comes at the expense of your low end efficiency. Not a trade I would want to make in this truck.

As for temps, temps with my deck plate open (except at speeds) are generally 10-20F over outside temps (20 in stop go traffic). With it closed, only about 5-10F. I couldn't comment on the CAI...