Cold air intake kit thoughts

Hey,

Alright, so I have a 09 4x4 SR5 4.0L V6 Tacoma, and i'm looking at putting a cold air intake kit on it. Been looking around, but too many mixed reviews. Any thoughts?

I do quite a bit of off-roading and pit mudding. Talked to a guy at performance improvements and told me an open filter vs. a closed filter wouldn't make a difference besides that I would have to clean it more. Would you guys suggest a closed box? As well, should I find a kit that would go into my fender, or just a plastic kit that would fit to a corner?

 

save your money.

if you want sound, add a muffler. i'm not really a fan of CAIs because they usually draw warmer air than stock systems and dog the first 3k of the powerband...

 

The OEM system, in fact, IS a CAI so gains would be negligible. The only intake I've seen that has decent gains is the URD, but that involves cutting.

 

^Ditto.

 

But would a TRD CAI (http://www.trdparts4u.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-8522) be better than just a drop in AFE Prodry filter? or would u go all the way with the AFE Intake, Stage 2 Si with a prodry-s filter (http://www.urdusa.com/product_info.php?cPath=151_164&products_id=1260518767)?

 

Take a look at the HP curves for any of these intakes, assuming you can find them, and ignore the peak HP claims. If you are a daily driver then you need to look at the curve to see if there are any gains in the RPM range that you drive at. From what I've seen, most of the reputable aftermarket, actual, CAIs only add HP after 3500-4000 RPM. If you don't spend a reasonable amount of time above this rpm range, you're benefit is strictly the for the sound of it.

Look at you stock intake, it is a CAI. Now the air path can be improved by straightening it out, but again, those benefits only appear at the higher rpm ranges where those bends start affecting air flow to the TB.

My opinion is that unless you want the sound, or the look, or the few HP that you gain at the high end of the rpm range, that it isn't worth it. I have the same opinion on cat-backs, they have a use, but are they worth it for your use? That's definitely your decision to make.

BTW, in the interest of experimentation on something new, I am going to be attempting to plumb a Volant Air-Ram into the stock air filter housing to see if there's anything interesting there. Not going to dyno, but I'll be watching mpg's and I have a G-Tech to check for any performance gains. Ram air modifications don't tend to show up well on dynos anyway.

 

I have to disagree with you there...i've got the TRD CAI (gen 1) and after i installed it i definitely felt an improvement in throttle response and my truck defintely got a couple more ponies...cause it accelerates a lot quicker and smoother after the intake was installed...

it depends on what type of CAI you have...if its TRD or AFE or even the new AEM version for TRD (gen 2) you are pulling air from the fender...so its ambient air temp (same temperature that's outside)...

it also doesn't dog the 1st 3K of the powerband...if anything it helps give you HP and some TQ...

 

yes i completely agree with you...only way to really tell if there is any HP/TQ gain in the powerband is to do it on a dyno...

but the thing about dyno's is that there are way to many variables to take into consideration...you can have the same dynojet in 3 seperate parts of the city and I guarantee all 3 of the dyno's will read different #'s...

dyno's #'s are a good way to see some gains...but even dyno's have their flaws...user and calibration flaws...

i tell you this much...jump in my truck for a couple of pulls and then jump in your truck for a couple of pulls...you will feel an immediate difference...granted I am also running the X-1 and DTLH along with my TRD CAI...

 

yes a combination of performance definitely helps...

but honestly I really felt a difference just with the TRD CAI...that was my 1st performance mod and drove around with that for a little over 9 months...then I added the DTLH which I felt the difference right away in the mid-top end of the powder band...but once i installed the x-1 I really felt an overall difference in the truck...

honestly if you want a good performance part and don't mind spending the extra $$$ the APR X-1 unit is your best bet...not only does it give you better throttle response, more HP/TQ but its also self learning...once you drop the x-1 in...every performance part you install there after the x-1 will learn it on its own and adjust the tune for optimum performance...

 

I had a Volant in my 06 PreRunner and noticed no differences in power and MPG. I Put the OEM equipment back in after a year.

 

all the volant intakes i know of...all made the MAF sensor read a shortage of air so it leaned out the engine...

VOLANTS CAI in my honest opinion was made incorrectly...but that's just me...

 

Anyone heard of an S&B CAI, it has a box around it, would that be better than just an open one? Or would it draw warm air too?

 

IMHO our trucks stock are rich pigs, if I could find an intake that did lean out the truck in the normal operating range (cheat the MAF sensor) then I'd buy it for the MPG gains it would give you.

S&B make some good products. I had one on my Nissan titan, not sure if its proven on the Taco yet. ALso the V8s seem to really wake up all around with an intake, not so much in a V6

If your going for speed should have bought the Tundy. If your going for Mpg in an intake -drop in or we need to mod something better from our stock intake...like a hot air intake.

 

hot air intake huh...that defeats the purpose of having an intake entirely...the whole point to putting in an aftermarket intake is 1. to get rid of the carbon filter and allow more air into the manifold to create more power...2. you don't want hot air cause that will not make you more power...hot air will rob you of power...the more cold air you force into the intake manifold the more power you will create...that's why F/I whether or not turbo or supercharged job is...they push more air into the same manifold...the colder the better...to a certain point...too cold and you start running rich...but that's when we start talking about tuning the engine...that's a whole nother ball game...

our trucks are really good on MPG and the speed well between a V6 and V8 that's like talking apples and oranges...we didn't buy a truck to do road courses and beat up on ferrari's...that's for sure...

you want more MPG in a tacoma...change your driving habits...get a SG2 that way you can monitor the amount of fuel you are using in all gears whether automatic/standard...

 

They do, Im seriously considering it. What do you think?
http://www.autoanything.com/air-intakes/61A2724A0A0A2607392.aspx

 

save your money. they sound nice on manual trans but i think thats about it IMO. i feel like it actually decresed lower RMP power, kinda lags

 

I got a scanguage - it tells me I have bad mpg and go fast. I drive like a gramma and still get 17mpg with 285s. The cold weather here in WI kills your MPg in the winter..i drop to 15 that sucks.

I want to use it to help me to tune my engine to get better mpg. Some of the theories on this are a better Air fuel mixuture with hot air. I'm not into more poines on this truck, I went that way on my titan, don't really need it the way I drive it. I want 2 mpg more from some sort of modded hot air intake...enough of my rant. I need a stock airbox to gut and start testing!

sorry for the thread jack. SAve your Cash for a supercharger if you want speed.

 

Yeah, I don't expect any gains really, maybe just a little bit of quicker throttle response, but thats a big MAYBE. All I really want it for is added sound. I plan to follow it up with a high flow cat, add on the breathing of my truck. Do you think that this would work??

 

Cold weather doesn't kill mpg, winter fuel does. Would feel bad if you were any place but WI. The farmers there are why we have ethanol blends.

 

Since the high flow cat is just a straight pipe would this, in theory, make my exhaust louder?