S&B cai review

First things first i know lots of people have conflicting ideas about CAIs and i welcome all opinions and debates! I wanted this basically for more power when trying to pass or when taking off from a red light etc. But any other improvements would be welcomed!

No shit the ups man didn't drop the CAI off until 8:50pm!! But regardless, me and my brother in law went ahead and installed it.

Install was simple enough, took 45 minutes or so, and we bullshit half that time.

Reconnected battery and crunk her up. From the outside of the truck i could hear it sucking in air. Not real loud but noticeable.

We took it for a test drive and the first time i tried and gun it from a dead stop it went forward a little but then like paused before taking off... It didn't stall... It just kind of hesitated... It only did that the first time but i thought I'd note it...

After that little hiccup i was pleasantly impressed. There is a clearly noticeable difference when you floor it. It takes off faster both from a dead stop and from 50mph.

As far as sound goes... I have a 40 series flowmaster exhaust but at WOT you could still hear the intake a little. Nothing overbearing, it sounds like power to me!


Now... When I'm not flooring it i don't notice any difference at all honestly. I dont hear it or feel a difference... Only when i floor it does it "come alive" so to speak.

Still I'm happy so far. I will be driving 5 hours tomorrow so i will get a better idea of how the truck performs and what if any changes i notice in fuel economy.



A bad picture. I know... But it's late and my $80 phone has like a 1 megapixel camera LOL

 

Just makes noise and won't improve performance imo.

 

You've had one in a third gen? or just repeating what you've read?

I have no idea what if any hp gaines there are but you're in Florida too... We can meet up and I'll bet you $100 cash we can take it off and put it back on and you can definitely notice a difference When you floor it with the cai installed.

I posted before i got it in another thread and said I'd be the first to admit it was a waste of money if it turned out to be. I don't think that's the case at all!

I have never had a cai on any vehicle before. I read reviews and differences in opinions before deciding to buy one... It didn't turn the tacoma into a race car... But you can feel it at WOT.

 

As far as S&B goes, I know they make quality products.

 

The fit was great. Easy install. Looks good under the hood. And feels durable. My only complaint is i wish it didn't have the logo on the filter window and i wish it was cheaper... But hell i wish everything was cheaper lol

 

2 members of this forum have dynotested and posted results on a 3rd gen before and after cai install. The gains were minimal at best, only thing a cai will do is better throttle response/less hesitation and sound cool thus making you feel better about your truck.

 

Better throttle response and less hesitation is probably what I'm noticing, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

Nothing wrong with feeling better about the truck!!

 

Im not a 3rd gen hater, i love my truck just the way it is. Even with the issues it had/has.

 

CAI units have been shown on Dyno's to do little on every day motors in my opinion. To make a difference you need a large displacement motor that already makes substantial horsepower.

Mighty Car Mods dyno tested a Honda S2000. They found a 3% gain in HP at the "top end". You don't drive at the top end though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwNtjKT_1cA

Engineering Explained did a similar test on his Acura Integra. At most he found a 4% difference in his measured times. However, he recommends the stock air intake for daily drivers as the motor proves to perform better in the low rev range where you actually drive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22EobbO8kkE

Motor Trend's Engine Masters tested a 400cu in small block that makes 508 hp and 473 lb ft torque. The CAI provided 50hp (roughly 10% increase).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XjDq2DcZk0

On a small motor the level of improvement isn't even noticeable. You 'might' notice if you plant your foot to the floor every time you accelerate and thus force the transmission to run higher RPM's before shifting.

I had a K&N CAI. The day it came off and got replaced by a Snorkel was a happy, happy day. That thing made the motor annoyingly loud. Passengers would complain they couldn't talk or hear when I was accelerating (and I was not planting my foot).

 

I love my truck too... Im no hater. This is my 3rd third gen tacoma. If i had any issues i wouldn't keep getting another one LOL

Mine is not that loud at all? If i floor it you can hear it but its not even as loud as i expected.

I do have an exhaust and maybe that's why i dont notice the sound as much but i like to hear my vehicle.

 

I also posted these in another thread but just on record here.... I didn't buy this for improved fuel economy but plenty of reviews commented they had better mpgs... So I'll find out...

I filled up the day before yesterday and didn't drive but 7 miles before adding the cai... This was the best tank average i have seen but all have been at least 20mpg.

 

My K&N made a really noticeable "whoop" sound when you mashed the pedal. It was freaking loud. If I put my foot in it you'd think the engine itself made 400hp. But the truck barely moved. lol

 

From the sounds of it (pun intended) the s&b is different than the k&n.

 

Stay out of the 3rd gen forum.

When I drive my 3rd gen daily, it's entirely not like the second gen. Peak power and Peak torque are at higher RPMs.

When I go up hills and mountains I down shift to 4500-5500 RPM. The engine feels completely different before 3500 RPM and After 3500 RPM. If I can get 3-5% after 3500RPM (10hp almost), that is well worth it to me. I don't what other modification will give me 10bhp.

What I learned about my 2017 is that it needs to be driven like my old Civic (20 years ago).

 

Tell you what. When bob makes you a moderator you can have a voice on this. Until then, stfu.

Exactly my point. CAI provides it's benefits at high RPMs. But you don't generally daily drive at high RPMs. Under normal driving conditions the engine is getting all the air it needs already.

Ever driven a 2nd Gen? It's exactly the same. Uphill with your foot on the pedal you're probably above 3,500 RPM unless you don't mind losing speed the whole way up the mountain.

 

I had the 2.7I4 second gen (two seater). So I can't speak on the 4.0 V6.

However, I have to downshift far more often on the 3.6 V6 than the my old I4. I am noticing slight inclinations on my daily commutes that I never thought about before because I now have to downshift in my V6 where I didn't on my I4.

At low rpm and high load, the 3.5 V6 is not very good at all. If I want to pass someone on the freeway, I have to downshift very aggressively. I will not be able to pass someone (in a reasonable time) @65-75 in 5th or even 4th gear.

It's like this. If I have to rely on the top-end Daily, I would rather supplement the top-end with more power.

 

CAI's make their power at high revs. It's not for the Daily driver. Some actually cause loss of power on the low end.. but, to each their own.

 

This is exactly why I think Toyota moving to a smaller displacement engine was a stupid idea. But, that's my opinion based on my personal preferences. I'd rather have lower end power. Because, you know, it's a TRUCK.

High RPM and small displacement has been the boon of small sporty cars for a long time. Why Toyota suddenly thinks it belongs in a pickup makes no sense to me.

What they should have done is come up with a more efficient version of the 4.0 (or similar).

Ultimately though, the 4.0 and the 3.5 are plagued with the same issues. Not enough power and paired with a crap ECU/transmission pairing that, at least with an auto, makes it not real great at passing or uphill driving.

 

Have you ever driven one? the ONLY way to drive an s2000 enjoyably is driving top end. lol

Also at the time this motor had the most HP per liter of any mass produced car so Honda extracted hp at or near it's maximum level. Now torque is a different story.

 

Never have! But the S2000 is a sporty car. High end power makes sense because you drive a sports car very differently than you drive a truck!