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

Interesting read. Thanks for posting that.

 

I have a TRD CAI and for the most part I'm pretty happy with it but now that I do a lot more off roading I'm reconsidering going back to the stock air intake for better dust filtration. I'm also going to add a Safari Snorkel with the stock air intake. Unfortunately Safari Snorkel's are designed to fit stock air intakes not TRD CAI

 

Can you snap a picture? I'm unable to find a picture of the TRD CAI for the 1st gen.

 

Go back in time 6 years and ask. Op is probably busy now.

 

Even though this is resurrecting an OLD thread, I'd have to agree that CAIs are fairly useless, unless you like noise. When I bought mine 04 doublecab (in 2006), that's the one thing the original owner did, a stupid CAI. My truck failed smog test 2x in the last decade, and both were because this stupid thing (though not because of anything physically wrong with it). Are they "technically" more efficient? Probably, but we all know what happens when we mod our trucks to make more power/efficiency. We push harder on the go fast pedal (or in the case of the CAIs, the "make loud pedal").

If I weren't so lazy, I'd have gone back to OEM a long time ago, but yeah, I'm lazy. Maybe if I ever put a snorkel on the thing I'll get rid of it...

The funny part is these things aren't even "cold air" intakes. If anything, it is less insulated form the engine heat than the stock airbox - that heat shield does absolutely nothing. Get a snorkel if you want a cold air intake...

 

I'm one of a very few who did the "Elbow Mod". It costs nothing, and because of its positioning it only draws outside air. On a visual, your airbox looks stock because it is. The thing is that the significantly long, reversed intake tube in your fender is gone so the airbox intake hole is drawing fresh air more directly. I don't know about claims of increased HP (a guy named "Gadget" claimed 3-5HP), but from my own experience, the acceleration around town and full throttle characteristics did indeed change. I just cannot tell if there's any noticeable power increase. IE-it's gained better throttle response. Just offering my own experience.

 

Read my tagine


5hp is imperceptible in a car. If you have a 5hp , 100lb go-kart and add 5 to it, you will notice it. But in a 150hp 2000lb truck, nope. Going on rule of thumb type math a 5hp increase would reduce your 1/4 mile time by about .05 seconds. That's not 5 seconds, or 1/2 second, it's 5 100th (1/20) of a second over the entire quarter. Any minor hp increase is only seen over a very brief amount of time. It's really only going to show up on a dyno, even then 5hp variances between runs of the same vehicle is well within the norm.

 

I did the elbow mod also.

 

Read my tagine


5hp is imperceptible in a car. If you have a 5hp , 100lb go-kart and add 5 to it, you will notice it. But in a 150hp 2000lb truck, nope. Going on rule of thumb type math a 5hp increase would reduce your 1/4 mile time by about .05 seconds. That's not 5 seconds, or 1/2 second, it's 5 100th (1/20) of a second over the entire quarter. Any minor hp increase is only seen over a very brief amount of time. It's really only going to show up on a dyno, even then 5hp variances between runs of the same vehicle is well within the norm.

I don't get how your "tagline" applies to me as I stated I felt no increase in power. And I agree with your explanation, especially since my truck is just shy of 4000lbs and 190HP.

I did the elbow mod also.

We're a very small club. What if anything did you notice different in your truck after doing the mod?

 

I’ve been wanting to go back to OEM air intake, but needed to get all the parts. I bought a box, hose and filter off eBay but from all the pictures I’ve seen on 3.4 engines, there’s a resonator box and elbow attachments on the intake hose. Can’t find where to get those parts... What is the “elbow mod” also?

 

These guys did a dyno test to see what different air intakes did to the power at the wheels. They also did another video where they found 10hp was about the smallest increase they could perceive in a car (not a truck) with their butt dynos.

 

Have only replaced my AIR filter once on warranty after 540,000 miles, so have saved plenty of money on filters Over 20 years)

 

Which intake?

 

Cold air intake filter with elbow mod I have

 

Which brand of intake and filter, tell me you must.




I found oem filters are $20 on Amazon. 20 years at once a year (I'm lucky if I do it that often, but I know some people do it every other oil change or as needed as per visual inspection) would be $400. Good ole CA limits the options for me, but I think there is a carb legal one I might go to once my fiberglass fenders are on.

 

I have the K&N cold air filter, warranty is a million miles, I clean it every 50,000 miles or so,

 

Anyone care to explain to me what the deck plate mod. is? And the elbow mod.?

 

I will detail the "elbow mod" for you. Your intake airbox has an airhole in its side going into the passenger side fender. Within that fender is an elbow pipe facing towards the rear of the truck, and another pipe about 2' long attaches to that. This puts your actual air intake opening for the airbox right underneath the radio antenna. This was designed so that you wouldn't get water into the fuel system should you be fording streams and such. So guys like me removed the 2' pipe and elbow pipe so that the actual air intake is at the front part of the fender right at the airbox, which is the way it should be anyway. Less restriction, nothing but fresh air with no engine heat.

Far as the deckplate mod, you cut a hole into the front of the airbox and install this deckplate thing you can buy at a marine shop and the theory is you get sort of a forced air benefit there. And you can close that deckplate as one of its characteristics if you wish. Problem with it from what I have read is you stand a chance of getting engine bay heat mixed in with what fresh air you get there. That's what I know of it.

 

The deck plate mod. was explained on Post#31.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/obligatory-topic-the-deckplate-mod-questions.20/