Cold Air Intakes. Debunking false claims.

I already stated I plan on doing 3 runs on stock then 3 runs with CAI.

 

Depends entirely on the curve. If you gain 18 across the entire curve then I would think that is noticeable. If it is 18 over a 500 rpm peak I'd think it wouldn't be. It also depends on what you are starting with. For the Tacoma, 18 to the tires is nearly 10% gained.

 

The gain hits hard right around 4,000rpm , its not a smooth curve gain. I think because of this, its easier to feel it through your "ass-dyno" lol

 

Ya there will be a little bit of turbulence as it tones down the pressure pulses but it isn't a part of the airflow like K&N insinuates. It's like a reserve chamber, it is under atmospheric pressure like the rest of the intake so it'll always have air in it so it's not like it'll be constantly pulling airflow. These pulses from the intake are real small and real quick so it doesn't have time to empty all the air in the reserve to make up for the low pressure pulse from the intake cycle then refill the air in the reservoir when it goes back to atmospheric pressure. It's more like a pressure "bubble" on the wall of the intake tube hence the reason I likened it to a spring, it cushions the pressure wave in the intake tube.
Look up fuel standoff on youtube to see how the harmonics work on an intake. Granted, it's not the same situation in any manner as the Tacoma doesn't use an IR setup and they have different root causes but it's a visual tool that helps you see how intake pulses can affect intake flow.

I wouldn't go so far to say zero effect but without any CFM numbers and given the RPM range our trucks work in, I'd say no, nothing worth noting. If our trucks worked at 10,000 RPMs for extended periods of time then ya, it would probably be an issue. Our trucks use roughly 290CFM at 5,500. The K&N claims 852 CFM for their thick ass filter so I think the thin charcoal filter would be ok

 

Thanks for the info on the different Dyno's, I had no idea about that.

 

The chamber is a Helmholtz resonator..


Look it up..

 

Good info. Responses like this are 100% why I decided to start this threat.

 

I just want to know if the TRD CAI sounds better and louder than stock. That's all. Thank you.

 

Just about any CAI will be much louder because your eliminating the resonator. Mine is very loud and I love it lol

 

Thank you very much.

 

I do mean perceive. Because perception based on the individual. I seriously doubt anybody can perceive power increases that are that negligible which is why you're having so much trouble convincing people that they exist, even with the numbers and proof.

That's all I'm saying... it's no win.

 

Would you agree that perception is in the eye of the beholder though? That's I feel that perception is irrelevant. One person may perceive a GTR to be a very fast car, while someone like @US Marine who drives drag cars might perceive it to be mediocre in regards to power and speed.

 

My bad. Thought I saw where you were replicating K&N's dyno, and I thought that was only 1 pull apiece.

If you plan on doing other mods other than the K&N, be sure to always dyno on the same machine at the same place, with preferably the same operator.

2 identical dynos can measure miles apart.

There's usually a 10-12% loss in power in a manual drive line. And a 12-15% loss in an automatics driveline.

 

Lol
More than $20 but yeah...
I may have been an exception from the norm due to driving style or something. Just stating what my excel sheet showed me for before & after the installations.

And I assume Toyota has reasons for what they do. Likely it's some economic tradeoff that considers part cost, vendor relationships, vendor production controls, component reliability, speed & motions of assembly, size, similarity to existing inventory items, warranty risk, etc. Although their reasons for certain things might sometimes be restrictions imposed by union or supplier contracts honestly. Engineering decisions aren't always made by engineers in the corporate world.

 

I did say perception is based on the individual. But we're not talking about a GTR vs a top fuel drag car. We're talking about 18hp, 13lbs of torque at the very top end. I doubt anybody can tell the difference.

Again, if I piss in Lake Michigan I'm technically raising the water level, but can anybody tell?

Not saying you're wrong but even with the data the increase is so miniscule nobody can tell (and nobody probably drives their truck over 4K.)

 

Based on some basic engineering equations the theoretical power that increasing the air flow to 852 cfm yields 288hp. That's 10 horse increase. That's assuming that the engine adds more fuel to the extra air to make it effective.

 

I made a thread on KN's Fuel Injection Performance Kit, not to be mistaken with what some people call, Cold Air Intake. Fact is, and in my thread I have data, while the vehicle is moving, both stock and the FIPK pull in very close to the same temp air. While idling, the FIPK pulls in hotter air. Another note in which should be considered is that the FIPK will give you your HP and TQ gains at WOT. While the stock intake gives the same gains in normal everyday driving as the FIPK would. The only time the FIPK is worth while, is when you're running WOT a majority of the time. Make sense? Ok, end thread.

 

I have an AFE CAI with scoop.
The dyno results across CAI selling sites (AFE, K&N, etc) are clear. The problem is when people expect noticeable mpg gains, and noticeable power and torque.
These things will never be noticeable with any CAI.
Where CAI’s work is that the extra 12-18 horsepower and increased torque gains benefit people who tow weighty things as that extra hp and torque will benefit the engine work load.
Again, not noticeable but incrementally beneficial.
Bottom line is if anyone says they feel a difference resulting from CAI install, it’s in their mind, but CAI’s are beneficial to a degree.
If I didn’t have a decent income I’d sure as hell not spend $500 on a solid CAI.

Oh yeah, and they sound cool

 

I've had two cold air intakes on my vehicles, one on my first car (just a Saturn lol) and another on my GTO.

FWIW, I have ZERO plans to install one on the Tacoma. I got an AEM washable filter, that's all. To me, there's not nearly a big enough cost/benefit ratio. It's not worth spending ~$300 for something that I won't get any noticeable benefit. Plus its not a race truck lol.

The Saturn had an AEM, and it made a couple differences: it increased engine sound (which I loved) and actually did help throttle response. I think that was mainly due to greatly decreasing noise dampening baffling in the intake tube and straightening it out. The car was not faster by any means! It just had no lag between when I hit the throttle and when the car actually moved. I loved it, and it was cheap (like $150).

On the GTO I have a K&N, and it has resulted in no noticeable differences whatsoever. If I'm ever not too lazy about it, I'll likely put the original back on and just sell this cheap. On the GTO, its widely regarded as the worst intake to buy (I wish I would have known better when I first bought the car!).


The OP has been ragged for contacting K&N regarding the benefits/numbers, which is fair. You can't ask a company what the benefit of their product is to get the most solid answer. One thing to keep in mind is that claims of 10, 15, 18 or whatever horsepower almost ALWAYS come with an adjustment to the tuning on the engine. I went to a "dyno day" way back when I had first bought my GTO. Some guys did baseline pulls to see where they were at before mods, some did this with an intake already on as well. The numbers were generally within about 5 HP for guys with or without a CAI. That can easily be attributed to minor differences in the engine, and not so much the intake. That's the closest I have to a true test (IE dyno a car, then put on an intake and dyno it).

My conclusion is they are only truly beneficial with a tune. While they may be great in combination with other mods, they alone will leave very little to be excited about.

 

SilverBullet- hate to get off topic...I have a 78 TA with a LS1 swap. I presently use a Airaid u build it tube with a cone filter. I don't care too much for it. I purchased a used GTO LS air box, complete in real good condition. I have cut it on the sides to fit behind the headlight...I need to fiberglass repair/mend where I needed to cut so the box would fit ( fender bend is different obviously). Reason I went this direction is I was concerned about engine heat getting to the tube cone filter. I sorta like the stock box at least covering the area, plus I am in the camp of OEM paper is good enough (engineers designed it that way). I too have read many MAFs destroyed by oil.

You made a comment about "worst intake to buy"- is that the factory GTO or the aftermarket one? Thanks- sorry to be off topic.
Leon