That’s the opposite of a cold air intake. That thing just pulls in hot air from under the hood, not cold outside air like the factory air box.

 

Yeah, tell me about it. I'm going to modify it or get rid of it altogether.

 

Yeah they call those ram air intakes. You'd typically need an oem box style intake to make a CAI, though it will be a small difference, it sounds good for a lot of money.

 

OEM intakes these days are so good that people modify the oem filter box to fit the cone style air filter because that's basically what a lot of companies do - like Ford's ROUSH, for example. So that's a pretty effective DiY that's doable/copyable if you're looking for ideas to save 400 bucks

 

THe deck plate airbox mod if very effective. About same gains as many of these aftermarket kits.

 

PowernationTV did a project recently on a 2020 Ford 150 that they are about to give away. Part of the project, which was mostly cosmetic but they did a brake upgrade and some suspension mods, was adding that Roush CAI. The only other engine mod was a fancy tailpipe. The 0-60 times were slower than their baseline runs.

Edit: Not an advertisement or promotion for PowernationTV, I do not have any vested interest in them, but you can go to their web site and watch the episode and register to win the truck if you want. just add the dot com to their name.

 

LOL I love it. I'd like to see the dyno tho.
Suspension can also definitely affect straightline 0-60 times, often more than hp gains. And if it was mostly cosmetic, larger/heavier tires definitely affect track times. I'll have to check it out

 

Yeah I've done the deck plate mod. It works, still sucks hot air though only through the oem air box, so it's essentially the same thing.

 

I does get some of the fresh air through the grill. Tacoma guys claim a few HPs from it.
Deckplate mod | Tacoma World

 

It's not "cold air" if the filter isn't... in cold air.

 

You substituted a warm air intake for a CAI and did not feel the boost in the butt dyno? Many have claimed increase in hp and torque as claimed by the marketing collateral. You are one step in front of the others who don't see the obvious fallacy and stick with the line of more power.

 

Colder air does increase engine efficiency because the delta T (temperature) between intake and exhaust is greater. Unfortunately to get a meaningful increase you would need to refrigerate the intake air.

So...the stock air intake on my 2020 takes air in from the wheel well. The alleged cold air intake gets the same air if you use the factory box. That's not cold unless it's winter. Now the intake system from the box to the MAF sensor may be more efficient which may lead to improvements.

I'm sure some of you old farts remember flipping the air cleaner lid over to make more horsepower. It sure sounded macho but did little to make more HP. Even the cowl induction systems were just for show. My dual quad 409 got everyone's attention when I took off the lid and opened up the secondaries. Did it improve my 425hp? Not really but the girls loved it.

Better off getting a supercharger.......

 

I'm sure some of you old farts remember flipping the air cleaner lid over to make more horsepower. It sure sounded macho but did little to make more HP.

Better off getting a supercharger.......

Not saying I fall into the old fart club, but that was one of the first "mods" I did to some of my old carb'd vehicles (at least until I installed a chrome, open element filter ).

Better off getting a supercharger.......

I'd rather be blown than flipped any day....

 

Air temperature on a naturally aspirated motor is inherently less important. The difference at both extremes in a Frontier is likely 10hp maximum.

Air intakes sound good and often have washable or reusable filters. That's about it. I have one in my Frontier and am happy with it but it's not really a performance mod.

Just a fun thing you can do to increase induction sound, if you'd like that. Bonus you'll snag an extra quarter to half mpg on average, so the intake likely to pay for itself over time. Definitely better on an offroad truck to stick with a closed box design intake, not an open filter. That way you keep utilizing the Fender cavity for cooler air and also have extra water and dirt protection.

 

No one noticed the zip ties though...

 

"As the stock air box is no longer functioning as such, air arriving through the intake on the driver's side fender, gets your engine compartment filthy in a hurry."

And with the setup you've installed you're suckin' in nothing but tons of hot air from your truck's engine compartment.
Just where does the "COLD" in cold air intake apply to this setup?

 

Yeah this set up defeats the purpose of a cold air intake...

 

Perhaps the title should be “Reasons not to cobble together a not cold air intake”.

 

Usually the filters included with CAI's are not very efficient at removing as much dust as OEM style filters. Thus you are adding microscopic sandpaper to your cylinders that will eventually cause problems with rings/bearings etc. The small change in HP is not worth the wear on your engine....IMO of course. This has also been proven in several studies of CAI's.

 

Yep... it's a pretty basic principle: if it flows more, it filters less.

 

Wouldn't it be better to put a snorkel in for cold air intake?

 

But then you don't get that braap brapp race car sound in a 16-second pickup truck when you floor it

 

Drawing in cold air from a fender well on a dusty road while off-roading makes a snorkel look highly intelligent.

 

dorkle

 

The set up installed here was made for vehicles that run with the hood off. It is also a tuned system which has been found to hurt performance more than help. It is designed to increase power at a specific RPM that it is tuned to, but robs power from the rest of the band, reducing "power under the band".

If you look at the stock intake duct, you will see that it has about 4 anti-resonance chambers built into it. They mute the resonance if the duct so air delivery to the manifold is smoother across the entire power band. These really only work for turbo charged engines that do not require the tuning part. The turbo draws air at a steady rate so the duct does not become tuned. With a turbo, all you want is max airflow, no tuning required.

 

Unless you're planning for other mods (free flow exhaust, full pump, injectiors, chip, etc) to get to full out performance, don't bother.

If MAF allows for the increase air, more fuel will need to go in, or to go to higher octane.

Have a plan or

Keep It Stock Smartguy!