I have read a number of posts (and ads) claiming big gains from a cold air induction. Companies like Bans claim big improvements, but I don't really believe that.

For comparisons sake, fuel mileage is a good way to measure efficiency. As efficiency improves, so does mileage. If you make a change and mileage doesn't change one way or another, you probably have not accomplished much.

I know from personal experimentation that if you let the incoming air get too cold, you will lose efficiency, and mileage drops. But that was in some pretty cold temps, well below freezing. By design, a diesel engine must maintain a certain temperature to work correctly. But I'm not sure where the dividing line is.

People report a lower intake temp. Or maybe a slightly lower EGT. And....?? Does this change provide any benefit?

So, my question is, does a CAI of any kind, really do anything for a stock truck in moderate use?

 

Waste of money until you get to 500hp and above..the stock box flows all the air you need and filters it well at the same time.

 

For me the biggest problem with the aftermarket filters is the poor filtration. With a engine that should last 300k, letting particulates into the engine just to make a horsepower or two is just not worth it. PSM has some good info, they did some real world testing, not just on a dyno.

 

and to boot most cia are open under the hood letting in HOT air from the engine any ways

 

I agree with all of the above, but funny how the first thing people change on a new vehicle is the air box and filter.

 

I post these articles all the time in these CIA threads. Makes for good reading.

http://www.genosgarage.com/GenosGara...tems-Part1.pdf

http://www.genosgarage.com/GenosGara...tems-Part2.pdf

 

That's because it's cheap and quick- which don't usually equate to much.

 

And in most cases, it also increases turbo whistle which everyone seems to like, albeit at the sometime expense of unwanted dust entry......Ben

 

This is because of all the marketing hype!!!!

If you add up all the improvements claimed with all the add ons,
We would be getting 50-100 mpg.
Or we would have to drain fuel out of the tank every evening!!!

 

Install Mopar air filter #53034249AA. (5.9 engine) This is the best improvement in filtration and air flow for your truck and it won't "dust" your turbo. And the filter lasts longer.

 

Answer: Suck cold hard cash from your wallet?

 

I'll try not to turn this into a novel! I only want to show that I've done some homework in this area. I don't know if I was the first to use a big round paper element but I was the first to post about it when I put one on my 97. I started out with Banks on the 97 and a K&N drop-in. I found dust after only 3k miles so I set out to come up with a large paper element that I could trust to have some efficiency. BTW, I did years of laser particle testing on filters when I was in the pharma industry. Oiled filters used to be a part of the commercial hvac industry but they went to the wayside because of maintenance and oil carryover problems about the time of the first Commodore 64. The element I used on the 97 was the biggest that would fit under the hood and I made my own reusable round neck. The filter that became popular already had a molded 4" neck but it was smaller. That filter was later nicknamed the BHAF by another member on the TDR, in those days. I didn't use a laser particle counter but I used a magnahelic to check before and after W.C. pressures on the filters I tried. I knew the particle counts would come down as size went up. Size matters when it comes to air filters. Bigger area means lower face velocity, more holding capacity, lower DP and higher efficiency so I only went by DP when I played with the 97. The 97 filter minder starts to move at ~16"-17" wc and even the lousy banks kit would move it with the stock paper filter. It pulled 11" with the K&N drop-in. After 3k miles I found the dust and I dumped the K&N, the banks fuel plate and the hx35 and I added a bunch more power and the round paper element. I got the power up to 292/812 (not huge but 100% usable) and my element only pulled 3" wc - about 1/4 of what the K&N pulled at much lower power. Now the point to this story... I saw some confusing numbers when I was using the magnahelic. Sometimes I would see positive pressure in the turbo intake, relative to cab pressure where I was watching the magnahelic. I found that the engine fan pressurizes the engine compartment so I had to run another tube so I could read actual DP across the filter itself to get usable readings for comparison purposes. I decided not to wall off the filter and provide cold air to it cuz it had forced induction and a cold air dam would create negative pressure unless I could get ram air to it. I'm not zealous enough to take enough temp/pressure readings to use the appropriate formulas and figure out which is better - hot/high pressure air or cold/negative pressure air. Because of the location of the turbo hose on my 03 (after the battery was moved) I used 2 round paper elements - one fore and one aft with a tee between them in order to get the most filter area possible. I can give it everything the Predator can do (a lot more than my 97 had) and it only pulls 1.3" wc. All that air doesn't do a thing for getting up a hill faster but I can feel a little quicker spool up. No measureable increase in hp is another reason I don't bother with CAI. So far, I haven't seen dyno results to prove that CAI or a bigger filter adds hp and I only believe hard numbers and not opinions or hype. Craig