MU55 DEW
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Any of you guys can recommend the best air intake system. Im contemplating a Roush but fancy a stainless system like BAA too ??
What Air intake system without Re-map 4.6 3V
- Thread starter MU55 DEW
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06 T-RED S/C GT
Senior Member
Please search the sub-forums by using the search function. You'll find plenty of threads which address air intake systems on this site.
JeremyH
3V Fuel Guru
Stock. Throw a high flow filter in it.
Without a tune a new intake is an ascetic enhancement
also not a tech topic. Please review the posting rules
also not a tech topic. Please review the posting rules
RED09GT
Equal Opportunity Offender
It's not like it is still under warranty, why not do a tune? It will make more power, improve driveability, and fuel mileage will be just as good, sometimes a touch better.
Airaid does have an insert that is the same size as the stock MAF, K&N has a couple, BBK makes one as well. UPR probably makes one too and it will be cheaper than the rest. Might as well get the cheapest as none of the no tune ones gain any power.
Airaid does have an insert that is the same size as the stock MAF, K&N has a couple, BBK makes one as well. UPR probably makes one too and it will be cheaper than the rest. Might as well get the cheapest as none of the no tune ones gain any power.
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There is no best, they all flow the same as stock.
Sky Render
Stig's Retarded Cousin
Yep; applies to the Coyote air box, too. I only have an AEM because it looks nice.
What year is your car with the 4.6 ?
Don't waste your money on a no tune CAI. If you really want a CAI, get one that requires a tune 'cause it's the latter which will deliver most of the power gain. Otherwise just keep the stock airbox and get a tune.
06 T-RED S/C GT
Senior Member
On a stock 3v engine, cold air intakes, even those that require a tune do very little for providing real performance gains over the stock airbox. As it's the remapping of the stock tune which provides the actual HP/TQ gains and not by adding some large diameter air intake system. Also take into consideration the stock 3v airbox is fully capable of providing enough airflow to support up to 500rwhp. Therefore don't be fooled by those air intake manufacturers who claim their large air intake systems provide up to 35 additional HP on a stock 3v engine, as they're marketing hype claims are full of nothing but bullshit. The reason, the intake and exhaust ports of the stock 3v motor are only capable of taking in the amount of airflow for which they were designed by the factory. Unless upgrading to larger heads, throttle body, cams, forced induction and so on that actually require and can make real usage from larger amounts of airflow, anything beyond what the stock 3v engine is designed for and can realistically support, is just plain useless and considered as overkill. That being said, you would be far better off just sticking with your stock airbox by putting in a high-flow filter and finding a reputable tuning specialist to provide you with a performance tune for your stock airbox!
So let me enlighten you guys on "tune required" CAIs. There is absolutely NO HP increase by installing and getting a tune for ypu specific CAI. Here is why:
With my JLT, i got the MAF transfer from them, and that is all that is needed to be changed in the tune. This results in ZERO power increase, but you may gain a few hundred usable RPMs at redline IF and only IF the stock airbox is restrictive at high air volume.
Now, if the tuner makes some additional changes to the tune while adding the new MAF transfer, then you can see some gains in HP. But you could also make those additional changes in the tune, keeping the stock air intake and get those gains.
The only reason to go to a tune required CAI or larger mass air sensor is IF you are PEGGING your stock setup because your ported heads with cams and long tubes now move way more air than stock.
With my JLT, i got the MAF transfer from them, and that is all that is needed to be changed in the tune. This results in ZERO power increase, but you may gain a few hundred usable RPMs at redline IF and only IF the stock airbox is restrictive at high air volume.
Now, if the tuner makes some additional changes to the tune while adding the new MAF transfer, then you can see some gains in HP. But you could also make those additional changes in the tune, keeping the stock air intake and get those gains.
The only reason to go to a tune required CAI or larger mass air sensor is IF you are PEGGING your stock setup because your ported heads with cams and long tubes now move way more air than stock.
MrAwesome987
Senior Member
You guys make valid points on the actual air flow. What about IAT's? Any improvements there with after market air intakes?
There is a huge difference in the way the car sounds inside the cabin with a CAI vs stock airbox. And I must admitt, I do like how the car sounds with the CAI. And I get this noticable hiss when I shut the engine off. You know it is not stock...but it is just a cai.
I already posted my results. Stock airbox wins as far as colder IATs and has less of a heatsoak effect.
I will be "real world" comparing a bone stock 2013 airbox with a standard paper filter and the JLT2. I have two identical tunes, stock box and JLT, no other changes. Going to run Watkins Glen and Summit point main late July. I will run both intakes at each event, and see if lap times show any difference.
Stay tuned, will be posting vids in the corner carvers.
Stay tuned, will be posting vids in the corner carvers.
06 T-RED S/C GT
Senior Member
Agreed! As your exactly 100% spot on. Also good to know that some of us actually "get it"
On a bone stock 05-10 car..with 300-315 crank hp, the engine is sucking in 450- 473.5 cfm . The oem CAI is ample as is. Per K bell, it's 1.5 cfm per crank hp. The 05-09 oem airbox flows a lot less than the 2010 airbox, but is still ample. The 2010 airbox flows 800 cfm, (and 960 cfm with a K+N panel filter). The 2011 airbox flows a little less, at 760 cfm (and 912 cfm with a K+N).
The earlier GT-500's all used an airbox, no cone filter.
On the 2010 Roush Stage 3 engines,(Roush mild tune, aprx 525 rwhp, 596 crank hp), Roush used the oem airbox. After VMP retuned them, the gains were substantial throughout the rpm range...till you got to the top end, where the graphs converged..... it ran out of air ! That's where the big cone filter comes in.
You still see this on the Roush 575/625/675 crank hp kits for the 11+ cars. The 625 setup uses a BAP..and the 675 setup uses a BAP + the big cone filter.
Spending big $$ on a cone filter on an oem 05-10 eng is essentially a wasted effort..with it's 300-315 crank hp.
The earlier GT-500's all used an airbox, no cone filter.
On the 2010 Roush Stage 3 engines,(Roush mild tune, aprx 525 rwhp, 596 crank hp), Roush used the oem airbox. After VMP retuned them, the gains were substantial throughout the rpm range...till you got to the top end, where the graphs converged..... it ran out of air ! That's where the big cone filter comes in.
You still see this on the Roush 575/625/675 crank hp kits for the 11+ cars. The 625 setup uses a BAP..and the 675 setup uses a BAP + the big cone filter.
Spending big $$ on a cone filter on an oem 05-10 eng is essentially a wasted effort..with it's 300-315 crank hp.
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You're all making valid points about the stock airbox providing adequate airflow for a stock 05-09 GT making 300 crank HP, but there are a couple of factors that you're not taking into account:
1. The airflow becomes reduced as the filter accumulates more dirt.
2. Quoted airflow numbers are under 28" H2O depression. Would you really want your stock 05-09 GT intake system to generate that much vacuum in order to flow 550cfm? A CAI that flows, say, 1100cfm at 28" H2O depression would only need 7" H2O depression to flow 550cfm, resulting in sharper throttle response and improved gas mileage. It would also mean that the air filter assembly is no longer the choke point in the intake system, especially if you want to add more N/A HP.
3. The stock 10 GT airbox was a big improvement over the 05-09, and one could argue that you're better off keeping it even if you're chasing after more N/A HP. It also has the advantage of being a true CAI unlike some of the others that have an inadequate heat shield thus effectively making them a HAI. You could even swap a stock 10 GT airbox with intake pipe into an 05-09 GT, though it would require relocating the PS pump reservoir and a revised MAF transfer curve written into the ECU.
4. We've all seen dyno graphs showing HP & TQ gains across the rpm range from a CAI & tune, but increased airflow only accounts for a less than 10hp gain and even that would only become significant at higher rpm. Nearly all of the HP & TQ gains, especially at lower rpm, are a result of improved optimization of fuel and timing maps. In some cases, the cam timing may also be altered.
At the end of the day if your car is bone stock, a custom tune is a great starting point.
As to the question whether you should you swap in an aftermarket CAI, definitely don't bother if it's a no tune required CAI. If it requires a tune, then decide if there's going to be a worthwhile airflow improvement. In some cases the filter is too small to flow more air than stock so pick one that has the biggest filter that'll fit in the available space. Even then, you're more likely to enjoy the intake roar and sucking sounds as you get on the gas rather than any HP gain. For some, that alone may be worth it as well as being under hood eye candy.
1. The airflow becomes reduced as the filter accumulates more dirt.
2. Quoted airflow numbers are under 28" H2O depression. Would you really want your stock 05-09 GT intake system to generate that much vacuum in order to flow 550cfm? A CAI that flows, say, 1100cfm at 28" H2O depression would only need 7" H2O depression to flow 550cfm, resulting in sharper throttle response and improved gas mileage. It would also mean that the air filter assembly is no longer the choke point in the intake system, especially if you want to add more N/A HP.
3. The stock 10 GT airbox was a big improvement over the 05-09, and one could argue that you're better off keeping it even if you're chasing after more N/A HP. It also has the advantage of being a true CAI unlike some of the others that have an inadequate heat shield thus effectively making them a HAI. You could even swap a stock 10 GT airbox with intake pipe into an 05-09 GT, though it would require relocating the PS pump reservoir and a revised MAF transfer curve written into the ECU.
4. We've all seen dyno graphs showing HP & TQ gains across the rpm range from a CAI & tune, but increased airflow only accounts for a less than 10hp gain and even that would only become significant at higher rpm. Nearly all of the HP & TQ gains, especially at lower rpm, are a result of improved optimization of fuel and timing maps. In some cases, the cam timing may also be altered.
At the end of the day if your car is bone stock, a custom tune is a great starting point.
As to the question whether you should you swap in an aftermarket CAI, definitely don't bother if it's a no tune required CAI. If it requires a tune, then decide if there's going to be a worthwhile airflow improvement. In some cases the filter is too small to flow more air than stock so pick one that has the biggest filter that'll fit in the available space. Even then, you're more likely to enjoy the intake roar and sucking sounds as you get on the gas rather than any HP gain. For some, that alone may be worth it as well as being under hood eye candy.
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Yup, that's basically correct. You could even place sensors in various parts of the intake system to measure the pressure drop across each component. Then you'd know which one is causing the biggest restriction to airflow.
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