Will replacing the factory intake with a better one make a difference?

[mnunes77]

I'm looking into swapping out the factory intake with a K&N 77 Series Intake Kit - 3.5L, will this make a difference in performance?

 

Any help would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks

[bbf2530]

I'm looking into swapping out the factory intake with a K&N 77 Series Intake Kit - 3.5L, will this make a difference in performance?

 

Any help would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Hi mnunes. :D You will get varying opinions on this one.

 

My educated opinion? If an intake manufacturer can not guarantee a performance increase, then that is the answer. And as far as I know, no reputable intake manufacturer guarantees a performance increase. They will only state that their intake "... may/will give an increase of 'up-to' XXhp increase...". Well, those familiar with legalese realize that "up to" also means it may give a 0hp increase, or even result in a loss of power. And those that do offer some type of performance or money back guarantee make the customer jump through so many hoops that once you but it, it is yours no matter what. Just read the "money back guarantee" fine print.

 

Bottom line? If you want to do it for the louder intake sound, go ahead. But don't expect any real life/guaranteed performance gains.

 

Again, just one mans opinion with some backing explanation.

 

Whatever you decide to do, good luck. :beerchug:

[Platinum White]

I'm looking into swapping out the factory intake with a K&N 77 Series Intake Kit - 3.5L, will this make a difference in performance?

 

Any help would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

I have tried aftermarket intakes on other vehicles.

The only result was a decrease in my $$.

I did not see an increase in MPG.

[cal3thousand]

I have tried aftermarket intakes on other vehicles.

The only result was a decrease in my $.

I did not see an increase in MPG.

 

i think he's asking about power gains or torque curve shift versus efficiency.

[mrdave]

My feeling is that the only thing a CAI would do is increase the sound of your engine and lighten your wallet. Ford already managed to get quite a bit of power out of a 3.5L / 3.7L v6. I don't think adding a tube and air filter will help much.

[Dingo]

With this engine, there will be little to no performance gain. It will also have hotter air (The opposite as desired,) because the stock design pulls from outside the grille. If anything, you're most likely to actually lose some torque.

[RJG]

With this engine, there will be little to no performance gain. It will also have hotter air (The opposite as desired,) because the stock design pulls from outside the grille. If anything, you're most likely to actually lose some torque.

 

 

I also don't like oiled filters. Some of that oil will migrate to your MAF sensor wires. May or may not cause a drivability issue, but not a good idea. Oiled filters best for cars with carbs.

[jlong]

I'm no expert on this but I want to add this as well. The 77 series fipk is metal as opposed to the 57 which is plastic. Think heat... The metal one has been proven to have less HP gains than the 57. That also goes along with what Dingo said. I think the 77 series is little more than bling for the engine bay.

 

K&N can increase HP and Torque. They do provide dyno sheets for some vehicles. I had one on my colorado, which K&N provided a dyno result for. http://www.knfilters.com/dynocharts/57-3043_dyno.pdf

 

And my butt dyno noticed a difference too, lol.

 

Bottom line is with the right part, the 57 series, and the right combination of upgrades you can realize performance benefits from a fipk, just not on an edge, IMO.

[jlpdp9]

I'm looking into swapping out the factory intake with a K&N 77 Series Intake Kit - 3.5L, will this make a difference in performance?

 

Any help would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks

If I were you i would buy the Steeda Cold air intake, it is a lot more expensive but shows a huge difference in mpg and performance. I have it in my edge and it looks great and also give the enigine a nice sound. I highlu recomend it. K&N is a great brand but Steeda is more bang for what you will get

Edited January 4, 2012 by jlpdp9

[RJG]

There is no question that so called Cold Air Kits can and usually increase the air flow to your engine. It takes about 600 cu ft per minute of air flow to support about 300 fly wheel HP. Some of these wide open air filters and move much more air (and dirt) that that. Your Mass Air Flow sensor maybe can adjust to that much extra air maybe not. For sure, the engine electronics are not designed around that much excess air flow.

 

So if the MAF sensor can't keep A/F ratio where factory wants it, then car runs lean.....runs a little hotter (maybe) and has shortened engine life (again maybe). And lean to a point makes more power. So the question is....if your car makes 5 more HP at max RPM....is it because of a greater air supply from the CAI kit....IE the engineers didn't design in enough air flow with a reasonably clean filter, or.....is it making a tad more power because it's now running a tad lean at WOT? I'm sure engine can keep up with more air supply at light throttle, but HP is usually measured at WOT where it can run a tad lean. On the Ege....I don't know which one it is. But I've spent considerable time with hot rodded Mustangs on dyno's getting tunes to understand some of how this works. At light throttle, even a dirty air filter can supply enough air for optimum fuel economy (the ecu will adapt), so IMHO the only way to improve fuel economy is run it leaner, and the factory doesn't design in that much richness these days. Also....some cars run slightly leaner as they age, and engineers know this and design in for this. And an engine that runs fine with CAI kit at 60-70 degrees ambiant, might make a bunch more HP on a cold night, run lean, and blow up. Seen this at the strip a bunch with supercharged cars. (Power adders magnify A/F issues).

 

Our cars don't make much power (compared to a performance car), so no matter what bolt ons you do, it won't make much difference. If you want a HP or two....just change out the air filter about every 10,000 or so.

Edited January 5, 2012 by RJG

[RJG]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air%E2%80%93fuel_ratio

 

You might want to study this. Stoich A/F at sea level is around 14.7. For engine safety sake and long life, most ECU's will strive to keep around 12.5 to 13 A/F at WOT, and stoich or even slightly leaner at light thottle. Too lean and you run hot and/or burn a piston. However....the closer you get to Stoich, the more power the engine makes, and the better fuel economy. So there is a little "room" in the factory tune, usually, for a slightly leaner burn and probably slightly more timing. That's where these "so called" cold air kits get their claim of extra power from mostly.

 

If I were going to run a CAI kit, even on our vehicles, I would also get a tune on a chassis dyno, where you can adjust some other parameters. With a tune, if you get more air from CAI, you can dial in some more fuel at WOT, so as not to run too lean, and maybe some more timing before detonation. Or tune for 91 and get a couple more HP.

 

BTW....I'm not a fan of oiled air filters for cars with sensitive MAF sensor wires. Some of that oil will migrate to those wires, and may or may not cause drivability (non warranty) issues. Hold up a K&N to the light and you can also see why it can move more air, and a lot more dirt, than a paper filter. If I ran a K&N filter, would for sure change the oil a lot more often. Some CAI kits don't use oiled filters. I prefer them, but don't think they filter air so good either. Good luck and enjoy your car. To each his own. LOL..... I'm actually enjoying the quiet use of our Edge, and don't much miss the loud noise of performance. Just getting old I guess.

 

Edit addition.....I'm not necessarily against the addition of bolt on's like CAI kits. With a tune, they can make a few HP. There is nothing magical about them, you just have to understand a little about how an engine works. Just hate to see the hype and half facts thrown around. And so many folks void their engine warranty from adding these things. Having said this....if getting a new 5.0 Mustang, I would probably visit my local chassis dyno to see if a few HP is lurking there from a more agressive tune and exhaust system. Also know the factory engineers are geting pretty good, and not much HP and TQ was left on the table. 2-3 HP from much louder exhaust, and maybe 5-8 from a tune.....and that's around 6000-7000 RPM.....not where most of us drive much.

Edited January 6, 2012 by RJG