"Cheap" cold air intakes

[ac1975]

So, been reading lots on the CAI. Decided to buy one, but won't pay over $150 so Volant, AEM, K&N are out.

I mainly want this to have the engine breath better, more MPG would be welcomed, but not counting on it, more power would make me , but not counting on it.

What do you guys think of these cheaper intakes? Will I encounter any problems with/after the install? MAF? Coolant bypass?

CAI

CAI 2
.... Those 2 were the better ones I saw of the cheapies, cuz then you also see these lol Poopy CAI

This one looks decent, but is not a black pipe: CAI 3

Then, there is the AIR Raid Jr, not sure how much it helps:
Link.

Any experiences with these intakes?

Thanks

 

[1CLNTHO]

My two cents:

. An intake on many vehicles will make a positive difference in breathing mpg and slight power increases and many dont cost too much.

However:
. Just cause you buy an intake does not mean its going to improve your engine performance; especially with those intakes above.
. K&N is a more expensive manufacturer, but its for good reason:
-proven power and mpg performance
-"rechargable" filters that never need to be replaced- just cleaned with
a $10 dollar charge kit
. Volant is a leader in CAI's and their performance has been proven time after time. I have owned AEM K&N Volant AIRAID, and countless other intakes and my two favorites are K&N and Volant.

With those cheaper intake systems your looking at, its not gauranteed that they will adapt to the MAF, im pretty sure they dont have rechargable filters, and you cant really tell what the craftsmanship is on them

IF it was me trying to decide, I might save up some more cash and put it to better on use on one of the ones i listed above and you might be much happier with it

P.S if your looking for a cheaper CAI but good performance, try AIRAID and the BRUTE Force by AEM; they are a little easier on the wallet.

Goodluck.:thumbsup:

 

[lilsolo68]

what about the air raid jr kit. how well does it do compared to the others? im thinking of taking advantage of the special buy from here at $125 shipped.

 

[Yuke2K]

Intakes are expensive for a reason, and that reason is primarily research and development. The better companies like AEM, K&N and Volant dyno tune a crapton of different designs for each application before settling on the best one for each vehicle.

The intakes you've found are cheap. Want to know why? Becasue they are crap, lol. They will make your truck louder and MIGHT free up a tiny bit of horsepower, but they will suck hot engine air as opposed to cooler air, which will more than likely hurt your gas mileage.

The Airraid Jr kit is a decent option since it's a vehicle-specific system, but at $155 for just the tube and filter, it's a little pricey. Personally I'll probably just save up for a Volant or aFe intake, which will be worth it when I couple it with a new muffler and BB tune.