K&N, Airaid, AFE, Volant, or other?

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Ruger

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MagicMtnDan is partially correct. There are CAI makers and vendors who make horsepowr and MPG claims that simply cannot be real. It's a big engine that consumes air and fuel in a programmed mixture to make power. The physics of this are set. To make this much power you have to consume that much fuel. You will realize very few gains that you will be able to notice or measure in real world every day driving.

But there is more to it than real world every day driving in this instance because Raptors are specifically designed for other than real world every day driving. At large throttle openings where the engine is sucking all the air and fuel it can get, there may indeed be gains associated with a less restrictive intake. I have noted in other threads that all of the intake parts in Ford trucks are the same across the whole truck line. Plenum, intake hose, airbox, airbox lid, filter, and intake snorkel are all the same part numbers except that the EB uses one or two different parts. So our big heavy breathing high performance 6.2L is trying to breathe through the same parts as the 6 cylindars. This is good for Ford - it's cheaper to have a lot of parts in common - and it's probably quite all right for owners with the smaller engines. It's probably okay for Raptor owners for everyday driving, too, but it also probably becomes a factor at large throttle openings.

One of the things I noticed with the factory intake on my 2011 6.2L was a very noticeable hesitation when the throttle was abruptly opened. When I was doing passing maneuvers on the highway there was a lag between what I asked for with my foot and what the engine delivered. I installed the drop-in K&N filter and it made no difference, so I'm am virtually certain that it wasn't a restriction in the air filter. The AIRAID CAI solved the problem completely.

MagicMtnDan's caution about the oiled filters and MAF sensors is REAL. I experienced it myself on my previous truck, and it cost me a $110 intake system service. Many of the CAIs have a dry filter option, though. I went that way with the AIRAID and am completely satisfied.

HINT for those who opt for a CAI that retains the factory airbox: While you're doing the installation, pull the snorkel and examine it. You will see that it is not designed to promote smooth air flow. Take a dremel and round the surfaces. It's a small thing but it's something that SVT should have seen to and didn't. After all, all of these parts are used on all Ford trucks so it's just easier, faster and cheaper to pull the parts out of the parts bin and throw them on in the assembly plant.
 

RatedSVT

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Well I talked to mike at 5star tuning and asked if I could run just the AFE stage 2 CAI. And he recommended I run a tuner with that intake. Being a larger diameter tube will make for more air and the truck could run lean cause its set up for a smaller diameter tube. =)
 
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