Hey folks,

I recently received my 2002 F-150 XLT 2WD Supercab as a graduation present from my parents. I've liked it alot so far, but I'm wanting to add a little more muscle to it by makin some engine upgrades... And I'm sure where most guys would start is with a Cold Air Intake and eventually more down the road. I'm having trouble deciding which to choose as far as the most beneficial in power gains. If any of you folks w/a 4.2 that have added an aftermarket CAI don't mind sharing your experiences I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

look into the "gotts intake"

 

I have a K&N 77 Series on my 4.2.

As tarajerame stated, someone has looked into the Gotts intake, but has run into a road block on it.

 

how handy are you at building stuff? if you think your confident, you could make your own intake. it will save you a lot of money and work just fine.

 

Well I've looked into K&N Intakes, not the 77 series but the FIPK? I think is what it was called, but I know there are so many different brands out there, I'm just tryin to grab the most power. And no I'm not handy at all lol I've got a friend on my fire department that is the maintenance man for our trucks so I'll prolly ask him for his help installing whatever I get. But I'ma try to look into those GOTTS cuz I've never heard of 'em before.

 

I am going to put together a gotts intake for my 4.2 tomorrow. The airbox that holds the filter has a snout that is about 2.5 inches rather than the 3 inch to match up for the gotts. I could have bought a 2.5 x 3 rubber coupling, but didn't think that would do as good of a job.

I picked up a 5.4 airbox at a junkyard and it had a new looking k and n with it. got it for $10. I hope to try it out tomorrow and will let you know how it does.

 

sounds like a bargain

 

I think I got a great deal. He originally wanted to sell the entire intake hose, for $25, but realized it had a MAF in it. He decided just to let me have what I needed.

I put it on this morning. No problem. I had to rasp off the end of my added pipe about 3 inches to get it to work. That took the most time. The airbox went together fine and I drove it about 10 miles. It seemed to have a little more pickup, but it was not my usual route. I will see better next week.

For the money, I do not think I could do better with a CAI. I don't think I will get as much benefit as with a 5.4. Essentially they have the same factory inlet, but the 5.4 should pull a lot more air and the factory setup may be better suited for the 4.2. There is probably an improvement, but I do not expect as much. We'll see.

 

did you reset your ECM???

 

Yes. Left the neg battery cable off while I did the job. It ran smooth, seemed to be no negative effects.

 

Would would you say it would be worth selling my K&N?

 

Well I'd recommend the AF1 CAI kit but since they recently went out of business??

You might be able to find some that dealers haven't sold yet.

 

I would not try to make a suggestion on that. I have no experience with a CAI. So far, I am pleased with my Gott's intake and K & N. My truck seems to pull better at low rpm's. The little 4.2 has good low end. I will try to update after I fill up and see mileage. If you wanted to try the Gott's and can get the parts cheap, it might be worth a comparison. I would be curious if it is possible to put the two together. CAI with factory airbox and Gott's mod.

 

I sold my K&N and then found out I didn't have all the parts I needed for my supercharger install so I ran the gotts for a few weeks and my truck was modded and the gotts allowed it better mileage and more ambient air


if you've already got a CAI why not ****** up a lightning/harley factory airbox, you can get get 'em without the emblem fairly cheap and they'd bolt into the MAF on the end of the CAI and you'd have the smooth tubing with the sealed high flow box

 

Does the smooth tubing make a big difference? I have been wondering about it. I thought about using PVC or aluminum to make my own tube.