Hey guys,


I just finished installing my AF1 3.5" intake earlier today. When I got done I was a bit puzzled as the directions were a bit vague in some areas. I ended up with two washers and this other thing as well. What were these supposed to go to?



Also, in the diagram the clamp is on the inside of the heatshield where is mine is on the outside. I couldn't get the intake to stretch that far. I assume this isn't a big deal?




Moving on...I was a bit confused on the rubber grommet deal. You place the metal holders inside the grommets facing up and then put the heatshield on and screw downwards? Is this correct? It made the heatshield sit at an angle but I couldn't see any other way of doing it. Is this how the holders should be in the grommets?



Lastly, I couldn't get the plastic piece that the map sensor plugs into to thread in all the way. Is this a big deal?



I know some of these are stupid questions but I just want to make sure I did this right.

 

The washers and plastic "other thing" go where the bolt goes through the provided bracket (the black "L" shaped bracket you switched out) and secures the AF1 tube from the bottom.

The grommets look fine and your heatshield appears to be sitting fine.

The black plastic vacuum line thing that screws into the AF1 tube is also my biggest (and really only) beef with the AF1. This really should be a SS piece imo. Basically it looks ok and about where I had mine but I took pliers and very carefully tightened it down to where there was only like 1 thread showing. Someone else hopefully can chime in but I held my breath for fear of breaking that when tightening it but it worked and it's tougher than I thought. I had mine at Troyers and they only adjusted the air filter slightly so I must have done the intall ok. Good luck and add those washers back in.

 

Oh OK. I may just leave it off. It seemed pretty sturdy without the washers and the stock bracket didn't have them.


Thanks for the reply.

 

Your install looks fine, grommets and the band clamp where they should be..

I'm sure there are difference between the hardware for the '05 (which I have) and your '06.. My vacuum line is just a friction fit, no nuts or anyhting to secure.

All that said, how do ya like the performance?

 

im looking to get an af1, but after seeing some peoples pics not everyone has a heat shield, do they come with oen when you order it and do u really need it? thanks
sorry for hijacking your thread

 

Mine came with one, but I didn't install it. I lost one of those rubber grommets and haven't had time to run to auto-zone or somewhere and get another one.

No problems with or without the heat shield, and the heat doesn't really get to it the filter anyway. There is enough circulation from the fan to keep the ambient air temperature what it is outside the engine compartment.

 

I've seen that as well. My assumption was that they either had different year models or different engine (4.6). I have the 5.4.

Mine came with it.

 

yea i have the 5.4 too in my 00
thanks man

 

The way I look at the "heat-shield" on the AF1 is, well, not so much as a heat-shield as a debris blocker.. lol

The top of the thing mates closely to the underside of the hood so basically it's open on two sides.. towards the front of the vehicle and towards the opening in the wheelwell that the stock intake attaches to. All of which increases the free flow of air that is really what an aftermarket intake is all about.

Usual caveats about running through mud and all, yadda yadda..

 

To be honest Tex it's hard for me to measure the performance difference. I switched from Edge level 3 & K & N drop in to Troyer Xcal 3 & AF1 3.5" in the same night. The first couple of times I floored it I was thinking to myself...."is this thing faster?" I think it feels faster overall (think) is the key word. I need to get some more driving under my belt before I can say that or not. Even if it is it's not a HUGE difference from before. It's not like slapping a supercharger on there.

Sounds great though and there's not whistling.

 

I hear ya.. I'd say give the strategy a few dozen drive cycles / couple hundred miles to get settled.. though running the Edge level 3 before you may not feel a huge difference..

I went from running the AF1 with stock tunes (which did make a noticeable difference) to Troyers tunes..

The adavantage with the AF1 on stock tunes was better throttle response at mid to high rpm, say 3,500 and up.. So I'm pretty sure that you were getting that from your Edge.

I will say that running Troyer's tunes has changed the sound I get from the intake.. It's hard to describe, mostly the lack of the "whoosh" I used to hear when first stepping on it.. It's as if now the induction happens so fast that the "whoosh" sound doesn't propegate.. Maybe I'm just crazy tho.. LOL

 

You just summed up exactly what the problem was. I had forgotten that adding intakes usually drops your throttle response but gain overall power. That's probably what I've been experiencing. I've had intakes on two other cars and it did exactly that.

The Troyer tune initial pedal feel is more sensitive than Edge was but once you're past that point it takes more throttle to equal what I had to do before. The last couple days I've driving I notice I had to lay into it more than I used to get it going. However, at higher throttle applications I definitely notice a power increase from before, especially at WOT. Remember Tex, I didn't have AF1 before tune. I'm running 3.5" intake so I added both at once. I actually forgot that and put it back to stock tune the other day and my truck was running like crap. I was like WHOOPS! I forgot I had 3.5"!

Overall, I'm pleased with the new setup. There is no whoosing or whisteling noise like the annoying sound K & N makes. I hate that. And the sound at WOT is awesome. Combined with my exhaust I love the way it sounds at WOT.

Troyers shifts are different than Edge's too. While at WOT they aren't too different, under regular driving they are smoother but also slower. So when I go to step it up in traffic sometimes I'm forgetting it's going to take a little longer to drop a gear than before. Edge would just slam it. I've also noticed that Troyer tune doesn't always drop to the lower gear like Edge would have. Sometimes it just keeps it in the higher gear, which is probably better for the transmission than slamming it back in first at 20+ mph. The main reason I switched to Troyer was I wanted maximum power and the 3.5" intake. I can't run that with the Edge so I went ahead and go Troyer. While the butt dyno probably wouldn't have noticed a huge difference from before if I didn't add the intake I'm sure Troyer tune has a better power curve and would lay down more hp on the dyno. Either way, I'm happy.

I'm taking it to the strip tomorrow so we'll see what she runs. I'm hoping my last 3 mods will net 15's in this thing.

:crosses fingers: