so i bought an S&B cai for my 2002 5.4 because air force one went out of business. im not impressed with it at all. it did help with power but the thing overall sucks as far as build and quality. i dont like the filter and the "shrowd" for sheilding the hot air out is a complete joke. i want to get a different one. whats the best one now a days? what are you guys liking? last i looked into them, i was gunna get a brute force which is a dry filter, but i just wanna make sure i get the best one possible. thank you guys.

 

Save yourself some money and do the gotts mod. It's cheap, easy and works just as well, if not better than any aftermarket CAI you can buy. It may not look as pretty but it will save you hundreds of dollars and be just as effective.

 

yup, gotts intake mod for the win

 

^x3

 

Unless you have a custom tune, a CAI is not doing much for you but thinning your wallet. Do the Gotts.

 

hey man i'm fairly new to this forum, just wondering what is the gotts mod?

 

The gotts mod is an easy and cheap way to get cooler air into your factory intake. In it's factory state, the intake is pretty good but a few simple steps will get you even cooler air and mild performance gains.

Gotts Mod: How To

 

Yea, as long as you already have the 3" tube, that's all you need to do is open up the wheel well a little. Any of the 3" tube variations will work. Personally, I just use the factory box w/gotts and Volant piping. That's so I can run a Nano fiber dry element. That's the best combo I've run and I've had a few lol.

The Volant box is the best built box that I've personally seen,- for the 97-03. It's a solid heavy composite. I don't use it yet, -I need to order up an Amsoil dry for it yet. If I can get one, haven't checked.

 

maybe just keep it stock. or do the gotts mod...I have an Airaid that was installed by the previous owner. I am not impressed. All it does is draw hot air from under the hood. I would rather have the factory setup on it....

 

If you do an online search for “air filter test” there is a lot of very good information. IMHO, the CAI units are NOT WORTH THE $$! Unless you are talking about a system that was specifically designed for a specific application there are very little hp/tq gains actually achieved in a street use vehicle and there are very few docs that these mfg’s can produce that actually show an increase in hp/tq in the power-band range of a relatively stock street vehicle.

I would avoid oil impregnated filters. While they have their purpose in off-road applications, Ford/GM/Dodge all have “watch-out” bulletins where the oil has contaminated intake sensors. - they even have a training video for the tech's on this (flatratetech.com) .

If you look at the flow data, WIX HP filters flow 98+% of K&N and have a much smoother flow post filter plus excellent filtering, for a fraction of the price! The OE’s have an excellent air intake system. What many view as an issue (is the plastic intake tube with it’s noise canceling design) actually increases air pressure. It is the same hydraulic concept used by fire fighters creating water supply where psi is low. By having the air cross the path at a 90 degree angle, the pressure is increased proportionally. Fire fighters use what is called a “4-way valve” or “Blake Valve” at the hydrant where the water is cycled through the fire engine (pump) and sent back into the valve crossing the water flow at a 90 degree angle. In this case it also acts as a sound canceling device! At low speeds, this can reduce the flow a tad (which is what most “feel”), but in terms of peak hp/tq, a good high flow filter is all that is needed. You can use a WIX OEM HP replacement filter in the OEM plastic manifold box and either remove the plastic tube and replace it with a piece of pipe/hose, etc or remove the tube completely and replace the tube by building an air ram type intake into the air box manifold (where the pipe use to attach)- make sure ti terminates above the fan shroud to avoid water intake or fan induced pulsations.

 

Not exactly sure how you increase pressure thru the OEM design. If so , that's beyond me and some killer engineering. Noise canceling yes, induction noise and the fricken IAC on the older modular's.

Wix have always been good, -always. The nano-fiber media is an upgrade to that and cheaper in the long run. I haven't seen a dry element that worked as well, or one that last as long. Maintaining one is to simple lol.

Yea, by building pressure, I take it your referring to forcing more air into the into intake. I can't see that. With a more direct path (tube) , you have air on demand. A straight shot. It's only going to require what it needs unless you force it. And we all know how to do that lol.

Yea, Oiled filters are a thing of the past.

 

i already have a custom tune, and also i have long tube headers, magnaflow cats, a bigger throttle body, and a 3 inch magnaflow exhaust. thats the main reason i ask if there is a better cold air intake. but i do still have my stock intake setup in a box so i could do that. i do like that sound that a cold air makes though, lol. but let me know if i can benefit any by going with a different CAI or if you guys still recommend GOTTS and a wix. and yes, i agree, the wix is the premium filter out there. i used to sell them, they are a good quality product. hard to beat.

thank you all for replying

 

Any one have pics of it being done (gotts mod)

 

my next Question are out door temps go way below zero -15 to -20 some times all so we get a lot of slush, snow ect how would a gotts set up work for me

 

Courtesy of Tarajerame


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