I'm looking into getting a FIPK system for my 5.4 and wanted to get a general feel for what you all are running and the performance gains that you've achieved with that mod...

Ironically, the ones that the f150online.com store are selling were my three choices (and seemingly the three most popular ones)

https://www.f150online.com/cgi-bin/f....html&CODE=150

K&N?

Airaid?

Airforce 1?



What should I go with... pros and cons?

Thanks in advance...and I realize this thread has come and gone numerous times... I've done searches and read some past information but, I'm curious to hear current opinions...

RP

 

Hey Rock, this response ought to generate some comments from our peers. Here's my $.02 based upon research I did recently for my 2001 Screw.

The best product out there - Airforce 1.
The least impressive product (my opinion) - K&N.
Airaid's a good product and falls just short of the Airforce 1 unit in both performance gains and out-of-pocket expense.

Now after the aforementioned comments, let me tell you which direction I went. I shopped Ebay and bought a generic FIPK which included a chromed aluminum intake tube (looks somewhat like the Airforce 1 product). I then purchased through my local parts store a 9 inch Airaid filter (bigger and superior to the filter included in the kit). What I ended up with was a good looking kit that breathes way better than the stock airbox for a little less than half the cost of the Airforce 1 kit. As a side benefit, I also have a backup filter to use for a day or two when I clean the Airaid filter. Do I get as big a horsepower increase with my unit as I would have with the Airforce 1 kit? Who knows, but I'd bet the results would be real close. Real world on FIPK's anyway, based upon what I've read, all the HP gains are overstated.

If you're curious what my final FIPK looked like installed, here ya go.

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...1881&anum=3109

At any rate, like I said before, this is just my $.02 on the topic. The hundred bucks or so I saved on my FIPK install, I put toward a stainless Magnaflow cat-back system I bought from Mike Troyer for the truck. Wanted to make sure I improved both the intake and exhaust side of the equation.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Go with an open element FIPK.

That is unless you are going to take a sawzall to the inside fender of your truck, and hog out the opening.

Any kit that uses the stock fender draw is not going to all for the same amount of lbs/min rate through the MAFS as an open element.

As for the hot air story on open element FIPKs, don't buy into it.
I did a thread on FIPKs and intake air temp, and found that at most in summer heat ( 100+ temps ) that the AIT is about 5* hotter then the outside ambient air temps.

I just got my 6 point temp probe for my PC, so until next summer I will not be able to post about fender well temps, to see if under driving considerations if the fender is any cooler then the under hood temps.

FTW did the tests that showed the K&N produced the most HP increase under closed hood dyno pulls.

If you want the coolest looking FIPK, that provides more lbs/min flow rates, look at the ROUSHFAN-1 FIPK. It is a WMS V-Tube and JLP air ram air box combo, fitted to the N/A 5.4. I used break duct, and duct hose for the dual 3" feeds to the airbox, routed to my PIAA airdam.
https://www.f150online.com/galleries...4079&anum=1916


I did the AutoTap logs, and they showed that this out flowed the K&N, while keeping the A/F ratio close to 14.7:1.

My gallery has some pics of the installed kit on a 5.4, and ROUSHFAN-1 has pics in his that show the install as well.

The only custom part of the install is cutting off 1.25" off the airbox end of the WMS V-tube, adn getting a 3" to 3" rubber coupling from the performance section of HD ( aka plumbing ), for hooking it up to the MAFS mounted on the JLP Air box.
https://www.f150online.com/galleries...3804&anum=2028

 

Thanks guys for the input. SSCULLY, a very informative post but, I'm somewhat in the dark on what everything means. I'm not very 'up to snuff' on the details of the FIPKs... I guess I'm just looking for, somewhat of, a simple answer of sorts. I know that's a slew of information but, I'm having trouble making heads or tails of it because I know so little when it comes to these things...

RP

 

Look to the open filter FIPKs as the field of choice.

Narrowing it down to these, should help a bit.

The K&N is a nice piece of equipment, this was the first one I had.

If you want a little more narrowed down, open element filter, pleats in the end of the filter is the best design, rather then a chrome cap on the end of it.
This filter design allows for more air flow then one with the cap on the end of it.

Does this post make more sense then my last one ?

 

Absolutely SSCULLY... I sincerely appreciate the information!!

 

I agree. By far the coolest FIPK setup is ROUSHFAN-1's. I looked it over long and hard before making a decision for my truck. But did you price that setup? Between the WMS V-Tube and JLP ram air box combo you're talking upwards of $400 to the door, not to mention the addition installation effort. My question to you is (because I've read your other posts on this topic, and feel you have a very good grasp of this issue), which makes more 'horse sense' for everyday service: My $120 setup (see my previous post), or going to a setup like ROUSHFAN-1's? By the looks of ROCKPICK's truck, I don't think he's after ET's, but instead, a little more real-world HP (hence his three choices thus far). ROCKPICK, correct me if I'm wrong on this. If I had a Lightning or a new supercharged HD truck, I'd definitely be on the phone to JLP. But for my NA 5.4L used as my daily driver, I felt my selection made more sense.

Do you think ROUSHFAN-1 gets significantly more HP out of his setup than I get out of mine? If I had to guess, I'd bet his wouldn't render more than a mid single digit increase in HP over my, at an additional cost of $250 to $300.

Again, this reply was not an attempt to flame anyone, simply to pose a couple questions and/or offer a little different perspective on the topic.

 

Did I price it, heck I bought it and put it on.
While I was not intentionally trying to steer Rockpick towards this setup, in other posts I have noted that the additional costs for the additional lbs/min to the engine ( which adds fuel to keep the A/F in check ) might not be worth the money for some ( make that most people ).
As for the FIPK off eBay, I have asked a few, but I cannot get a dyno run nor a AutoTap log from it to know if it is close to the K&N in terms of HP added or lbs/min of additional flow through the MAFS.
K&N to the ROUSHFAN-1 ( BTW I am just calling it that, he does not sell them ), was a slight increase, and the double the cost might not be worth it to most.
If you want to give your eBay FIPK a quick pick me up, check the size of the inlet, and look for a reusable filter that has pleats on the end of it. This seems to be a source of some of the additional airflow, but I am sure the dual 3" inlets are part of that as well.
So with that said, if you know anyone with a copy of AutoTap on a laptop I would be very interested in seeing the logs from them
Email me if you want the configs for the logging, and note if you have the newer rev software as the config files are not backwards compatiable ( I saved my old ones also )

Actually it is hard to say, he also has an upgraded T/B so it could be more then that. I am planning on upgrading my T/B this spring, thus the reason I went with that FIPK style ( after the experiment proved the theory true ).

But with my planned T/B upgrade this spring, I might be looking down the barrel of fuel delivery upgrades ( pump, injectors, etc ) and maybe even a MAFS upgrade ( and associated chip reburn ), so that starts to look to be a HUGE upgrade for what some see as a minimal gain ( some claim perversly low numbers on this upgrade, but I have to defer without my own data ).

The bottom line, anything should be better then the stock intake and draw point, but how much more depends on the mfgr of the FIPK.
If you like your FIPK, then go with it. If you don't do the dyno sheet thing, then you are all set. No problems with that stance, you noted why you got it, and that the dyno was the SOTP dyno.
Me I only know if what I am doing really works with an actual dyno pull, as the last time I had my rear end calibrated it showed a 26% margin of error, so I stop using it for comparing mods, and went back to why I have it, for sitting on ( prior use giving my dad a place to plant his foot )

 

Brain overload... must rest brain... too much information...

Number 5 is alive!

Danger Will Robinson... Danger...


RP

 

SSCULLY....... Apparently your father and mine have had a similar past use for their foot. Sure wish I'd have visited your gallery before I composed my last post. By the way, when your truck is in the garage, can you get a piece of paper to slide between your back bumper and the back wall of your garage. Talk about tight fit!

In regards to your comments about me having any numbers on my current setup, I'm in the process of scheduling a dyno session here locally sometime in the near future, after which I'll try and get you some numbers of where I'm at. (Have already had the truck weighed in prep for that appointment.) Thought I'd try and set a baseline with my FIPK and Magnaflow cat-back installed, prior to installation of the SuperChips Micro-Tuner I'm going to order form Mike Troyer next week. Be fun to see what difference that mod will make. The Micro-Tuner is the last performance mod the right side of my brain will allow for my current truck.

I know we've gotten way off the track here (sorry ROCKPICK) so I'll close this reply with my thanks for your comments.

 

Sorry guess you are not doing the straight up S?OTP dyno work with mods. I wish I has spent more on Dyno runs so I could have a before and after each mod. I still might do that, starting with the Cat back only, then add things back one at a time, to know 100% what each one did, rather then the total of them all.

Yes, I do have my truck shifted all the way to the back, so I can get my Connie out the door without having to move the truck out of the way. Also handy that the snow blower is there as well.

I think that Rockpick will need to start a new thread, so he can get some additional comments.
Rockpick, next time I'll stay out of it, so you can get some mroe input. Me thinks that some might read this thread, and opt not to post a reply ( I'd rather they still did, sometimes I get a little too carried away in research of mods, and to alot it is overboard )

 

HAHA! You? Carried away with research of mods? Nooooo! Not you! LOL

I'm afraid to start a new thread... you might post there too! LOL!

Nah, seriously, I'm begining to see that this murky mud that I've been looking over actually has a few clear spots in it. I can't begin to explain where those clear spots are because I've hired a team of experts to sort through this thread and report back to me on their findings. LOL


RP

 

Rockpick,

Did you ever get your report back

I was curious to find out which FIPK you went with, if any yet ?

 

HAHAHA! Nope, haven't done anything yet. Heck, I haven't been at home long enough to even get it done....

Work has me travelling all over the US lately but, I anticipate a slight slow down towards the begining of the second quarter. God willing, I'll be sleeping in my own bed more often rather than out here in Yakima, Washington.

RP