Has anyone put an airaid into a V6 F150 that is between 97 and 03?

I really am considering it, but $180 is a lot of money for an 8 HP boost.

If I'm not going to notice any sort of difference from the K&N air filter that is supposed to give a 5 HP boost, I'm not sure if 3HP is worth $180.

Anyone have one of these and can vouch that it makes a significant improvement?

 

Well, I put a MAC intake on my v6. Today while sitting in traffic I had a woman in a car riding my a$$, and I "accidently" slipped the clutch while applying moderate throttle and roasted the tires. Well...tire. I don't have LS. I was like holy shiat batman! I notice now that it's alot easier to "light the tires up" than before I had the intake installed. It will add a noticable amount of pep, but nothing drastic like nos or a blower.

 

i just purchased an AF1 intake for my truck and it should be coming in soon. AF1 is supposed to give the most sound, most power, and it looks the best of all intakes, cept its about $240; a small price to pay for the best on the market...

 

This is the MAC intake ($150).



Not much difference from the AF1 ($240) except the AF1 has a polished stainless tube, and the MAC uses a chrome-powdercoated stainless tube. MAC advertises a dyno proven 12.6 hp gain for the 4.2L V6 using the MAC intake.

They're basically the same setup and I'm sure they perform very close to each other. But the AF1 costs more because of the name.

MAC= Dyno proven + cheaper + looks good
AF1= Dyno proven + more expensive + looks good

It all depends on what you want and how much you want to spend.

 

The AIRAID is a good choice too. Everyone that has one says they like it.

 

wow, they both seem like great choices. This is a prime reason why this board kicks so much ***. I think I'm going to stay away from the Airaid - I just don't feel confident that it will be able to give me what I want. I'll probably take a look at the AF1 and then settle with MAC when reality hits :-)

Another question - how hard is it to install this system? When it comes to cars I have a little bit of mental retardation since I am not used to pulling things out from the hood (this is the first truck I've ever owned that was worthy of upgrading).

 

I have an Airaid on my '99. Before I put it on I had a drop in K&N stock replacement filter.

The K&N drop in replacement filter did NOTHING for performance or mileage. The only positive thing about it is it might save you some $ over the life of the vehicle on air filters.

The Airaid added a noticeable improvement in power above 3000 rpm. It did not add power below that (certainliy not below 2500 rpm). It also adds alot of intake noise at wide open throttle (truck sounds faster). At light throttle and low rpm, the truck feels exactly like stock. Hard to say if it gives a mileage improvement. If so, not much.

The Airaid is a very easy install, but when I put mine on 6 years ago, the instructions that came with it SUCKED. Good thing it is very easy (about 1/2 hour with simple hand tools).

 

I'm really glad you said that - when I put in my K&N replacement filter, I like you noticed ZERO improvement in performance or MPG. Between AF1, MAC, Airraid, and K&N I'm going to have a lot to choose from. I think I'm going to go with MAC though because of the proven 12 pony improvement. Plus, that thing looks really sweet sitting in Peacemaker's, so I wouldn't mind having that look either!

 

I agree the chromed tube looks better. If I were doing it over, I'd probably go that way, too.

My guess is if you were to dyno the FIPK systems back to back on the same truck, there would be very little difference in performance. IMO, eliminating the stock air box is probably where most of the high rpm power gains come from.

 

Hey thanks for the compliment. Get te MAC, you'll love it.

 

If you dont have a repair manual for the truck, get one, b/c it will help when you try to remove the mass airflow sensor. Don't forget to take out the air temp sensor and the vacuum tube from the valve cover from the stock intake, and to reinstall them. On the vacuum tube place some sort of liquid or lubricant on the end of the vacuum tube when you reinstall it, makes your like easier.

 

The only difference between a MAC intake and a AF1 intake is the tube. AF1 uses a stainless steel tube, which leaves the air cooler longer than any other brand of intakes. Some people say their AF1's are still cold, the tube that is, even after driving for extended periods of time. The AF1's will give make a 1-2 hp increase compared to the MAC simply because it's colder. They both look great, cept AF1, since claimed to be the best, is $240.

 

Why does the AirAid website say that the HP gains are only 8 hp when some people say that the gains in hp are more like 12? Is 12 the result of Dyno testing, or what?

 

Guys, I decided to go with Airaid......

Will I regret it? Who knows. All I know is that an extra $60 for the AF1 was ri-damn-diculous and way over my budget for this kind of mod.

I appreciate all the advice that people gave me. I took it all to heart! It probably won't look as good as Peacemaker's MAC but oh well. I worry that I won't see much of an advantage since the Airaid tube isn't stainless. Since I'm a newbie, I just hope my truck RUNS after I get through with it. Maybe this is a stepping stone for me to end up with an AF1.

If you hear screaming from Ft. Worth, it's because someone just f'ed up a rather simple CAI mod

 

I have an Airraid, and it works, I like and I think its a good product. with a new exhausr systems you will feel it.