Replace your vehicle’s factory intake with a high-performance cold air intake setup. Cold air intake systems unleash greater horsepower and torque by forcing a burst of fresh oxygen into your engine. Plus, shopping at AutoAnything doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Browse our virtual shelves to find the top names in the performance intake market at a fraction of the price. Additionally, you can save even more money by teaching yourself how to install a cold air intake.
In This Article...
Choosing the right intake brand
You have a few options when picking a cold air intake. Your horsepower and torque will rise, and your fuel efficiency will improve thanks to the Spectre Cold Air Intake. Since it is manufactured specifically for your year, make, and model, it fits flawlessly and is simple to install. Additionally, a Lifetime Warranty is included.
The Volant Cold Air Intake, pictured at left, gives your vehicle significant power increases as well. Most versions install in an hour or less, and its molded polyethylene ducts are made to provide your engine with a clear, cool route.
More top-notch cold intakes brands
Check out the reviews on our site if you’re still not sure which cold air intake is best for your car. Reports on intakes are available for every brand and design we provide, including K&N and Injen.
When you order from AutoAnything, you can be sure you’re receiving the greatest bargain available regardless of the cold air intake you decide on. We offer a 1-Year, Lower Price Guarantee on every order, whether you select a CAI from aFe or AEM. We also provide free shipping on more than 99% of all orders.
Once you choose the right brand, here’s how you install
It’s time to install your cold air intake once you have it. You can simply install it yourself by following the procedures below, so don’t waste money having the dealer or a body shop do it.
- Ensure that the engine is comfortable to touch.
- Your battery cable should be disconnected from the negative terminal.
- Take off the old air intake.
- Connect the throttle body to the silicone coupling that was included with the CAI system.
- By tightening the hose clamp at the end, the coupling is made secure.
- Put a second hose clamp on the coupling’s front, but don’t tighten it yet.
- Make sure your intake pipe runs from the throttle bay away from the engine bay as you slide the intake tube into the silicone coupling.
Do cold air intakes make sense?
The short answer is yes to the question of whether a cold air intake system is eventually worthwhile. The advantages are still there and actively assisting in making your car function more efficiently, even if you aren’t aware of them.
Does a cold air intake increase engine noise?
An aftermarket cold air intake can produce the same amount of power as a turbocharger by increasing the amount of oxygen in your engine.
The little fuel that is burnt will be burned more effectively, which will increase horsepower.
It’s difficult to predict how much additional horsepower you’ll get because it depends on the kind of system you have.
Wider smooth-bore intake tubes in systems are less constrictive and permit more air to enter the combustion chamber.
Similar to this, systems with front-mounted air filters bring in colder air from high-pressure areas away from the main system.
Why is Cold Air Better for Your Engine?
Since warm air contains more oxygen per liter, it is naturally denser than cold air from a physics perspective.
We can move our arms through loosely packed warm water, but when it turns into solid ice, the molecules become more rigid.
The oxygen molecules pack more tightly into a smaller volume when the air cools. hence, as you pass cooler
Does Cold Air Intake Make a Car Faster?
Although it won’t actually make your car go quicker, a cold air intake can help boost horsepower and acceleration.
A more effective combustion reaction results from the increase in oxygen entering the vehicle engine’s combustion chamber.
When you step on the accelerator, you’ll notice the difference as your automobile burns fuel more effectively.
Do cool air intakes increase gas burn?
Your vehicle’s fuel efficiency will undoubtedly suffer from off-road performance design. Bolt-on goods can help to some amount, but not enough to make up for these losses. Be aware that none of the individual changes listed below will, by itself, significantly improve fuel performance. The improvements you can make also rely on how your car is currently configured and how you drive. We have provided average returns that were compiled from a variety of sources. You could have a different experience.
Off-road vehicles typically have subpar aerodynamics. Your rig’s front becomes wider and thicker due to a suspension lift and large tires, which prevents your vehicle from effectively cutting through the air. The issue is made worse by additional common extras like bars, bumpers, lights, and racks. Your fuel economy suffers more from poor aerodynamics at higher speeds. Pick a lower lift and smaller tires if you are just starting to build up your vehicle. Reduce the number of external bolt-on components to a minimum. If your car is already built, you’ll need to drive more carefully to make up for the bad aerodynamics.
Also, don’t forget to take off any unnecessary equipment. For instance, unload your off-road gear and leave it in the garage if you’re only traveling to work. Making certain specialized removable components that deflect airflow away from the vehicle body is a more extreme tactic. You can possibly increase your fuel economy by 3 to 4 mpg while traveling at interstate speeds.
Replacing a performance camshaft with a milder one can be advantageous in some cases. In general, stock camshafts are rather fuel-efficient. If you already have the stock model, it might not be cost-effective to upgrade to an economy or RV cam given the possible benefits. Once your standard cam actually has to be changed, you might want to consider an economical alternative.
Compression ratio increase – An engine with a higher ratio will use less fuel than one with a lower ratio. You might see an improvement of roughly 5% if you switch an 8:1 engine to a 9:1. Be aware that a ratio greater than 9.5:1 may make it difficult for an older engine to operate without pinging.
Other engine improvements – You can use roller rockers, roller lifters, and light valve spring tensions to reduce internal friction in your engine. This could result in an improvement of about 1%. Exhaust changes can boost combustion and volumetric efficiency. Some suggestions include enlarging the exhaust values and applying heat coatings to the piston crowns and combustion chamber. Except in cases where an engine repair is already planned, these truly aren’t efficient solutions.
Upgrades to the exhaust system – Depending on what is currently on your car, changing the exhaust system can occasionally result in significant fuel economy gains. Long-tube headers, cat-back exhaust systems with mandrel-bent pipes, and low-restriction mufflers can all be useful. Your gains might be between 1% and 10%. Installing shorty headers may also result in a nice improvement if your factory manifold is extremely wasteful.
Fuel system adjustments – Replacing an old carburetor with a new one with a low CFM rating can result in a 2% improvement. Depending on the EFI’s programming, you might be able to acquire a comparable advantage by upgrading your carburetor using a bolt-on EFI kit.
- developers – With a programmer or chip for your gas engine, you can see a slight improvement in fuel efficiency. Make sure the programmer you choose offers custom tuning possibilities. To increase your mpg, experiment with the timing and shift points. On the lowest level setting, a programmer can improve your fuel pressure and timing if you’re driving a diesel.
- Depending on the aftermarket intake manifold, some can increase fuel efficiency while others are just made to increase performance at high rpms. Review the specifications before you purchase so you will know what to anticipate.
- Cold air intake: Cold air intakes only increase fuel economy to the extent that the air delivered by them is truly colder than the air supplied by your standard intake.
- Air cleaners and filters – In general, air cleaners and filters don’t contribute much to fuel economy.
Gearing – The most fuel-efficient gearing is the OE gearing if your tires are stock. But when you alter your tire size, everything is different. Although there are numerous other elements at work, gear changes do affect fuel economy. Examples include the weight, weight distribution, and torque curve of the engine. No matter how quickly you’re moving, the taller tires on an off-road vehicle minimize the engine rpm. The engine needs to use more effort to accelerate, which is a disadvantage. As a result, you can experience higher fuel efficiency while driving at a steady speed on the motorway and worse fuel efficiency while beginning and stopping on local streets. Low gearing can be beneficial since it allows you to accelerate quickly without applying as much throttle.
Your engine will operate most efficiently in a certain cruising rpm range. If the engine has the torque to carry the load at that speed, this often occurs in the lower third of the torque plateau. If not, you have to drag the engine while keeping the throttle open in order to maintain speed. And it burns through a lot of fuel. You can get away with running the engine at a few more rpms than standard without negatively impacting your mpg performance if the engine can maintain the extra speed with less throttle.
Upgrades to the ignition system could result in minor improvements. Hotter coils and ignition modules, performance plug wires, and better spark plugs are a few examples. What you replace will have a big impact on any improvement. Also, if your vehicle has a distributor, you’ll probably see a bigger difference. Altering your time advance curve and parameters is another option. If you know what you’re doing, optimizing these parameters could result in an improvement of up to 5%.
a lubricant swap Use the lightest oil that is suitable for your environment and driving circumstances to get the optimum mileage. You might also try switching to a slick synthetic oil, which, depending on what it replaces, will contribute varying amounts of fuel efficiency.
Converting to an electric fan will increase your fuel efficiency for motorway travel. Gains of between 5 and 10% are possible. This is presuming your engine is efficiently kept cool by your new electric fan. When driving in cities, the benefit is far less.
Tires: Better fuel efficiency is correlated with lower rolling resistance and friction. Maintaining the maximum tire pressure on the sidewall will reduce rolling resistance regardless of the type of tires you have. The disadvantage is a little reduction in the quality of your ride. Note that your fuel efficiency is also impacted by the type of tire you have. The most effective tires are highway tires, followed by all-terrain, mules, and mules with aggressive tread. The chemical also has an impact. Since hard rubber produces less friction than soft rubber, it is more effective.
We briefly discussed weight above. Your fuel efficiency can be significantly improved by minimizing the weight of your entire vehicle. Put your off-road gear aside for daily driving. If your gear weighs a few hundred pounds, taking it off could increase your miles per gallon by a few. This is presuming you go in a low-powered car. The benefits for large trucks with large engines won’t be as obvious, but they will probably accumulate over time. According to one research, a gas-powered Ford pickup gets 0.4 more miles per gallon when it is empty compared to when it is towing an 850-pound load.
What is the HP increase of a cold air intake?
A cold air intake, as the name suggests, boosts your engine’s performance by supplying it with cooler air. Normally, the standard air intake is located near the engine, where the air is somewhat warm. Since a cold air intake is located further from the engine, it can supply the engine with cooler air. Why is cold air preferable than warm air? Because there is more oxygen in cold air, there will be greater combustion in the engine. Power increases with combustion volume.
According to some reports, cold air intakes can increase your car’s horsepower by 5 to 20. Depending on the make and type of your car, this number will change. While there won’t be enough force to propel you back into your seat, this will give your automobile or truck a bit more oomph. So a cold air intake would be a fantastic place to start if you wanted to start customizing your car.
Do I have to remove the battery before installing the cold air intake?
Negative battery terminal disconnected. Disconnecting the battery will reset the PCM, allowing it to learn the new air/fuel ratios brought on by the cold air intake, so this isn’t just a precaution for the excessively careful.
What issues might a cold air intake bring about?
Engine performance loss is one of the most prevalent signs of a faulty or failing cold air intake. A filthy or clogged engine air filter used in the cold air intake can reduce power, acceleration, and fuel efficiency. In more extreme situations, a dirty air filter may also make it difficult to start the car.
Pros
By moving the engine air filter outside of the engine compartment in an effort to inhale colder air, the main advantage of cold air intake is that it increases power. In addition to being out of the engine compartment, it is frequently positioned low to the ground. There are two benefits to this. First off, because heat rises, it prevents hot air from the engine compartment, the brakes, or any other heated component from ascending. Additionally, this filter arrangement aims to draw in the densest air possible because colder air is more dense and denser air is lower. The more fuel that can be burned and the more power that can be produced for improved engine performance, the denser the air must be.
Cons
It is true that the cold air inlet usually receives denser air than the stock intake. However, it is frequently more expensive because it is longer and requires more complicated routing.
The installation process becomes more challenging and time-consuming as a result of the increased complexity.
The cold air intake system’s biggest strength can also be its biggest drawback. More specifically, it’s because of where the filter is located.
To draw in colder, denser air, a low-profile filter outside the engine bay is ideal. However, there is also a lot of dampness and trash in that area. No matter how advantageous it might be, it won’t matter if your intake contains a lot of water. Your car’s engine may hydrolock and suffer irreparable harm if it ingests a substantial amount of water.