Cold Air Intakes..................

[94StewFord]

I am a big fan of K&N, but $300 for basically a filter?

What are you guys running and which is the best?

Thank you!

 

[ttocs]

holy hell I have not priced those for a decade or so, is that really what they get now?

 

[joemomma]

The BBK is in the $250 range, last I looked. The $50 eBay kits looks almost identical, FWIW.

 

[07GtS197]

They don’t do a lot. I’d look on eBay for a used one.

 

[ttocs]

how picky are you on looks? From what I have seen the bbk's do seem to hold up better as for looks but that might just be because after paying that much for them they take care of them more/better

 

[OpalFrostGT]

I just threw away a K&N filter! Replaced it with a Ford paper filter. Never really cared for K&N filters.
I know, "Let the beatings begin!" LOL

 

[RAU03MACH]

i bought a jlt kit not that long ago for 250 , i still say go to lows plumbing you can build one cheaper and better they have all sizes and the rubber seals as well , when mine are toast thats what ill be doing next , overpriced stuff from china

 

[94StewFord]

holy hell I have not priced those for a decade or so, is that really what they get now?

$299.99!

 

[Daryl]

Mine came with the BBK when I bought it 2 years ago, so I don’t know the cost but I do know it’s a PITA to R&R/service the filter! Tubing runs through the passenger side inner fender well (easy enough) but the filter hangs down between the front of the tire and the backside of the front bumper. My car is lowered, so I have to jack up that corner just to get under and get to it. Yes…. Removing and reinstalling the filter can get frustrating, especially finagling the clamp! Errrrrrrgh!

 

[94StewFord]

Mine came with the BBK when I bought it 2 years ago, so I don’t know the cost but I do know it’s a PITA to R&R/service the filter! Tubing runs through the passenger side inner fender well (easy enough) but the filter hangs down between the front of the tire and the backside of the front bumper. My car is lowered, so I have to jack up that corner just to get under and get to it. Yes…. Removing and reinstalling the filter can get frustrating, especially finagling the clamp! Errrrrrrgh!

That's why I like the K&N as it's in the engine bay and easy to service, but the price!

 

[itsell]

I am a big fan of K&N, but $300 for basically a filter?

What are you guys running and which is the best?

Thank you!

Don’t get any cold air intake that puts the air filter inside the engine compartment, if you do you’ve just installed a hot air intake…. The best is any that puts the filter inside the fender well. That being said there’s really nothing wrong with the factory cold air intake. When I bought my car it had that K&N on it. It drove like crap, and bucked around at low speeds. I found a factory air box on eBay and after it drove perfectly. I didn’t even sell the K&N, and won’t because I wouldn’t wish that garbage upon anyone.

 

[94StewFord]

Don’t get any cold air intake that puts the air filter inside the engine compartment, if you do you’ve just installed a hot air intake…. The best is any that puts the filter inside the fender well. That being said there’s really nothing wrong with the factory cold air intake. When I bought my car it had that K&N on it. It drove like crap, and bucked around at low speeds. I found a factory air box on eBay and after it drove perfectly. I didn’t even sell the K&N, and won’t because I wouldn’t wish that garbage upon anyone.

I'll take it! Hell, I will even pay shipping!

 

[TrickVert]

As mentioned above, the "cold-air intakes" that put the filter in the engine bay are garbage, and the factory air box and intake tract are completely adequate even for mild HCI builds.

 

[tinnocker]

I went down this road about 6 months ago, figuring $200/300 was too much when the one's on ebay looked the same. I bought one from ebay that went in the fender well (cold air) but then saw that changing the filter was going to be a nightmare. The tubing on the cheap one fit good and looked as good as the BBK in the pictures. I did some cutting on it and now the filter is directly in front of the hole but is now easy to access the filter. It still should pull in mostly cool air. The cone filter that came on it looked ok but I didn't want to take any chances so then I researched filters. I forgot what brand I bought , in the $35/$45 range, but the quality compared to the other was much better. I had to modify the stock bracket to stabilize the filter end but I am happy with the outcome. I would post a picture but my car is in the shop. Carbed cars almost always got their "hot" air from under the hood with the filter directly on top of the carb. Don't call the one's under the hood garbage! I bet there is no more than 5 hp difference, if that much. What ever the difference there would be no 'seat of the pants feel' in the fender well filter vs, one on the other side of the intake hole in the fender.

 

[tinnocker]

I found my paperwork on my filter and it was the Spectrum brand for $28.94. And this is the cold air intake that I bought https://www.ebay.com/itm/233487514254

 

[itsell]

I went down this road about 6 months ago, figuring $200/300 was too much when the one's on ebay looked the same. I bought one from ebay that went in the fender well (cold air) but then saw that changing the filter was going to be a nightmare. The tubing on the cheap one fit good and looked as good as the BBK in the pictures. I did some cutting on it and now the filter is directly in front of the hole but is now easy to access the filter. It still should pull in mostly cool air. The cone filter that came on it looked ok but I didn't want to take any chances so then I researched filters. I forgot what brand I bought , in the $35/$45 range, but the quality compared to the other was much better. I had to modify the stock bracket to stabilize the filter end but I am happy with the outcome. I would post a picture but my car is in the shop. Carbed cars almost always got their "hot" air from under the hood with the filter directly on top of the carb. Don't call the one's under the hood garbage! I bet there is no more than 5 hp difference, if that much. What ever the difference there would be no 'seat of the pants feel' in the fender well filter vs, one on the other side of the intake hole in the fender.

back when cars were carburated there were also many solutions to the hot air problem such as cowl induction hoods, or pipes that would draw cool air via tubes from fenders directly to the carburetor. take a look at the setup on a Fox-body before they were fuel-injected, that's exactly how its induction was set up. My point is, why would you remove a factory cold air unit and intentionally take it backwards in technology to underhood air induction? if you like the K&N, just buy a replacement filter for the factory cold air box, they make a filter that goes in there.

 

[tinnocker]

$56.99 on ebay so less than $100 total.

 

[RAU03MACH]

i do want to to go back to a ram air on my mach 1 and to away with the cold air intake just a direct ram air to the throttle body with a filter of some sort i am working on something
and i also want to ram air my 98 when i make some changes

 

[TrickVert]

..... Don't call the one's under the hood garbage! I bet there is no more than 5 hp difference, if that much. What ever the difference there would be no 'seat of the pants feel' in the fender well filter vs, one on the other side of the intake hole in the fender.

OK, I'll qualify my statement: "Unless you're building a race-only car and/or an engine requiring airflow volume which exceeds the factory system's capability and have no other option... the "cold-air intakes" that put the filter in the engine bay are garbage because they typically come with substandard filters *and* suck hot air which decreases performance and in some cases can affect drivability."

Yes, they look cool, and just like intake spacers, huge throttle bodies, and big MAF's, they're advertised to add a bazillion horsepower, so people will continue to buy and install them, reality be damned.

As for the filter being in the fenderwell being a "nightmare," if you lie on your back and reach up in there, the location is pretty easy to access, especially for the once a year or so it may need to be cleaned. (Do it when you change the oil, Daryl.)

I'll use the "g" word one last time to describe just about any aftermarket oiled filter that comes with those "performance" intakes as well (even K&N, which I used to use in many vehicles and still do on my '95, since a cone filter is the only option for my setup and I drive the car about 2,500 miles each year if I'm lucky.) Watch this video, and pay particular attention to the graph shown at 15:33:

How do you feel about that cheap gauze filter, now?

EDIT: Here's the comparison graph for those who don't want to watch/search the video.

 

[ttocs]

I would say not to go too cheap on the filter. I have seen pics of mainly higher HP cars that ran a cheap filter and it was moving enough air through it that the filter was starting to fall apart because it was so cheap.