Air filter system replacement - AFE or Scotty3?

[BigCarl64]

I can't decide which one will work the best for me. I plan to add a fueling box down the road and want to make sure the engine breathes well.

I would appreciate any comments, suggestions or otherwise from people that have installed one or the other.

 

[mconstable]

I like my Scotty, don't have gauges, so unfortunately can't say on EGT's, but turbo whine is just enough to keep me entertained, and I towed about 11,000 lbs 2,000 miles this past week, and left it idling for a few minutes at each stop, and I could tap the turbo without getting burnt... don't know if that means much or not... Gauges are coming soon, so I won't have speculate on these things. Scotty uses an AFE filter as well...

 

[Fireman]

I think either would serve you well. The Scotty may be a little quieter.



Fireman

 

[Fred Swanson]

They are all about the same sound level inside the cab, and either will work. Diesel Dynamics makes one too, so does Volant.

After doing some testing with both designs, either the closed unit or the open box design works well. My findings show neither had a clear advantage, specifically here in the 100+ degree of Arizona.



EGT's were so close with either unit, no design has a huge advantage. My testings were with the stock turbo, then with the Diesel Dynamics Turbo.

 

[RSnaith]

Originally posted by Fireman

The Scotty may be a little quieter.

:-laf After selling the Scotty II for the past 2 years, I'm not used to seeing that comment applied to a Scotty Air System :-laf



Anyway, to the point. We're not sure what others are seeing for EGT reductions with open air filter elements, however we're seen up to 175F reductions with the Ram Air III and mildly modified trucks (Edge EZs in the 70 and 80 HP settings). The Ram Air III does have a couple points that I want to address:



1) It is a rounded housing, unlike the Volant systems which use a square housing. On the Volant for the 02 and under trucks, the square housing didn't direct airflow properly and max EGT reductions were about 200F, even when pulling from the cowl hole that they copied from Scotty's design. The Scotty II cooled up to 350F, largely due to the proper rounded housing design which directed airflow through a filter, versus simply dumping air into a big box.



2) The front side air inlet can pick up more air than the Volant, and with nose cone, guides this airflow past the filter properly.



I guess what I'm saying is that I would like to see a direct comparison between an open air system and a Ram Air III. The Volant simply wouldn't have the legs to compete with the Ram Air III. The design isn't there.



I do need to add a disclaimer in here: Wildcat Diesel is the distributor for the Ram Air III, and as such, you may want to take what I say with a grain of salt, as we are understandably proud of what we've accomplished with the RA3. 175F EGT reductions at only 330 - 340 HP, are, in my opinion, fantastic.



Rod

 

[Fred Swanson]

Rod, I'm speaking of the kit for the 03, not the 02. The 03 has 3 inlets. My point was that there were no major EGT reductions that puts one better than the other because the box location is up front now.

 

[RSnaith]

Originally posted by Fred Swanson

Rod, I'm speaking of the kit for the 03, not the 02. The 03 has 3 inlets. My point was that there were no major EGT reductions that puts one better than the other because the box location is up front now.

Yep, I understand that you were speaking of the Volant for the 03 Dodge, thats why I was making reference to the Ram Air III for the 03 Dodges. The point I was trying to make was that the Volant, with its square box makes no attempt to direct or shape airflow, and as such, because the Volant couldn't cool better than an open element doesn't mean that the Ram Air III, with its properly designed housing, couldn't outpace an open air element. We proved the rounded housings work on the 02 and down systems, as the Volant couldn't keep up. In other words, your comparison between the Volant and open air filter systems cannot accurately reflect what a Ram Air III is capable of.



I honestly haven't seen any EGT reduction values from either the open filter systems, or the Volant. What were you seeing for EGT reductions with the Volant and the open filter box on a truck running stock (including exhaust)? How about an Edge EZ in 70 or 80 HP mode?

 

[scotty1]

Tested a RAM AIR 3?

Fred, maybe I read your post incorrectly... did you say you tested a RAM AIR 3 and got the same result as the other intakes?

 

[BillGotthelf]

For what it worth I installed the AFE system on my 03 yesterday. I have no egt guage on it yet as I have not settled on a guage package yet (comeon TST) so I could not tell you about the egt's. My 0-60 times were . 1 quicker and the engine seemed to pull harder above 2400 rpm.