cold air intake

[daryl]

I have a K&N air intake on my truck right now. I'm lookin to install another intake system. I was wondering if an enclosed system is better than on open system. I heard that an enclosed system keeps the engine heat out better. Is there any truth to this?

 

[JJPage]

I believe it's been proven to be true. S&B makes the nicest 3rd gen kit that I've seen...it has a cold air pickup tube and very nice fitment, top of the line.

 

[BLNRAY]

check out Volant with the donalson power core element

 

[CKelley1]

get a takeoff of a 6.7 and add a psm kit. the very best by far.

 

[Bob4x4]

If there was a best by any significant measure there would be but one brand...........

 

[AnOldBiker]

I agree with what was mentioned about the S&B, I have one and very happy with it.
You get a selection of oil or dry filters from S&B for the same unit when ordering.
There is a Donaldson Power Core filter (sold through Volant only) that will fit it.
And there is an aFe oil or dry filter that will fit it, I have the aFe dry on mine and very happy with it.
If you are willing to take the time, there should be other brands that will fit, but you have to research to verify measurements.

PS: the only disadvantage with the S&B unit, there is no place to use your filter minder from the trucks original filter unit. With the clear view plate, you might not care since you can see if it's dirty to change or clean. (Sooner or later, I'm gonna take the time for put it on anyway.)

 

[CKelley1]

the 6.7 filter filters better than the s&b, holds more dirt, needs servicing way less often than s&b has a filter minder to show when to service it, has the best straightening vanes in the tube ever produced and the psm kit is better than s&b. and the air entering the turbo is cooler. that said the s&b is the best aftermarket one and just a little worse than the stock setup your truck came with. your K&N is the very worst on the market in every respect. for every mile you drive it, it decreases engine life by 7 miles over what you could have got. lets start at the air, as the air heats up it expands. the more oxygen we get in the cylinder the better the burn. if you let hot air enter the box you substantially reduce the amount of oxygen aver the unexpanded cold air. next the filter, paper is a far superior filter over cloth. cummins has a very old movie out ( looks about 1950 vintage ) that is starting to recirculate that explains this better than I can but the engine life is directly determined by the total amount of dirt it consumed. in other words, if the engine is worn out at 5 pounds of dirt consumed, now you can look at the several reputable studies at the % efficiency's of the filters and do the math. take a used 6.7 stock filter and cut it open and unfold it, do the same with the k&n, measure surface area of both and hold both up to the sunlight, notice all the large holes in the K&N, we keep a new K&N and a collapsed K&N in my shop to show people how bad they are. you can take the new one and hold it up to the sun and it is like looking through a sieve, there is a youtube video of this so you do not have to go out and buy one to see this. filter media has holes of every shape and size in it, look at your home furnace filter and think of scaling it down to smaller size holes. a filter has two ratings, one when it is new and one for the end of life. the larger holes in the media has less restriction on the air so more air flows through them, as the larger holes fill up the air has to pass through smaller and smaller holes. it is not uncommon to see a end of life rating three times better than a brand new filter. a new big rig use to come with a warning not to over service the air filter for this reason. the ones out there changing there air or fuel or bypass filters out on a mileage basis is throwing a 2x better filter away than the new one they are putting on. do NOT change these filters unless the filterminder, lp gauge or bypass filter heat tell you to. next the shape of the filter is important to prevent turbulence, the uninformed ( idiots ) out there with the 6.7's that changed out there's with something like the K&N had sensor problems because of this. more important is the turbulence at the turbocharger, until 04.5 model there were no straightening vanes in the elbow of the tube at the turbo charger, the straightening vanes along with the silencer ring reduce side shear in the compressor side of the turbocharger giving higher efficiency ie more oxygen atoms in the cylinder. the 6.7 tube has a extremely advanced tube with many features to limit side shear and keep the air cooler without adding friction loss. before the 04.5 came out a company came out with a product called a turbo air guide or T.A.G. for short, it has a very unique tube way to straighten the air with a silencer ring built in and is easy to install in the tube. do a search on it. now look at the pos K&N tube or the better s&b at there straightening vane.

 

[CKelley1]

one more thing, the tdr has a article on the filters I think in 80 or 81 that explains this clearer than I can. we bought 10- 6.7 intakes from this site and two others we paid about $50 each and all had new or nearly new filters in them I just moved my psm kits over to them and installed. I forgot to mention the psm kit, it is a good addition that s&b has a similar design in there filter. also if anyone can find that youtube link of that old cummins video please send it to me.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I tested some air filters on the Dynojet in Issue 37, p. 26. Up to 500 HP, stock is good, no HP loss. Cummins etc. have reported that the stock type paper filters do the best job at removing dust, etc.

 

[Gonzo 1066]

I took the AFE off of my 04 (oil and soot in the intercooler) and went to a Volant with the donaldson dry filter. This has two places for fresh air and I am happy with it.

 

[JJPage]

If there was a best by any significant measure there would be but one brand...........

Very, Very true! I knew this could turn into a :-{}
Jess

 

[AnOldBiker]

JJPage, it will never get into that, but a mature discussion about beliefs and products.

Sorry, but with the Christmas holiday here, and now past, I finally turned on the old MAC again.

I see that there discussion went as they usually do, but it seems that when it was mentioned about the S&B it appears it is assumed it was an oiled filter ??? But S&B has dry paper filters that are rated very high, (yet costly @ $45 each). The aFe I have on mine is not their oiled filter, but dry paper. This one can be vacuumed clean, blown clean or washed clean. I will say it's not made to last for a million miles, but for several uses making it cost effective. As for tested performance, I do not have any specific equipment that is lab grade, so I went the old fashion way. When I 1st bought this unit and switched out the filter, after each long haul trip, I removed the tube from the air box to the turbo and wiped clean the inside with a soft cotton cloth. I did the tube with a white cloth to see was debris the 1st trip and black the 2nd. Using the opposite color on the turbo blades. I wanted to see if any dust might have passed the filter in any quantity I can notice. Neither indicated anything. (And I agree, this is very very far from a scientific test, but all I have.)

Not noticing any indication of debris was comforting that the filter and unit was not allowing teach entering and wearing my engine out. Where as I have found debris from other filters over the years, which has led me to this unit. I have a very dislike in shelling out tons of money because of unwanted debris wear.

Oh, and for the Donaldson Power Core, I have yet to try one for any length of time, but my friend has and we tested his the old fashion way I do mine and the cloths came out very clean. After using his, he decide to keep an extra on the side at all times. But the disadvantage I found with them is access to the filter. We could only find them through the Volant Air Filter Company. When I called Donaldson, they stated Volant has a contract with Donaldson and they can only sell them through Volant "ONLY". To me this is a disadvantage and I usually stay away from that. My friend has them in his website favorite list and their phone # on speed dial.

Stock filters are an accepted filter unit and over the years they have improved. But in different vehicles I have owned, even with my antique testing, I have found some allowed trace amounts of trash past the unit and into the engine.

That's why the basic discussion has been and 'always will be' going on about filters, (either air, oil or fuel).
In my old age, I finally came to accept they will never be perfect and everyone will have their preferences and beliefs.
But I like reading the ongoing 'discussions'.

Ok, who's next ?

 

[DaveHess]

I'm going to throw my two cents into the ring. I, like most of you, want the best I can get for my Ram to include the best in filters. I have used OEM, Fleetguard, aFe (oiled), OEM Wix, AiRaid (oiled), and finally ended on the 4" pleat Wix. I, like Jim, also do the "white glove" test (both wet and dry) as well as oil samples. My oil samples have varied between 3 and 5 ppm of silicon. The 3 ppm was with the Fleetguard and the 4" Wix. The 5 ppm was with the aFe. I use a local oil testing facility. I have no information as to their accuracy but they have never flagged my silicon numbers and the "white glove" has never given me cause for concern. I agree with Jim on the beliefs. Simply put, if your goal is the longevity for your Ram and you back it with some type of testing whether it is the "white glove" or some intense oil sampling, do what helps you sleep at night.