Comments on: Do After Market Air Intakes REALLY Work?

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:20:01 +0000

Ralph – The kits are all pretty much the same in terms of HP (at least based on our testing), but the Volant kit (which we tested first) had the best performance. Unfortunately, the quality on the Volant kit wasn’t that great. K&N’s kit is a bit of a joke IMHO – you basically have to put it together before you can install it, and the pipe clamps they supply are cheap and need re-tightening. aFe’s kit has good quality, but some people don’t like the fact it pulls air from both the fender and the engine compartment. Of the three, I like the aFe kit the best, with the Volant being my second choice.

By: '07 4.7L + TRD cat back dual exhaust + CAI= ???? - TundraTalk.net - Toyota Tundra Discussion Forum

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:52:11 +0000

[...] over at Tundra Headquarters had a helpful reply in his comment section to my question. Do Air Intake Kits Work? | Tundra Headquarters I would still like to know what gain comes from the combination of the TRD exhaust and a CAI? [...]

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:55:55 +0000

Jason, which one would you suggest for the 4.7L ? I saw on your cold air intake blog that your pick back in 2007 was the AFE, is that still your pick?

If all are equal with horsepower gain, which is the best for fuel economy?

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:03:24 +0000

Ralph – For sure. I think you’ll find that the two together are better than just one, but there’s no reason not to try one at a time.

Most people like the exhaust because of the additional torque (10 to 20lb-ft), throttle response, and rumble. The air intake usually doesn’t add more than 5-10 hp (and marginal torque), but it DOES benefit gas mileage. Honestly, I would suggest a CAI for the fuel benefit alone. An extra 1-2 mpg can add up to a lot of money over the life of your truck, especially when gas prices start creeping back up.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:58:46 +0000

Jason,

Thanks for the reply. I actually have the TRD cat back dual exhaust already (came with the ‘07 DC I just bought). I was curious to see what “extra” noise would be associated with a CAI install.

Also, I am one of the few with a 4.7L and after test driving a few 5.7L the “get up and go” feels comparable to that (at least to me) with the exhaust system. I was curious as to what the combine hp gain would be with the exhaust + CAI? Is it worth the addition of the CAI (since I think I can live with the noise factor after your explanation) to marry it with my exhaust?

Thanks,

Ralph

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:51:05 +0000

Ralph – It’s like the difference in engine sound between having your window rolled down and having it rolled up…but that’s with the windows up. Does that make sense? It’s louder, but not unbearably so. You just notice it a lot more. The TRD exhaust system sounds pretty good – louder, but most people say there’s no drone. As for how loud, it’s definitely more noticeable. If you’re really concerned about noise, neither options is a good fit.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:10:07 +0000

I have a questions with regards to the the phrase “making your interior a little louder than an after market air intake”.

How much is a little? What is the best rule of thumb to combine say the afe intake and the TRD cat back dual system on a 4.7L ?

By: Trevor Helm

Trevor Helm — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:53:01 +0000

Thanks for the feedback on the 08 Tundra in UT. I am in the area and was considering the same CAI. I will do some more research now.

By: Mickey

Mickey — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:20:53 +0000

Had my AFE Stage II Lifetime filter and never needs oil for over 2 years with no issue other than the instructions are pretty lame.

By: butah

butah — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:46:46 +0000

I recommend you DONT BUY TRD CAI!!! IT FAILED for me,,,READ THIS,,i have some things to share about the TRD cai as i havent seen much feed back about it. I am compelled to tell my story/oppinion of the TRD cai. I have a 08 tundra dc 5.7 w/35k on it. I had a trd cai installed on purchase and the other day I went out to clean the filter and found leaves and debre on the wrong side of the filter stuck on the screen filter at the top of the air box, bad deal to say the least. Upon further investigation, the seal was fine and in place properly- what happened is the engine side of the lid had warped for some reason(heat) and was bowing out enough to allow leaves ect to directly pass the filter. Typically, you dont have to clean these very often; it appears to have been leaking for over a month. To make matters worse the dealer i bought mine from- mark miller in slc utah will not refund, and will only replace the lid. In additon, they are making me wait 7-10 days(i got rid of the stocker) and their remedy for the problem was to wrap the lid seam with masking tape and send me on my way…pretty shoddy bs in my opinion . john miller was the service guy in charge of my truck this day,,,, i let him know it was shoddy ect but to deft ears, long story short save yourself the aganoy i have gone through and get a AFE or Volant even though both have their ups and downs. I have never read of either one of them failing,,, and i found out the hard way you cant count on TRD cai. I have pics but i dont know how to load them from here, and if you are one of the unlucky owners get rid of it and keep your eye on the inside(engine side) of the lid and watch for this or you will regret it!! O yea and also i never have overheated my truck so cant blame the failure on that!! I am going to contact TRD next cuz in my oppioion they need to recall.