DenIs2Fast4U

I have an '07 4.0, i have been doing some reaserch lately about intake systems, and i haven't found any good data proving that a CAI provides any substantial gains (like more than 3-4hp) over the factory air box with a drop in filter (for N/A). Theoretically you can only flow as much air as your TB opening; so as long as your box inlet and plumbing are no smaller that your TB, and the MAF housing/sensor are able to support the needed air (which the factory MAF setup on the 4.0 should be good till about 300hp), then adding a CAI (even the ones that require a tune) shouldn't really provide any gains. And also as far at the "cold air" part, Ford is generally very good about setting up their intakes to pull air from outside the engine bay, as you can see the setup on the 4.0

I would really like to hear some other opinions and feedback on this topic, your responses are greatly appreciated

rls82959

I bought my car in December of 06.
Bought an SCT tuner & tunes from Bama (Doug) in the summer of 07.
Very nice improvement.

Bought a C&L CAI a year later and got new tunes from Doug.
Very little change. 3-4HP? Maybe.

DenIs2Fast4U

Exactly, i believe that if you compare numbers for CAI + Tune vs. drop-in + tune there may be like a 3ish hp gain with the CAI. The tune is where 98-99% of the gain comes from

aaquib1992

I run a CAI/Tune during the summer, but winter months it's just the tune and I remove the CAI, in my personal experience there is no major difference with the intake, save for some extra power at the top end and cool noises from your engine bay when you give it some throttle.

I wouldn't put a quantifiable number on the horsepower or torque increase (variable for car to car, as well as your tune's octane), but I can tell you that you won't really feel it down low when daily driving around town. And if you are going to be paying more than $150-200 for it, I would suggest you save that money for some other mods like an 8.8" rear end with different gears.

As far as a drop in filter, don't waste your money on that either. They will not alter your air flow by more than a few CFM (not even a usable amount for tuners), and you just end up paying $50 for a pretty piece of filter paper that gets jammed in a dirty box.

Nuke

The CAI by itself will gain you about 3-4 RWHP. The tune is about 80% of the CAI & tune combo power gainer and with the tune, the CAI will contribute a bit more than that 3-4 RWHP. The tune and CAI work well together. The reason why some people don't notice a difference due to the CAI is because the seat-of-the-pants dyno has a threshold of about 5-10 RWHP, depending on the "sphincter sensitivity factor". But the additional power is there.

DocSnickers

You're going to see more of a gain from a good exhaust system over a CAI.

Nuke

Not on the S197. A CAI & good custom tune yields roughly 15-20 RWHP on the 4.0. The best we've seen from any exhaust work is nothing to a minimal 3-4 RWHP at best.

DenIs2Fast4U

I am by no means trying to be rude or anything, but have you ever seen a dyno printout of a tuned 4.0 without the CAI and then the same car tuned with the CAI added? I have not and i would really love to see some numbers for that, i find it hard to believe that it would net more than 3-4hp

157dB

I run a CAI and a tune in the Mustang.
Its OEM airbox needed an upgrade.

I run a drop-in K&N in the Challenger
and a tune because the OEM air-box
is already plumbed for the cold air intake
OEM from DODGE.

Get the tune and CAI combo and never look back.
93 Octane fuel does run bout $4.00 a gallon round here...
Just saying.

btw the OEM exhaust flows well enough to
not see any large gains with the expensive aftermarket
systems installed. Its just ear candy on a 4.0, guys...
The $$ to HP increase ratio sorks badly...

kevinmalec

I drove around with my (non tune required) Airaid CAI for several months, before I purchased the SCT tuner with custom tunes. Honestly, I only felt a minimal performance difference with the CAI vs. the stock airbox. I was able to feel a slight performance gain at higher RPM ranges. Once I uploaded my Brenspeed custom tunes, it felt like a totally different car!