88mustanggt
New member
i just got my 06 4.7 and the air box lid is broke on one of the clips. i wana get a knn filter regardless. now the question is should i buy a stock air box lid or just get a cai?
cai vs stock..
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zopperman
Moderator
You should buy an AFE pro dry filter.
The full CAI is a contentious subject here - some people love them and some people see no difference. The 4runner's stock intake does draw cool air from the wheel well.
I say go with AFE over K&N because the oil from the K&N can mess with your MAF sensor. The AFE doesn't use oil.
Stuck CAPS
New member
I"ve used a lighter panel filter than stock that was dry, I"m thinking on par with the aFe, although I'm not sure it was the same, or even that similar. I switched to a K&N and will be the first to say, I really prefer the oiled over dry filter. I had no MAF problems, however. I personally feel that the K&N has a higher air flow, but the MAF clogging kind of offsets the advantages...
WXman
New member
The stock intake on mine has sound reduction chamber(s) between the filter and the throttle body. This keeps the noise down a lot but there is some debate about whether these low pressure areas are good for airflow or not. An aftermarket kit is just going to be a straight tube...no resonator chambers. So it's going to be loud and throaty under throttle.
zopperman
Moderator
I think the biggest advantage of the CAI is the cool whoooooosh noise
Stuck CAPS
New member
Have you removed the HCF? That helps with airflow, although for sound, "throaty" would be a lot less in the intake, and a lot more in the exhaust manifold... Hiflo cats, LT headers (Shorties, too, but not as much)... The intake will create more of a sucking sound... I guess we could have different definitions of throaty, but I personally wouldn't consider a CAI "throaty."
WXman
New member
I did remove the HCF and noticed absolutely zero change.
I have not used a CAI on the Toyota V8, but I have used them on V6 and V8 Jeeps and also pickup trucks an all of them created a low, throaty roar under throttle. For the first week it sounds bad as hell and your fuel mileage will drop like a rock because you can't stay out of the throttle. Then after that you get tired of it because of the drone in the cab and the complaints from the wife. Therefore, no more CAIs for me.
Plus, all my testing over the years showed no advantage in MPGs with everything else the same. However, I am not one of these anti-CAI guys. I used to get into it with the Jeep guys because they all called a CAI a "waste of money" despite the fact that they were running around with 35" tires and steel bumpers that sucked fuel and wasted money.
Once you price the OEM lid, I am certain you will go with the CAI. I have CAI on both of my 4th gen, I really do not notice any change but it is one of the mods i do along with exhaust.. if you plan to do exhaust down the road, I say 100% go CAI.. if you dont like the noise, then STOCK.
GL
88mustanggt
New member
thank you, i have read the cai threads over and over, and i do like the noise they make, however its alot of coin for a tube. do they have provisions for the factory vacuum connections that connect to it?
but yes my issues is cost of stock air box vs cost of cai, unless someone on here has a stock one they will let go for cheap.
The CAI does have provisions for all the factory lines.
V8Man is parting out a 4runner....FYI
t-rex grrr
Member
Stick with the stock intake system. I used to have a K&N CAI on my v8, but reverted back to stock and noticed the following:
- Way smoother throttle response
- No more highway drone
- From a full tank, I gained at least an additional 20+ miles
88mustanggt
New member
wow so alot of people say they gain 1-2 mpg or stay the same you say you lost almost 1.
anywone else have worse throttle response and a intake noise drone at cruise?
Okay, today I went to get my first oil change on my 2013. I stopped in and to see the TRDPARTS4U folks and picked up a CAI.
I Installed it and to my surprise, the TRD intake is NOT loud.
The air box was larger and the filter was about one inch wide, so I can assume that it does allow for a tiny amount more air.
I will be adding exhaust next week, as I am after power and not MPG. Keep in mind, after the bumper installs next week, my truck will have 800lbs of armor hanging on it.
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zopperman
Moderator
Okay, today I went to get my first oil change on my 2013. I stopped in and to see the TRDPARTS4U folks and picked up a CAI.
I Installed it and to my surprise, the TRD intake is NOT loud.
The air box was larger and the filter was about one inch wide, so I can assume that it does allow for a tiny amount more air.
I will be adding exhaust next week, as I am after power and not MPG. Keep in mind, after the bumper installs next week, my truck will have 800lbs of armor hanging on it.
it is really pretty
WXman
New member
My CAIs always resulted in smoother throttle response. But I will agree with you on the drone. The CAIs are usually pretty noisy.
What people don't understand is that if you do exhaust and CAI you are making the engine flow better.....BUT.....with higher air flow you need higher fuel flow to go with it or you're just pissing in the wind.
I have actually seen dyno testing by a guy that showed a 6 horsepower increase with CAI...but then a drop in horsepower with CAI + exhaust. You simply lose power with exhaust systems on stock rigs. That's all there is to it. And is 6 horsepower worth a $300 investment for a CAI? It's debatable.
Bottom line is...unless you do a ECU tune then you are wasting your time with exhaust and CAI because you will not get more power and more mileage and in fact it's more likely that you'll lose low end torque and burn a little more fuel as the ECU attempts to go a little richer to keep up.
You are 100% correct about the drop in fuel mileage, its the way the computer works, and this fact seems to escape some people.
However, as it pertains to this CAI (TRD) i am very happy with the noise, and I believe it is because it still has a sealed passage into the fender well, so it is true cool air, and you cannot hear the sucking through the firewall.
Since Toyota Owns TRD now I cannot help but think there is more R&D involved than simple fitment like some other brands. I have nothing to back this up, its just IMO.
preacher35
New member
OK, so let me see if I understand this. It is your guys' opinion that an aftermarket cold air intake, in addition to a cat back system, will decrease fuel economy? Will said combination at least a small boost in horsepower? I used to own a 2000 Nissan Xterra:
... and on that, I ran a Volant CAI with a Gibson catback system, on 32" tires (OEM was about 30" tires). With that setup, I increased my fuel economy by 2-4 mpg and HP went up by 8 (as per my before and after dyno test). Needless to say, I was quite pleased with that setup, although, there is no doubt that IT REDUCED THE LIFE OF MY IGNITION SYSTEM a great deal. So, if there are no DECENT gains with these upgrades, then I will put my coin into armor or a new dash.
... and on that, I ran a Volant CAI with a Gibson catback system, on 32" tires (OEM was about 30" tires). With that setup, I increased my fuel economy by 2-4 mpg and HP went up by 8 (as per my before and after dyno test). Needless to say, I was quite pleased with that setup, although, there is no doubt that IT REDUCED THE LIFE OF MY IGNITION SYSTEM a great deal. So, if there are no DECENT gains with these upgrades, then I will put my coin into armor or a new dash.
jpless
New member
I went from stock to stock + k&n filter to k&n CAI and yesterday I installed an aFe stage 2 CAI.
Stock: quiet, fine
stock + k&n: just slightly louder, little better response, negligible mpg
k&n CAI: LOUDER, sounds awesome. turns heads, gives you ability to let other drivers know you're there and pass them when they piss you off
aFe CAI: same as k&n, louder but not as high pitched. a bit more throaty in my opinion. Little throat at low RPMs and then opens up like the K&N at higher rpms. Overall, I like the sound better than the k&n.
I put a DRY filter on my K&N once the factory filter needed to be cleaned and re-oiled.
I can definitely tell better throttle response after installing the aFe but I think that is mostly due to cleaning the Throttle Body when I installed it.
In the end, I think mpg is negligible. More noise = fun and addicting so you end up driving it a little harder and negating any gains you might see if you drove without trying to hear the sound or let other people hear it.
I do have a URD MAF cal on order to help tune the MAF sensor and hopefully gain some more HP/throttle response.
Another thing to note is that the TRD intake (original version) was the exact same as the aFe, just branded TRD. They then switched the TRD to use a flat filter (no cone) but is very similar to the aFe. I could see the flat filter TRD being quieter than the aFe.
Stock: quiet, fine
stock + k&n: just slightly louder, little better response, negligible mpg
k&n CAI: LOUDER, sounds awesome. turns heads, gives you ability to let other drivers know you're there and pass them when they piss you off
aFe CAI: same as k&n, louder but not as high pitched. a bit more throaty in my opinion. Little throat at low RPMs and then opens up like the K&N at higher rpms. Overall, I like the sound better than the k&n.
I put a DRY filter on my K&N once the factory filter needed to be cleaned and re-oiled.
I can definitely tell better throttle response after installing the aFe but I think that is mostly due to cleaning the Throttle Body when I installed it.
In the end, I think mpg is negligible. More noise = fun and addicting so you end up driving it a little harder and negating any gains you might see if you drove without trying to hear the sound or let other people hear it.
I do have a URD MAF cal on order to help tune the MAF sensor and hopefully gain some more HP/throttle response.
Another thing to note is that the TRD intake (original version) was the exact same as the aFe, just branded TRD. They then switched the TRD to use a flat filter (no cone) but is very similar to the aFe. I could see the flat filter TRD being quieter than the aFe.
I installed a TRD CAI and I have gone from 15.1 avg to 12.9 avg. I do have a lot of stuff on my truck but both of my 4th gen V8s have the same gear and I get 16-17 out of them. I am on my third tank with the CAI and I the first tank dropped to 11.7 on the way to Houston.
I have never experienced a CAI causing this effect. I expected some drop, but more than 10% .....wow.
I have never experienced a CAI causing this effect. I expected some drop, but more than 10% .....wow.
