BEST Air Intake For the 6.2L?

[Ruger]

There are some flaws in your logic, AB.

Just because the filter is less restrictive does NOT mean that the flow rate increases. The peak potential flow rate will be higher with a less restrictive filter, but the engine's demand for air at any throttle opening will remain unchanged regarless of the characteristics of the filter. Remember that an internal combustion engine is an air pump. If you don't make any changes to the pump, its demand for air remains constant. Given that fact, all of what follows in your little treatise fails at every throttle opening except very large throttle openings if the engine's demand for air exceeds the flow rate provided by the factory intake. At normal around town and highway cruising throttle openings a CAI cannot and will not make one bit of difference in terms of engine output.

 

[ZBoater]

CAIs sound cool.

 

[AngryBird]

There are some flaws in your logic, AB.

Just because the filter is less restrictive does NOT mean that the flow rate increases. The peak potential flow rate will be higher with a less restrictive filter, but the engine's demand for air at any throttle opening will remain unchanged regarless of the characteristics of the filter. Remember that an internal combustion engine is an air pump. If you don't make any changes to the pump, its demand for air remains constant. Given that fact, all of what follows in your little treatise fails at every throttle opening except very large throttle openings if the engine's demand for air exceeds the flow rate provided by the factory intake. At normal around town and highway cruising throttle openings a CAI cannot and will not make one bit of difference in terms of engine output.

Wrong. Study the Hagen–Poiseuille and Navier–Stokes equations.

No such thing as "peak potential flow rate". Google it.

The difference in engine output at low RPMs may be small because the restriction has less effect at lower flow rates but it is still there. Also valves, heads, intake manifolds, intake tubes, and filters are all restrictions. You could argue that he intake tube is so much more restrictive than the air filter the air filter makes little difference in MAF. You'd have to back that with some data though.

One way to test this would be to log the MAF sensor values in the intake throughout the RPM band with the stock setup and then the CAI and look for a difference in flow rate. If the values are the same then the difference in Mass Air Flow is negligible(though its still there).

 

[BAJASVT]

I've run dynamometer cells with modern day stand engines and can confirm that no reasonable intake change is going to make a difference in hp/torque figures on a naturally aspirated engine without tweaks to the PCM program. Even with the older mechanically operated (cable actuated) throttle bodies, changes were extremely small... 1-2 full hp would have been a large change. Now with electronic drive-by-wire throttle bodies, those extremely minor bumps in power have diminished. A lot of things make sense in theory/science, but the vehicles fuel injection electronics, sensors and actuators such as TB, TPS, IAC, MAF, MAP, O2, etc. are all operating under a set of parameters that are specifically written to align with the air flow/restriction through a stock intake tube/filter/system. Any change to the intake to increase flow or reduce restriction will only result in the senors picking up on the change, reporting to the PCM, and the PCM having the actuators make the proper adjustments to operate as stock.

Want an aftermarket intake? Get a tuner with a custom tune that will compensate for it and you will see power gains.

 

[Ruger]

^ I think there is wisdom in what you say, Baja.

 

[BAJASVT]

I'm not a physicist or a chemist; I'm just telling you what I've witnessed first hand with modern EFI engines on a dyno and yes, they were Ford engines.

Ruger - Out of curiosity, what's your professional/educational background?

 

[Ruger]

I'm retired. It doesn't mean I can't think.

 

[AngryBird]

I've run dynamometer cells with modern day stand engines and can confirm that no reasonable intake change is going to make a difference in hp/torque figures on a naturally aspirated engine without tweaks to the PCM program. Even with the older mechanically operated (cable actuated) throttle bodies, changes were extremely small... 1-2 full hp would have been a large change. Now with electronic drive-by-wire throttle bodies, those extremely minor bumps in power have diminished. A lot of things make sense in theory/science, but the vehicles fuel injection electronics, sensors and actuators such as TB, TPS, IAC, MAF, MAP, O2, etc. are all operating under a set of parameters that are specifically written to align with the air flow/restriction through a stock intake tube/filter/system. Any change to the intake to increase flow or reduce restriction will only result in the senors picking up on the change, reporting to the PCM, and the PCM having the actuators make the proper adjustments to operate as stock.

Want an aftermarket intake? Get a tuner with a custom tune that will compensate for it and you will see power gains.

Then how come my truck runs better with more oxygen at sea level? The laws of physics and fluid dynamics tell us CAI allows more air and therefore oxygen into the cylinders.

 

[BAJASVT]

Honestly, I don't know. Like I said, I'm just telling you what I've experienced in a dyno test cell environment.

Off the top of my head, I would think that atmospheric pressure would need to be taken into account when comparing how an engine runs at different altitudes. My guess is that 14.7 psi atmospheric pressure at sea level is quite significant, especially when comparing to the ~11.3 psi at Santa Fe's 7,000 ft. elevation.

Also, keep in mind that the only sensor on the vehicle that's specifically looking at oxygen are the O2 sensors in the exhaust and they're primary function is to reduce tailpipe emissions... not make your truck run good. All the other relative EFI sensors on the vehicle are only looking at air flow and just because there's more air doesn't mean there's more oxygen... like in your altitude example.

 

[AngryBird]

Its the difference in air density that causes diminished levels of oxygen at higher altitudes. Oxygen makes up about 21% of Dry Air so with less density we have less oxygen. Also since the air is less dense up here the ability of the air to remove heat is less. That means not only do we get less horsepower but our radiators and oil to air coolers are ~30% less effective.

---------- Post added at 11:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 AM ----------

When I took the Raptor to sea level it was super bad ass.