the truth about cold air intakes
October 1st, 2005(we just responded to this question on a message board – thought our readers might benefit from reading it too).
Q: what do cold air intakes do?
A: well most of ‘em let hot air and more dirt into your engine
a well designed one might let more air in but they often are more prone to taking in more water and if that happens your motor is toast.
if you get one get one for the growl or the sharper throttle response (on a cold day)
if you must get one look at AEM’s new dry filter line or as a second choice filters from itg – the K&Ns used with most kits either flow or filter but never both, and their oil can mess up airflow readings (reducing torque) or the airflow sensor itself (reducing one’s liquid assets).
they sell like hotcakes because they’re profitable, relatively inexpensive to the end consumer, are easy to install and sound mean but there are better was to spend your money, esp if your engine is sensitive to intake air temp (most modern ones are).