Airaid Cold Air Dam Intake System
If you want a cheaper and effective way to boost the horsepower of your car, you should invest in the best cold air intake. A cold air intake basically replaces the factory intake of your car to help your engine pull in cooler outside air. Since you factory air intake is located in your hot engine compartment, any air you draw in from the stock intake will naturally be warmer than the outside air, which is much cooler.
You want to get in air as close to the outside temperature as possible because this will be the coolest air. Under the principle that cool air is denser than warm air, there are more oxygen particles per given area in the cooler outside air than warmer air coming from the stock intake. More oxygen particles means there is more to burn in your engine, which directly translates to increased power.
Theoretically, you can increase you horsepower by around 5%, which may not sound like much, but for a cheap and easy thing to install, you can take your 300 HP car to 315 HP without much effort. There are two ways you can draw in cooler outside air. One way is to create a snorkel that leads away from your air intake and pulls outside air in. The other way is to relocate your air filter to somewhere that is not affected by the warm engine. For more information about finding the best cold air intake for your car, we have put together a buying guide below.
Best Cold Air Intake Reviews
- Airaid Cold Air Dam Intake System (Top Pick)
- K&N Performance Air Intake Kit 63-1561
- aFe (TR-1019B) Takeda Stage-2 Cold Air Intake System
Airaid Cold Air Dam Intake System
If you want the best cold air intake for the Chrysler 300, Chrysler 300C, Chrysler 300S, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger models, the Airaid 352-210 is the one for you. However, Airaid makes intake system for many other car brands as well. This system is designed to replace your stock air box, air filter, and intake tubes and pull in cooler air from outside. It contains a washable and reusable air filter, which as high airflow to it.
This 360 degree conical premium air filter is way less restrictive than traditional air filters. There is also a nice cold air dam built into this system that blocks out hot air emitted by your engine. This prevents your engine from heating up the cool air outside. You mount the cold air damn panels in the stock air box location. With some commonly available tools and a few hours of work by yourself, you can install this system easily. Overall, this is a great intake system and worth every penny. It increases horsepower by about 15 HP, which is pretty good for just changing out an air intake system. Keep in mind that this may not be allowed in California and if you get caught there may be some fines.
K&N Performance Air Intake Kit 63-1561
If you want the best cold air intake for the Dodge Ram pick-up truck, get the K&N Performance Air Intake Kit. But if you have a different type of car, don’t worry! K&N has many air intake systems for various car models. With this air intake system, you can gain about 15.66 HP at 4688 RPM, which is pretty good for such a simple and cheap install. This cold air intake also helps to improve throttle response and engine knocking. The K&N air intake system comes with an oversized high flow air filter that fits into the engine compartment.
You simply use the factory holes and mounting points. This filter provides great amounts of airflow at lower restriction than the typical air filters you see in cars. It also filters and holds more dirt than the average air filter, so it increases the time between services. You may even be able to stretch it out to 100,000 miles. Best of all, with only a screwdriver, pliers, and a ratchet set, you can install this system in your truck in an hour and a half. There is no cutting or drilling required. Rest assured with the quality of the K&N cold air intake, which comes with a 10 year million mile warranty. If you have a different car, obviously K&N has an air intake system to match your specific model.
aFe (TR-1019B) Takeda Stage-2 Cold Air Intake System
If you want to crank up the horsepower on your Honda Accord, the aFe Takeda Stage-2 maybe the best cold air intake for you. While this particular model is designed for the Honda Accord, we are sure you can find a different model if you have a different car. With this system, you can add up to 9 HP and 9 foot pounds of torque. This system comes with a lightweight aluminum intake tube with a wrinkle black powder coated finish.
All of this helps insulate the cool air and prevents hear from your engine from entering the intake tubes. The aFe Takeda air intake system also comes with a high flow Pro 5R air filter as well as a oil free Dry S sir filter. There is also a powder coated heat shield to prevent the filter from getting too hot from hot engine air. In terms of connecting the intake tube to the throttle body, a reinforced silicone coupling is used. Although you probably won’t be able to feel the difference in HP, it will give you a better throttle response time in acceleration. This system is nice and easy to install and is a really cheap way to improve gas mileage, throttle response, and horsepower.
Best Cold Air Intake Buying Guide
Cold air intake systems are known to increase the amount of oxygen delivered to your engine, thus creating more combustion and generating more horsepower for your car. It does so by drawing in denser cooler air from the outside, which contains more oxygen particles than warm air that has been sitting near the heat of your engine. Cool air intakes also help draw in more air per second, which also increases the amount of oxygen delivered to your engine.
While increased horsepower is one of the primary benefits of installing the best cold air intake for your car, other benefits include increased engine life and better gas mileage. Since cold air intakes suck in cooler air from the outside, it serves to cool down your engine as well and prevents cracking or engine block, which are problems associated with an overheated engine. In terms of better gas mileage, cooler air can provide a more balanced air to fuel ratio, which will improve gas mileage and save you money in the long run. We know searching for the best cold air intake is tough given the large selection of products, so we have listed some features to consider before honing in on a final decision.
Material/Construction: It is very important for the material of the cold air intake to resist heat transfer so that you maximize your power gains. The cold air intake system may draw in cold air from outside, but if the material conducts heat rapidly, the cool air will get warmed up quickly, thus defeating the entire point of drawing in cool air. Typically cold air intakes are made of plastics, composites, zirconium, or ceramic, which all act as a thermal barrier to heat from your car’s engine.
Oil Filter Element: With a traditional air filter, small particles of oil can contaminate airflow meters, causing them to not work properly. While oil filter elements are good at filtration, it is a problem with mass air flow units. If you have mass airflow units, you should use an intake system that has a dry filtering element. In general, we like cold air intakes with oil filters, which can prevent unwanted oil in your engine.
Water Ingestion: There are special circumstances where the cold air intake will accidentally draw in water on the road. This is especially a concern in areas with regular rainfall, as the intake could draw in air from the fender well or the bottom of the bumper. The solution to this is to install a bypass valve or a two piece design, to prevent the rapid ingestion of water in your cold air intake.
Environmentally Friendly: This is more of a concern in California, but in general you should be aware of how much extra an aftermarket intake will impact the environment. In California, your mod must have CARB (California Air Resource Board) approval or you may be fined. For most cold air intake modification, this should not be a huge problem but some are definitely not approved for sale in California.
