As a truck enthusiast, you’ve likely heard of cold air intakes, which are designed to enhance performance and fuel economy. But do they really do that?
In my experience, I’ve tried one for 3,000 miles here is the honest truth. Are cold air intakes going to give you better throttle response? Are they going to make your car sound more badass? Are they going to improve your fuel mileage? These are the questions I’m grilling you about cold air intakes and is it worth your money?
Article Summary
What Are Cold Air Intakes?
The cold air intake is indeed supposed to improve an engine’s efficiency by sourcing cooler air from the outside of the engine bay rather than the hotter air inside it. Cooler air is denser, as we all learnt with our high-school thermodynamics units.
This sort of dense, cool air has more oxygen in it so, in theory, your engine can burn more fuel more effectively producing more power and fuel efficiency.
Last year, I put a cold air intake on my truck and, in the short period I’ve used it, the results didn’t disappoint. For starters, it cleaned up the engine bay, making the engine area look more organized and tidy. However, the question to be answered became: Would it aid in performance or fuel savings?
Sound and Throttle Response
But the first thing you will notice about your cold air intake is the sound. When I finally installed mine on my truck, it sounded more aggressive with the stock exhaust setup. When I punch the throttle, it sounds deeper than before. If you are the person who likes to hear the roar out of your truck when you are revving it up, then a cold intake is going to place a smile on your face.
The other thing that cold air intakes absolutely excel at is throttle response. Before the intake, the throttle response on my truck was a little laggy. It almost felt like I had to pull the throttle farther to get my truck to move.
But afterwards, when I tapped the throttle pedal, the response was perkier and crisper. It won’t make your truck a sports car, but it will definitely make you feel like you have more kick. Especially when you’re accelerating from a complete stop.
Intake Temperature
Geek out!… Is a cold air intake actually bringing in cooler air? The answer is, well, complicated. Under normal driving conditions, intake temperatures were often higher than ambient air temperature. On average, the intake air surprised me: 20-50 degrees higher than the outside air. This is because, under normal driving conditions, the intake pulls in the ravaged warm air that’s already in the engine bay.
But if you’re coaxing your engine to run at wide-open throttle, you’re in a performance situation, like towing or racing. And if you’re pushing your engine like that, you may want to use a cooler air intake to boost performance. Of course, your daily commute probably won’t benefit from cooler air jammed through stock throttle bodies.
Fuel Efficiency: Does It Actually Improve
Now the part everyone wants to know about: miles per gallon. With the stock intake, after driving 3000 miles I averaged about 16.2MPG. Then after another 3000 miles with a cold air intake, it went up to 17.3MPG. Almost a full mile-per-gallon improvement — it may not sound like much, but think about having to fill your gas tank less frequently.
But if you drive a lot, like on a long road trip or for your job, it can add up to hundreds of dollars over the life of the vehicle. This is the third vehicle that I have put a cold air intake on and I’ve seen probably a 1 MPG increase in mileage with each one, so I’m not seeing a whole lot of benefit. But this was back when fuel prices were cheap, so I’m sure it helps offset rising fuel prices today.
Conclusion: Is a Cold Air Intake Worth It?
So is it worth it? That depends on what you’re after. If you just want to add a bit more growl underneath the hood, a sharper throttle response and a slight increase in fuel economy, then it’s a good upgrade. Though you won’t notice a drastic difference while running errands or commuting to work, the cold air intake will definitely make a difference when you are towing or driving a little harder on the weekends.
If you have thought of giving your truck more power, now is the time to do it! you can see what kits fit just right for getting your ride up and running at Dynovox. take a look at some more details on quality cold air intakes while you are there.
