Vent: I used to think cold air intakes were a waste of money until I saw dyno results at a local shop

I went to Mustang Mike's Performance in Charlotte last Saturday just to look around. A guy there was running his 2018 F150 5.0 on their dyno with a stock intake and then swapped to a S&B unit. The difference was 12 horsepower and 8 pound feet of torque at the wheels, which is more than I expected for a simple bolt on part. I always figured intakes were mostly for sound and looks, but that test convinced me. I ordered the same kit the next day and I'm installing it this weekend. Has anyone else seen real gains from a cold air intake on a 5.0?

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.nina28d ago

Dyno numbers at Mustang Mike's look good on paper but I've seen enough 5.0s lose power with a cold air intake when the tune isn't adjusted for the extra airflow. The MAF scaling gets thrown off and the truck runs lean unless you pair it with a custom calibration. @grant_allen85, those track day data logger numbers might just show gains from cooler ambient temps, not the intake itself.

grant_allen8528d ago

Gotta admit, I was in the same boat until pretty recently. I always figured cold air intakes were mostly about getting that throaty sound under the hood, not real power. I saw a guy at a local track day swap a stock intake for an AFE one on his 2019 F150 5.0 and the difference on the data logger was legit, something like 10 horsepower. I mean it's not a night and day change, but for the money and an hour of work it's way better than I thought. That dyno you saw at Mustang Mike's would've sold me on the spot too, those numbers speak for themselves.