hermesgrafix

Wanted to get some opinions. Have been looking at Cold Air intakes for my 2013 JK 2 Door. Have seen both good and bad reports. So wanted your opinions if it is ever worth it, and if so what brand is worth it.

I have the 13 JK, Currently all geared Stock. Have MBRB Exhaust and have Flashpack with the higher performance setting.

Thanks, just want some honest opinions.

dahreno

I don't really like them, especially the cheap ones that are not 50 state legal. Many cheap ones don't let cold air in and they allow much more dirt into your engine.

Rocklobster27

I have a afe cold air Intake and their throttle body spacer and i don't think I received any mpg gains. I probably did get better hp and torque but not enough to really tell a difference. But I do love it, I think it makes the jeep sound 10x better but that is just my opinion.

shabbernigdo

i have the Volant with the donaldson filter. I dont really know if there was any hp gains but i like the design of the airbox better then stock and i like only having to change filters once every 4 or 5 years.

rob_engineer

I've been following this forum for 5 yrs now. This topic comes up a lot. If I could summarize my recollection of what I've read: most say it's a waste of money. Makes Jeep sound better but that's about it. Some say they feel a performance improvement, but some that say that admit that they make be engaging in wishful thinking, or placebo effect. Others say it's actually worse to have because it lets in more dirt and could let in water. Certainly the vast majority of peoples posts are not claiming the CAI is a great add on to the Jeep.

jtphoto JK

Correct. The only CAI for a Jeep is a snorkel...

Rocklobster27

Yeah like others have mentioned water can be an issue. I do have a sleeve over my filter that is supposed to not let water in and so far my jeep still runs and I live in Oregon so it rains here everyday. But if you plan on going through streams/rivers than obviously a snorkel would be the way to go. If you're wanting to buy a cai to increase mpg or performance don't bother. But if you want to get it to "improve" the way your jeep sounds then get it.

Smudgeontheglass

I've said this on this topic a few times: Cold Air Intakes are typically a misnomer. They are cone filters. The stock intake is a cold air intake as it grabs cold air coming from the corner of the hood. Cone filters typically have the effect of changing intake tone and sound, but in a modern motor the computer will prevent any changes from the tune resulting in no measurable change in power.

The giant cone filters of a lot of these kits remove the stock air "snorkel" and open to the whole underside of the hood which typically increases the intake air temp in low speed situations. This large surface area also opens to the problem of extra dirt and water reaching the filter. The stock bowl does a decent job of allowing those things to drain out.

Last summer I was on a long road trip with two people that had Traildash monitors installed. One was with the stock intake with an AEV heat reduction hood, the other had an AEV snorkel. The Jeep with the snorkel showed an intake air temperature of about 5 degrees C lower than that of the one with the stock intake.

If you want a "COLD AIR" intake, get a snorkel.

TheDirtman

I vote waste of money. I run a pre cleaner at the cowl and everything else is sealed to the motor.

zstairlessone

Having kept records for fuel (and other stuff because I am anal) and having owned an aFe intake I can say it sounded better and felt faster but those aren't quantifiable. I did see an increase in mileage though. My daily drive at the time was 62 miles each way with less than 50' of elevation change, 1 red light and 4 stop signs in the morning and 6 stop signs with 2 lights in the evening, the lights were within 2 miles of my house and the stop signs were close to each end of the run. I mention this to show I had consistent runs for about 18 months before the 'CAI' install 2 years with it and 3 years after removal. My mileage increased by between 1/2 to 1-1/4 mpg with and decreased again after removal.

I had the dry washable (non-oil) filter and cleaned it every 2 weeks while it was installed. The housing sealed against the hood and used the OEM airway from outside the engine compartment up in the front passenger side.