If you thought you were the only one that gets bothered when it gets hot, you’re wrong! Interestingly enough, your truck is also susceptible to overheating. Fortunately for humans, we have our own built in cooling system, also known as sweat. Automobiles, however, have more complex ways to battle heat.
Excess heat can kill the overall performance of your car. The last thing you want to experience is getting stranded by the side of the road with a smoking engine. You’re thinking about buying a cold air intake but are also wondering about its effects on the engine. Well yes, a cold air intake has the POTENTIAL to damage your engine.
How can a cold air intake damage my engine?
First, depending on the brand, the cold air intake filter can be made of materials that range from cloth to foam paper. The intake manifolds are uncovered such that the only thing between your engine and debris is the filter. While the foam filters provide extra horsepower, they are more susceptible to allowing debris and dirt into your engine.
Another potential threat that cold air intake poses on your engine is hydro locking. This occurs when the engine of your vehicle takes in water instead of cold air. This water is trapped inside the engine cylinders. Since water can hardly compress, the pistons and connecting rods become ruined eventually.
If the cold air intake has a 90-degree bend, it can potentially offset the idle of your car. Offsetting the car’s idle can bring about several issues. First, it brings about problems when air is being sucked into the engine. Secondly, it causes the air to roll. This rolling effect throws off the mass air meter – altering the engine readings. If that’s not enough, the rolling effect causes an improper air-to-fuel mixture. Consequently, your engine can potentially stall.
How can I install an aftermarket cold air intake safely?
When doing their research, most people think that installing an aftermarket cold air intake is easy. In truth, it really is. Simply put, just take out a part or two from your stock engine, put in the cold air intake and voilà! Intake installed!
I’m not a professional mechanic so I’ll try to explain proper cold air intake installation in words that even I can understand. Your truck was built and calibrated in a way for its computers to detect and ensure everything is working the way it’s supposed to. When something is wrong, the check engine light will tell you something is amiss.
When it comes to air entering your engine, there’s a part called the mass airflow sensor. It makes sure that air is flowing through your engine the right way. Installing an aftermarket cold air intake usually bypasses the sensor, causing the check engine light to come on, and leads to a more air polluted engine. Over time, this can damage your engine permanently.
I love watching Scotty’s take on various vehicle accessories and upgrades. He makes so many good points, especially when it comes to cold air intakes…
Unless you truly know what you’re doing, I recommend you taking your truck to a professional mechanic to have the cold air intake installed. They use sophisticated tools like a dynamometer and a five gas analyzer in order to recalibrate your vehicle’s computers.
Keep in mind that this will be an expensive endeavor AND will possibly void your drivetrain warranty if your truck is fairly new.
How does a cold air intake work?
A cold air intake essentially replaces the stock air box in your truck. Both a cold air intake and an air box have the same general function and that is to suck up outside air into your engine.
To explain it simply, the oxygen in the air allows for the burning of fuel. The burning of the fuel leads to internal combustion, which initiates all the parts of your engine to start moving.
Unlike a stock air box that draws in hot air from inside your engine bay, a cold air intake, given that it is installed correctly, will draw in cooler air. The cold air intake will draw the cooler air from the lower part of your engine where the air is much cooler.
It is worth mentioning, however, that some vehicles have stock air boxes serve their purposes better than an aftermarket cold air intake. These stock air boxes suck in air from the bottom of engine, just like a cold air intake is supposed to do.
If you are unsure of the intricacies of your engine bay, be sure to ask a professional mechanic.
Listen to CallMeMatt’s take on his cold air intake. He shortly describes his experience with it as well as his opinion on whether or not you should get one…
Different cold air intakes in a nutshell
Cold air intake systems come in a variety of designs and materials. Intake tubing materials include plastic, rubber, and aluminum. The material of the tubing hardly matters as air will pass through it just the same matter what.
What will affect air travel is the shape of the tubing. Most vehicle engines are shaped differently so cold air intake tubings come in different shapes to accommodate the engines their were made for. The more bends a tubing has, the more resistance it encounters before reaching the rest of the engine. The resistance, however, is negligible.
Cold air intake systems come in three different types: long ram air intakes, air ram kits, and short ram kits. All these systems aim at creating more horsepower and enhancing your car’s efficiency.
What are the advantages of a cold air intake System?
Enhanced Power
Interestingly, the cold, dense air allowed by the cold air intake acts more like food for your engine. This means that the lower the temperature of the air driven into your engine, the more efficient your engine will run. This results in more horsepower and torque.
Better Fuel Economy
As I have mentioned earlier, the system works on ensuring that your engine operates at optimum power and prowess. In the process, your engine will eat up less gas. Also, cold air intakes ensure that your engine does not work hard, delivering an overall better fuel economy.
Elegant Look and Sound
When you install the air intake system, you’ll be surprised at the plenty of positive remarks you’ll get concerning the colorful intake system. While these systems come in a variety of colors and designs, each of these systems will give your engine bay a luxurious touch. The look on your friends’ faces when they see your truck will be priceless.
Reduced Air Pollution in Your Car
Of course, your health is a top priority when it comes to what’s best for your truck. Besides the fact that the system supercharges your vehicle’s performance, cold air intake systems reduce the number of inner cabin pollutants. The system naturally pumps more oxygen into the car. More oxygen in your cabin means healthier, breathable air with less exhaust fumes, dust, and smog.
An Inexpensive Upgrade
In your shopping journey, you will find that installing a cold air intake system in your truck is among one of least expensive vehicle upgrades. With a few hundred dollars, you are sure to get a system that will prevent you from spending more money than necessary on gas in the long run.
Shopping for a cold air intake system?
All engines require airflow to complete fuel combustion. Perhaps you’re planning to purchase a cold air intake system to enhance the performance of your vehicle – that’s alright!
When you invest in an air intake system, your truck and SUV will get improved airflow. This results in improved efficiency and enhanced horsepower output. Also, the kits come in a wide variety of colors and designs. Imagine popping the hood and your engine produces a husky voice – it’s mind-blowing!
It’s worth noting that not all performance intakes are cold air intakes. Also, not all cold air intakes are the best. Therefore, you might want to take adequate time to select the best system for your car.
You can opt to browse through the internet, go through the classified ads, along with the newspapers to pinpoint the best cold air intake systems available. Precise engineering will maximize the potential of your engine.
Do cold air intakes increase gas mileage?
I know I may have answered this question many times over but yes, cold air intakes will improve your gas mileage. The power of an engine is directly proportional to the amount of cold air drawn into a cylinder and retained during ignition.
Performance air intakes increase engine power by increasing the airflow capacity. While there are potential risks of installing a cold air intake, this is nothing compared to the benefits that come with it.
Conclusion
Cold air intakes are a great and affordable modification that you can add to your truck. They allow for denser air to enter your combustion chamber, allowing for more power and a less chance for overheating.
They also increase your gas mileage and they don’t look too bad either. There are a variety of different cold air intakes to choose from but be sure to get one that specifically fits your engine.
It is worth pointing out again that you have to make sure your cold air intake is installed properly. The installation may not be as simple as you would believe. Improper installation may lead to a faulty mass airflow sensor or your check engine light to come on. Contact a mechanic for a second opinion.
Cold air intakes can potentially damage your engine if small pieces of the filter tear off and enter the engine or if they are improperly installed. Install them right and conduct regular maintenance to ensure that you have a beneficial system that will last you a long time.
If you’re thinking of different ways to accessorize your truck or make it more functional, consider checking out my recommended accessories page. I spent a good amount of time picking out mods that can be useful for most pickup trucks.