# Aftermarket Cold Air Intake System



## Dave-Gray (Jul 9, 2012)

After purchasing my Ram 3500, one the first things I did, I installed the K&N cold air intake system.

Several months later I began to read a lot of information on the internet indicating the K&N oiled air filter passes too much particles. After 3 years and 71K miles, I decided to remove my K&N system last October 2012 and reinstalled the OEM system. As far as the performance advantages of the K&N, the removal was a major mistake. I noticed right away there was less power. A day later, for the first time I had drop to 2nd gear going up a hill I've been up several times with my rig on my way to an RV Park. I've always gone up that hill in 3rd gear at 3000 RPM going 50 MPH. I approached the hill as usual and watched the speed go down and down. When I got to 34 MPH, I dropped it 2nd gear and began to gain speed.

Now what? Do I put the K&N back on? Or do I look for a different system? Will I be able to find a better filter that replaces the K&N filter?

I began to research for a different filter and or system. I discovered that AEM has cold air intakes and several sizes of replacement dry filters. A quick call to AEM confirmed the size I needed. The dry filters do not require periodic re-oiling like the K&N Filters. The AEM dry filters are rated excellent in filtration and I probably will never have to replace it.

A few days later I drove the 6 hour round trip in my smart fortwo to retrieve my K&N cold air intake. I reinstalled it and I installed the new AEM dry filter and the AEM prefilter I purchased from Amazon.com. A few days later I towed my RV 155 miles to a new location. There is absolutely no doubt that an aftermarket cold air intake system will improve the truck performance. Not only did I get the lost power back, I confirmed that fuel mileage improved as well. My mileage improved from 7.8 MPG to 9.7 MPG (according to the on-board system). Going up hills returned to the performance I was used too.

I recently began my trek to Goshen, IN and on fairly level roads with no headwind; the fuel mileage is reaching 13 MPG and averages 10.5 MPG.

If you can, I recommend installing an aftermarket cold air intake system. And of course, I recommend AEM. Especially if you don't want to bother with cleaning and re-oiling the K&N air filter. If you want to replace the oiled air filter, AEM has a replacement for you.

Visit AEM.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The oiled filters are mostly good enough and the passing of debris is more due to incorrect application of the oil film.

I opted for the S&B brand intake as I dislike the recurring cost of replacing dry filters.


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## Dave-Gray (Jul 9, 2012)

The advantage on AEM dry air filters is they are cleanable and depending on use conditions, they protect the engine up to 100,000 miles before cleaning is required. The Dryflow Air Filter has a Lifetime Limited Warranty.


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## Todd&Regan (Jul 1, 2010)

Whether or not an oiled filter such as K&N filter as well as paper filters is up for debate. No doubt oiled filters are more efficient when it comes to air flow. Of course K&N claims that the statement that paper filters filter better than theirs is a myth. I've replaced my stock air filter on my F-150 ecoboost with a K&N and have no plans to add a performance air intake system, as the power gains with stock exhaust is minimal and often unnoticeable. It'll be interesting to see what others think.
On a side note, have a safe trip to Goshen! I work in Goshen and live just outside of city limits. You can send me p.m. if you have any questions about the area.


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