Dodge Challenger Forum banner

Comparison: The best air intake for V8 Challenger | Part 2

38K views 39 replies 22 participants last post by  The Carpenter 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

In the second part of our topic we are taking a closer look at performance air intakes for V8 Challenger models (5.7L R/T and 6.4L SRT8) and comparing their performance characteristics. (See our previous topic about the best air intakes for V6 models here).

The comparison is based on the DYNO charts that we requested from the manufacturers exclusively for the ChallengerTalk forum.

We compare the intakes by K&N, aFe, Volant and AIRAID.
Check out which one provides the best power gains:

#1 K&N® Blackhawk Induction Air Intake Systems

Dodge Challenger SRT8 6.4L
+ 9.09 HP / 10.28 lb ft TQ


#2 aFe® Stage 2 Cold Air Intake System

Dodge Challenger SRT8 6.4L
+ 18 HP / +22 lb ft TQ



#3 VOLANT® CAI Kit with Donaldson's® PowerCore™ Filter

Our representative at Volant wasn't able to provide us with an official DYNO chart of performance gain Dodge Challenger, but informed that during their in-house tests it showed the following results:

+ 18-20 HP / 22-24 lb ft TQ gains on 6.4L models

and

+ 16-18 HP / 20-22 lb ft TQ gains on 5.7L models.

#4 AIRAID® MXP Series Cold Air Dam Intake System with Intake Tube

Dodge Challenger SRT8 6.4L
+ 21 HP / 17 lb ft TQ gains




As we see the biggest HP increase is provided ARAID air intakes, which is only 1 HP away from it's closest competitor by Volant. AFE is number 3.
We have noticed that K&N used a different DYNO equipment so their performance results may sightly vary on other DYNO stands and on the road.

Does anybody from this forum have one of those? Have you seen them in person?

Gentlemen, please share your thoughts and feedbacks in the comments below!
 
See less See more
3
#4 · (Edited)
Hey guys, check out the video overview of an Airaid air intake on a Dodge Challenger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8KtnLqu0IQ

They also show a detailed step by step installation and the sound of the engine with this intake on.

What do you think about the sound?
 
#5 ·
Just to clarify; the dyno charts you posted were not run by you, they're provided by the manufacturers correct?
Which means they were done on different cars, on different dynos, in different weather conditions.
As such they may be used as sort of a reference, but they're not really a true comparison.

If you really want a true comparison, run each intake on the same car and dyno on the same day, back to back.

Truth be told most CAI's gain HP from increasing the size of the filter and smoothing the air flow with an intake tube. The "cold air" part usually isn't there unless the filter is relocated to the fender well or additional outside air is ducted in. Other than that it's breathing the same temp air the stock air box does, or worse heated air from the engine if the heat shield design is poor.

That said the Airaid box is very similar to the Mopar CAI, except the drivers side not sealing to the hood, so it should do a pretty good job of deflecting heat.
 
#6 · (Edited)
HP gains are good, But I would like to see the ISO filtration specs (% and how small (micron rating) on the above filters. More air is good but if you’re NOT keeping the dust out, engine life will be shortened. and see the flow chart on all 3 side by side.
may have a 3rd party run these tests . that is not affiliated with any of the above. all on the same car.
this would be a better comparison.

 
#10 · (Edited)
I agree.
Why would dyno runs be done on different days? It doesn't take days to change a CAI.
I once went through this same BS with BullyDog. They claimed their CAI made 50HP on a certain diesel truck. I had that model so I challenged them on a forum to provide me with one and I would pay for the dyno runs. if they made anything close to that HP I would pay for the CAI. Otherwise it was free to me.
It made 9 HP at peak RPM's.
It's still sitting in my attic.
At least they quit making the BS claims.
 
#8 ·
Of course I totally agree that the best way to actually test the intakes is to test them all on the same car and the same dyno. We assume the results may slightly vary from the ones provided by the manufacturers. However the dyno charts above provide the official information and the manufacturers are responsible for it. Of course vehicle, engine, dyno, and weather conditions may influence the power output, but at least now we can tell which intake has the best potential.
 
#9 ·
Hi everyone, just a quick update on this topic.

We're currently running a promo on all K&N and Volant air intakes, so if you were thinking to get one - it's the right time to pull the trigger!

VOLANT:

Boost up your vehicle's performance! Use this 5% discount coupon on all Volant air intakes.
CODE: VOL-PER-5
* Limited time offer.

K&N:

Purchase any K&N Air Intake System and get a $25.00 rebate. Hurry! This K&N August Promotion starts August 1, 2015 and expires August 31, 2015!



Let me know if you need a quote! Don't forget to include your zip and email!
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the info I just bought a 2012 challenger srt8 with 3500 miles on it and just bought a Volant CIA with Donaldson power core filter. The filter looks very restrictive?? and it looks by the way you install it that you have too remove the complete unit to maintance the filter?? Does it reall make that much more flow for the motor???
 
#12 ·
So many issues with this as others have pointed out. My first question would be, why not compare the LMI fender pull?

Why do they pick their "peak gain" in the dip of the power curve caused by the active intake switching to short runners? If changing the intake actually does smooth out the dip that is good information but I find this misleading.
 
#13 ·
I have the LMI Fender pull on my 392. I don't have before and afters, however it's pulling from right above the brake cooling duct, which I removed, so common sense, not science, tells me it's better.
 
#16 ·
I just installed the Volant with the donaldson filter, I also pulled the inner left turn signal cap and installed the D.I.P.S now its using ram air and fender air for the intake feels a little more responsive. Very happy with the intake choice. I would recommend the Volant intake for a nice clean install.
 
#19 ·
Hood open or closed, Anchorage or Miami, January or July, What Dyno? Blah, Blah Blah..... :deadhorse:
 
#22 ·


Don't miss your chance to save your money with Volant promotion!
Purchase any Volant Air Intake and receive a $25 Prepaid Gift Card. The offer is valid through December 31, 2015.


Choose the intake for your model here: Volant | Cold Air Intake Kits & Air Filters - CARiD.com



Please complete the PDF form below and follow instructions to receive your gift card.
 
#27 ·
so without starting a crappy thread....

when is a mod considered verified? Reading through all the discussion, it is not when a manufactuer swaps their product in place of an old. Its not when changes are done of different dynos. Its not when the swap didnt happen the same day. Its not when the same air temps and humidty arent the same. Its not when different gas types are used. Its not when you go to the track.... on and on and on

At some point, every mod has to be taken with some kind of assumption that conditions will never be the same but you do the best you can to repeat them.

Case in point, I dynod my car stock. Put all the mods on and re-dynod at same dyno roughly 8 months later. I saw a hp increase of course, but I cant really go by that it sounds. It was winter the first time and end of summer the second. Night time the first and late morning the second. I had different dyno operators both times...
When does it end? When do we just say ok and accept it?
 
#28 ·
When do we just say ok and accept it?
When the time slips consistently show improvements.

For a simple mod like an intake all it would take is a third party who has no ties to the MFG to do a base line, swap for the new intake then do an after run. They could do it with multiple intakes in a row to see which one performs the best.

IIRC this was done on another forum and the results were minimal.

Using the dip in the stock run where the active intake switches over to the short runners to claim your intake increases HP by 18 is questionable. Running the AFTER dyno a week later than the baseline makes no sense.
 
#30 ·
Over the years, I've seen SO many HP claims from SO many different CAI mfgs, and the same conversations always come up, with no real measurable results, on any consistant basis


If it's not the variation in dyno testing, it's the variation in track testing, or is it just "marketing 101" at it's best?


From all that I have seen, IMO, a CAI is like a chrome trim piece.........which one do you like the looks of best! :)


Challenger air intake systems appear to me to be pretty darn good in stock form, so the money spent on aftermarket CAI's, is for looks only IMO.
 
#33 · (Edited)
The faster and smoother the flow of air through the intake, the closer the temperature of that air will be to the source of the air. The heating of the air inside the intake is primarily a factor of the time it dwells within the pipe and the surface area of the pipe available to heat the air. Turbulent air allows more heat transport (eddy transport) than smooth laminar flow where minimal air contacts the tube. Turbulent air = loud intakes. If your intake is loud, it may not be doing you any favors as far as power goes.

The resonator in the stock air intake in the 5.7 is not designed to make your intake quieter, it's designed to give a low frequency rumble (which adds turbulence). But it adds turbulence to the last few inches of the pipe which means the heating effect is minimal because the dwell time is minimal. It's quieter because it's an enclosed airbox, not because of the resonator. Fun experiment, hook up the MOPAR CAI tube to the stock intake box. It's almost dead silent.

The positioning of the IAT may end up lying to you about how much heat is actually being transported to the engine. If the IAT has been extended to be further down the length of the intake tube, of course it's going to show lower intake temperatures. This isn't because the air reaching the engine is cooler. It's because the air is measured closer to the intake source, and it hasn't spent as much dwell time in the intake pipe.

When you let your car sit and your intake tube heats up. Then you start your car and drive it and the tube cools down. What this really means is that the air going through the pipe absorbed that heat and transferred it away from the pipe to the engine. The pipe is continually being heated by the engine bay and that heat is continually being transferred to the engine. If your intake pipe is hot when you're driving, that means that the pipe is not effective in transferring heat to the engine (which is good).

So here's the bottom line:

The stock airbox and all of the better designed CAI's draw air from the same place. Whether the filter element is actually in that space vs just the intake opening is of very little consequence.

The results of the 5.7 Legmakers IAT readings are suspect with the 18 inch extension. The better argument for those is that carbon fiber may have insulating qualities. They're a well built intake but I don't buy them being 'better' because of the IAT readings, unless the insulating qualities are so good that the intake tube transfers no heat over that additional length. The 392's don't have an extension iirc, but it also doesn't have an airbox.

The Hellcat intake is a little different because it draws supplementary air from another source and it has a 'ram air effect'. But what that really means is that the air pressure in the air box is slightly higher than the surrounding air, so air velocity should be higher in the pipe.

The difference between an aluminum pipe and a plastic pipe is going to be minimal. Over time, the plastic will still reach the same temperature as the aluminum, it just takes longer. And it may take longer to transfer that heat to the air in the intake pipe, but it's still transferring it from the higher gradient to the lower gradient. The intake pipe on the 392 is so short that it's relatively meaningless as a heat sink regardless of material.

There's less than 3% hp between stock and *well designed* AM CAI with an open air element on a dyno. When the car is in motion with the hood closed the difference is even smaller. The Hellcat box is going to be much more likely to have real world HP gains because of the pressure differential in the airbox at speed.
 
#34 ·
The results of the 5.7 Legmakers IAT readings are suspect with the 18 inch extension. The better argument for those is that carbon fiber may have insulating qualities. They're a well built intake but I don't buy them being 'better' because of the IAT readings, unless the insulating qualities are so good that the intake tube transfers no heat over that additional length. The 392's don't have an extension iirc, but it also doesn't have an airbox.
I have tested the difference between the IAT and the manifold temps with/without the LMI Fender pull (with the IAT sensor moved) and the difference was so minimal, it can be attributed to just daily variance.

Moving the sensor upstream slightly does not give a false reading of intake temps.

http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f18/lmi-fender-pull-v2-temp-averages-102139/

Also, yes the carbon fiber does have better insulating qualities as it dissipates heatsoak in a minute or less, while the stock tubing takes several minutes.

These cars suffer when heat soaked, a 180 tstat and the LMI Fender pull is a great way to reduce the effect.
 
#37 ·
The factory air box on these cars are pretty good to begin with. The gains are minimal at best and certainly not worth the money unless it's for looks.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top