Airaid CAI install 2014 5.3L

[mackfed]

I've been researching CAIs for a while and decided on Airaid. A lot of the reviews commented on the "noise"...how loud it is. After the install it sounds the same at idle. However going down the road can be a different story. Put your foot in it and she gets loud. I love it (wife not so much)! Not sure if it adds petformane or mpg but sounds good.

Now to start looking for an exhaust...borla through gm?

[GMC-AT]

They are all about the same.. I had the Airaid CAI.. then I tried the Volant CAI for the 2014. Both made too much noise for me....annoying. I'm probably just getting old..

[SouthernSilveradoGuy85]

Don't have one on my 2014, but put a K&N kit on my old 98. The HP you won't feel, especially the hotter the engine bay gets the less HP you gain. Seemed like the only thing it really did was give better acceleration since the pipe from the filter to the TB wasn't restrictive anymore. Another plus was also not having to change the filter. I put about 60,000+ miles on that single filter and still didn't need to be cleaned, then got rid of it for the truck I have now.

 

I'm thinking about Airaid myself, but I would get the JR kit where it keeps the stock filter box but replaces the tube between the filter box and TB, and comes with a filter. I may get the K&N Blackhawk kit though. Not sure just yet. Might just wait til the warranty end to do anything to the engine lol.

[iDominate]

They are all about the same.. I had the Airaid CAI.. then I tried the Volant CAI for the 2014. Both made too much noise for me....annoying. I'm probably just getting old..

I think I feel the same as you with the sound produced. At times, it wasnt horrible but when it really kicks down it is just too much. I have the K&N intake. I also feel like it doesn't really help you in the fuel economy as I have read. Maybe it is just me.

[Zasker1]

I'll post a picture of this when I get home but I have the K&N filter and it is a bit loud what I did was took some fat Matt or Dynamat and simply wrapped the inside intake housing where the filter sits and that seemed to reduce the drone significantly

[rob02021]

I wanted to put an CAI on mine but my buddy talked me out of it. I was told after a year his had let so much dirt into the motor he had lost HP and Torque. Any feedback on this? I was looking at the afe CAI.

 

 

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[Spurshot]

My opinion is that K&N filters let dust particulate thru that the factory filter would not. If you remove a factory filter snorkel, it's clean in there. A K&N on one of my trucks had a fine powder stuck to the inside.

 

If you cut a K&N apart and unfold it, it will not equal the filtering area that the factory paper filter has. Not even in the same ballpark. The K&N gets its "low restriction" by not filtering as finely, IMO.

[Ventilator]

The Z71's already have a high capacity air cleaner from the factory. Just don't see the benefit, and companies voiding warranties for any types of mods these days? 5 year 100,000 mile power train warranty means something to me, as I keep my vehicles for between 2 to 3 times that.

 

Not hating, just not understanding, other than they look cool.

 

Back in the day, we used to flip the breather cover over on the old 4 barrel. Yep, it sounded pretty cool when it kicked in.

[Spurshot]

The Z71's already have a high capacity air cleaner from the factory. Just don't see the benefit, and companies voiding warranties for any types of mods these days? 5 year 100,000 mile power train warranty means something to me, as I keep my vehicles for between 2 to 3 times that.

 

Not hating, just not understanding, other than they look cool.

 

Back in the day, we used to flip the breather cover over on the old 4 barrel. Yep, it sounded pretty cool when it kicked in.

 

Sales ads and the fact that 'performance' auto part suppliers sell them, makes people believe there is something to be had for not much money. The use of the term 'CAI' perpetuates the dream of more horsepower dancing in the minds of enthusiasts with a wad of $20 bills in their hands.

 

Does anyone look at how the air comes into the factory air box? There's a nice bellmouth inlet and it's sealed to the cavity on the inner side of the engine compartment to keep out the hot air. Some of the "CAIs" I've seen let lots of hot compartment air into the system. Nearly none have good airflow bellmouth inlets nor other airflow management into the box.

 

Every CAI I've seen had no where near the filtering area of the factory filter, with the possible exception of a few.

 

The "CAIs" virtually all omit the plenum on the inlet tube, making them much louder...and every enthusiast 'knows' more noise, more power. Christ, that's just common sense, right? Nobody stops to think maybe, just maybe GM did a little bit of tuning with the plenum to optimize airflow. Nah. GM engineers don't know squat about making power.

[ToesonTheNose]

So the dynos are photoshopped?

[kstruckcountry]

My opinion is that K&N filters let dust particulate thru that the factory filter would not. If you remove a factory filter snorkel, it's clean in there. A K&N on one of my trucks had a fine powder stuck to the inside.

 

If you cut a K&N apart and unfold it, it will not equal the filtering area that the factory paper filter has. Not even in the same ballpark. The K&N gets its "low restriction" by not filtering as finely, IMO.

Agree 100%. No way in hell I'd put a K&N on my pickup.

 

I like the factory boxes. They do a good job. However the factory tube has that big silencer on it, I think it holds heat. I would recommend the Airaid MIT to anyone from my experience with it on my 2006.

[SouthernSilveradoGuy85]

Agree 100%. No way in hell I'd put a K&N on my pickup.

 

I like the factory boxes. They do a good job. However the factory tube has that big silencer on it, I think it holds heat. I would recommend the Airaid MIT to anyone from my experience with it on my 2006.

 

That's what I plan on doing to mine. Just replacing the tube with an Airaid MIT. Should give a little better throttle response.

[kstruckcountry]

I think you'll be happy with it. I noticed a bit of a bump around 3000 rpm. But the sound is great in my opinion. You won't notice it just driving, but if you lay into it you'll know it's there lol.

 

Interested to see how people with 2014's like them.

[Jon A]

 

The "CAIs" virtually all omit the plenum on the inlet tube, making them much louder...and every enthusiast 'knows' more noise, more power.

 

I don't know about every enthusiast, but I know my AFE CAI makes more power because I've measured a much lower pressure drop accross it.

[desert]

How about an Airaid Jr kit along with enlarging the hole in the factory air box and fender ?