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S&B vs Cold Air Inductions Air Intake - Fuel Economy (MPG)

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Jethro71 Enthusiast

Jethro71

Posted
Posted

Noob here.  I'm sorry if I'm not posting in the right place, but can anyone explain to me why the GM performance intake requires a calibration after installation, but none of the other after market CAIs from S&B, Roto Fab, etc. do not?

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Z45
Z45

First of all, your truck has a cold air intake as standard.    Your truck has a modern computer controlled direct injection motor.  Regular air filter (ORM) vs. a CAI or performance filter w

newdude
newdude

You can tune a 2020, just costs $$$$  HP Tuners route is almost $2000 and that's just for the ECM and credits.  Diablo/Edge and someone else have a $650 ECM exchange program and then you can use their

Snakes709
Snakes709

As i mentioned above, s&b isnt a true enclosed as its sucking hot air from the fender. 

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TxTruckMan Senior Enthusiast

TxTruckMan

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Jethro71 said:

Noob here.  I'm sorry if I'm not posting in the right place, but can anyone explain to me why the GM performance intake requires a calibration after installation, but none of the other after market CAIs from S&B, Roto Fab, etc. do not?

Because they can’t. GM locked down the ECM to make it very hard to make changes outside of a dealership. You need a new ECM unless you’re GM. 

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, TxTruckMan said:

Because they can’t. GM locked down the ECM to make it very hard to make changes outside of a dealership. You need a new ECM unless you’re GM. 

My last new truck was a 14 GMC. Every truck prior had hand held tunes, drop in or cold air intakes with exhaust. I never had a special tune or a check engine light. I can’t imagine there’s no room for a little more air in or a little more exhaust without special tuning. Not being able to make my truck a little different would just piss me off. 

OnTheReel Senior Enthusiast

OnTheReel

Posted
Posted

There’s room to work within the stock tune. GM themselves give you an extra 13 hp with their catback, no tune needed. Safe to say you can improve on the front end of that as well.
 

I ran the Roto-Fab for a few years, it did great. Never any check engine lights or other issues. I bought it for the look and sound first, but I did measure improvements with my Dragy as well.


Unfortunately the same few people here are far too exhausting to argue with. If you’re bored with the truck and want to add an intake system, do it. If not, that’s cool too.

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fastk9dad Enthusiast

fastk9dad

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, TxTruckMan said:

Because they can’t. GM locked down the ECM to make it very hard to make changes outside of a dealership. You need a new ECM unless you’re GM. 

 

Well that, plus it's likely required for CARB certification.

 

TNTSierra Senior Enthusiast

TNTSierra

Posted
Posted

The thing with a CAI is that “ONE DOES NOT BUY IT FOR MPGs!!!  You buy one for the performance side of things. That’s why you buy it plain and simple. I have seen nice gains with my S&B intake along with my Corsa Exhaust.  Those who are in here constantly stating they don’t help (on performance side of things) are complete idiots! They choose to only b!tch about things and try to spat out a bunch of analytic garbage about air flow…blah,blah,blah

 

Here’s my offer for all those haters. Take a stock GM truck, then take one that has a full Catback exhaust and CAI and line them up. See which one “PERFORMS” better.  Oh wait, I have done this and mine performed better and I have seen 3 tenths sec better on that performance! Others have also shown numerical data as well.  Hell, GM states you get an extra 15 hp from both, and their CAI is garbage compared to S&B or Roto-Fab in terms of air flow.  
 

As for the tunes, I am contemplating getting the Diablo hand held tune, just waiting on a time when I don’t need my truck for a good week because I don’t want to be stranded without a vehicle if shipping is late, because there is no way you are getting the ECU back in 1 day like they claim. 

  • Like 1
Jethro71 Enthusiast

Jethro71

Posted
Posted

If I decided to install a S&B or Roto Fab CAI, would it be advantageous for me to take it to the dealer and have them do a MAF calibration on my truck as if I had purchased the GM performance intake?

ls5454ss Enthusiast

ls5454ss

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 minutes ago, Jethro71 said:

If I decided to install a S&B or Roto Fab CAI, would it be advantageous for me to take it to the dealer and have them do a MAF calibration on my truck as if I had purchased the GM performance intake?

 

(1) they won't do that

 

(2) that makes no sense.  The GM CAI/MAF calibration is specifically for a truck with a GM CAI, and in all theory, motor dependent.  A GM MAF calibration is not set up for any other brand air intakes.

Jethro71 Enthusiast

Jethro71

Posted
Posted

Aside from the fact that they won't, I get that, why wouldn't it make sense?  Wouldn't the calibration be adjusting for a higher air flow over stock air flow?  Even though a K&B or Roto Fab wouldn't be the exact same as the GM CAI, wouldn't it be closer to it than it would be to the stock?

ls5454ss Enthusiast

ls5454ss

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 minute ago, Jethro71 said:

Aside from the fact that they won't, I get that, why wouldn't it make sense?  Wouldn't the calibration be adjusting for a higher air flow over stock air flow?  Even though a K&B or Roto Fab wouldn't be the exact same as the GM CAI, wouldn't it be closer to it than it would be to the stock?

 

It makes no sense because if they are different air intakes, with completely airflow characteristics.  No, there is not a guarantee that it would be closer than a stock calibration.  

 

If you are paranoid about a proper calibration for an air intake, then I'd recommend having your PCM sent to HP Tuners to be unlocked (over $1k), then having a shop do a custom tune for your specific modifications.  Which would, at that point, void your warranty.

TNTSierra Senior Enthusiast

TNTSierra

Posted
Posted

You do not need a MAF re-calibration with the S&B intake. You follow the directions, un-hook the battery for 2 hours. Install the system and the MAF relearns itself. I've had mine on 2 vehicles, with over 30k miles and nothing has ever come up other than forgetting to take off the air filter indicator in the settings menu.  I believe Roto-Fab is pretty much the same thing.  I just choose the S&B because of the price and it has the best air flow out of all manufacturers out there. I would buy either one if I had to choose again. 

Jethro71 Enthusiast

Jethro71

Posted
Posted

So if the MAF relearns or re-calibrates itself after installation of an after market CAI, why can't it do the same with the GM performance intake?  Why does the GM performance intake require a re-calibration?

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Jethro71 said:

So if the MAF relearns or re-calibrates itself after installation of an after market CAI, why can't it do the same with the GM performance intake?  Why does the GM performance intake require a re-calibration?

Same reason the manufacturers do everything. There’s probably a little extra horsepower if you buy from GM. They want control. And there’s the warranty excuse. Otherwise it’s smoke. Take your pick. Like my 14 for instance with the E-85 option. Extra HP just by adding E-85. Put a can tune on it same HP using premium fuel. Voiding the warranty potentially. Control.

fastk9dad Enthusiast

fastk9dad

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, Jethro71 said:

So if the MAF relearns or re-calibrates itself after installation of an after market CAI, why can't it do the same with the GM performance intake?  Why does the GM performance intake require a re-calibration?

 

Just because it can relearn within its current parameters doesn't mean there isn't a benefit to tune specifically for it. From what I've read the tune is to compensate for MAF sensor relocation. Plus this is the only intake to have CARB certification as well, so that likely has something to do with it as well.

  • 4 months later...
Smrtasp Enthusiast

Smrtasp

Posted
Posted

Will chime in with my experience with a new S&B install. I have a 2021 AT4 6.2 with a fabtech kit on it (coil overs up front with new rear shocks lifted about 3 inches over a stock AT4). From an MPG perspective, I was getting about 13.5 around town and after 500 miles with the S&B, I am seeing in the low 14s. With really reserved driving I get over 15. Not a huge jump but more than I was getting before. I did not reset the MPG counter prior to installing BTW so it was still showing its original numbers. I haven’t done enough highway driving yet to see if there is any benefit there but the fact that it did not go down is a bonus itself. 

 

I will say that I have had a few check engine lights since installing mine. Each happened after about 150 miles of driving. The first time I pulled the battery and made sure everything was tight and let it sit for a few hours to clear whatever caused it. Even though I had tightened everything at the time of install, the MAF screws were a bit loose and so was one side of the MAF extension cable. The second time it happened I was our running errands and the light cleared itself and hasn’t come back on with another ~100 miles of driving. 

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