Cold Air Intakes: Cheap Power or Waste of Cash?
Here’s definitive video evidence that cold air intakes actually work — if you have the right one, of course.
In the world of automotive modifications, few debates top the one surrounding the humble cold air intake. Companies have been producing these so-called miracle parts for years, and yet we still can’t come to a consensus on whether they’re bargain power adders or mere witchcraft. So when we came across this Street Speed 717 video aiming to dispel (or prove) the myth, we were obviously intrigued.
Now, the concept behind cold air intakes is simple. Common thought will tell you that factory air intakes are highly restrictive and suck in a lot of hot air from the engine bay. Which, obviously, is not a good thing for your engine. Engines need lots of air to function optimally, as much as 500 cubic feet per minute at wide open throttle. In layman’s terms, that 40 deep breaths per second for us humans.
When manufacturers design air intakes, they’re not concerned with ultimate horsepower. They care about cost, noise levels, and efficiency. Factory air intakes almost always contain some sort of sound baffling for this very reason. So naturally, when you remove that baffling, you increase power. And noise. But enthusiasts actually like that kind of thing.
We must also consider the fact that colder, denser air leads to more oxygen in the combustion chamber. More oxygen equals increased fuel use, which means more power. It’s why your truck is slower when it’s hot outside. And why cold air intakes, which draw air from outside the hot engine compartment, improve engine power.
Granted, cold air intakes vary greatly in quality. But in this case, a brand new Silverado makes an impressive gain of 20+ dyno-proven horsepower following the installation of a Cold Air Inductions intake. It even flattens out the torque curve in this case. So once again, science is proven correct. So long as you buy the right product, that is.
