Air Intakes

3409 products

About Air Intakes

An intake changes two things you'll notice pulling out of the driveway. The sound, because the factory box was built to keep the engine quiet, and the throttle, because a smoother path lets it breathe sooner. Gains on a naturally aspirated car are small without a tune. On a turbo car the intake is the first restriction the compressor pulls through, so a good kit and a tune together do real work.

Cold air or short ram is the first fork. A cold air kit runs the filter out of the bay, into the fender or behind the bumper, where the air is cooler and denser. A short ram keeps it under the hood, which makes the install quicker and the sound louder, and warms the air up after a few minutes in traffic. Injen builds both styles for most of what's in the catalog.

Two catches worth knowing. Some engines are fussy about the mass airflow housing diameter and will run lean or throw a code on the wrong tube, so a kit that keeps the factory housing is the safe buy. And in California and the states following its rules an intake needs a CARB exemption number to pass. Filter type, oiled cotton or dry synthetic, decides how you'll clean it.

Common questions

Cold air or short ram
Cold air for power and consistency, short ram for sound and an easier afternoon. The cold air kit puts the filter where the air is cooler, which is worth more on a turbo car than on a naturally aspirated one. The short ram sits in the bay, sounds louder and soaks heat in traffic. If you see a lot of deep puddles, the short ram's the safer place for a filter.
Do I need a tune with an intake
On most modern cars, no, the ECU adapts within a few drives. On cars that are picky about the mass airflow housing, a kit that changes tube diameter wants a tune or it'll run lean and set a code. Each listing says whether the factory housing carries over. A tune is what turns an intake from a sound into a gain either way.
Can an intake pull in water
If the filter hangs low behind the bumper and you drive through standing water, yes, and an engine that swallows water hydrolocks. Most kits mount high enough in the fender that it takes a flood to reach. A bypass valve in the tube is cheap insurance. In a wet climate a short ram or a fender mounted filter is the calmer option, and it's cheaper than an engine.
How often does the filter need cleaning
When it looks dirty, which on a street car is about once a year and more often on dusty roads. A dry synthetic washes with soap and water and goes back in dry. An oiled cotton filter washes, dries and takes a light coat of oil, and too much of that oil coats the airflow sensor and sets a code. Listings say which filter you're getting.