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UPD Vs. K&N Vs. AirRaid Vs. Volant...

R

ratthedd

GUEST
Are there any performance reviews comparing the various intake kits? Specifically I'm wanting to upgrade my 8.1L so the UDP and Volant are out, but what can I expect from the other two?
 
I just came across this site today. I can't believe it took me so long to find...I've been looking for something like this since I got my Av last Sept. Site looks great so far.... :)

I did a search on K&N FIPK and it looks like there has been a lot of discussion. Have you guys determined the best one to buy and where to buy it?

Thanks.
 
If you're looking for the FIPK part it's #57-3033. ?

If you're referring to what brand has the best system, then it's pretty much up to your reference.

- UPD
- K&N FIPK
- Volant

...and I'm sure there are a couple more. ?A bunch of people on the board have different intakes, so if you wanted a personal experience, you could hop on the 'Performace' section, under the K&N forum, see what people have what, and PM (personal message) them.

any other ?'s, ask... ;D


OH..., and WELCOME to the board!!!
;D ;D ;D
 
Hey, thanks for the responses. I know K&N (had them on all my other vehicles), so I'll probably stick with them.

Michael, do the frowning smileys mean you don't like fishing???? Tuna steaks on the grill, don't get much better than that!!!!

Hook UP!!!!
 
Welcome Tunahunter....glad to have join us....hope you find all the answers to your questions here.....A lot of choices when it comes to intakes..Good Luck!! :)
 
Yeah, when we going fishing? ;D

Yep, there are many to choose from and do your own research but for what its worth: I had the FIPK and did not like the open cone under the hood (let in to much hot air from motor) , so I sold it and went with the UPD. Real happy now and it looks awesome ! Thats the first thing people ask me about when I open the hood.:)
 
Redhawk, I thought the KN FIPK sealed up against the hood and only drew air from the fender or from behind the light. I'm pretty sure the FIPK and the Airaid have the same seal that runs along the top edge of the cold air box.
 
Chevylover said:
Redhawk, I thought the KN FIPK sealed up against the hood and only drew air from the fender or from behind the light. ?I'm pretty sure the FIPK and the Airaid have the same seal that runs along the top edge of the cold air box.
Click to expand...
The K&N does have a seal that runs along the top, however, mine does not fit totally flush/snug with the hood. Air can also be drawn in around the sides of the heat shield from the engine compartment.


I'm doing some experimentation in this area. I'll keep you posted. ;D

helmet
 
Redhawk, I thought the KN FIPK sealed up against the hood and only drew air from the fender or from behind the light. ?I'm pretty sure the FIPK and the Airaid have the same seal that runs along the top edge of the cold air box.
Click to expand...

This was the problem I saw with mine FIPK.. First the metal box and seal do not seal very well at all and a lot of hot engine air gets into the box.. Second the metal box retains a lot more heat than a plastic inductions. The last thing that really turned me off was , after driving around for a while on a warm day, I opened the hood and the cone filter was boiling hot.. I mean it was hard to even touch. I then realized that I could get a good dyno or make power on a cold motor but once all the hot air got into the filter (after 15 minutes of driving) , I may be losing more powe than eve the stock set up.. I quickly sold it after that, drove around with the stock on , until I heard about the UPD.. NO more open filter systems for me..:) ?
 
My Carbon Fiber UPD came in the mail while I was out of town - it goes on Saturday (maybe tonight after everyone is asleep, having a nice looking performance mod sitting in a box is hard for me, I know you guys understand ;)). Redhawk, you mentioned applause from onlookers when you open the hood - I take it you went CF also?
 
I've been paying attenion but missed something. I know what the K&N kit is but which is the UPD? Do they have a Web site I can look at? ???

Confused,

LazKat
 
jackalanche.

I like that name ! :) No, I have the smoked clear but I was really torn between the CF .. The CF has a damn classy look, from the pics I have seen.
 
Just put the UPD on (little Sam the 15 month old was napping) and a few comments to share for those who are going this route:

1. I think it is carbon fiber look, but not actual carbon fiber (pretty big unit, all that CF whould have made it pretty pricey I guess). Still looks pretty f-ing sweet tho.

2. the directions say to just remove the mass air sensor while the the lid to the stock filter box is in palce - well my MAS was pretty well stcuk to the lid, even after the clamp was loosened - had to sit down with the thing and pry it off.

3. while the UPD directions say nothing about it, I just happened to notice a foam gasket crammed down inside the K&N box - don't neglect the installation of this gasket on the UPD airbox lid - helps the seal.

had to jigger the various connections around of course - keep them all LOOSE until it is all on and lined up and you have screwed down the four airbox lid screws.
 
I installed the FIPK on the 5.3 thursday. The only hard part was getting the foam seal around the metal box. I must agree with Redhawk, KN didn't do much measuring when they made this one. The only thing it touches and seals against is the hood. Where the box is to meet against the grill and fender there is about a 1-2" gap that while at slow speeds, anything under 25mph, there would be more of a chance of hot air coming in. I called the Airforce One manufacture, since they make an air intake without a comlete box and he stated that after you get up to speed, over 25mph, that there is enough air coming through the grill that it pushes the hot air out of the engine bay, which is normal. So at highway speeds your not going to be pulling in hot engine bay air. But it would be nice if the people at KN would have paid a little more attention to the fit of the filter. I think I'm going to call them next week and say WTF!
 
Just ordered a K&N FIPK from truckperformance.com - I'm excited about it, but my wife caught me ordering it and I have that weird guilt thing going :-[, you'd think I was checking out porn sites or something.

Decided to go with the K&N mainly because I like the way it looks under the hood ( I think performance for all brands is fairly similar). I also don't mind the extra noise, the louder the better.

Next mod will be either black nerf bars in place of the running boards or Rancho skid plate to go with the lift kit.

Fantastic info in this forum...keep up the good work!!

Chuck.
 
OK, after reading throught he 3 main threads on FIPKs, and trying to understand the limitations of each setup, I have come to the conclusion that the UPD is probably the best one for me.

Here is my thoughts:

I do a lot of city driving. The K&N and Poweraid have areas where warm engine air can get around them and into the whole filter intake areas. Warm air is bad for engines, robbing them of power. It was posted that at 25+ mph that the warm air is forced out. However, in city driving, the enigne is at idle much of the time, with warm air getting into the aforementioned areas, preheating the area long before the colder air can get in there. In my book, that is not good.

I love the look of the cone filters. But, after looking at the UPD website, the clear housing for the air intake looks cool as well (I wonder how well the clear housing stays clean, and if it would be a PITA in the long run. Looks really cool though).

I have never used a flat drop-in style K&N before. How are these different from the cone filters?

I also plan on getting a TBS. But, can only afford one thing at a time. Which should I get first?

Also, I have seen the fan shroud cut out, and it looks simple enough. Cutting the fan blades doesn't seem to be too good of an idea to me. Is that necessary? If the blades aren't balanced, they can cause gyration, and ruin bearings, pulleys, belts etc...

Does anyone have the UPD with the TBS installed, and if so how much modification was needed?
 
I have the UPD but not the TBS (hmm, acronym overload), no mods need with just the UPD, but it is right up against the shroud, so I would think you would need to do a little modding to get the setup to work with the TBS installed.
 
spork_av said:
I have never used a flat drop-in style K&N before. ?How are these different from the cone filters?
Click to expand...
I have been intending to take measurements of both to determine if there is any surface area difference, but I haven't gotten to it yet. The only other difference I can imagine, is the way the air flows into the intake tube would be different.

spork_av said:
I also plan on getting a TBS. But, can only afford one thing at a time. Which should I get first?
Click to expand...
I personally would get the FIPK first. Of course another inexpensive, and non-cutting option would be to get the TBS(+/-$90) and the drop in filter(+/-$50).

spork_av said:
Also, I have seen the fan shroud cut out, and it looks simple enough. Cutting the fan blades doesn't seem to be too good of an idea to me. Is that necessary? If the blades aren't balanced, they can cause gyration, and ruin bearings, pulleys, belts etc...
Click to expand...
No, don't cut the fan blades. Mine "trimmed themselves" when the tube slipped back just a little. It only took about 1/8" of the end of each blade, and did so uniformly because the engine was running, but I wouldn't do this on purpose. ;D ;D
I cut less than an inch off of my tube where it meets the throttle body, and modified the rubber boot in order to have the proper clearance. It works for now, but I am not satisfied with this connection for the long term. Gandolphxx has mentioned an electric fan that would provide more clearance, not to mention reduce drag on the engine. I am exploring this right now. Flex-a-lite is coming out with a fan kit for the AV in the next two weeks, so I'll keep you posted.

Here is what my setup looks like with cuts and all:
k-n1.jpg


Notice the rubber trim I added to clean up the cut on the fan shroud. (hardware store .35 cents)
k-n2.jpg


helmet


 
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