Top 5 Best Performance Cold Air intake for Ford Raptor – Buying Guide
if you’re a owner of Ford raptor then you should already knew about the importance of having cold air intake installed in your truck.
It’s not only boost up the performance of your engine but also, it enhances the look of your truck along with giving that growling note and impressive increase in towing power to your beast.
So, if you have Ford Raptor and still missing out on one of the most important performance upgrade,..then you must think of having one!!
And if you already decided to buy one but confused in chossing the best one then this is the right place for you to decide which one is better and what all the point you need to consider before buying any cold air intake.
Before moving towards the best cold air intake list let’s discuss some of the important points to take into consideration before having a CAI.
Let me first tell you how you can increase your power and MPGs with the performance Air Intakes.
The Cold Air Intake replaces your stock intake and boosted the flow rate and increase the horsepower and performance as more air means more oxygen and combustion.
The Cold Air Intake System relocates the filter outside of the engine compartment to deliver the coolest air inlet temperatures possible.
Cooler air carries more oxygen, which translates into a more intense explosion in the combustion chamber to create more horsepower and torque. But that’s only part of the power equation.
Tuning the inlet pipe in length and diameter to match the engine’s resonance helps move more air to the cylinders (think of your engine as a big air pump), and this tuning allows us to deliver the maximum power gains throughout the entire RPM range.
All the Cold Intakes has similar functions (according to vehicle) with little change in efficiency and power output but the difference is in the shape,size,material and in the cost.
You have just to choose which parameter you want to upgrade according your need.
Benefits of Using Cold Air Intake
#1 Power/Hp Gain : This is one of the most obvious benefits of using Cold Air intake in your vehicle. More air or oxygen means good combustion which allows good fuel rich air/fuel mixture to ignite properly hence increasing horsepower of your vehicle.
#2 Increased Throttle Response : With the time you will come to find that your vehicle will be performing bit slow and lagging in the performance during tough paths. By increasing air flow and combustion in your engine you will be adding more throttle response to your vehicle. As performance air intakes gives your vehicle more throttle response whenever you press gas pedal.
#3 Boosted Mileage or Fuel economy : By using performance cold air intake you are basically increasing your gas mileage. As better oxygen level means better combustion and rick fuel/air mixture will burn properly and you get more energy out of every drop of fuel hence increasing mileage.
You will see 1-2 Miles per gallon increase in your mileage but along with this you have to maintain your driving habits also as in if you’re driving hard using extra power and acceleration that will surely not lead to increase in mileage. So be cautious about that.
#4 Increase Engine Life: Installing a cold intake will increase your engine’s life. As good combustion and cold air means less contaminants accumulated inside engine that leads to better engine life.
#5 Easy Installation : The best part of Performance Air Intake is that they’re very easy to install with simple tools and installation instructions. If you’re totally new then mechanic help is recommended otherwise you can install by seeing videos or reading installation manual also.
After knowing all of the benefits lets look into some of the things to consider before buying cold Air Intake.
Things to Consider before Buying Cold Air Intake
#1 Filter: This is important to evaluate the quality of filter before buying the cold air intake as it is the important part. It should be reusable and washable. In this way it will last longer and saves your money also as there is no need of replacement just clean it and use it again.
#2 Size: Choose the right size according to your truck. Just look at the engine space and also look into some details regarding size while buying Cold Air Intake. You have to choose wisely which one fit easier and will not compromise with any of the above benefits.
#3 Durability: Evaluate properly the material of the cold air intake before buying. Choose that air intake which will prone to wear and tear and will last long and made from high quality material.
#4 Price: Price is obvious the main thing to consider as everyone wants to buy cheap and best but don’t compromise with quality and performance with price.And after all with best air intake you will be saving indirectly (on fuel mileage).
#5 Style of Cold air intake : The other thing to think about is the style or type of cold air intake system. There are generally three types : the short ram system , Ram Air intake and the true cold air intake system.
Short RAM Intake VS True Cold Air Intake
- Short ram system: The short ram is basically replace your factory intake with a new smooth pipe and an open element air filter .It draws air from inside the engine bay but give a short, smooth path to the engine.It is easy to install and cheaper than cold air intake.Since it takes place as your factory pipe so it allows for engine heat to have an easier path into your intake system, creating less horsepower and torque as compared to cold air intake. Its design tends to require less “plumbing” or fabrication work.
- True cold air intake: Whereas Cold Air intake or The “true” cold air intake places an emphasis on moving the air filter as far forward as possible. It draws air from outside the engine bay to give engine cooler and denser air. It produces more supplemental cold air flow than the short ram design. Due to the intake having more piping, the cold air is usually more expensive, and more difficult to install.
- Ram Air Intake: The Ram Air Intake is pretty much similar like cold air intake only the difference is – it comes with longer tubes and air filter at the back of system. This is more beneficial during high speeds as it draws larger volume of air with wind pressure which results in more engine power.It is somewhat like turbocharger but with less parts.
It’s depend upon you which air intake you want to buy, if you’re ready to spend money and want noticeable performance and horsepower increase then Cold Air intake is best.On the other side if you don’t want to spend much and want good economy increase along with better throttle response then you should go with Short ram intake.
These are some of the points you should keep in mind before buying Cold Air Intake. If you have any doubt fell free to comment below.
Here in this article we’ve listed the 5 of the top Performance Air Intakes for your Ford Ranger that will boost the performance.
Also Check :Best 3 Mods.Upgrades Combination to Boost Ford F150 Performance
So without wasting much time let’s start out list.
Here we Go!
Best Cold Air Intake for Ford Ranger
#5 SPE-9034 Spectre Performance Air Intake Kit with Washable Air Filter
Make your Intake system running more cool and increase your vehicle’ performance with the Spectra Performance Air Intake System.
Before talking about the part let’s see the manufacturer info first – Started in Onterio, CA back in 1983, Spectre boasts a state-of-the-art facility. Equipped with a chassis dyno to optimize performance and emissions testing, Spectre also features a top-of-the-line Super-Flow flow bench with airflow, pressure and velocity measuring capabilities in both intake and exhaust modes.
Spectre air intake systems are designed to get more horsepower and torque from your vehicle while working to protect your engine from harmful debris. Under normal drive it also helps to increase the few MPG.
This air intake comes with a red Spectre reusable low restriction air filter, polished aluminum tubing and a black powder coated heat shield to help prevent engine air from entering the intake inlet.
Spectre air intakes come with the necessary boots, clamps and hardware for an OE fit and finish.
You can get lifetime warranty with your Spectra Performance Air Intake System.
Check out Customer Reviews & Ratings
Key Features
- Increase horsepower, torque and improve your fuel economy with Spectre Cold Air Intakes
- Custom-designed to fit your car, truck or SUV
- Polished aluminium air intake tube
- Includes a red spectra air filter
- Mandrel-bent chrome tubing boosts airflow and looks good
- Includes Powder coated steel heat shield, all necessary brackets, couplers, clamps and adapters
- Easy installation
- Backed by a Lifetime Warranty
Check Spectre Performance Air Intake kit for All Ford F150 Models Year Wise
#4 S&B Filters 75-5077 Cold Air Intake For Ford F-150 & Raptor 6.2L
Enhance your Engine’ performance with the S&B Filters Intake system as it feed more air to the engine and unleash its trapped potential.
If we talk about the manufacturer – S&B Filters has been making high performance air filters and breathers for vehicles and other custom applications. From its humble beginnings in a garage in Ontario, California, S&B has continually strive to design and manufacture the highest quality and most durable re-chargeable air filter in the industry.
Apart from drawing in cool air in your engine, the S&B filters air intake system also increases the horsepower, torque and fuel economy.
You will easily feel 20.80% More Airflow & 99.28% Efficiency Rating with this cold air intake.
With the superior design and quality the S&B cold air intakes feature a premium silicone S&B Air filter specifically matched to your vehicle.
Thanks to its highly durable unbreakable filter that offers exceptional tear strength and will easily last long.It won’t crack over time and can withstand temperature as high as 400 degree F.
With the washable and reusable air filter the S&B cold air intake system also replaces the air box with the custom designed air box that keeps loose dirt and turbulent engine air out of your system.
One of the most impressive thing that we liked about this filter is,The ease of installing and no more coding.The S&B engineered it very well by devoting huge amount of time that you will never face any issues while integrating into your engine as this one is custom tuned with your stock caliberation.So you don’t have to hit your head by doing all diffucult coding.
You can install your S&B Air Intake system in just 30 minutes with the easy to use installation instruction and illustrations.
The S&B Air Intake system is backed up an 1,000,000 mile warranty.
Check out customer reviews & ratings
Key Features
- Made for Ford F-150 & Raptor 6.2L
- Designed with two openings to pull air into the air box.
- Feature a premium, tear resistant high quality silicone S&B Air Filter specifically matched to your vehicle type
- S&B air boxes feature an exclusive clear window top to ease inspection of your high-performance filter-and it’s great for showing off
- S&B Cold Air Intakes also help balance air/fuel ratios that improve your gas mileage
- Bolts directly on to the side of the truck eliminating the need for the stock mounting rack and creating the most solid mounting point imaginable
- You can attach your stock breather to the adapter installed in the air box
- Backed by 1,000,000 Mile warranty
Check S&B Air Intake kits for All Ford F150 Models Year Wise
#3 Roush 422089 Cold Air Intake F-150 EcoBoost V6 & Raptor
The other brand that will hit your mind if you’re thinking of good air intake is Roush.
ROUSH air intakes are always famous for bringing staggering performance increase to your engine without any caiberation required.
With the inclusion of this more efficient Roush air intake in your Ford truck, you will see instant increase in engine performance with 25% less air intake restriction than stock.
With this highly-engineered kit of cold air intake, you can feel that vibrations that comes after the system will unlock the latent power from your engine.
The kit features increased inlet and airbox sizing to allow for maximum airflow, and provides an additional induction noise and aggressive performance sound.
Coming to the air filter, the kit comes with high-flow, high-capacity dry filter that is composed of an inner and outer layer of wire mesh for durability and reliable support of filtration media.
This dry air filter with no-oiling can be used again and again by just washing it and cleaning it!
The air intake was designed for perfect fitment to your vehicle with no any extra calibration required.
Moreover, you can install it in no time with all hardware and installation instruction.
This cold air kit is also backed by the ROUSH 90-Day Limited Parts Warranty.
Check out customer reviews & ratings
Key Features
- Fits 2018, 2019, and 2020 F-150 2.7L EcoBoost V6 and 3.5L EcoBoost V6 (Including Raptor)
- Increased engine performance with no PCM re-calibration required!
- Up to 25% less intake restriction compared to stock induction system in forced induction applications
- Increased inlet and airbox sizing to allow for maximum airflow
- Provides additional induction noise and aggressive performance sound
- High-flow, high-capacity, washable, and reusable performance air filter (Does not require oiling)
- Lid includes hydrocarbon trap (Emissions Compliance Device)
- Utilizes EPDM rubber couplers for proper fitment under engine load, rocking, and twisting
- Easy installation – no cutting or modifying the stock intake
- Includes all necessary hardware and instructions
- Includes ROUSH 90-Day Limited Parts Warranty
Check ROUSH Air Intake kits for All Ford F150 Models Year Wise
#2 aFe POWER 54-12882-B Magnum FORCE Stage-2 “Super Raptor” Pro DRY S CAI
Outflow your vehicle’s stock intake and unleash your engine’s hidden power with most powerful aFe Power Magnum Stage-2 Super Raptor cold air intake.
There is nothing better than aFe Power Magnum Force Stage-2 Super Raptor Pro Dry S Cold air intake kit in the market. It will outrush the factory intake system by 92% and gives your vehicle a boost in performance.
Designed for high performance this cold air intake by aFe comes with pre-oiled large 7” tall radial performance air filter with 5 progressive layers of finer mesh cotton media that provides maximum air flow and performance.
The air filter is highly reliable as it is guarded with Magnum SHIELD Pre-Filters that protects it from water splash or any heavy rainstorms making it one of the most durable and reliable air filter.
Moreover, it comes with dual mandrel-bent wrinkle powder-coated aluminium intake tubes that as especially designed with an H-pipe to balance intake tube pressure and maximise airflow and velocity.
With this top mounted heat shield design that fits perfectly to the top of the lower half of factory air box and provides hassle free installation while consuming the factory mounting locations.
Also, you can get all the necessary hardware, clamps and coupling that will also ensure trouble – free installation.
With all these features, we can say this is one of the most advanced air intake that gives you impressive performance increase with aggressive rough look. But only point to keep it on 2nd position is the price- it will surely hit your pocket.
But, if you’re only concerned with the performance and can ignore the price- then this is the best cold air intake kit with all exceptional features.
Check out customer reviews & ratings
Key Features
- Fitment: Ford F-150 / Raptor 17-19 V6-2.7L / 3.5L (tt)
- 1000 CFM Rating @ 7″ H2O
- Outflows factory intake by 92%
- Large Dual 3-1/2″ Mandrel-Bent, Wrinkle-Black Powder-Coated Aluminum Intake Tubes for Balanced Pressures and Maximum Airflow and Velocity
- Aluminum Black Powder-Coated Cover & One-Piece Heat Shield Utilizes Stock Mounting Locations
- Includes Dual Pro 5R Pre-Oiled Air Filters w/ Pre-Filters
- No Cutting or Drilling on Factory Parts for Faster Installation
- Insall in 45-60 minutes with just hand tools
Check aFe Power Air Intake kits for All Ford F150 Models Year Wise
#1 K&N Cold Air Intake Kit 63-2599 Black HDPE Tube with Red Oiled Filter
Wait for the First position is over- K&N Performance Cold Air Intake Kit stands at #1 Position in our list of Top 5 best Air Intake kits.
Whether to Haul ,tow or climb the stope the K&N Performance Cold Air Intake Kit is your best bet to boost up your performance level of your truck.
Before moving forward let’s take a look on manufacturer- K&N Engineering, of Riverside, California, is the inventor and leading innovator of reusable cotton gauze filter technology for automotive applications.
K&N exists as both the sales and brand leader for performance filters, and maintains a stocking catalogue of over 3,500 part numbers, including an extensive line of both factory replacement drop-in filters, FIPK (Fuel Injection Performance Kit) applications, and its line of innovative Performance Gold oil filters.
Built for performance and show utilizing the highest quality components, the K&N 63 Series High-Flow Performance Air Intake is a free-flowing mandrel-bent aluminum tube induction system designed for Trucks and Sport Utility Vehicles.
K&N intake systems replace your vehicle’s restrictive factory air filter and air intake housing with conical shaped high-flow air filter that fits into the engine compartment and known to increase airflow by 50%.
You can also feel increase in towing power as by inducting this CAI in your vehicle you will see gain in acceleration and uphill performance when towing by improving throttle response.
K&N intakes are designed to dramatically reduce intake restriction as they smooth and straighten air flow.
This allows your vehicle’s engine to inhale a larger amount of air than the OEM air filter assembly. More air means more usable power and acceleration throughout the engine’s RPM range.
The filters on these kits are washable and reusable.
Most of the intake kits are relatively easy to install using tools commonly available (see installation instructions).
63-Series air intakes come with K&N’s 10-Year/Million Mile Limited Warranty.
Check out Customer Reviews & Ratings
Key Features
- Vehilce fitment: Vehicle Fitment: 2018-2019 FORD Expedition; 2017-2019 FORD F150; 2017-2019 FORD F150 Raptor; 2018-2019 LINCOLN Navigator
- 50% more airflow than restrictive factory box air filter
- Outburst the flow rate
- Designed to improve throttle response and engine sound
- Feature an aluminum intake tube in Polished or Gunmetal Gray
- Easy to install, usually in 90 minutes or less
- Replaces entire factory air intake system
- Provided with washable and reusable filters
- Lasts up to 100,000 miles before service is required (depending on driving conditions)
Check K&N Performance Air intake systems for all Ford F150 MODELS Year-wise
What are the Indicators of Bad or faulty cold Air Intake?
These are the three symptoms or indicators that will alert you that your Cold Air intake in not functioning properly.
Bad or Faulty Air intake
1.Reduction in Engine Performance
This is one of the most common indicator that will alert you that something is not good with cold Air Intake. Mostly over the time, the air filter gets clogged or become dirty that will result in reduction in power, accelerations and mileage. You will also experience problems while starting the vehicle that something is stuck and starting will become not smooth as before.
2. Excessively High Idle
The another indicator or alert you may get with the faulty Cold Air intake is an excessively high idle. Faulty cold air intake is not only the factor for high idle but this is one of the potential indicator. High Idle in this case is a symptom of vacuum leak. Most of the cold air intake systems come with vacuum ports to accommodate the original manufacturers vacuum routing. If the hoses on these ports or the ports will break that will lead to a vacuum leak and will cause excessively high idle.
3. Check Engine Lights
If the sensors installed in the cold air intake detects any issues, then it will set the Engine light on that will be the sign of something bad with the cold air intake whether it was vacuum leak or any faulty sensors. You can check the Engine light with Engine light reader also. Those sensors installed in the intake are specially designed to detect any problem and let your alert about the same.
Important things to consider for long life of Cold Air Intake – Expert Tips
Here are some expert tips and important things to consider for longer life of Cold Air intake. Here we mentioned only the names to Read full tips >> Click Here
- Timely Maintenance : Always do regular checks and inspection and keep your air filters clean for longer life.
- Check for any Water Intake (or Ingestion) : Check for Any water ingestion in you Air intake system . Entering of water in intake system will lead to engine failure
- Which one to Choose Dry or Oil Filter – Choose between the two according to your driving conditions.
- Keep the Air Box Cooler and Increase its efficiency Using Heat Shield – use thermal barrier for better efficiency of intake system
- CARB Approval – Your intake system must be CARB Approved.
back to menu ↑
Cold Air Intake Buying Guide – FAQs
Q.What is cold Air Intake?
Ans. A Cold air intake kit is replacement or aftermarket part that is designed to provide the engine with greater capacity of cooler air. Cold Air intake provides improved combustion rate by drawing in colder air. There are many flow restrictions by means of tubes, bends and turns that basically slower down the incoming air for combustion with time. More restrictions mean more resistance and temperature and less air or oxygen delivered to combustion chamber causing a poor ignition of fuel rich air/fuel mixture. This leads to decrease in performance with time.
Cold air Intake system is designed to free up those restrictions and drawing in colder air or more oxygen and maximizing combustion in your engine and hence increasing performance of your truck.
Q. Why Cold Air Intake is important for the engine?
Ans. Cold Air intake draws in cold and denser air to the engine which has high concentration of oxygen. This means better combustion and less fuel is needed to create the spark and run the engine which leads to better horsepower, torque and fuel economy. Moreover, it increases the efficiency of the engine also.
Q. Does cold Air intake make any difference in performance?
Ans. Yes, Cold Air Intake do make a difference in performance. Some manufacture claims as much as 20-30 HP increase. But you will easily get 15-20 increase in horsepower and noticeable economy increase. And, if you’re using other modifications also like better performance exhaust, Tuners or suspension then you will create a much more efficient system.
Q. How often should I replace my cold air intake filter?
Ans. It depends upon the type of air filter you’re using. If you’re using Oiled filter that is re-usable and will last longer than the dry filter. So, it depends upon your cold air intake system.
Q. How many types of Cold Air intakes are there And Which is better cold air intake or Short Ram?
Ans.There are generally three types : the short ram system , Ram Air intake and the true cold air intake system.
Short ram system: The short ram is basically replace your factory intake with a new smooth pipe and an open element air filter .It is easy to install and cheaper than cold air intake.Since it takes place as your factory pipe so it allows for engine heat to have an easier path into your intake system, creating less horsepower and torque as compared to cold air intake. Its design tends to require less “plumbing” or fabrication work.
True cold air intake: Whereas Cold Air intake or The “true” cold air intake places an emphasis on moving the air filter as far forward as possible. It draws air from outside the engine bay to give engine cooler and denser air. It produces more supplemental cold air flow than the short ram design. Due to the intake having more piping, the cold air is usually more expensive, and more difficult to install.
Ram Air Intake: The Ram Air Intake is pretty much similar like cold air intake only the difference is – it comes with longer tubes and air filter at the back of system. This is more beneficial during high speeds as it draws larger volume of air with wind pressure which results in more engine power. It is somewhat like turbocharger but with less parts.
It’s depend upon you which air intake you want to buy, as from the name Short Ram intake provides short path which results in better throttle response. Moreover, it draws air from inside the engine bay which is much warmer and better for complete combustion of fuel which means short ram intakes gives better gas mileage also than cold air intake.
Whereas on the other hand Cold Air intake draws in cold and denser air that means more oxygen available for combustion which leads to more power. On the other hand, sometimes Short Ram intake gets issue like its intake pipe gets heated up due to engine heat- for that you need heat shield installed in the Short Ram Intake.
Q. Does a cold air intake damage your engine?
Ans. There is a bigger concern with air intake to your vehicle – that is hydrolocking or hydrolock. It is the condition in which engine takes in water instead of air, causing engine damage. As water gets trapped in the cylinder of the engine and it doesn’t compress also which can ruin the pistons and cause connecting rods to bend and damage the engine. But this is very rare case nowadays.
This have happened in past but now it’s very rare thing to happen as now the cold air intake comes with air bypass valve installed in the middle of the cold air intake. The high pressure of bypass valve would not allow water to engine your engine. The other option is you can choose short ram intake, so there is no option for hydro-lock.
We recommend if you’re living in area where the raining is very common than you should choose short ram intake.
Q. How Much a good cold air intake cost?
Ans. Changing from your vehicle’s intake system to Cold Air Intake system will cost around $150 to $550, depending upon the system. The cost is worth it actually , as you will save on fuel and your engine will get more power and better working.
Q. Why my cold intake pipe becomes very hot or what is heat Soak?
Ans. If your intake pipe is becoming hot very frequently then this is condition of heat soak in which the intake pipe itself heats up and it also increase the temperature of air going into your engine, decreasing engine performance. This is the issue usually with low grade air intakes. A good intake system is made from material such as aluminium that doesn’t allow the piping to get hot enough to effect performance.
Q. Does you need any tune with a cold air Intake?
Ans. Cold Air intake itself is best option to get more power and better mileage. Whereas if you want more advanced modifications then you should go with Tuners or Programmers, performance Exhausts, Suspensions and in trucks tonneau covers for better overall efficiency.
Q. Why some air intakes are cheaper than the others? If this really makes any difference?
Ans. First of all it totally depends upon your budget and system, which one you have to choose. But choosing cheaper one does not gives you that performance like the normal air intake. The cheaper air intakes usually come with simple design with a pipe and cheap filter and there is no testing for proper air/fuel mixing resulting in poor performance whereas the best Air intake comes with proper design and testing that mix air and fuel in proper ratio for better combustion and efficiency.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed the article Top 5 Best Cold Air intake for Ford Raptor – Buying Guides to its entire bits.
We do hope that this article helped you in making a definitive choice when it comes to choosing an Best Air Intakes for your Ford Raptor that boosted the flow rate and increases the performance level.
If it really helped you,We’ll be glad if you could share this article on social media services like Google+,Twitter,linkedin,Stumple Upon and Facebook using the Sharing buttons on the Top and End of this articles.
If you have any query Feel free to add you thoughts in the comment section below.
Vicky Dwaj, Founder and CEO of TrucksEnthusiasts , is an automobile engineer passionate about pickup trucks and accessories. Follow his journey to discover the latest trends in off-road accessories, cars, and truck parts.
