Questions about AIRAID CAI...anybody own one?

Siggy33

New Member
Nov 6, 2005
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Ok, I checked out AIRAID's website and they're saying that their CAI will produce 17 rwhp and 21 lb/ft without a tune. They say this is possible because of they're Modular Venturi Tube (MVT) that somewhow "maintains proper air/fuel ratios with stock electric tuning." Anyone know how this thing works, or if it is true at all? Anybody have one that can back this up? And if this is all true, how much do they cost?

Basically I'm between the AIRAID, MRT, and K&N CAIs...any opinions??
I don't want to retune anything right away (waiting until I can afford gears and such - and I'm not trying to f* with my warranty stuff yet), just tryin to find out whats what...thanks in advance

PS I know this topic has been totally run into the ground so I'm sorry...
 
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Aesthetically speaking the MRT is, by far, the nicest looking of the CAI's on your list. I know quite a few people on another forum who own Air Aid CAI's. If you follow the link at the bottom of my signature you can get all sorts of information from them directly.
 
Wow, the guys on the 2005 stang forum really like their AIRIAD CAIs. They pretty much sold me on getting one. I wonder why they're not very popular on other boards...:shrug: .
 
I know nothing about them from personal experience but they are the cheapest CAI (misnomer) kits around for just about any car/truck ever made. Makes me think of J.C. Whitney when I think of them. If price is your primary concern I expect you'll be happy with them. I heartilly doubt their "17 rwhp and 21 lb/ft without a tune" claim though...BS.

When I see a company flagrantly lying about their gains and under-selling ALL of their competitiors I usually walk away.
 
By "cheapest" do mean in terms of price or quality? Also, if K&N claims a 15hp w/o a tune from their CAI, I don't see AIRIAD as "flagrantly lying" about their 17hp number - especially since theirs is a 4 inch tube vs. the K&Ns 3 inch tube. They may be bluffing, but they got dyno charts to show it (although it is unprovable what mods the car actually had on it). Not trying to argue or disprove your claims Edbert (especially since yer sig shows you've owned/restored/modded like 8000 mustangs and this is my first), I'm just trying to get my stories straight before I spend my very hard earned dough on such a controversial peice of equipment.

Anyone else got their $.02 to throw in??
 
Air Aid intakes are, by no means, the cheapest. Their claim to fame is making intakes for TRUCKS not cars. That is the major reason why you haven't seen a lot of interest in them.

Beyond that you'll find that certain intake manufacturers have a dedicated following on certain Mustang forums. Is this an indication that they are, hands down, better than any of the others. No...

In most cases ALL manufacturers seem to "fudge" their performance numbers a bit here and there. I personally consider all intakes approximately equal in terms of performance gains. When I chose my intake I chose based on the look I wanted and the price I was willing to spend.
 
Siggy33 said:
By "cheapest" do mean in terms of price or quality? Also, if K&N claims a 15hp w/o a tune from their CAI, I don't see AIRIAD as "flagrantly lying" about their 17hp number - especially since theirs is a 4 inch tube vs. the K&Ns 3 inch tube. They may be bluffing, but they got dyno charts to show it (although it is unprovable what mods the car actually had on it). Not trying to argue or disprove your claims Edbert (especially since yer sig shows you've owned/restored/modded like 8000 mustangs and this is my first), I'm just trying to get my stories straight before I spend my very hard earned dough on such a controversial peice of equipment.

Anyone else got their $.02 to throw in??
Sorry, was offline for a week hunting Mule deer...

Okay, I'll back off of the term "lying" by one notch. If it is done for the sake of marketing a product it is not lying...let's call it "inflating", or more likely using some computer model rather than a real dyno. If you are making a product and your competition claims +16rwhp increase and you are honest and say +3rwhp, how many do you think you'll sell? I'd also be very leery about what some magazine article says if the product being reviewed is made by an advertiser. I tend to trust the "shoot-out" articles where they take a single car and leave it on the dyno while trying out each part in sequence then post all the results. I saw one of these for the 2005GT where they tried cat-backs and mufflers from all the usual players; net result was that NONE of them gained both HP and TQ over the stock exhaust. There were a few peak gains that suffered average losses, some gained HP while losing TQ etc.

The 24V 4.6 is pretty tweaked already if you ask me, the power output is close to the limit without going INSIDE the motor (or bolting on a power-adder like NOS or a turbo/SC). The example I listed above is a prime example of how well tuned these cars are from the factory.

Don't get me wrong, I am not one who says no to bolting on a few mods, performance or cosmetic. I also beleive that if you were to add a bunch of stuff you could see a 30-40rwhp gain without opening the motor, but it is gonna cost you big money, getting close to a supercharger in price.

The factory intake is not all that attractive, so if one of those CAI units (most of them are HOT air intakes anyhow...LOL) appeals to you on looks or makes the intake note sound better then have at it. The exhaust example above is clear as well that if you want to change the sound of your car then buy the Flowmaster/Magnalfow/FRPP/whatever kit. Just use some caution about throwing out HP-gain numbers...you might be mistaken for a ricer :D