Which CAI?

[picaman]

I'm looking at the K&N as they are showing 11.95 HP increase (their numbers on their website). Has anyone seen a cai shootout or anything in any magazines?

[wvuhillbilly]

The only reason to get a CAI is to tell your buddies you have one. You will not feel 12hp. If 12hp and better mileage could be had, Toyota would have it on there. These things are pretty well engineered, but it is a compromise. Just enter CAI in the search, you'll find more than enough info.

[PhilC64]

I've had the K&N and it was ok. I then installed the aFe unit last week. There is a HUGE difference between them. You have more airflow with the CAI. I hate to disagree but you DO feel the hp increase, especially at WOT. It's a nice kick in the pants! To make things better, i get better mpg's with the CAI than I did the K&N.(2-3 mpg increase over the K&N)

Toyota engineers their products to last and to operate quietly. Performance be damned unless you pay more for it. Frankly I don't buy the arguement that if the engineers didn't put it in you don't need it. The more this engine breathes the better it is going to be. Besides getting rid of the restrictive intake, I'll be getting a set of headers to free up the exhaust flow. More HP and better mpg's is what I'm after!

[eodbeast]

I agree with PhilC64 completely. I had the K&N CAI and JBA Cat-Back on my 06 Tacoma and was pleased with what I got out of it at the time. Now that I have my FJ (which is also 4x4, 6spd MT and same engine as my taco) I decided to splurge a little and went with the AFE. WOW is all I have to say. It's a totally different animal. Just installed the JBA Cat-Back and AFE this week. I'm not going to speculate HP/Tq numbers, but my seat of the pants dyno says it's got a lot more a$$ that it did with the stock components, not to mention lower RPMs at speed in any gear compared to stock. I got about 1mpg better economy with the K&N and expecting more with the AFE. I typically get 60 miles out of the first quarter tank and as of this morning i was at 85 miles on the first quarter (and yes I fill it up at the same pump, same octane and stop filling at the first auto-shut off everytime). Would be nice to get a little closer to 300 miles/tank compared to the typical 240-250 I usually get. As for Toyota engineers offering the vehicle with all those aftermarket type components if they really offered that much improvement over stock...auto manufacturers are bound by certain restrictions and laws that require a certain amount of detuning, not to mention, the majority of consumers don't care about the additional performance gains or increased noise created by the aftermarket parts...and they are going to gear their products to sell to the majority. The engineers have to find an acceptable balance between performance and economy for main stream product lines. I'm not saying that Toyota doesn't have their stuff together when it comes to engineering, just the opposite...but anyone that thinks a stock vehicle (other than say TRD equipped models with all the bells and whistles) is anywhere close to meeting it's full potential is only kidding themselves. Do your research and decide what's acceptable for your budget. Most any type of CAI will give you a performance gain (some more than others). As you'll see in many posts in this forum, TRD and AFE seem to be most prevalent...and that's not just a coincidence. Good luck in your quest.

[ZroBug]

I've also installed the aFe CAI and can tell you that it is definitely a noticeable difference. Worth every cent and WOT (Wide Open Throttle) makes the FJ buck up and go! ... Not to mention sounds mean as hell. Go for the aFe CAI, you won't be disappointed.