How to choose a good cold air intake
Come on, admit it, if you want a significant boost in your vehicle’s performance, a cold air intake is a quick, easy and a low cost solution. Why, you might ask? Cold air intake routes “intake plumbing” away from hot under hooded areas, and deliver air through a free-flowing air filter and smooth intake passages. The result? Cooler, denser air is delivered in greater quantities at higher velocities to your throttle body. Denser air (and more of it) equals power.

What to look for out there in the market.
1. Customized Fits.
There are several manufacturers who produce quality, custom fitted cold air intake systems for vehicles. Some of these manufacturers are Volant, K&N, Airaid, Injen, and many more. If you own a vehicle, there’s a good possibility that one of these companies provide an intake for you. The benefits of buying a fitted intake system are pretty obvious; it was built to fit your car perfectly, and has been fine-tuned to perform best in the small space it has been provided under your hood. In order to produce the perfect intake system, most intake manufacturers create and test dozens of prototype systems with various pipe lengths and diameters. When developing an intake system, these manufacturers also take into account where the performance gains will occur.

For example, you wouldn’t want an intake system that gains 10 horsepower right before the redline, but has no gains in the midrange. An ideal intake system will increase the output of the vehicle where it needs it most in the engine’s “sweet spot”. For many vehicles, gains in the mid-range (3000-5000 rpm) would be most ideal.

2. The Universal Approach.
Ever see these intake systems? They’re all over eBay, and even on some websites out there. They claim to be a fitted model, but really could be turned in another direction or slightly moved and it fits your neighbors minivan. With a universal approach, you lose the opportunity of tried and tested benefits and power gains in different vehicles. The universal intake system will still provide gains and may even sound good, but you may, in some cases, be spending your money foolishly just to save a few dollars.

3. The Do-It-Yourself Intake.
It’s true! There are people out there who do it, and some do it well. To build your own intake system, which is not very hard and can take anywhere from 1-4 hours to construct, one will need: PVC piping, plumbing tools and some good glue. Since the mandrel bent pipes you see in intakes systems can be done with out a mandrel bending machine, the bend in plumbing tubes and PVC provide a slight bend in your custom intake. Now, I don’t want to say this will not work and that you shouldn’t do it. I have read and seen some college students who have pulled it off well, and actually provide a slight kick in horsepower and sound. But, unless you well family with the sections of your vehicle under the hood, just buy an intakes system, it will prove to be your smartest decision.