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Anyone using a cold air intake while towing?

15362 Views 30 Replies 19 Participants Last post by  padito
I'm thinking of purchasing an AEM Bruteforce intake for my 04 SE and was just curious if anyone else uses one while towing their travel trailer? I've heard that it could change torque specs and be a waist of money instead of an advantage. I would love to purchase one, but don't want to make a mistake............any thoughts?

Thanks, Mcgruff :gunz:
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Mcgruff465 said:
I'm thinking of purchasing an AEM Bruteforce intake for my 04 SE and was just curious if anyone else uses one while towing their travel trailer? I've heard that it could change torque specs and be a waist of money instead of an advantage. I would love to purchase one, but don't want to make a mistake............any thoughts?

Thanks, Mcgruff :gunz:
I tow a boat that's about 5k lbs fully loaded and haven't noticed a single problem with the Brute Force on. I did gain about 1 MPG while towing after I added my exhaust and intake, but no problems.
do it. if anything else you'll love the sound under a towing load
I tow a camper somtimes when we use it to take somewheres, I have a k&n intake, jba exhaust,helix tbs and a tune, nothing seem to have changed while towing for me
I tow my boat and have a K&N intake. I also towed with the VKPro installed I have never had any problems.
You won't be disappointed!!!!! Absolutely LOVE mine and couldn't imagine being without it. I have done a couple UOA's and there is no problems here.
It's not like I am going to take it out every time I hook up the trailer. Of course I use it. Don't even sweat it.
tow a camper somtimes when we use it to take somewheres, I have a k&n intake, jba exhaust,helix tbs and a tune, nothing seem to have changed while towing for me
When you say nothing changed, are you saying you couldn't feel any performance change after all those mods while towing?
you may not notice a difference in torque. under normal driving. but i bet you will when pulling a load, depending on the boat size. I added a super stock kit to mine and it changed the low end a little, but i'm towing a 5500lb deck boat. so i put it back to stock. some things the factory does work best for all conditions.
I liked the added performance, but while pulling hillswith my 8k plus trailer, the noise was to much.. I went back to stock with the air box mod and a K&N. Much easier on the ears...
I guess I should have explained a little better, but my concern is that with with adding the after market intake, the mixture would run to lean and cause piston burn over time. That's something I definately don't want. If that's a possibility, i would rather use a K&N drop in filter and be done with it.

Any thoughts?

Mcgruff :gunz:
I've used both a Volant and AEM CAI. While they didn't cause any engine related issues, they were really loud, (The Volant was way worse) when loaded pulling long steep hills, (Of which there are few on the 14 between SCV and AV).. Removed the CAI and maybe lost 1 MPH on the hills, but I can hear the stereo...
Mcgruff465 said:
I guess I should have explained a little better, but my concern is that with with adding the after market intake, the mixture would run to lean and cause piston burn over time. That's something I definately don't want. If that's a possibility, i would rather use a K&N drop in filter and be done with it.

Any thoughts?

Mcgruff :gunz:
I can definitely tell you that stock trucks/cars from the factory run so rich that an intake will not lean it out that much. Not enough to burn or damage your pistons anyway. There is nothing wrong with an aftermarket intake system, the only problem is the noise. It's loud under wot and just as loud under load. If you can stand the noise it produces under load then have some fun. I personally would just go with a k&n filter if I was towing a pretty big rig. The noise gets pretty annoying over time. WOT is another story though.
loufish said:
When you say nothing changed, are you saying you couldn't feel any performance change after all those mods while towing?
Well I dont have the BT package on my titan. I just got a drawtite put on to tow our camper which I dont tow very much. Hard for me to tell because i tow very often and im new to towing and all and never really towed many things before. All I know is it pulls our camper fine and a few other said the same so im satisified lol
EVO8 said:
I can definitely tell you that stock trucks/cars from the factory run so rich that an intake will not lean it out that much. Not enough to burn or damage your pistons anyway. There is nothing wrong with an aftermarket intake system, the only problem is the noise. It's loud under wot and just as loud under load. If you can stand the noise it produces under load then have some fun. I personally would just go with a k&n filter if I was towing a pretty big rig. The noise gets pretty annoying over time. WOT is another story though.
Thanks for the Info. EVO8! I will probably go with the K&N drop in. It's alot cheaper, and I don't think the family could handle noise.

Thanks again,

Mcgruff :gunz:
I can definitely tell you that stock trucks/cars from the factory run so rich that an intake will not lean it out that much.
Where do you get your info?

They run rich for max power under WOT, but other then that they're not rich at all...They also have the ability to compensate and run richer or leaner as needed.
loufish said:
Where do you get your info?

They run rich for max power under WOT, but other then that they're not rich at all...They also have the ability to compensate and run richer or leaner as needed.
I was just going to let it go... but yeah.. O2 sensors and air flow meters???
It will not change your A/F ratio at all. All an intake does is allow the air to flow smoother and easier because its not going thru an accordian hose. The truck still gets the same amount of air...just easier. Its like a smoker and non-smoker trying to run a marathon... AEM is by far the best intake manufacturer out there. I have 10+ years in the import aftermarket and no intake can touch AEM for quality or performance. It has a CARB EO number (so does K&N and a few others). This means it has a California Air Research Board Exemption Order #...(The companies that take the effort to do this are 99% of the time the more reputable ones because they have to spend the money to do it every model year, so if they make it for the 06, and the 07 comes out but the intake didn't change...they still have to spend the $ to test and recertify for the 07). The CARB EO# certifies that it does not affect any sensors (mass air flow) from a emissions or reliability stand point and by having this EO#, the dealership CANNOT void your warranty as the CARB has certified it not to affect engine reliability. If you ever had an issue like that you would call SEMA and let them ***** out your dealership until they pull their heads out of their asses.
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Sorry if that sounded like a rant...just trying to inform

Bottom Line: Adding an intake is one of the few (maybe the only) modification you can do that has absolutely no downside...except for the noise if you don't like the sound of pure power! :)
Zdr93523 said:
AEM is by far the best intake manufacturer out there. I have 10+ years in the import aftermarket and no intake can touch AEM for quality or performance.
Want to bet?
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