CAI for Mounty

[Wombly248]

Hello, I've got a '00 Mercury Mountaineer 5.0L. I was just curious to know any good vendor sites, makers, etc. for a cold air intake. I'm looking for a gain in performance and a gain in MPG, at a low cost. I'm only 17 if that helps. =p Thank you!

ALSO, I was wondering if the '00 Ford Explorer is basically the same as the '00 Mounty, so if i went into Summit racing or something i could use that vehicle as an option as well.

Intakes I've found:
MAC CAI:
http://www.macperformance.com/store/product1.cfm?SID=3&Product_ID=353

Magnum Force Stage 1:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/magnum-force-stage1-performance-cold-air-intake-systems/p2009417.jcwx

AFE Power:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/AFE-51-10001/ (Is this the same as the Magnum? It looks the same...)

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Explorer & Mountaineer are exactly the same.

You are not going to gain much power or MPG from a CAI. The $170+ you spend on one will take forever to get your investment back.

You need a tuner with custom tune to gain power and MPG. A tuner will run you $300 plus the cost of the tunes (around $100).

The best improvement is a set of Torque Monster Headers. They are $735 shipped to your door.

 

[jremington59]

Henson Performance in the vendors section sells them.....

I gained under 2 mpg but it looks nice, lol.

 

[celly]

Go MAC if you're buying a kit. Best bang for your buck. Very well made kit with high quality components. All these manufacturers of intake setups make pretty bold claims of performance and MPG that are just that....bold. I personally didn't see that much of a difference. It needs to be married up with a custom exhaust and a custom tunes to make a difference, IMHO. Someone also mentioned TMH. They're worth it (speaking from experience).

Consider rigging up your own intake to save some $$$. Just don't skimp on filter. Consider Amsoil's "oil-less" filters. As maintenance free as they come and they work well.

 

[corbancantread]

Make one, same affect, and cheaper.

 

[Wombly248]

Thanks for the reply's.

Dan:
Yeah, i pretty much figured. The lesser you pay, the lesser the performance increase. Makes sense to me. Just a little bit of an increase would be good however, even if it were just one mile per gallon would be a good enough increase for me. If it were half a mile per gallon, i'd be a bit hesitant then.

Remington:
Lol, yeah that's the MAC intake that i have posted. =p

Corban:
I talked to my dad about that, the problem is that if it melts and gets into the engine, your engine is done for. I could see it melting if i decide to take my road trip to Vegas then to Bullhead in 100+ degrees. So i decided a pass on that.

 

[celly]

I talked to my dad about that, the problem is that if it melts and gets into the engine, your engine is done for. I could see it melting if i decide to take my road trip to Vegas then to Bullhead in 100+ degrees. So i decided a pass on that.

Why would it melt if you used readily available materials that are pretty much the same as these kits use? A LOT of people on this site have made their own intakes (scour the archives). I've never heard of any "melting".

With all due respect to your dad, but he's giving you bad advice. If money's no object, get a kit. For what you get, they tend to be grossly overpriced.

 

[corbancantread]

I Had one in my GTP, its no 100+ here in Michigan, but the engine bay still got hot..

I have never herd of a PVC Pipe CAI melting, not saying its not possible, just EXTREMELY hard.

Keep im mind too that even thou the engine bay gets hot, the CAI is still sucking in cold air.

plus it sounds nice...lol

 

[Wombly248]

lol k good, i like proving my dad wrong, so thank you. i'll look deeper into it!

 

[corbancantread]

But like celly said if moneys no object go for it!

"Air Max cold air intake" is some thing id suggest, its spiraled on the inside like the barrel of a gun. making the air denser, meaning more Oxygen for combustion...plus it looks cool.

http://www.andysautosport.com/ford/1995_2000_explorer/performance/intakes/air_intakes/street___performance_electronics/
http://www.anythingtruck.com/performance_airmax.html?Vehicle=FORDEXPL

Ill continue making my own CAIs for under $30, until i get the money for an Air Max cold air intake.


Also if your worried about it melting do some things to lower the temp, Elec Fan, colder Tstat..thins like that

 

[Wombly248]

Since money is short and I have enough to pay for insurance and gas, I'm going to get the MAC intake. It has great reviews as from what i can see. Is there any vendor i could buy this from? So far it's the Henderson Performance, but from the thread on the CAI, there seems to be none left. As well, there is the MAC site directly, but that sounds like it takes forever, if anyone knows, is there an estimate on time of how long it'd take to receive one or no? Thanks.

 

[jremington59]

Contact James Henson in the Vendor forum.

 

[JDraper]

But like celly said if moneys no object go for it!

"Air Max cold air intake" is some thing id suggest, its spiraled on the inside like the barrel of a gun. making the air denser, meaning more Oxygen for combustion...plus it looks cool.

http://www.andysautosport.com/ford/...air_intakes/street___performance_electronics/
http://www.anythingtruck.com/performance_airmax.html?Vehicle=FORDEXPL

Ill continue making my own CAIs for under $30, until i get the money for an Air Max cold air intake.


Also if your worried about it melting do some things to lower the temp, Elec Fan, colder Tstat..thins like that

Spinning the air does not make it denser. Dropping the temperature makes it denser. That's why it's better to feed the engine cool air than heated air. Basic physics. All of the companies that claims to "spin, swirl or tumble the air" in their air intakes or throttle body spacers are full of crap. By the time it gets through the intake manifold, down the runners and through the valves, any rotation of the air has been destroyed by turbulence. Where you want good flow rotation is in the combustion chamber to help promote an even air/fuel mix. The design of the combustion chamber and the shape of the pistons are what control that.

You're much better off getting an intake that opens up restrictions and has smoother, broader bends. This will allow the air to maintain better velocity as it enters the intake, which in turn means more air to the motor. Intakes with sharp corners and pieces that stick out into the airflow actually will impede good airflow.

You can add as big of a CAI as you want, but if you don't have the ability to flow the exhaust out, you won't help the engine much. The benefits of a good CAI need to be helped with the benefits of a good, free flowing exhaust.

 

[corbancantread]

Spinning the air does not make it denser. Dropping the temperature makes it denser. That's why it's better to feed the engine cool air than heated air. Basic physics. All of the companies that claims to "spin, swirl or tumble the air" in their air intakes or throttle body spacers are full of crap. By the time it gets through the intake manifold, down the runners and through the valves, any rotation of the air has been destroyed by turbulence. Where you want good flow rotation is in the combustion chamber to help promote an even air/fuel mix. The design of the combustion chamber and the shape of the pistons are what control that.

You're much better off getting an intake that opens up restrictions and has smoother, broader bends. This will allow the air to maintain better velocity as it enters the intake, which in turn means more air to the motor. Intakes with sharp corners and pieces that stick out into the airflow actually will impede good airflow.

You can add as big of a CAI as you want, but if you don't have the ability to flow the exhaust out, you won't help the engine much. The benefits of a good CAI need to be helped with the benefits of a good, free flowing exhaust.

Weird, one of my Army friends, who is an avid tuner, told me about the spinning of air.


Now that you've explained it like that it makes sense!

Thanks for the info!

 

[Wombly248]

Actually, a new exahust system was the next step when i could afford it. That does make sense, thanks. Are you saying that the MAC intake is bad though?

 

[JDraper]

Actually, a new exahust system was the next step when i could afford it. That does make sense, thanks. Are you saying that the MAC intake is bad though?

No, I'm not saying the MAC is bad. I've never seen one in person, so I don't know what it's like. What I'm saying is look for one that has smooth internals and sweeping bends instead of one with sharp corners and molding flashing left inside. If one does have molding flashing left inside, remove it before installing the CAI.

On my Mach, I run a C&L setup. http://www.cnlperformance.com/ . Unfortunately, they don't have a listing for the Explorer or Mountaineer.

 

[Wombly248]

what if i take a PVC pipe and run it straight out the hood of the vehicle? how would that do? oh also with a rag or something so dirt doesn't get inside the pipe. just kidding. It's kind of aggrivating 'cause i see all these intakes for other vehicles other than what i have. i love my mounty, but seriously, it's a pain.