Cold Air Intake

I have a K&N. Same mileage but it feels like I got more power.

WesternHorizon wrote:
"Four Wheeler Magazine" did a famous study on how to mod the 460 for better mileage

http://performanceunlimited.com/projectmpg/

They did actual instrumentation and calculated return on investment of different mods! It is an amazing piece of work.

Bottom line: Nothing makes a huge difference

Based on this series I added a K&N to my '95 460 E350 MH and think I maybe picked up 1 MPG. But it was when I first bought my MH this spring so I don't have any comparison data.

Mine intakes air just above and almost in front of the radiator, so it would not benefit from a modified cold air intake the way some of the 460 trucks do.

Even the Banks PowerPak system, developed by expert engineers, only increases mileage by maybe 1 MPG. I don't know what this product costs with installation but I would guess 25% of what I paid for my whole MH. So the payback time would be decades at best.

I drive 55, down to 35 on CO mountain passes, and can almost get 10 MPG. I don't care about acceleration, which Banks apparently increases noticeably for people who do care.

Thanks for posting this link. I was surprised at several things in the data not being a mechanic. The first is that there is greater wear on cylinder walls when eng temp drop below 190. Also surprised that the CAI had a greater effect on performance then the header mod and that using 93 octane gas over 87 actually hurt performance. The truck tested was half the weight of my MH so the effect of each mod was a lot less than what I experienced. Also most folks that have made these mods all report greater performance(most are seat of the pants feel no data) but no increase in mpg except for some guesses(no data).

I had one bolt that was snapped'off before the header job and one bolt snapped when removing...both had to be drilled and with an easy-out, both were removed...the doghouse has to come'off for access...not a problem...you have to plan on one or more snapping when the stock manifolds are removed...

jseines wrote:
My motorhome is a 1995 Class-C Ford E-350 with a 460 EFI engine...I have upgraded the exhaust with Thorley headers following the dreaded exhaust leaks and snapped bolts...I am now ready to upgrade with a Cold Air Intake system...I'm looking for advise on options both homebuilt and ready made systems...Thanks for a great forum...John from Henderson NV

How hard was the job? Power increase? Any bolts break while removing them?. I have been tempted to swap over to headers but it so tight in the class c doghouse that a broken a exhaust bolt might mean pulling the head if not motor.

JKaz

Thanks WesternHorizon, this is good information...

"Four Wheeler Magazine" did a famous study on how to mod the 460 for better mileage

http://performanceunlimited.com/projectmpg/

They did actual instrumentation and calculated return on investment of different mods! It is an amazing piece of work.

Bottom line: Nothing makes a huge difference

Based on this series I added a K&N to my '95 460 E350 MH and think I maybe picked up 1 MPG. But it was when I first bought my MH this spring so I don't have any comparison data.

Mine intakes air just above and almost in front of the radiator, so it would not benefit from a modified cold air intake the way some of the 460 trucks do.

Even the Banks PowerPak system, developed by expert engineers, only increases mileage by maybe 1 MPG. I don't know what this product costs with installation but I would guess 25% of what I paid for my whole MH. So the payback time would be decades at best.

I drive 55, down to 35 on CO mountain passes, and can almost get 10 MPG. I don't care about acceleration, which Banks apparently increases noticeably for people who do care.

I have run a K&N in excess of 200000 miles and have not had a MAF failure yet. It has been proven that the over oiled will cause issues is just an old wivs tale that refuses to die for some folks. GM tried to void warranties but were never able to prove the over oil K&N issue. From the way govt motors has been working I can see why!

Anyhow, if you can get air from pre-radiator to the carb or even better a TBI system then you should see improvement in general but not overwhelming gobs of anything in particular. Sure the oem filters will flow enough, but they too will benefit IF you can get cool non-engine bay air into it.

carringb wrote:

bob213 wrote:
Save your money for fuel.

why should he just burn more fuel that's not making power?

That gen v8 did NOT have a factory cold air intake, and adding cool air can make a substantial difference in hot weather. Remember, stock it sucks in post-radiator air.

Adding a cold air intake can cost under $15

At that price I will eat my words. High dollar CAI's don't usually return enough to be worth the cost but for the small price you are talking about I will say "disregard my post!"

Most people will over oil the filter. If you have a MAF down stream it will get wet from the oil and cause problems, maybe a CEL. Also they provide little protection from incoming heavy rain.

K&N filters flow air really well but they don't filter as well as a plain old oem filter. Air filter tests are probably what made "bob-is-the-oil-guy" famous.