Is the cold air intake worth the money if I don‘t have a turbo?
A cold air intake does NOT bring cold air into your engine. Only a intercooler can do that. I have a Mustang that has a display of the current air intake temp. I put monitored it closely with factory air box vs cold air intake and there was ZERO difference in air intake temps. What a cold air intake does do is increase the amount of air your car can suck in while also giving air flow less resistance from the filter to the throttle body. This is where you will gain slight power and fuel efficiency. You can figure for around an extra 1.5 miles per gallon, which doesn t seem like much but over the course of a year it will pay for the cold air intake. One thing to note, a CAI will make your engine MUCH louder. If that is what you are looking for you will be very happy, but if you want to keep your ride as quiet as possible than don t bother.
Look carefully at your present plastic air filter box. Note where the air comes from the enters the box. If you have trouble figuring it out, the air comes from inside the right front fender. Why throw away money on something your car already has. If you want a low-restriction air filter element, buy a KN replacement for your present air cleaner.
