Hot take: swapping a cold air intake for a stock airbox actually gave me better throttle response

After 3 dyno runs at a shop in San Jose, my 5.0 Mustang picked up 8 horsepower just by removing that expensive aftermarket cone filter and putting the factory box back on, has anyone else seen worse results from a popular mod?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.wade21d ago

Eight horsepower gain from just swapping back to stock is legit. I've seen the same thing on buddy's LS swapped Camaro where the cold air intake was actually pulling in hot air from behind the headlight. Those cone filters sit right in the engine bay and just suck up all that underhood heat once you're moving slow or sitting at a light. The factory airbox is engineered to pull from a cooler spot outside the engine compartment. Aftermarket companies sell you on sound and looks, not real world performance for daily driving.

skyler_baker21d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though... I mean, eight horsepower on a daily driver isn't something most people would ever feel in the seat of their pants. Seems like the kind of thing you only notice on a dyno sheet, not when you're merging onto the highway. Feels like splitting hairs over a few ponies that don't really matter for getting to work and back.