Difference Between Air Intakes?

Question

I have a Ford Ranger and im looking into giving it a little more power. I've been looking at air intakes, and they confuse me. I want to know the difference between cold air intakes and ram air intakes and their benefits. Also there are the K&N air intakes, which im not sure how they benefit. What i'd like to know is their horsepower and gas mileage increases. Any answers are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

I have a 04.5 dodge diesel> Made a Ram/ Air under the bumper> 6" hose to the bottom of the air box> with an Air/Aid filter K/N like> Made a big difference as it pulls the air from out side the engine compartment> stock intake>  

Answer 2

The idea of a cold intake and a ram air is just that, to get as much cold air into the motor. The reason is this. Cold air is denser than warm air. This means you get more oxygen to the motor. The more cold air you can force into the motor the more power you can make. This is why a race car( funny car, dragster and such),  will have a supercharger on them. Down side to this , the more air your force into the motor the more fuel it will use.

Answer 3

There is a difference- A cold air intake is not much different than the factory air intake, the cold air intake just reduces the temp of the air entering the engine, it's basically just using a different air filter and plumbing. Ram air means that you are catching air through a vent in the hood, kinda like a cowl hood or a hood that has a vent that sends the air to your air intake, a ram air intake works best while the vehical is moving. A ram air intake looks good but is also more expensive!

Answer 4

There will be no difference in power.. These intakes are sold to target the young kids who think they have race cars after they install a different intake, you may see a slight almost unnoticeable change in fuel economy. Just run a KnN filter that fits into your stock air filter housing