Attention Powerstroke owners, do you want to increase the power and fuel efficiency of your ride, while not emptying your bank account? Of course you do, who wouldn’t?! The best initial step when looking to make an upgrade to your engine is by replacing your restrictive factory air intake with a higher flowing, aftermarket cold air intake. Your diesel engine is essentially an air pump and in order to maximize its efficiency, it requires cool, DENSE air to create combustion at the right time. Without proper airflow, you end up having excessive fuel in the cylinders, causing heat, possibly even smoke. Remember learning about the Law of Conservation of Energy back in junior high that stated “energy can neither be created nor destroyed?” Well, here it is, being applied. If you can take better advantage of the diesel fuel’s capability to transform into power energy through proper combustion, it creates efficiency. Otherwise, it will turn into a wasted byproduct, in this case heat energy.
Over the years, due to the numerous engine design changes from the 7.3L to the 6.7L Powerstroke and everything in between, there have been changes to the air filtration design. However, one thing has truly remained constant, it does not deliver an adequate amount of air flow for true efficiency. That may seem silly, but all manufacturers are at fault here. Trucks are built for the masses, and honestly, while their prices are growing every year, they have to cut some corners in certain areas. The stock airbox and air filter design is tailored for those that bring their vehicle to the dealer and want a quick, inexpensive swap of the stock filter. However, by upgrading to an aftermarket cold air intake, you gain the advantage (in most cases) of a lifetime, reusable air filter that never needs to be replaced. Further, and the biggest gain for most, is the additional airflow that equates to more power and better fuel economy (you read that right, more MPG’s). By delivering adequate airflow to the engine, we’re applying that Law of Conservation of Energy again, turning the fuel into power energy, and not heat, or at least as much.
For most, upgrading with an aftermarket cold air intake, such as S&B Filters, AFE, AEM, Edge, Injen, and many other brands can be done simply with basic hand tools in your driveway in less than an hour. You’ll gain power, throttle response, a few MPG’s, and lower EGT’s (Exhaust Gas Temperatures). Plus, when you pop the hood, you can show off to all your buddies your upgraded engine bay bling. If you’d like to see popular cold air intakes for your Powerstroke, CLICK HERE.
2018 powerstroke f250 /dealership told me they wouldn’t warranty motor if I put cold air intake. I have 125k extended warranty on it. Said that increased air intake would mess up def system
Thank you for the response. Unfortunately, we see this too often. Overall, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protects consumers from manufacturers blanket voiding a warranty based upon use or modifications. However, if you have a failure that they can prove (whether prove at that point, or proven from other cases) that the aftermarket component (in this case a cold air intake) caused the failure, they can then deny the warranty coverage in that particular case. Thus, if you install a cold air intake and come to the dealership for an oil change, they legally cannot void your warranty. However, if you come to the dealership with a check engine light and they determine it was because that particular cold air intake caused excessive airflow, which triggered a check engine light due to the airflow being outside of the “normal” range, they can deny the coverage on that particular invoice. All that being said, because its not typically a pleasant experience to fight with your local, preferred dealer, we always recommend consulting with the dealer regarding any upgrades when warranty is a concern.
Was told that to put in a different version of my air system on my 1995 f350 7.3 would be a bad idea cause more build up sludge and soot in the engine and injectors
Great question! This is definitely a sentiment we’ve heard before and definitely not isolated to the OBS Powerstrokes such as yours. That said, this stigma originated from years past when aftermarket companies didn’t really have a grasp on how to ensure proper filtration was still coupled with added airflow, or, from guys building their own intake systems, and even customers over-oiling their reusable filters. As you’ve laid out, proper filtration needs to be the highest priority to avoid dusting your engine, 100% agree. But by adding more airflow, especially when you’ve added additional fueling through performance chips/programmers or injectors, it becomes that much more critical. Now….fast forward to current technology, and you’ll find that the aftermarket cold air intake companies have determined the best methods for getting as-good, or even better filtration, with the added airflow for more power, fuel economy, and throttle resposne.
Lets take S&B’s 75-5131 intake system for example. This particular system is able to remove 99.24% of airborne dirt at the vehicle’s rated airflow, but outflows the factory system by 53.69%. They’re able to do this with a alrger airbox, larger filter, and a unique intake duct to draw in additional ambient air. Now, the problem could still persist of user-error in over oiling a reusable filter. S&B does a good job by giving you two options: 1.) having an option for a dry (no oil) disposable filter, and 2.) precise instructions on how much oil to use for your exact truck and intake, so it takes the uncertainty out of the equation.
I hope this clears the air and answers any questions you may have, but if you have any additional, feel free to reach out to us.