Installing the TRD Cold Air Intake

[babydriver]

I wonder about the cost... the stock intake is jazzed up with all of those extra boxes and hoses. The TRD intake is so simple it seems almost simplistic. Yet clearly it works much better! How can an intake with a lower part count actually cost more to manufacture than a stock intake with so many extra and unnecessary parts?
I'm just sayin'.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by babydriver

I wonder about the cost... the stock intake is jazzed up with all of those extra boxes and hoses. The TRD intake is so simple it seems almost simplistic. Yet clearly it works much better! How can an intake with a lower part count actually cost more to manufacture than a stock intake with so many extra and unnecessary parts?
I'm just sayin'.

'Cuz people will pay more!
And they don't make as many so price goes up.

[babydriver]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

'Cuz people will pay more!
And they don't make as many so price goes up.

I understand that; a higher profit margin.

Some years ago I worked for a high end audio company. Among other things we sold Grado phono cartridges. There was an $18 dollar Grado with a dealer cost of $5.50 and an $80 Grado with a dealer cost of $6.50 -- not a misprint my friends, a dollar more to the store. We would offer to sell either with any moderately priced turntable. Guess which one most customers picked. You're right, the $80 one! In their minds, because it cost more, it had to be better. That's called marketing.

[babydriver]

The only reason that fuel economy might suffer is if the driver likes to stick his or her foot to the firewall. (I know I do!) At normal driving speeds on the highway, there should be no difference at all in mileage, since the amount of air/fuel mixture entering the cylinders should be the same. Having said that, none of us bought one because we wanted to putt along at 55 mph. So I expect my fuel economy to suffer a bit due to my lead foot.

[BRZnut]

have any intakes been shown to add meaningful gains?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by BRZnut

have any intakes been shown to add meaningful gains?

Depends on your definition of meaningful.
Really good comparison with dynos and all in the tech threads someplace.

[Krovi]

TRD intake was the easiest install I've ever done, took me no more than 15-20 minutes.

[brianhj]

Originally Posted by BRZnut

have any intakes been shown to add meaningful gains?

No. Just a change in sound really. Dynos show practically no gains

[RFB]

Originally Posted by BRZnut

have any intakes been shown to add meaningful gains?

They all add gains, breathability, air flow, more efficient combustion and removal of exhaust gasses, etc.
But to be meaningful, other factors in the chain have to be present, (headers exhaust etc.) to make use of the potential of a high flow intake.





CERBERUS

[babydriver]

Originally Posted by brianhj

No. Just a change in sound really. Dynos show practically no gains

Maybe the relevant question is not the overall gain in horsepower, but the noticeable shift in usable torque to lower RPM's. This is great if you spend much of your driving day in heavy traffic.

Having said that, several dyno tests posted to this forum seem to show approximately a ten horsepower gain at the wheels pretty consistently when comparing the stock air intake with the TRD one.

I am a microbiologist by trade, so I'm not usually sucked in to believing there is a difference in a before and after comparison based on my own emotional (and financial) investment in needing to find a difference. I did however notice a difference, mainly in low end acceleration and a noticeable quickening of shift points (less time spent in each lower gear), after switching to the TRD CAI from the stock air intake. Whether or not the top horsepower rating is increased cannot be determined by my butt dyno, but the real dynos seem to say so, about ten ponies.