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Cold Air Intake
- Thread starter Skeyler
- Start date
What's your point? I can name alot of things that the, "cost to benefit is stupid for the gains." People still enjoy modifying vehicles even when the goal isn't the fastest 1/4 mile time.
But here is some non CAI related nonsense... $1095 intercooler, that could probably be replicated similarly for half that, $1000 downpipes, that are vastly overpriced, numerous $1300-$1800 2.25"-2.5" midpipe back exhausts...which more than likely add little to no performance, blowoff valves being added to a stock system to make a whoosh sound...
But here is some non CAI related nonsense... $1095 intercooler, that could probably be replicated similarly for half that, $1000 downpipes, that are vastly overpriced, numerous $1300-$1800 2.25"-2.5" midpipe back exhausts...which more than likely add little to no performance, blowoff valves being added to a stock system to make a whoosh sound...
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I'm not sure where the cutoff is for a aftermarket CAI manufacturer to decide what is, or is not, worth building a design for sales. I do know that Ford very specifically bragged that 1 in 5 Explorers sold was an ST. If you go by last years sales figures of 180,000, that is definitely a huge seller for what should be a "niche" sport trim.
To the cost vs. benefit take, i do agree the costs on intercoolers and downpipes are high, but, with a tune, those can provide significant gains, with the stock air box. So i think people are willing to opt into those and not care about a CAI. And maybe that's what the CAI manufacturers are looking at and deciding it's just not worth it.
To the cost vs. benefit take, i do agree the costs on intercoolers and downpipes are high, but, with a tune, those can provide significant gains, with the stock air box. So i think people are willing to opt into those and not care about a CAI. And maybe that's what the CAI manufacturers are looking at and deciding it's just not worth it.
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The number of overall ST sales doesn't matter as much as the number of ST buyers that are willing to modify their vehicles, which I am certain isn't anywhere close to 36000 total vehicles. I would be shocked if it was more than 5%, which is 1800.
For the record I have no insight on aftermarket numbers.This is simply me guesstimating and trying to think critically.
For the record I have no insight on aftermarket numbers.This is simply me guesstimating and trying to think critically.
I agree. I think that's where the challenge is at. Even though something like a Mustang or a Camaro have fewer sales (for a given trim) than an Explorer ST, it's a performance car so one can assume that the take rate is probably much higher. (Or at least the manufacturers probably assume that, and have plenty of historical data to back that up)
What has me scratching my head is there were several CAI's made for the Explorer Sport, and the ST is just an evolution of that. So why would they think the Explorer Sport was worth it, but the ST not? Unless they made a gamble on the Explorer Sport and sales weren't all that great, so they've determined the ST isn't worth it.
Who knows. These things take a while to develop anyway, so we may see something at some point if we, the owners, keep pushing them with requests to make one.
What has me scratching my head is there were several CAI's made for the Explorer Sport, and the ST is just an evolution of that. So why would they think the Explorer Sport was worth it, but the ST not? Unless they made a gamble on the Explorer Sport and sales weren't all that great, so they've determined the ST isn't worth it.
Who knows. These things take a while to develop anyway, so we may see something at some point if we, the owners, keep pushing them with requests to make one.
This is strictly a guess, but I would imagine that the SHO and the Explorer had similar setups, kinda like the Fusion sport and the edge, where some of the parts are interchangeable, so making a CAI for the ExSpo is also close enough to market it to the SHO. To the best of my knowledge, I believe the 2020 ExST is the first RWD application (read: longitudinal mount) of the 3.0 V6.The explorer sport to the ST, is much more of a revolution than an evolution. The edge sport to ST is what I would consider an evolution.
Also a good point, regarding layout. Every CAI I've ever seen, not that I have an extensive library of experience, has been mounted in the corner of the engine bay, allowing for fairly easy fabrication of a new box to hold a larger filter. Other than a Ram Air late 90s Trans Am, I've never seen a car with a center mounted airbox like this. I'm sure there are plenty out there, I've just not seen them. Maybe this also adds to complexity and difficulty?
Yeah, maybe so. I personally love cold air intakes, even when they don't always add tons of power, simply because I like the sound it adds. But in this case, I'm worried that whatever finally comes out, won't add much of either. Without completing the piping fully to the turbo and on to the intercooler, I feel like whatever they add will ultimately just bottleneck, and if eventually all that piping is made, giving what I've seen so far, you'll likely be paying $1000 or more for modest gains and sound.
The issue with the ones for the explorer sport is that they gained zero power for most consumers. With a relatively small displacement motor that breathes through turbos, you just don't get as much of a restriction at the moment the throttle body opens like you do on a bigger motor. Once the turbos spool, it has enough cross section to feed the turbos and keep them fed for all but the upper echelon of the current market.
Once there are some bigger builds with bigger turbos, the need for a larger intake tract will become a necessity and companies will make them.
They also didn't appear right away in 2013 for the explorer sport either-even though the SHO taurus came out in 2010. It took about a year for the manufacturers to start marketing the Taurus CAI for the explorer sport as well. They had more air filter surface area but then breathed hot under hood air so the design was more show than go.
But, give it 6 months and there will be choices out there, they do look good and sound good. Plus, you can usually recover most of your money if you ever decide to sell it.
Once there are some bigger builds with bigger turbos, the need for a larger intake tract will become a necessity and companies will make them.
They also didn't appear right away in 2013 for the explorer sport either-even though the SHO taurus came out in 2010. It took about a year for the manufacturers to start marketing the Taurus CAI for the explorer sport as well. They had more air filter surface area but then breathed hot under hood air so the design was more show than go.
But, give it 6 months and there will be choices out there, they do look good and sound good. Plus, you can usually recover most of your money if you ever decide to sell it.
