S&B Air Intakes Helps Your Engine Breathe - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

Ali Mansour Brand Manager, 4WD & Sport Utility

More power and bet-ter fuel economy are what we all want. While most off-road modifications seem to detract from both of these high-priority items, a few aftermarket upgrades will help you move in a more eco-friendly direction. Working as your engine's vital respiratory intake, your air filter and subsequent intake ducting feed life to your engine. Though fuel is the other crucial element in allowing your engine to thrive, your intake is the easier of the two to upgrade. While performance gains and fuel economy numbers are negotiable between vehicles, a well-designed air intake system will help the engine to ingest more air more easily, which often equates to improved vehicle efficiency.

131 1009 Sb Air Intakes Help Your Engine Breathe engine Bay Photo 34156269

To take a closer look at some of the latest advances in air intake technology, we got a hold of two of S&B Filters' new intake kits. Though the late-model Dodge Ram and Chevy 2500 intake kits are unique for their respective applications, both bolt-in systems were extremely easy on the wallet and took around 30 minutes to install. It's hard to say how much power gains we received from the intake systems, but both diesel-powered rides did notice an increase of 1 mpg.

131 1009 Sb Air Intakes Help Your Engine Breathe intake Silencer Photo 34156272

Somewhere along the line the OEMs decided that intake noise was becoming a real issue. This resulted in most modern autos being equipped with intake silencers and airflow dividers. These are often small power robbers and in some cases can simply be removed from the box or intake ducting. PhotosView Slideshow Over the past few years dry flow filters have become increasingly popular. S&B offers both a disposable dry filter and a traditional oiled unit that is rechargeable. While the flow numbers are similar between the two filters, we like the ability to clean and service our oiled filter after a long week out in the dirt.

Over the past few years dry flow filters have become increasingly popular. S&B offers both a disposable dry filter and a traditional oiled unit that is rechargeable. While the flow numbers are similar between the two filters, we like the ability to clean and service our oiled filter after a long week out in the dirt.

Aftermarket air boxes are often a bit larger than factory units and have increased air inlet openings. Though initially it may look like a bit of work to swap the box out, it is usually a short affair and can be done with a few basic handtools.

Cold-air intakes are designed to grab cooler air from outside of the hot engine bay. To scoop up cooler air on a few of S&B's truck applications, they routes additional intake ducting down to locations such as the inner fenderwell or the underside of the front bumper.

In turbocharged applications such as the 6.6L Duramax diesel the larger air ducting and filter help the turbo operate more efficiently. This in turn increases air density potential, which when combined with more fuel increases horsepower.

Modern intake systems often have sensors that register the airflow and temperature with the computer. These simple plug-in devices are crucial for your truck's performance, as they factor into the air-to-fuel ratio that your vehicle is constantly adjusting.

One trick feature that S&B offers for its complete intake systems is a clear air box lid that can be engraved with your company's name or your own name. We also enjoy being able to peak in at our filter without removing a bunch of hardware.

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S&B Air Intakes Helps Your Engine Breathe - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

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