AFE CAI

[ljnlaw]

I am considering installing an AFE CAI in my 4.6is. After reading some blogs on the net I have discovered that installing a cai may cause problems with the mass air flow sensor and cause engine warning faults. I planned on having the cai installed by my mechanic and was thinking about have the truck dynoed and the ECU reprogrammed with the cai, X-Pipe (which I will be installing soon) and the B&B free flow exhaust thatis currently on my X.

Is there anything that I should be concerned about...is this mod worth it? Or am I looking for mechanical headaches???

[Hal88]

I had it installed in my 4.4 and I never had any problems with it, I didn't notice much improvement on perfomance , the growling from the eng. was nice tho. I took it off because I moved the truck to CA and I heard that it wouldn't pass the smog check, now I have the AFE for sale.
Pm if interested.

[RichiRich]

Installed ....along with a MagnaflowXpipe and Supersprint exhaust mod!! All three in conjunction do their job! No problems with Mass Flow Sensor!

Great Mod to do....it took about 30 minutes soup to nuts!!

Post pics when you are done!!

RR

[ljnlaw]

Many thanks for the advice guys.

Vincenzo - My mechanic at VAC Motorsports has a dyno and does custome ECU reprogramming. I sent him an email last night asking for his advice regarding the CAI and if its installed whether I should let him do some customing tuning considering the exhaust and cai. I will let you know what happens.

Hal88 - I sent you a PM...thanks

[ljnlaw]

Richirich do you have any vids of your set up I would love to hear it fired up.

[steed77]

I love my aFe intake. It was VERY simple to install and it DEFIANTLY made some power. Nice simple job.

[Bimmer360]

Originally Posted by Hal88

I had it installed in my 4.4 and I never had any problems with it, I didn't notice much improvement on perfomance , the growling from the eng. was nice tho. I took it off because I moved the truck to CA and I heard that it wouldn't pass the smog check, now I have the AFE for sale.
Pm if interested.

i agree, no obvious power gain and just a little roar and yes, it will fail your smog test. ask zerochief if you want to confirm.

[JCL]

Even the AFE dyno charts (last time I looked on their web site) show no real hp change. A little more hp at one engine speed, traded off for a little less hp at another engine speed.

I would consider it a cosmetic mod, with a side benefit (or detriment, depending on your point of view) of increased intake noise. If those two points are important to you, then do it. Just don't go looking for hp increases. Short of a forced induction setup, nothing aftermarket is going to have a significant hp impact.

As to the MAF problem, it is generally caused by over-oiling the aftermarket filter. You can solve that problem by simply leaving the filter out. If hp is your primary objective, how important can clean intake air be? You aren't worried about engine life, are you?

[StanF18]

Originally Posted by Vincenzo Veyron

the dyno run on the afe website is not for an X5. i have a measured increase in HP. Its not the same type of power youd get from a supercharger but on a $$$/HP gain it totally makes sense to buy it. Simple physics. More air flow, more power.

You wont have over oiled air filter if you buy the Pro Dry filter. It doesnt use oil.

When i am evaluating a purchase of any kind i prefer facts to opinions.

Hey Vincenzo,

My humble understanding is that in today's super-computerized engine setups, the performance mods (CAI, exhausts, etc.) won't give you maximal boost until you also re-program the engine. In your case, you may be looking for something like this:

http://www.dinancars.com/store/Stage...69-p-3491.html

Of course, if you're also planning on doing exhaust and throttle body then you'd want to step up to their Stage 3 software. The Dinan software is safe and will not void your BMW NA warranty. Whereas with other 3rd party software, the dealers may give you a hard time. By the way, my gym trainer (who is a BMW nut) tells me that SuperSprint makes the top exhaust out there. I'm pretty happy with my Dinan exhaust though.

BTW, 30 hp from a CAI?? U sure bout that? Dinan's website says 13 hp increase, and that's WITH the software.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Vincenzo Veyron

the dyno run on the afe website is not for an X5. i have a measured increase in HP. Its not the same type of power you'd get from a supercharger but on a $$$/HP gain it totally makes sense to buy it. Simple physics. More air flow, more power.

You wont have an over oiled air filter if you buy the Pro Dry filter. It doesn't use oil.

When I am evaluating a purchase of any kind I prefer facts to opinions.

I looked at the AFE website, and don't see the dyno chart that I recall. I will try and dig it out. They may have taken it down due to it showing no net hp gain over a range of rpm (they focused on one single narrow rpm band IIRC).

Have you measured your hp with a chassis dyno, corrected for temperature and altitude? Back to back runs on the same day? And it showed 30 hp gain? Really?

If you simply want more airflow, open the throttle further. It is free. More air flow. More hp. Easy fix. Are you regularly at wide open throttle at low rpm? Realize that more air to the engine in and of itself will not improve power, unless it is a significant limitation of the current system design. You are dealing with a balanced system. You will need to accomodate that airflow all the way through the system, including throttle body, intake, exhaust, and so on. Adding more airflow to a system that is not air-flow limited only benefits those selling that concept.

Agree completely that with the dry filter option you won't have an MAF problem. However, the poster was asking about MAF problems.

When I am evaluating a purchase of this type of component, especially when it comes with significant performance enhancement claims, I like to rely on my engineering training and certification, precise calculations, independent third party analysis, personal dyno experience, and years of wrenching. But maybe that is all just too much opinion.

Have a great day!