Do you want to improve your car engine’s performance? You can easily do it by replacing the cold air intake. Such a modification will let you increase your car’s fuel efficiency. It will lead to better gas mileage. Cold air intake replaces the stock intake tube. It boosts the flow rate and increases the MPGs, torque, and horsepower. There will be more oxygen and combustion, meaning, more power will be generated.
Our Top Choice of Cold Air Intakes for Chevy Silverado 1500 on the Market
Cold air intake guarantees improved combustion rate through drawing in colder air. According to the study by School of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Birmingham: “At combustion process in terms of cylinder pressure and heat release, engine performance and exhaust emission were analysed, an experimental evidence showed that, pressure drop increasing in the intake manifold will increase the fuel consumption and reduces the engine efficiency. Cold air intake is needed because it draws colder air and oxygen, maximizes the combustion in your engine, increasing the overall performance of your vehicle.
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Image | Product | |
Editor's Choice | 4" Performance Cold Air Intake Kit
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Easy Installation | Volant 15553 Pro 5
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Premium Silicone | S&B Filters 75-5116 Cold Air Intake
| Check Price |
Increased Horsepower | K&N 71-3070 Blackhawk
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Simplicity of Installation | BLACKHORSE-RACING 4" Cold Air Intake
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1. 4″ Performance Cold Air Intake Kit – 100% Practicality for Killer Price
Million Parts Warehouse is located in Flint, Michigan, United States. Its turnover is 1-2 million USD. The company was established in 1990.
Great Performance
Million Parts 4″ Cold Intake is designed to replace air intake housing and also restrictive factory air filter of your car. It serves for 100,000 miles until there is a need in fixing, depending on driving conditions. You will receive better mileage. It is made out of aluminum, making it serve longer, if compared to other intakes made with plastic.
Efficient Air Intake System and Killer Price
Million Parts 4″ Cold Intake is high-quality and is very practical. It fits both manual and automatic transmission. You can easily wash, reuse, or install its filters, to add more. It will take you less than 20 minutes to install.
This kit is very practical, especially if you are not expecting miracles of it. Million Parts 4″ Cold Intake serves for a long time, is easy in operation (especially, if it comes to washing, reuse, and installation). It is recommended for those who appreciate long durability and practicality, because the cold air intake works very well.
- Easy installation
- Great performance
- Practicality
- Nice price
- Hose clamps are inferior junk
- No manual
2. Volant 15553 Pro 5 – Easy Installation and Quiet Drive
Volant is a technology company that designs and manufactures equipment, making the work easier, safer, and more productive. It was founded in Western Canada in 2001.
Easy Installation and Great Sound
The product is easy-to-install. It will take you less than an hour to install it. The throttle response is good in this model and it sounds well. If you drive at regular speed normally, you won’t hear any sound, despite you put the foot on it.
It sounds very nice when you are on the gas at highway speeds. Also, it is quiet when cruising.
Nevertheless, we would appreciate if the design was better. This is because the air box does not seal at all against an inner fender fresh air opening. There is a gap, which is noticeable, so we would like this issue to be fixed in advance.
Good Quality and Silence
It has the best overall performance since since the pipes are big, the airflow is good. It is very easy when operating. Volant Cold Air Intake is recommended for those people who do not like to waste their time, installing or fixing the cold air intake. It is quiet and has good throttle response to be better, but if you want the intake to function longer, follow all the instructions, included to the kit, thoroughly.
- Easy installation
- Quietness when using
- Great quality
- Good throttle
- You should follow the instructions carefully
- The design has to be improved
3. S&B Filters 75-5116 Cold Air Intake – Premium Silicone for the Lowest Price
S&B filters is automotive aftermarket performance company. It was founded in 1975 in Fontana, California. Its products are designed to improve overall performance of virtually all types of cars.
Premium Silicone and Simplicity of Installation
S&B Cold Air Intake utilizes the premium silicone air filter, which will not crack over some time. It seals properly, featuring exclusive tear strength. What is more, it is possible to handle the temperatures like 400F. The kit comes up with guidelines that are simple to be followed. So it will be very easy to install the item, taking you only 30-60 minutes to complete it.
Great Design and Performance
The kit includes everything you need to install it.
Thanks to S&B Cold Air Intake, you economize the fuel up to 1-3mpg’s.
S&B Cold Air Intake provides the best performance since it gives it a boost in acceleration and horsepower. You will get 1.7 MPG increase in fuel mileage, which means the kit will pay for itself. It sounds great if you put your foot in it, but even better if it’s quiet as stock when your foot is not in it because of the sealed box.
Consequently, the performance and design of S&B Cold Air Intake boosts fuel mileage, acceleration and horsepower. It is very practical and takes small amount of time if it comes to installation.
- Premium material
- Simplicity of installation
- Great design
- Good performance
- Low price
- You should accurately follow the instructions
4. K&N 71-3070 Blackhawk – Increased Horsepower Plus Quiet Drive
K&N is a manufacturer of washable performance air filters and also air intake systems. It was founded in 1969 in Riverside, California. Now it sells more than 5 thousands of products for trucks, cars, engines, motorcycles, and industrial applications.
Easy to Install and Washable Filter
The cold air intake is rather not very easy to install on your vehicle. You can do it with a help of a screwdriver, ratchet-set, and also pliers for less than 90 minutes. Besides, no drilling or cutting is required. This filter provides a higher airflow pressure due to larger surface area. Therefore, it has more room for air to pass through. To be more precise, you should change it every 100,000 miles.
Great Protection of Your Engine
K&N Cold Air Intake is designed not only to increase horsepower, but also to protect your vehicle’s engine. For instance, its filtration system is featuring thousands of the microscopic cotton fibers.
To sum up, K&N Cold Air Intake is characterized with the quietness during the drive. Also, it guarantees increased horsepower and upgraded fuel economy. No drilling and cutting is needed when installing, but still it will take you some time to set it.
- The filter is washable
- It is easy to install the item
- The price is cheap
- The protection of the engine is great
- The instructions are not quite clear.
Long installation process
5. BLACKHORSE-RACING 4″ Cold Air Intake – Simplicity of Installation and Nice Look
The main shop of Blackhorse-Racing company is located in Walnut, California, United States. Also, you may purchase its products online.
Easy Installation
The product is very easy to install, so that you won’t need any instructions to do that. It will take you about 45 minutes to install the item. Even being satisfied with the quality of the product, we would like it to go with the pre-filter over the filter to catch the little dust particles. Also, it is to be mentioned that the quality of clamps is not appropriate because you’ll have to treat them carefully not to damage. To be more precise, they are recommended not to be over tightened.
Good Look and Sound
The product is well-designed and sounds quietly. All things considered, the overall quality of the product is rather acceptable, despite some little issues you might come across. It is recommended for those who value time and want to have a silent drive.
- Easy installation
- Nice looking
- Silent drive
- Low price
- Not very good quality of some parts
- Not very precise instructions
Best Cold Air Intake for Chevy Silverado 1500 – Buyer’s Guide
There are many cold air intakes available on the market. Therefore, it might be very hard to find the right one. Nevertheless, we prepared a list of the features you have to take into consideration before purchasing the cold air intake for you. Ready?
Things you have to pay attention to when buying
1. Filtering Dirt and Dust
It is worth to be mentioned that the filter should not let dirt and dust come to the engine because it may lead to serious problems. So you have to ensure it does not allow any particles and dust into the engine. What is more, a good filter should be washed easily.
2. Appropriate Thermal Barrier
3. Durability
Ensure the item you buy features a good design and mind whether it is whole. Also, do follow the instructions, if any, because some parts of the cold air intake might be fragile.
4. Size
Mind the size of the cold air intake so that it will be easily installed into your vehicle. Just find the product, which is suitable for your particular car model.
5. Ability to Filter Oil
No particles should come to the engine because they will destroy the upgrade. Therefore, check out the ability of the cold air intake to filter the oil.
6. Water Protection
Try to find the kit, which will not let the water get in because it might cause further issues.
7. CARB EO number
If you live in a California, make sure you have a permission of California Air Resource Board for your exhaust system or else you will be fined.
8. Price
Please do not compromise on the price because sometimes it is better to pay more, but get the product of excellent quality, which will serve for a long time.
Pro Tip: What are the benefits of cold air intakes?
1. Fuel economy
If there isn’t appropriate air in the internal combustion system, your engine utilizes more fuel in order to compensate for the air insufficiency. Thanks to cold air intake, you can pump more air into your engine. Hence, less fuel is needed.
2. Better Acceleration
A cold air intake brings more air to the combustion engine, increasing the horsepower. If you want to increase the responsiveness of your engine, when you step on the gast, the cold air intake will help, especially, if you like racing.
3. Useful Air Filtering
The vast majority of air intakes utilize the disposable paper filter in order to trap debris from the outside. Also, it aims at prevention of debris from reaching the engine. Despite the fact the fabric air intakes work not bad, still, they need to be replaced within the time. If you install aftermarket cold air intake, you’ll only need to clean it every 25k to 50k miles.
4. Enhancement of Overall Performance
Thanks to cold air intake, such aspects as power, sound, fuel consumption, air filtering, and speed is improved.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is a cold air intake?It is a tool that lets the air filter flow outside of the engine. Hence, the cold air is able to get into the engine. There is a filter on the one end of it and opening to the engine on the other.
- What is its main function?In general, cold air intakes draw cool air into the engine.
- Why cold air is beneficial for your engine?Cold air consists of more oxygen in comparison with hot air. Therefore, the combustion process enhances with more oxygen, leading to improved fuel efficiency, more torque and horsepower.
- Where the cold air intake is placed in a car?The main parts of the intake are a filter, mass flow sensor, tube, and throttle body that are suited in the engine bay. Meaning, they are able to pull air from outside, either from under the grille, hood scoop, or wheel.
- Can the cold air intake increase the mileage?Yes, sure. As long as fuel combustion improves, the horsepower and fuel efficiency increase too. For instance, the increase in mileage might be by up to 5 miles per the gallon and the horsepower may increase by up to 20.
- How to install the cold air intake?
Wait till your engine is cool to touch. Then disconnect the battery, removing your old air intake from the throttle body side. Begin to install a new one by tightening the item onto the throttle body, utilizing the hose clamps. Plug the mass air flow sensor to your new system, reconnecting the battery. - Does cold air intake improve the fuel mileage?With mass air flow sensor and new cold air intake, the engine will not use as much fuel as it utilized to get the same level of performance.
- Will the new cold air intake harm the vehicle?
No. Moreover, it will improve your car’s and engine’s performance. With fuel combustion at the lower temperature, the fuel efficiency will be also improved. Meaning, you won’t spend more on fuel. - Are there any risks of utilizing bad air filter?
Yes, of course. First of all, if the filter is bad, the dirt and debris will get into the engine, leading to its damage. Also, the emission control system of a car can be affected, leading to emission of soot, exhaust, and black gases.
Conclusion
All things considered, making up the decision to install a new cold air intake to your car, may be one of the best adjustments to your overall car performance, leading to improved fuel efficiency. What is more, more gas mileage and boosted flow rate are serious advantages for you to take into account with the cold air intake. Hope that you found the one product out of our top 5 best cold air intakes list.
If you give this a try on your truck then please tell us if the article helped you and leave your comments, if you wish. Have a great day!
Curt says
I own a 2016 GMC with a 5.3. I installed a RANGE chip in the OBD port. Which Cold Air Intake would you recommend for my truck ? I am interested on low end power.