Air filter size, what is it good for?
One of the things our 2020 Ford is missing is a cold air intake. There are a few good options out there for most trucks, but right now we only have the AFE with the 10R filter known to be solid and Banks Power has a model coming.
I know folks get all bent out of shape about how the stock airbox can work with 500+ HP but that isn’t the point. The point is optimizing what we have, which comes down to maximum Manifold Air Density or MAD for short.
When we have the right CAI, we have higher MAD which means more on demand power, increased mileage and even lower EGTs. How?
Simple, when you mash the throttle, early fuel added creates a rich condition, which leads to high EGTs and soot out the tail pipe. Optimized intake path can help by allowing the air in with less restriction, thus a less rich early throttle condition. Over the long haul this means less soot and even on fords where a regen occurs about every 500 miles, the duration will be shorter. And that my friends is a happier longer lasting DPF ! Not to mention you have less fuel spent baking the devil out of that rascal !
On a side note, these 2020+ fords have the worst box. Not for outright performance but the forward facing flat element leads to very quick plugging. You go through a dusty cloud from construction, or better yet you live in Arizona and its densely packed pre filter all day!
A new box with a round element will do us another favor, we will get more surface area, and with that, a back side. No longer will velocity be so high per sq inch. That’s something alot of people simply do not get, folks fear K&N and other oiled filters (AFE/BANKS/S&B) but… when they are large enough they have great efficiency. They have the ability to depth load vs surface loading of a paper element and the best part is, the larger the filter the lower the velocity at any given point. With lower velocity the likelihood of pulling in dirt and “dusting” the rings is reduced.
We will be revisiting this with a video very soon!
With all that said, the current S&B model which normally we would sell has had some issues under load, if you want a CAI now, call us for AFE or wait for the Banks! Either way, you will be happy to ditch that flat element!