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What breathing system for my cummins 04.5

mesha

mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
Well, I got a 2004.5 cummins and am looking to make it breathe better. It has a 5 inch exhaust already and thats it. I was looking at some intakes and air filters. What should I put on it. Not looking to get a 6000 HP beast just wanting a little extra power and MPG. what are you guys using that is working well. Is an intake manifold upgrade worth it? I have had a few K&N systems in the past and they worked great, but I heard they can break down under the high suckness of a diesel. thanks in advance.
 
Anchor_Mtn

Anchor_Mtn

Work Less, Travel More
Vendor
Location
Fruita, CO
Good thread. I just got a bone stock 06 Cummins last week and I have been wondering the same thing. All the guys on the Cummins forums have chips and turbo upgrades so it really isnt comparing apples to apples.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
I just re-installed my AFE stage 2 cold air kit today. It was top of the line a few years ago and is still a top notch unit today. There are, of course, going to be folks who will debate this to death, but, I have been looking real close to the new Banks cold air intake system. The reason is because Banks just added a new feature which few had thought of a few years ago. Banks calls it a super scoop which attaches to the bottom of the new air box and also attaches to the bottom edge of the bumper. Here is the link to what I am talking about. http://bankspower.com/products/show/303/6

If I had to do it again with a new air box this may be the set up I would use. I may end up purchasing the Super Scoop and trying to get it to work with my current set up.

LT.
 
mesha

mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
LT. said:
I just re-installed my AFE stage 2 cold air kit today. It was top of the line a few years ago and is still a top notch unit today. There are, of course, going to be folks who will debate this to death, but, I have been looking real close to the new Banks cold air intake system. The reason is because Banks just added a new feature which few had thought of a few years ago. Banks calls it a super scoop which attaches to the bottom of the new air box and also attaches to the bottom edge of the bumper. Here is the link to what I am talking about. http://bankspower.com/products/show/303/6

If I had to do it again with a new air box this may be the set up I would use. I may end up purchasing the Super Scoop and trying to get it to work with my current set up.

LT.
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I had a friend with an AFE and he liked it.
I was looking at the banks s ystem and couldn't make up my mind on the scoop thing. maybe someone has one and can enlighten us.
 
Bear T

Bear T

Tacoma free since '93
Location
Boulder, mt
I sold A LOT of the AFE Stage II kits when I was at 4wheelparts, never had a complaint. My little brother has one on his 04, I can't believe the power difference, you can really hear the turbo more, but its not overbearing.

Plus AFE has a better quality filter than K&N. AirRaid is not a bad one either, but for the money, you can not beat the AFE kit.
 
A

ATOYA4U

Cheating is trying!!
Location
Hooper
I made my own 6" intake with a amsoil filter. very easy to do. There is a guy from Lehi who did a write up on it. Here is the link dieseltruckresource.com search for willys wistler. I have been running it for 3 years now and love it. Cost me $105 for everything with shipping.

I have a friend who dinoed with AFE and my home made intake. No major gains with either one but did notice quicker spool from turbo. Although the sound of both is awesome!
 
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L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
The reason why folks will tell you to run a dry filter on a Diesel is because most folks have a tendency to over oil their filters. Any modern Diesel engine is going to be turbo charged. Turbos, or forced inducted motors for that mater, don't like having air filter oil in them. Oiled filters are just fine on a Diesel as long as you don't over oil them.

LT.
 
sixb

sixb

Will work for beer!
Location
West Jordan, UT
All that whistling when pulling is enough to drive a person crazy, especially on windy days. I say stick with the stock system but switch to a drop in afe dry filter cause it does make financial sense if you put some miles on it and don't sell it next year. What does it take like 4 filter changes to pay for it's self?
 
Bear T

Bear T

Tacoma free since '93
Location
Boulder, mt
LT. said:
The reason why folks will tell you to run a dry filter on a Diesel is because most folks have a tendency to over oil their filters. Any modern Diesel engine is going to be turbo charged. Turbos, or forced inducted motors for that mater, don't like having air filter oil in them. Oiled filters are just fine on a Diesel as long as you don't over oil them.

LT.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Like anything that requires maintenance, it must be done properly.

And, an aftermarket intake will not void your factory warranty. No aftermarket accessory, unless specifically stated to be for off-road or race use only, will void a warranty, they just wont warranty the aftermarket parts, or any parts damaged by a malfunction of an aftermarket part. When I was a service writer at a Ford dealership, the service manager told me that their policy was "in order for us to not honor a warranty, we must send the damaged parts to the engineers in Detroit, have them run test, then they determine if it was the aftermarket parts that caused the problem. So instead of wasting money on sending parts, we usually just warranty the parts."


I personally don't like the dry filters, I have not seen any benefits to the dry filter. I think that the oiled filter cleans the air better.
 
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L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
I like the system that Banks has. It acts like a ram air system to a sealed air box. The air box is a sealed unit keeping the under hood heat away from the air intake charge. The box has two openings in it. The first opening is in the stock location so the filter can get air from the fender, I think. The second opening is for the super scoop. The scoop acts just like a ram air hood did on the sixties muscle cars. Taking cold air from in front of the vehicle and diverting it to the air filter box. The only thing I do not like about the Banks system is the accordion boot that would disturb the air flow to the turbo. The AFE system is a smooth straight shot to the turbo.

LT.
 
C

CoreyT

Registered User
Location
Draper, UT
I think to answer your question of whether an aftermarket intake is "worth it" you have to look at your long term plans for the truck. If you want to do turbo upgrades and big fueling upgrades then I would definitely look at something like the AFE stage II. If you just want to keep your truck mostly stock with maybe a mild programmer or something (say less than 400-450 hp or so) then I would say it's just not worth the money to buy an expensive intake. I have gone that route before and didn't see any benefit in hp or mileage with a stock/mostly stock truck. On my '06 Ram I just ended up getting a higher flowing drop in filter and cutting a 4" hole in the bottom of my airbox. The AFE drop in filters that are sort of cone shaped flow well and they are reusable. If you want to get really fancy you can buy one of the ducting kits on the market (or just make your own) to pull cooler air from behind the bumper. I noticed some improvement in turbo spooling going this route and with the stock airbox you don't have to listen to a loud whistling turbo on long towing trips.

Another option popular with the Dodge guys is the BHAF.
 
Rot Box

Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Supporting Member
Location
Smithfield Utah
I rock the BHAF and love it. Combined with an Outerwear it provides peace of mind over the oil style filters. I've used K&N's (properly) for years but I would never put one on a turbo diesel again :ugh:

Oh and wise choice on buying the Cummins :greg:
 
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