AFE Momentum Intakes - rubber plugs?

For the guys running AFE momentum intakes, are you installing the circular rubber plugs on the boxes for all cold air or leaving the hole open for maximum air flow?

curious thoughts/results from what others are doing…?

thanks

 

I drove a few days with the hole open and it doesn't seem to make a difference so I just put them back on. I guess you can hear it a little more when you step on the gas but that's about it.

 

For more airflow and louder turbos. I could hear some difference. I'll pull them on a cold day but not all the time because it will pull in more engine bay air.

 

Mine are plugged, adding more air from the hot engine bay doesn't sound beneficial. Stillen has taken it a step further and created an intake pulling air from next to the headlight into that opening. Once they release I will be upgrading to that setup.

 

The AFE ones pull from the opening behind the headlights - if I'm understanding your description correctly.

 

Correct but the opening on the box is inside the engine bay so it's pointed towards the headlight but it's pulling air from it's surrounding and that's in the engine bay. The stillen one takes it a step further and actually has a vent that gets attached to the frame behind the headlight and is sealed up to the opening on the intake making it only get air from in front of the radiator and impossible to pull air from the engine bay. @BriannaSTILLEN can explain it better then I can.

 

First Pic is the plug on the afe intake inside the engine bay

Second Pic is the stillen intake with a tube connected to that opening

Third Pic is the air ram intake that's connected to that tube so no hot air from engine bay gets into intake. Only ambient temp air from in front of radiator.

 

OK got it I follow now. It looks like the Stillen box sits farther away from the side.

 

I had ants in my pants so went with the AFE and bought the hot charge pipes at the same time. It seems to be good enough.

 

I sold my afe last year and have been waiting on something like Stillen's kit. I asked Banks if they had anything in the works and they do not and don't plan on it either. So Stillen is getting all the ram-air attention now. Placed and paid for my Stillen order, now I just gotta wait.

 

Thanks @TucsonTundra1794 for the tag! You did a pretty good job explaining it.

Simply put, the air around your engine is warm and not all that great for your truck to inhale. It's much better to suck in air from the outside of the engine bay if possible, hence our new ram air design. We integrated scoops that take in the air by the radiator before entering the engine compartment, which allows your air intake temperatures to stay as low as possible.

OP, if you have any questions, please let me know! Happy to help.

 

Same I bought the afe months ago before I knew stillen was making one. I'll sell it as soon as I get the stillen installed. Also in a video I saw they mentioned another product they were developing and it sounded like charge pipes but they didn't say exactly what it was.

 

Yeah I might change if I see some good dyno results - haven't paid attention lately. I wanted to do them both at the same time. The charge pipes were a pita and I'm a reasonably experienced wrencher.

 

I did the blow off valves and saw exactly what was needed for the charge pipes, I'm out unless I see a true power increase. Stillen claims 100hp increase if you get everything they offer.

 

The JB4 blow off valves won't work with the AFE charge pipes. This was only discovered after I pulled the old pipes out while examining everything on the bench. So I went with the charge pipes. Seat of the pants says the turbos are more responsive. I did a dirty deeds exhaust around the same time. IDK if I'll do any sort of tuner.

 

Jb4 tuner keeps throwing codes for me so I need to diagnose why when I get my truck back.

 

I can attest to this. I had prototype valves and they wouldn't work with the charge pipes either.

 

AFE has way bigger openings into the box from the wheel well than stock. They’re a big difference over stock in the seat of the pants. I only got them in the first place after seeing the Dyno results posted all over the Facebook groups.

the ultimate stage one set up:

jb4
AFE intakes (not charge pipes, that’s not stage 1)
DirtyDeeds slip on exhaust.

 

Stillen keeps the oem intake bottom and only replaces the top. Maybe I can get the stillen top to fit on the afe bottom for maximum air intake.

 

The main reason for an aftermarket intake is the opening into the wheel well. Stock uses a snorkel. This keeps it quieter. It’s also restrictive.

the AFE intake box pushes up against the opening in the wheel well and seals against it. With an opening the same size as the wheel well, which has like twice the surface area of the stock intake snorkel. Huge difference in driveability.

 

If the AFE used the stock latch config, it would work. I had AFEs before...it doesnt. AFE is a big cube, not 2 halves like oem. For gen3

 

Correct.

 

One thing I will say is that Id rather get cooler ram-air (Stillen) vs more hot air (AFE). Was not a fan of the poor sealing around the filter hole on the AFE as well. This ram air style worked well for me on my 99-07 GM trucks with simple ducting I ran to the bottom of the oem box.

Might just have been my truck, but I had a bad/harsh downshift coming to a stop with the AFE. It would kinda hold 2nd or 3rd a bit too long and then had a harsh release as I rolled to a stop. No CEL or anything, but as soon as I went back to stock, it was perfect.

Also had S&B and that thing went right back as soon as I installed it..idle was bad and stumbled even more. Hoping the Stillen kit will not have the same "issue" like with AFE.

 

I had this issue as well, but attributed it to I disconnected the negative battery terminal when installing. Advice I got in this forum was the trans was re learning…. Couple hundred miles and a few red line runs later, and it’s smoothed out a whole lot.

 

im also running Dirty Deeds bolt on in this setup. Really like it

 

Mine never went away