Please explain to me the differences between the JLT intakes

[TheFleshRocket]

I am wrapping up a TVS install on my '04 Cobra. I'm going to run a 2.8 pulley on 93 octane (plus octane booster for a little insurance) with the expectation of being around 600rwhp. I discovered that the stock intake tube won't fit over the BBK 65mm throttle body and am attempting to decide what intake to get.

I already have a new (bought a few months ago) VMP3000 small-footprint MAF sensor. I could see if VMP would swap it for the large-footprint MAF sensor, but there's no guarantee that they would.

I see that JLT offers multiple options.

There's the JLT RAM AIR INTAKE (2003-04 SVT COBRA).
http://www.vmpperformance.com/JLT-Ram-Air-Intake-2003-04-SVT-Cobra-p/jlt-rai2-fmc-0304.htm
This looks like the closest-to-stock-style option. It says it adds 18-26RWHP but does not list a supported HP range. It includes a 4x9 filter. I'm inclined to go this route for ease of install. But, are there any drawbacks to using this setup on my car? http://www.vmpperformance.com/JLT-Ram-Air-Intake-2003-04-SVT-Cobra-p/jlt-rai2-fmc-0304.htm

There's the JLT HIGH-BOOST COLD AIR INTAKE KIT AFTERMARKET MAF (2003-04 SVT COBRA).
http://www.vmpperformance.com/JLT-H...ke-Kit-Aftermarket-MAF-p/cai2-12-fmc-0304.htm
This one puts the air filter in the fender well. It says it adds 26-30RWHP and says it can support 550-800+RWHP. It includes a 4x12 filter. This one requires a large footprint MAF--if I could get VMP to swap it for me, I'd be okay with that, but if they won't, I don't want to have to try to resell my small-footprint MAF myself. I don't see where the MAF goes in the pics. Is it mounted somewhere under the tube, within range of the wiring harness?

Then there's JLT HIGH-BOOST COLD AIR INTAKE KIT STOCK MAF (2003-04 SVT COBRA).
http://www.vmpperformance.com/JLT-High-Boost-Cold-Air-Intake-Kit-Stock-MAF-2003-p/cai2-fmc-0304.htm
This one sounds like it's identical to the above intake, except that it allows the use of my small-footprint MAF, which sounds like a good thing. It says it adds 26-30RWHP but does not list a supported HP range. However, under the parts list, it says:
--4x6 S&B powerstack air filter
--MAF adapter
--MAF adapter gasket
--The 3 items in itallics are unique to this kit and allow the use of the stock maf sensor/housing in the fender
That sure sounds like it moves the MAF sensor into the fender. I assume that the wiring harness isn't long enough to reach into the fender, so am I supposed to splice extensions into the harness?
Additionally, it says that the kit includes a 4x6 filter, which I assume means it has a 4" opening and is 6" tall. Presumably it's half the size of the 4x12 filter in the other CAI high-boost kit, and 2/3 the size of the 4x9 filter in the RAI kit. Does the smaller filter result in a performance drop compared to the other kits with larger filters?

 

[Steve Cea]

I use the high boost setup , I just like the air filter outside of the hot engine compartment so that's my suggestion

Sent from my SM-G955U using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[ClayDee]

+1 on the JLT Highboost.

 

[RobH]

Agree with Steve, I run the HB. Depends on your HP and tuner. Mine hates the HP and keeps telling me to run RAI. Less heat in the fender well.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[OldYeller]

MAF mounts in the tube if you go the high boost option, there is a slot in it the the MAF screws into. Wiring harness reaches just fine. I do not remember there being a small and large footprint but I must have ordered the large as my VMP 3000 fit perfectly.

 

[RobH]

Agree with Steve, I run the HB. Depends on your HP and tuner. Mine hates the HP and keeps telling me to run RAI. Less heat in the fender well.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

Sorry, should have added more. :: The highboost kit will come with the filter. You can choose red or blue filament ( Don't know if there is a difference) kit comes with all grommets and fittings as well as a MAF gasket. The MAF you will have to run is the SCT 2600. You can't run a stock MAF. My set up works great. Hope I am reading your question right.


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Agree with Steve, I run the HB. Depends on your HP and tuner. Mine hates the HP and keeps telling me to run RAI. Less heat in the fender well.

What do you mean, "depends on your HP"?

Your tuner wants you to run the RAI instead of the high-boost CAI, because there's less heat in the fenderwell? Unless I'm mistaken, the CAI is the one that puts the filter inside the fender, compared to the RAI, which puts the filter inside the engine bay but with a shroud (acting as a heat shield) over it.

 

[whitedevil95]

What do you mean, "depends on your HP"?

Your tuner wants you to run the RAI instead of the high-boost CAI, because there's less heat in the fenderwell? Unless I'm mistaken, the CAI is the one that puts the filter inside the fender, compared to the RAI, which puts the filter inside the engine bay but with a shroud (acting as a heat shield) over it.

My first tuner said he wouldnt tune the High Boost because they are harder to build a MAF table for and sometimes are harder to get drivability right. My second guy had no issues with the High Boost and the car ran like stock.

 

[RobH]

What do you mean, "depends on your HP"?

Your tuner wants you to run the RAI instead of the high-boost CAI, because there's less heat in the fenderwell? Unless I'm mistaken, the CAI is the one that puts the filter inside the fender, compared to the RAI, which puts the filter inside the engine bay but with a shroud (acting as a heat shield) over it.

Depends on "Horsepower" as to run the CAI or RAI.

Tuner says the RAI is a better choice. ..

I was agreeing with Steve, as there is less heat in fender well.


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Depends on "Horsepower" as to run the CAI or RAI.
Tuner says the RAI is a better choice. ..
I was agreeing with Steve, as there is less heat in fender well.

At what horsepower range does the RAI become a noticeable restriction?

What part of the RAI specifically causes the restriction? Is it the design of the tube? The size of the air filter? (This just me "thinking out loud".. I don't really expect you personally to be able to answer these.)

With my existing setup (similar in style to the RAI - stock tube, open element filter near fender opening, heat shield over the filter) , IAT1 stays very close to ambient when cruising, and only climbs slowly during extended idling.

 

[RobH]

At what horsepower range does the RAI become a noticeable restriction?

What part of the RAI specifically causes the restriction? Is it the design of the tube? The size of the air filter? (This just me "thinking out loud".. I don't really expect you personally to be able to answer these.)

With my existing setup (similar in style to the RAI - stock tube, open element filter near fender opening, heat shield over the filter) , IAT1 stays very close to ambient when cruising, and only climbs slowly during extended idling.

Yeah, I can't answer those specifics. I called JLT and spoke with the owner about options and fitting, when I bought mine. Super cool guy, he can better answer your technical questions.


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[cj428mach]

You have the JLT Ram air, True Cold Air and High Boost.

The high boost and True Cold are identical except the high boost has a hole drilled in the side for mounting the MAF into the tube itself. The true cold air has the MAF mounting location but the hole must be drilled in to the tube to make it a "high boost". The true cold air cost mores because there are some extra clamps and rubber connectors for the MAF to be mounted on the end of the tube.

I called JLT when I was wanting to switch from the JLT True cold air intake to the Ram Air and asked if the tube was the same but just cut off for the Ram Air. I was told the tube was different and had a different contour on the Ram Air than the True Cold Air/HB. When I laid the new Ram Air intake tube next to the True Cold Air/HB the tubes looked identical, just one was shorter. I'm fairly confident JLT has the same tubes cast for each intake, one is just shorter for the Ram Air intake.

As for gains, the only gains to be had are probably in the diameter of your MAF housing. If you have a MAF housing as large as the JLT tube then there won't be any negative impact on power if you go with the JLT True Cold Air or Ram Air. The gains from the High boost comes from the larger MAF housing built in.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

As for gains, the only gains to be had are probably in the diameter of your MAF housing. If you have a MAF housing as large as the JLT tube then there won't be any negative impact on power if you go with the JLT True Cold Air or Ram Air. The gains from the High boost comes from the larger MAF housing built in.

Great info, thanks!

Does this mean that I'd be reusing my existing MAF housing with the RAI kit? The MAF housing I have currently is sized to fit into the stock intake tube. If that's the case, then all I really need at this point is the JLT tube and the rubber adapters that go on either end. I already have a filter and a shroud over it.

So the real question seems to be, at what horsepower (boost?) level does the stock-sized MAF housing become a restriction?

 

[cj428mach]

Great info, thanks!

Does this mean that I'd be reusing my existing MAF housing with the RAI kit? The MAF housing I have currently is sized to fit into the stock intake tube. If that's the case, then all I really need at this point is the JLT tube and the rubber adapters that go on either end. I already have a filter and a shroud over it.

So the real question seems to be, at what horsepower (boost?) level does the stock-sized MAF housing become a restriction?

If you buy the Ram Air kit it will have the reducer coupler included to hook up to the stock MAF.

The Ram Air kit has the MAF attached to the end of the tube with a coupler so you can use whatever size MAF you can get hooked to the intake tube with a rubber coupler. I believe the stock MAF housing is 90mm and its smaller than the JLT intake tube.

I have a VMP 100MM MAF conversion and the 100MM MAF is very close to being the same size diameter as the JLT tube so theres very little "restriction" at all from the MAF housing size. I believe the JLT tube is 105MM if I remember correctly.

As for if theres any power gains or loss from the stock size MAF housing thats probably up for debate, most feel bigger is better. I do believe 04Sleepers/C6Zhombre's car is running the stock MAF with a MAFia on a stock intake tube making 714rwhp. There probably isn't to many cars with aftermarket CAI's or Ram Air intakes making more power with similar mods.

To me personally the JLT Ram Air fits way better than the stock tube and thats the key benefit. Most of the stock intake tubes rub the paint off the valve cover or cam cover and I didn't want to deal with that.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

I found this thread which is full of people talking about the hoops they had to jump through to get good drivability with the HB intake, so looks like that's out for me. https://www.svtperformance.com/foru...ke-with-a-sct-ba2600-and-who-tuned-it.976560/

Apparently the CAI comes with a 105mm MAF housing, which makes it seem a bit more worthwhile than the RAI, which reuses the stock-sized MAF housing (as far as I understand). But I'm still not terribly big on having the filter down in the fender well.

American Muscle has a C&L intake that puts the filter in the engine bay AND includes a 95mm MAF housing, so something of an upgrade there. And it's about the same price as the JLT RAI. https://www.americanmuscle.com/cnl-cai-0304cobra.html I'm kind of leaning towards this one, now.

 

[cj428mach]

The CAI or true cold air doesn't come with a MAF housing unless you drill out the hole in the side and turn it into the "High Boost". If you do that then you run the risk of having the same driveability issues the High boost does because you just turned your CAI into a a high boost.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

The CAI or true cold air doesn't come with a MAF housing unless you drill out the hole in the side and turn it into the "High Boost". If you do that then you run the risk of having the same driveability issues the High boost does because you just turned your CAI into a a high boost.

Looking at the product description on American Muscle (which is more thorough and has more pictures than what's on VMP's site), the CAI does come with a 105mm MAF housing. https://www.americanmuscle.com/jlt-nextgen-cai-0304cobra.html

But, it looks like the CAI that's described as "high boost for stock MAF" doesn't include a MAF housing. http://www.vmpperformance.com/JLT-High-Boost-Cold-Air-Intake-Kit-Stock-MAF-2003-p/cai2-fmc-0304.htm

 

[cj428mach]

You need to call AM because I believe the 105mm maf housing is the one you drill out. The aluminum maf they're showing in that pic is just to give you an idea but it isn't included

 

[TheFleshRocket]

I asked VMP support for a recommendation, and Joe said he had used the RAI on a TVS with a 2.8 pulley (which is what I'm running) and it worked great. I also asked my tuner, and he said that the in-the-engine-bay style intake should have better "laminar air flow", so another vote for the RAI.

I called JLT directly, and they were willing to sell me parts from the RAI kit without me having to buy the whole kit, since I already have a filter and a heat shield. The only part we weren't sure about was the MAF adapter. I thought it was odd that the adapter had screw holes on it, because my MAF housing is just a cylinder with no screw holes.

I checked my MAF housing, and it's actually a 105mm already. (I didn't know it wasn't stock--it was already on my Cobra when I bought it.) The outside diameter of the exit side is 4" on the money, which is exactly the size of the reducer that comes off of the RAI, so it'll mount up to the RAI without needing the adapter.

I got the JLT RAI tube, two silicon reducers, and the hose clamps, for $144.50 shipped. Way better than spending $260ish and getting several parts that I don't need.

 

[stangfreak]

I still have the stock inlet and my tuner loves the stocker. I make 710 rwhp. I actually want to buy another stocker just to have. Keep in stock. Stocker is good.

The engine builder a mustang magic told me the gains are made once you go with bigger piping, bigger maf and the inlet. Just what was mentioned above

And if your stocker is collapsing inward during a dyno run then it's time to change. But we never saw that. Even when the 3.4 whipple came out without the crusher the stock intake wasn't getting sucked in.

I had the jlt rain and took it off. Didn't like it. Maybe they revised. But I sold it and went back to stock. For some reason, my car drove and felt better with the stock inlet tube. Could be in my head. I'm very very picky and anal. Just sayin.