K&n ?

[GreatWhite]

Will an 2007 Ford Focus K&N Typhoon (CAI) fit on my ranger or would it be difficult to make it fit?

What does everyone else have for there 2.3L?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

dont waste your money. your factory intake is already a true cold air system...you wont gain anything but whistling noises from the over-priced K&N system.

 

[Black'03LevelII]

+1 to what Wicked said. I fit one from another vehicle I had, to my '03s 4.0l and it made absolutely NO difference in power or fuel mileage what so ever.

 

[feellnfroggy]

dont waste your money. your factory intake is already a true cold air system...you wont gain anything but whistling noises from the over-priced K&N system.

I dont know why everyone keeps saying this. Did ford change something? Every factory intake I have seen has an intake pipe that narrows down real bad and then widens out restricting flow real bad. My mustang and expe both are like that. The factory box intake has an opening into the wheel well, but its not the same, The airflow restriction, IE the filter, is in the engine bay with the hot air as opposed to filter inthe wheel well so any air in the pipe in the bay as moving straight into the intake. Essentially moving through the hot engine bay unrestricted. Less exposure to the heat.


Having said all this my expe is a 2000, and the mustang is also a 2000. But my ranger is a '92. Did I miss sumthing or are the newer rangers built differently than what I described. Someone gotta pic of newer ranger intake track?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the factory filter is contained in the filter box. the filter box has an intake hose coming from the dirty side the leads to a fresh air source, usually behind the headlight or from the fender well area. your factory ranger intake is the same way, drawing fresh, cold air from behind the passanger headlight.

most K&N kits change this effective setup to what i like to call a "warm air intake", due to using an exposed K&N filter inside the engine compartment. some kits include some baffles and shields to attempt to isolate the filter element from the engine compartment, but its still an exposed element inside the engine bay...which is not as effective as the factory filter that is completely sealed off from the warm engine compartment air.

 

[dru]

the factory filter is contained in the filter box. the filter box has an intake hose coming from the dirty side the leads to a fresh air source, usually behind the headlight or from the fender well area. your factory ranger intake is the same way, drawing fresh, cold air from behind the passanger headlight.

most K&N kits change this effective setup to what i like to call a "warm air intake", due to using an exposed K&N filter inside the engine compartment. some kits include some baffles and shields to attempt to isolate the filter element from the engine compartment, but its still an exposed element inside the engine bay...which is not as effective as the factory filter that is completely sealed off from the warm engine compartment air.

this is exactly what i thought when i was looking at mine, they put a shitty little heat shield to block engine air from getting to the cone that probably does nothing to help. WASTE OF MONEY!!!! if i could go back in time id just do the airbox mod or nothing.

 

[feellnfroggy]

the factory filter is contained in the filter box. the filter box has an intake hose coming from the dirty side the leads to a fresh air source, usually behind the headlight or from the fender well area. your factory ranger intake is the same way, drawing fresh, cold air from behind the passanger headlight.

This is what I was referring to, the stock airbox sits in the heat of the engine bay and the air just soaks up the heat as it stumbles through the factory filter, The K&N filter allows the air to flow faster, hence less time soaking up the heat, But your right onthe money about the little baffle thing. When i refer to setups I forget that K&N's dont route all the way into teh fender well. I also forget not everyones is setup like mine.



I would like to recommend a CAI from MAC. This one routes right into the fenderwell, where the filter mount is. This is the best setup I have found so far. Except when I ran my stang without a bumper and locked it up in a heavy rain. Absolutely do not recommend this for mudders or crawlers.

Mac also makes long tubes and off road h pipes for my stang 3.8. prolly for the ranger 4.0's too.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the air has to travel through the engine compartment no matter what. the factory filter isnt a restriction (after all, they used the same element for the 2.3, 3.0, 4.0, 4.0 SOHC, 3.8 supercharged, etc...), so the air velocity isnt much lower at the filter than it is in the intake pipe...so it isnt spending any more time in the engine compartmant than it would if you located the filter in the bumper or somewhere else outside the engine compartment.

 

[feellnfroggy]

The air slows down at the filter no matter where it is. but the conical intakes, as well as the K&N intakes allow the air to flow faster. The ability to flow faster means less time spent in the engine bay.

Also your right the factory filter isnt too abd of a restriction, but coupled with the intake track that narrows along the path plus the ford trademark intake silencer (Do they still use this?) It all adds up

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

your engine will only flow "X" amount of air, based on its displacement and VE. the filter ford used from the factory on the 100 HP 2.3 is the SAME filter element used on the 210HP supercharged 3.8 that went into the superchickens. obviously if that filter can support 210HP, it wont pose even the slightest restriction to a 100HP N/A 4 banger...or even a 160HP 4.0. thus, a K&N isnt going to flow any more air than the stock filter element because the stock filter does not pose a restriction.

velocity is determined by volume. if you dont increase the volume, you dont increase the velocity.

 

[feellnfroggy]

The engine will flow 'x' amount of air, but with the factory setup, it's not flowing that amount, its flowing less. The factory paper filter is not too restrictive but an aftermarket filter is less restrictive. Also the factory tube, narrows about halfway down. Thus restricting the volume of airflow. As does as, the air intake silencer. If they still use them on rangers. I know my 2000 stang 3.8 has an intake silencer as does my expe, but its not a ranger. Anyways, and aftermarket tube on a CAI is about 4" dia. on avg. This allows an increase in air pulled through the system. A properly tuned exhaust assist in this "pulling air through" and allows the CAI to work even more efficiently. This being while gas mileage increases with these compontents.

Everything can be done with a stock intake, but maximum gains will not be seen. Its not as efficient as aftermarket. The gains from aftermarket CAI's are proven however minimal (3-5HP at het flywheel, 1-3 at the wheels and 2-3 MPG for the avg driver). If this wasnt the case they wouldnt sell like they do. As a matter of fact, Im pretty sure if they werent all people say they are then they wouldnt be made for our vehicles.

Most if not all results from these things have been dyno tested, both by the manufacterers who obviously embellish their results and the people who use them. Its even been tested if just removing the intake silencer will increase flow volume. It does.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

how do you know the factory filter element is restrictive? have you calculated the area required for your engine to move its peak CFM with a minimal pressure drop accross the filter? explain to me how a 3.8 makes 210 HP with this element, but its still restrictive for a 2.3 moving roughly 1/2 the CFM.

the K&N systems large intake tube brings up another valid point. velocity is a function of volume and area. by increasing the area of the intake tube, your decreasing the velocity of the intake air, thus allowing it to soak up more engine heat before entering the chambers. the K&N is also made of metal IIRC, which is extremely good at conducting heat, versus the stock ABS plastic intake which is a decent insulator. the reduced velocity also reduces VE at lower RPM ranges (though you might make it back at a higher RPM, if your engine can turn fast enough).

FYI, i have a "high flowing" K&N filter and probably one of the least restrictive exhaust systems on TRS and im still getting the same 22-24MPG i got before.

 

[GreatWhite]

next question? Exhaust or should I just get a super 40 flowmaster?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

if you want to make more noise, have at it. if your looking for power and mielage gains...once again, there are none to be had.

 

[turbo cat]

the filter and intake plumbing flows more than enough air but depending on the setup there can be one or multiple intake silencers that can be removed for a little more flow. As far as I rember on the newer airboxes theres a small square for the inlet. You can open that up a bit.

As for cat back exhaust systems youll find a very small gain most of the time. this is do to reduced backpressure and if setup right a higher gas velocity. This effect together minimizes pumping losses and creates a good vaccum in the exhaust to scavenge the ports. IF things are setup/sized correctly. You will also gain more power witha strait thru muffler vs a bafled muffler. The strait thru keeps the gas speed up and moving down the pipe. Too large of a piep size will kill the velocity at low rpms killing some torque