Free-Breathing Performance - AIRAID Intake System

Did you ever wonder why late-model trucks use a restrictive air cleaner assembly and silencer box? In its stock form, the air must enter the engine through a small inlet at the front of the truck and endure two 90 degree turns that definitely slow down any fresh air that the engine can breathe. And all that is before the silencer box! For those of you thinking, "There must be a better way," there is. Enter the AIRAID intake system, designed by the truck specialists at Evergreen Performance.

The AIRAID intake uses high-quality materials and components that work togenter to produce a good-looking and great-performing intake system. We installed the AIRAID system on a Chevrolet '95 C-1500 truck with the 5.7L TBI V-8 engine. The kit we installed works on all 1988-95 GM 5.0-5.7L TBI engines. Evergreen Performance also makes kits for 95-98 GM trucks and Suburbans, the '94-98 Dodge Ram, Dodge Dakota, Durango, and Ford trucks and SUVs.

	The main system consists of a K&N cone filtercharger, a 3.5-inch diameter polished aluminum tube, and a high-impact plastic hat. The air enters through the K&N cone filter, mounted in a location where it is protected from road debris and water. The filter is mounted on the intake tube, made of 6061-T11 aluminum, which is polished to a show-quality finish. The tube is connected to a snail-shaped hat that sits on top of the throttle body and directs the air down in a smooth, sprial motion. Its internal bafle reduces air turbulence. To finish it off, the system includes polished aluminum hardware and a billet aluminum hold-down nut. The K&N cone filtercharger uses an oiled cotton gauze sandwitched between layers of wire screen. The filtercharger outflows foam and paper air filters, and it lasts for the lifetime of the vehicle. The element can be cleaned with a special cleaning solution and re-oiled for optimum performance. Accoring to K&N, the filtercharger flows like new for up to 50,000 miles, outlasting and outperforming sotck filters. Perhaps that is why so many truck owners choose to replace their stock filters with a K&N filtercharger. But a simple air filter change won't produce the results of a complete intake system upgrade that bypasses all the restriction of the stock air delivery system.

You may be still be wondering, "What will AIRAID do for me?" Our AIRAID system was installed on a '95 Chevrolet C-1500 with a completely stock 350 V-8 engine, yet the power increase was immediately noticible. We discovered a heathly increase in mid-range power and some extra oomph at wide-open-throttle. But in addition to these gains, you also get some awesome style. The system darmatically improves the appearance of the engine compartment. The whole installation took only about an hour, start-to-finish, and required only a few common hand tools.

	FREE-BREATHING PERFORMANCE! Installing the AIRAID intake system.