Hey everyone,

I've recently just purchased a 2004 xterra. And after much research have decided to get a CAI. However even after all my research I'm confused about one thing. Which one!!! I've done search's and found prices ranging from $50.00 with a heat shield (ebay search) as high as $230 with a heat shield. I know the expression 'you get what you pay for' but when you look at them and they all seem pretty simliar all claiming the same thing well lets just say "AAARRRRGGGGHHHH" So my question is this which one!?!?!?!? What do you guys suggest?

Thanks
Waik

I suggest the free one...

Remove the hockey stick resonator that goes up the side of the radiator and plug the hole with a plumbing test plug. Remove the resonator that attaches to the intake tube between the MAF and the throttle body. Close the hole with a 2" plumbing test plug. You can get the test plugs in the plumbing dept. at Lowes or Home Depot for ~$2.
Remove the resonator from between the drivers side inner and outer fender. This will open up another intake into the filter box right next to the factory intake.
Drop in a K&N panel filter and you're done. Enjoy.

Best of all apart from the filter it's free.

does that have the similiar results as the CAI? I've never heard of that modification before.

Here it is pinched from another forum:

Hey buddy, save yourself some money. Nothing wrong with asking a question though. I am all about getting the most out of my money. So with that said, I am going to tell you how to get the most out of your stock airbox.

First, clean your MAF with some MAF cleaner $5-$6 any auto store.

Next, purchase a K & N filter drop in ($50-ish but lasts the life of the car)and get your purolator filter out of there. You might want to purchase a recharge kit. To clean the filter when it gets dirty.

Third, go to the plumbing section of Home Depot and buy a 2" test plug and a 1.5" test plug. About $6 total.

OK, Check out your intake hose going from the airbox to the intake manifold. You will see 2 small hoses on one side and on the opposite side you will see another opening. This opening will lead to a resonator. You want to remove this resonator completely and plug it with the 2" test plug.

Do not start your engine while the resonator that is attached to the intake tube is out, you are going to throw a code

Now for the 1.5" test plug. There is another tube attached to the airbox. It t's off. This pipe is easily identified by the air temperature sensor.One side of it goes to the fender and the other goes mounts up to the radiator. The side that mounts to the radiator is the one that you want to remove and plug up the other hose. When plugging this hose, it is important to note that you might have to cut a little section off to properly seat the test plug in there. It is convex and concave.

Voila! there you have it!

IMHO, this setup is very comparable to the K & N FIPK. I would know because I just let my FIPK go for about $140. Damn, I am going to miss it!

OK, so let me tell you about the differences between the two. The FIPK has a cone style filter and the aforementioned heat shield. The drop in filter is flat and it is also in a sealed box.

Why did I go back to the stock box? Because I am going with a snorkel. Honestly buddy, with the setup that I just explained, I feel MAYBE a 1 HP difference from the FIPK. I would recommend this to anyone. Another question for you. Is a snorkel in your future?

YOu also have to take off that trim on the fender (temporarily) and the inner fender plastic stuff (temporarily) Taking the baffle as it is called is simple. the rear mount is held on by a tab of double sided tape and the front is held on by a stud. Alright stud, there you go. Good luck!-James

cool thanks!!

It's even stickied on here

http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2192

Thanks Soccerbrace. I did it to mine and loved it too.

I'm skeptical that anything done to airflow upstream of the throttle body can improve horsepower, other than at wide open throttle. By definition, the throttle body is just that, a bottleneck. If it wasn't, then you'd find that opening the throttle further made no difference in power. The biggest restriction has got to be the partially closed throttle, so unless you are driving around with your pedal to the floor, I can't see how air filters and the like can make a significant difference, except as I stated, at wide open throttle.

Well I do not understand that. The airflow is more direct without that resonator. You have more space there.

Basically, what you are saying is how can anything be done to the intake and make an improvement?

The reason I make that statement is because if you look at any aftermarket intake, they all eliminate the resonators, including the Volant.

Now you do not see how a filter would help?

Well take a paper filter, and you see, it is just paper there and the amount of flow is far less than a K & N filter. A paper filter get's clogged really easily. After that, it just gets tossed.

A K & N filter has a million mile warranty. You can see the two compared at a local parts store. Usually they have a display there. Or you can get one and never buy another air filter and see what I mean. Then you can thank me later :)

The gains to be made are cheap, but probably minimal. You also have to watch out for oil contamination of the MAF from the oil on the K & N filter itself. I like K & N's because they are re-usable & water proof, I had one on my jeep, but they are a dirty mess to clean and re-oil, and the cleaning kit costs as much as a new paper filter, so you have to weigh that in.

The resonator probably helps eliminate intake noise. After changing the air filter assembly on my jeep, it made a nice growl when you really stepped on it. I liked that sound.

Just remember, that if you running at anything other than wide open throttle, the thottle plate itself being partially closed is what is governing the engine and air flow. Anything you do to the air path prior to the partially closed throttle is of no consequence unless it is more restrictive than the partially closed throttle. At wide open throttle, all bets are off.

The K & N doesn't mess with the MAF sensor. Check out that link and look at the bottom. Everyone that has done this mod has thanked me and seen a great improvement. Try it. You will love it. Even though a Recharge kit from K & N is $14, you only have to wash your Filter every once in a while. And you can clean it more than once with the cleaning kit.

Thanks, I appreciate you sharing your experience. Its sounds like the notion that K & N's could contaminate the MAF sensor is highly contested by K & N, and may well just be a nasty unsupported rumor.

Do you find that with the mods you have made to the intake that you get measurably faster accelleration? Believing myself to be the scientific sort, I am curious if you've made some measurable improvement, like 0-60 time or something so you know you are on to something. Its hard to gauge by the seat of your pants.

I do believe in performance enhancing modifications to airflow, that's the very essence of high performance. I do know however that its the bottlenecks in the system that need to be finessed. Kind of a weakest link analogy.

Well, I can tell you this, When i got my X I had the stock system on there. Then 2 days after owning the slow beast, I put a K & N FIPK (basically the CAI)
on it. I noticed a considerable amount faster acceleration.

Now, since I have a snorkel, I had to go back to stock, but I did not want to lose any performance. I did the aforementioned procedure in full and it felt the same as my CAI.

So, no, I did not do a 0-60 time or anything like that, but I did just go from a high performance intake to a modified stock intake and felt the same results :)

-James

I did the same as Soccerbrace, although I did mine bit by bit. I installed the K&N drop in first. I can't say I noticed a measureable difference but the motor seemed to rev a bit better. Then I removed the resonators under the hood, they didn't seem to make a difference at all. Then I removed the resonator box between the inner and outer fender, this is the one that made the most difference and gave it a bit of a growl.

The way I see it;

Pros:
Total outlay is ~$50 for the filter one time, and ~$12 for the cleaning kit every two to three years.
Is a genuine CAI (air is ingested from between the inner and outer fenders).
Filter is well protected from dirt, water, and hot air.

Cons:
?????
Only get one sticker so not as many added horsepower as a system with more stickers would give. :mocking:
Doesn't look as cool as some of the other $200+ intakes.

hello everyone once again i ask the question, which do you all recommend i called stillen and they said that the k&n 77 series was better than the volant, they even claimed that their stillen system worked better than the volant, the tech guy even quoted that the makers of volant do not get any research and development, he recommended the k&n, i do not want to plug resonators etc i want the real thing...

Well, try calling Volant and hear what they have to say about Stillen. : )

That is the answer I would expect from a salesman. <----One who most likely does not own an Xterra. Ok, so you do not want to plug your resonators.

Call Volant first.

Let me tell you, I LOVED my K & N. I really did, but I had to do everything in my power to get the snorkel on and that meant getting the old thing back on. That is why I did what I could to make it work.

Additionally, you have to ask yourself if you are going to go with a Snorkel in the future. If so, modifying the stock box, or buying a Volant is your only option (although Volant does not seal as well as a stock box).

Ok, so my .02 about the K & N FIPK. Loved it but a couple of gripes. Before you install it, just know that getting all of the hoses to fit in there is a pain, stock or after market. It is cramped so do not hold that against the manufacturer.

Also, the K & N has a heat shield that can and will get in the way of these wires along the inner fender. This can and will chafe these wires and will expose bare metal. You should bend this section over to prevent this.

Also, on mine, the mounts where it mounted to the wheel well came loose often. Not too often, but often enough to be a complaint.

I have owned a K & N, and I have installed a Volant and an 04' S/C. My buddy with the S/C said that he wishes he went with the K & N.

Good luck!-James

OK...

The REAL issue is COLD air intake....

Where is the COLDEST air?

Why do you WANT the coldest air?

Cold air is denser...the colder the air you take in, the more oxygen is available for combustion, REGARDLESS OF THE THROTTLE BODY POSITION....

SO.....that means that the Volant, which draws OUTSIDE air in from the fender well, is the ONLY after market intake that's a TRUE COLD air intake system.

The K&N gets its best gains at full throttle, which is the only time it's typically when you want as much power as possible...from better air flow via lower resistance...but, does NOT get the benefit of denser, colder air, as its located under the hood.

:D

The K&N's, etc...do not take in cold air, they suck hot under hood air.

I had K&N on my jeep, and the oil did not foul the sensors, BUT, I had freinds who OVER OILED the K&N, and DID foul the sensors...so, you DO have to watch out for that oil issue.

The stock X takes in air from the fender well on the driver's side...which, ironically, is the colder air...making the stock air box work fairly well in that regard.

The Volant uses the same location, just like the OEM box.

The stock box has a TON of appendages on it to "tune" the SOUND of the intake/engine noises...taking them off provides a slightly less torturous airflow path...so for a given engine intake vacuum/draw...a little more air is drawn in at a given throttle position.

For a snorkel, the stock box can work....as described...but does require some additional sealing, as it does have some random holes/leak points other than the ones described.

The Volant works especially well with the snorkel...but, SOME of the Volant boxes come with plastic lids that do NOT provide an airtight seal....they gap, mostly due to the holes on the lid, and the holes on the box, being insufficient from the factory to hold down securely w/o an air gap...you'd neen more holes, or, a flatter/stiffer lid, that WOULD clamp down securely with no air gap, such as onto a rubber gasket, etc.

The snorkel's come into the engine compartment via the exact same spot in the fender/wheel well area that the Volant draws from, making it work especially well...as described....the K&N's have to be tossed, as they do not draw from a cold air area, such as the well, etc.


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Bottom Line: The Volant provides the best performance, as it combines a low resistance filter with a true cold air intake...best of BOTH worlds.

If you offroad...the open cone filters are FAMOUS for getting wet/killing the engine....even with "splash shields".

The stock airbox and the Volant can off course draw in water too, but, the water is drawn into a box, and the water cannot get out of the box w/o leaping up several inches, and then through the filter...to get into the intake plenum....

...so it takes a LOT to get the water into the engine, splashing won't work, as the drain at the bottom lets it out again...driving with the water below the headlights is OK too...above that, and you ARE deep enough to draw into the top of the wheel well, etc...but at least you'll get a sputter effect as a warning, as the water obstructs the intake suction as it travels into the intake plumbing of the box, on its way to the filter.
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With the cone filter set ups, if the water hits the filter...that's IT...it goes through, and is IN the plenum on the way into your engine.

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With all of the resonators removed...that means the engine is no longer drawing air from the fender/well...as the last resonator is inside the well/fender cavity....and all of the water protection benefits are minimized....ESPECIALLY if you open that second hole to increase the total intake area, etc...you're back to the K&N equivalent.

IE: If modding the stock box....leave the intake source in the wheel well cavity to draw cold air/protect from water damage.

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So, that's the comparison.

Hope it helps.

:D

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BTW - A bud of mine with a shop is fabricating a replacement cover for the Volant as we speak (mine). :D

...so, that issue is fixed...for me at least.

i take it you all recommend i purchase the volant over the k&n, i live in the desert not much water crossing thanks for your response...

In the desert...driving on hot black top, etc...means the air in the wheel wells is hot too, but maybe not as hot as the air under the hood with its added engine heat....which is why in Australia, etc...they mount a snorkel, even though they don't need it for water crossings...just to get the cleaner, colder air, at roof height, instead of the dirtier, hotter air, closer to the ground.

Food for thought. A few people have reported gains in mpg with the snorkel/Volant combo, which has been attributed to the ram air effect of the snorkel and the colder air charge, etc.

This is similar to the hood scoop concept...the air is rammed into the hood scoop by your speed, compressing it, and providing a denser charge of colder air than under hood air, etc.

In fact...for your application....a hood scoop set-up would make a lot of sense...less plumbing than a snorkel, and the same if not better ram air effect.

A few people have done this....they sell pre-fabbed scoops that mate to your air box...you'd just drop down to the plenum, instead of coming in from the fender.

Of course, there's that cutting of a hole in your hood, but you of course know your point of diminishng return on this project...a Volant alone will of course be an improvement by itself...

Food for thought.

:D

Well, in the desert with a few water crossings, the yeah I quess I do recommend the Volant.

TJ is right, it is not a "true" CAI, as "C" is cold. The cold air would be taken from the said location.

Regardless, I still loved my K & N.

Volant would probably be a better plan for your application due to the dusty area. The sealed box would help out a lot there.

You know what would be revolutionary? If you made one yourself, buying just the cone filter from K & N and a plastic welding kit from Harbor freight. That would be awesome! You should do this and woo us all!-James

ill have to flip a coin, the more info i read about each the more confused i am, purchasing either the volant or k&n through stillen there is only a 1 usd price difference and free shipping by the way, damnit why this uncertainty with my quad and dirtbike i know what is the correct aftermarket parts, in regards to the x it just seems like everyone has their own opinions...as far as the rear end bottoming out i ordered my timbren bump stops...

Hah. Yeah I know what you mean. You search for your answers and get many and strong ones at that.

TJ and I both have a positive rep in the Xterra community. He will say Volant. I am also saying Volant in this situation.

There is one reason why I do not own a Volant and that is because I personally do not think it would seal as well as the stock box with the addition of the snorkel. That is my personal opinion, and TJ and I agree to disagree on it.

Either way, the truth of the matter is that it IS taking air from a cooler spot than The K & N.

Did you know that you can buy individual components from K & N such as piping and filters?

I think that you should make one!!!!!-James

ill order the volant and replace the aifilter with one from amsoil just like everyone else is doing in other forums...

ill order the volant and replace the aifilter with one from amsoil just like everyone else is doing in other forums...

????? Amsoil makes oil filters. Don't change the Volant filter.

they also make air filters look them up...

Oh!? Thanks for the info. Did not know.

I still wouldn't change it though. The Volant is cool looking ; )