S&B cold air kit observations

[jettech]

Just purchased the S&B cold air kit for my 06 2500hd lbz eng from rpmoutlet.
http://www.rpmoutlet.com/durac11.htm
Can't say I was impressed with rpmoutlet's shipping.It arrived in the S&B kits box with a shipping label slapped on it,no double boxing,they even opened it up to throw the cleaning and oiling kit I got inside and retaped it.The kit parts are loose in the box and not secured so they just bounce around.The top of the box was crushed when it was delivered and ups just left it on the porch.Luckily nothing was damaged inside.

installation- was very easy,instructions were good for anyone to follow.Took less than an hour to install.The only issue I had was the 4 mounting holes in the bottom of the S&B box did not line up perfectly with the truck mounting holes so I had to elongate the holes in the S&B box slightly to line up the holes.The clear plastic box cover seems a little to thin and really doesn't give any seal to keep out the hotter eng compartment air so I used some thin foam tape that was sticky on one side to make a gasket and stuck it on the plastic cover.The promotional material for the kit says it "retains the oem filter minder".Its a lie.There is no hole to mount the filter minder to.But after looking closer at the filter minder,it's not threaded in,It's only a friction fit with a rubber gasket so if you really want to use it I think if you drilled a hole in the S&B duct the same size as the one in the stock duct it could be installed.The directions don't even mention the filter minder.I opt'd to leave it off.If I get some better mpg's in the next few weeks I'll try and post that as well.

[Craig M]

Just got my Diesel magazine in yesterdays mail. They installed 6 different air induction set ups in a Cummins/Dodge pickup and ran the truck on the dyno after each isntall. For the Cummins net result was zero improvement in Horsepower or torque. None of the aftermarket kits did much different than the stock filter.

[jettech]

It would take a lot more than a filter upgrade to help any dodge;) I've got first hand experiance with that one.All humor aside I wouldn't expect any change in the Hp or torque with a filter change ,maybe a slight MPG improvement which is what I am hoping to gain along with not having to replace filters as this can be cleaned and reinstalled.Time will tell,Ive read both sides of the aurgment as to whether there is a benefit or not to the filter upgrades.

[jettech]

I did notice that the turbo lag seems a little better when you hit the gas so the beast seems to be breathing a little better/easier.And the turbo whine is a little more noticeable/louder.Doesn't really bother me,I actually like the whistle anyway.

[David Proske]

Depending on how many miles are on your truck, I would take a oil sample to see how much dirt that filter is letting in. If the truck is still new; under 20K miles, a oil sample will show high silicon(dirt) due to the oil pan gasket.