A cold air intake is one of the most common modifications made to modern-day vehicles.
A cold air intake replaces your vehicle’s factory intake, moving the intake to the outside of the engine compartment so it has access to cold air and gets more airflow. Colder air is denser and therefore contains more oxygen. More oxygen reaching your engine allows you to burn more fuel, which will give your car more power. They can also increase intake noise, which serves as a nice compliment to your vehicle’s existing engine and exhaust tone.
Usually coming in at well under $500, a cold air intake is an inexpensive modification. It is also very easy to install – you’ll be able to install your own even with limited mechanical knowledge and experience.
There are multiple brands that make cold air intakes. Standardized cold air intakes exist, but most high-quality ones will be specific to your vehicle’s make and model.
There are also ram air intakes, which focus less on delivering cold air to your engine and simply aim to shorten the route the air takes to get to your engine through the intake. This can increase horsepower and sharpen throttle response.
We’re going to go over the top 10 cold air intakes on sale, helping you to narrow down your search as you shop for this popular bolt-on modification.