I have been scouring the internet for a definitive answer and wanted to ask the experts here. Which produces lowest inlet temps, cone or panel filters? I live in the desert and this heat's killing me. So I guess my basic question really is, what intake is best for hot climates? Looking to get a re-tune in the near future and wanted to know what to know if I should keep my current set up or return to the stock box

Currently running AP short ram that came with the car when I bought it (would not have been my first choice). My car also has a c-west front bumper that has a ram-like opening in the bumper (FQ400 style as seen in my avatar) if that makes any significant difference.

Side note, I love the sound of the cone filter. Worth 5-10hp to me.

Thank you,



*please forgive any spelling or grammar errors... just had a few cocktails

 

I'm no expert but from the limited amount of testing I've done it's not whether it's a panel or cone filter but how well the filter is isolated from the engine bay heat. Just removing the air box and snorkel and dropping a cone filter in will allow that filter to be exposed to the heat that the engine is producing. IMO if you are going to use a cone filter you need to make (or buy) some form of shielding and intake arrangement so that a large majority of the air entering the filter is coming from outside the engine bay. The limited testing I did showed a drop of about 10 to 15 degrees centigrade if shielding and intake snorkel is used compared to a exposed cone filter. Another thing to take into account is the size of the filter. I read that the flow (cfm) should be 1.5 x your horsepower output ie: 400hp output = 600cfm sized filter. This size won't make any difference to intake temps but will allow your engine to take in all the air it needs. Hope this helps. Cheers