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5K views 43 replies 19 participants last post by  Bagmo16 
#1 ·
Now that I've put a couple thousand miles on the '07, getting the itch to start doing some small things.

I've altered the rear ride level sensor so that it allows the rear to drop a bit without the compressor pushing the ass up again.

I see that there is an "Air Raid" filter system available already. Looks similar to the K&N models.

Are these worth $200, or just wishful thinking? I'm assuming better HP equals better MPG?
 
#2 ·
Some of the air filter systems are very loud, I had many K&N FIPK's and they were too loud IMO, I have a Volant systems on my Escalade and was very pleased with it, some member reported that the Volant was too loud for them, I did not find that to be the case with mine, in fact I removed it last week so I could put the stock system back on for trade in, and the stock system makes about 10% less noise, of course I lost at least 10% of performance too. Never noticed any better fuel mileage with the air intake, but if you add exhaust and computer tuning the air intake will give you even more performance.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the info. Not sure if I want the noise.

Just to clarify however, is the noise only bad during hard acceleration, or is it something that will be noticed under daily driving conditions.

How about just maintaining speed on the highway?

Thanks again,

Dave
 
#5 ·
AWF_AXIS said:
Thanks for the info. Not sure if I want the noise.

Just to clarify however, is the noise only bad during hard acceleration, or is it something that will be noticed under daily driving conditions.

How about just maintaining speed on the highway?

Thanks again,

Dave
MX is correct, you only hear it at 3/4 to full throttle, cruising down the highway you will be fine. :)
 
#7 ·
18on26 said:
I was also looking to put an air filter on my 04 but theres so many choices anyone know which is the best, most hp, etc??
Volant, K&N, and AEM have some good air intake systems for the Escalade. I was looking into puttnig an AEM Brute Force Cold Air Intake on my 2005 Escalade. Just my opinion and I know these are all respectable companies.

Thanks.
 
#8 ·
MKTAXMAN said:
It is noticable on wot. The reason is the engine sucks in so much air under wot. I really do not see a noise difference under normal driving conditions.
Maybe I have extra sensitive dog-like hearing, but I heard the K&N all the time. I set my cruise control on long drives, and every time I went up the slightest incline or hill (even though the vehicle did not gear down) the noise was loud and eventually became an annoyance. This occured when the vehicle was and was not at WOT. It was unbearable for me. JMHO
 
#10 ·
18on26 said:
They are all basically the same bro. They offer smooth tube intakes with high flow oiled cotton cone filters. And they all have great advertising and marketing people making big claims: "25 more hp, 5 more MPG, specially tuned for your vehicle." Bottom line is they all do the same thing. Based on what I've gathered from seeing this topic beaten to death here they all increase engine noise, and nobody ever sees MPG gains from them (because after installing them you find yourself accelerating harder to hear that sweet noise).

IMO Volant makes as good a cold air kit for the Escalade as anybody in the afternarket. I think most people who have them here would tell you they're one of the quietest, and most factory looking units made. I believe they can be had for much less than that one from JCW.com.
 
#13 · (Edited)
18on26 said:
What do you mean noise??? exactly what kind of noisee do they make??
The factory intakes are restrictive by design. They're a compromise between making power and maintaining a quiet cockpit (more about maintaining silence then making power). The cold air induction will serve to rid you of the restrictive flow which will free up a couple of horse power, but all this airflow will come at the cost of your piece and quiet.

Try taking the lower half of your factory intake and the air filter out of your Lade (temporarliy....don't try to run it like that long because you can suck up trash into the intake). Then rev up the engine....and maybe drive it up the block and go WOT a couple of times. The free flow of air into the intake will make it sound like you've swapped the factory 6.0 liter engine for a 1000 hp turbine engine. It was too much noise for me, and far too little gain in hp for the sacrifice of listening to the loud intake.

ETA: this "race car" sound is cool for a pickup truck or high performance car, but seemed out of place on a luxury SUV. Again JMHO.
 
#14 ·
18on26 said:
What do you mean noise??? exactly what kind of noisee do they make??
I took my Volant off and put the stock air intake back on to trade my truck in, in normal driving I do not notice much difference between the stock system and the Volant in terms of noise, but you notice a big difference in performance, and of course under 1/2 to full throttle you notice a huge difference in performance, taking the intake off first, and then the computer has made my truck less than fun to drive now. :(
 
#15 ·
I looked at the Volant system on their web-site, but they aren't mentioning anything past the '05 model year.

Sent an email asking for information on an '07 product. Looks like with the closed housing, it may not resonate under the hood like the open top ones, and hopefully, GM's supposed "quieter" cabin really hides any possible noise.

Thanks!
 
#16 ·
There is not much out for the 07's yet, I have been looking for long tube headers, many will offer them, but none yet. B&B has shortie headers, and they do have an exhaust out for the 07'. I will probably put a Volant on my 07', I was very pleased with it on my 03'. Let us know what thy say. :)
 
#19 ·
I have a K&N intake kit on my 96 Caprice and it does makes a differnece. I love the sound it makes under hard acceleration. On the LT-1 engine I believe the K&N is usful. This being the case I would reccommend them to 1999 and 2000 Escalade owners. I have heard that the 6.0 benifits from the intake kits as well. Being that the 6.0 is essentially a GM truck engine, finding a kit that fits is easy and I would guestimate it is worth around 20 lb. ft. of torque and 15HP.
I have a standard K&N filter on my 94 Concours and there is an ever so slight differnece in acceleration but, the propose for this filter is primarily the lifetime of service it offers. I have heard mixed reviews on custom intake kits for the Northstar so for other Cady's I'd do some research but, for the Escalade I definaly buy one. If you are satisfied with the air intake, you can also try a performance chip or tuner. Try looking at www.truckperformance.com
 
#20 ·
I am sure this subject has been beaten to death but there are many different opinions. On this and the other GM forum, i have read many different posts and it is still unclear to me if they are worth it.

I have heard.....

"all they do is make more noise...there are no noticeable changes in HP or gas mileage"

"i saw an increase in performance as soon as i installed my system...love it"

"i couldnt tell a difference unless i was at 3/4 or wot"

"the noise was constant and not worth it"

"it made a big difference, especially at highway speeds, i would recommend getting one ASAP"

"do you really think that GM would design an engine with enough restriction that simply adding a cold air intake/changing the muffler would make a difference? If it were that simply, they would have done it already"

There are so many different opinions and alot of the opinions are based on the exact same 1-3 brands of filters/induction systems.

My EXT is being built now and i have the same questions. I was thinking about putting a cai on my truck...after reading all of the different posts on this forum and the other...i am STILL undecided.

Money isnt really a factor in my decision, if i was so concerned about money...i wouldnt be getting an EXT. But i dont want to waste my time or money if it isnt going to make a difference. With 403 HP, i am really more interested if it will help my MPG more than give me additional power.

Thanks,
Chris
 
#22 · (Edited)
Cadillade said:
Don't forget that the performance air filters can clog up your Mass Air Sensor with oil from the filter itself and can ruin it. Paper filters does the job best in keeping crap out of the air into the engine. I would never use them, except for racing applications.
Indeed this can happen. I believe the majority of these occur when people do not follow the re-oiling guidelines for these oiled cotton air filters. My K&N for the 6.0 has a specific amount of oil down the the exact milliliter to use during re-oiling. If you use greater then the recomended amount you increase your risk of gumming up the mafs. I beileve the risk of this happening otherwise is slim to none. JMHO though.
 
#23 ·
2007EXT4ME said:
With 403 HP, i am really more interested if it will help my MPG more than give me additional power.

Thanks,
Chris
Have you also seen the posts regarding the gain in mpg? Most do it yourself gear-heads that install these things like this "high performance" noise created by the CAI. So much so, that they spend more time gouging on the accelerator which negates any theoretical or actual gain in mpg. :rolleyes:

Truthfully, anyone who insists that they changed the seat of the pants feel during acceleration by adding ONLY a CAI is probably fooling themselves. Those people who follow through with other performance mods like computer tuning or headers &/or exhaust are more believeable IMO. :thumbsup:
 
#25 ·
2007EXT4ME said:
Rolex...point taken.

Soooo, i shouldnt expect a big gain in HP from a CAI but if my driving habits stayed EXACLTY the same....and installed a CAI on my EXT would i see any improvement in MPG?

(i wanted to see how many acronyms i could fit in one sentence) haha
My opinion is that you would in fact see some improvement. How much would be anyones guess. I do not believe the inflated unmbers advertised by the marketing departments of the manufacturers however....ie 5 more mpg or 5% increase. I'd like to see an actual study done on the matter to close the lid on the debates, but until then you'll have to suffer with people's widely varied opinions (as you've found to be true on other forums, and is also true here). :D
 
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