Hey, guys, Justin with americanmuscle.com and welcome to my best of video for the cold
air intake category, available for your '05 to '09 4-liter V6 Mustang.
Now, the purpose of these best of videos is to help you guys narrow down your choices
a little bit more in the category by offering a good, better, or best system, based off
of my personal experience here at AM, in addition to factoring in some customer popularity as
well.
So, adding an aftermarket cold air is basically modding 101, right?
It's usually one of the first modifications owners tackle in hopes of grabbing a little
bit more power with or without a tune, a little bit more sound, and improve the under hood
appearance on your V6.
And on top of all that, aftermarket intakes are appealing to most owners because not only
are they relatively affordable overall, but they're also easy enough for most novice mechanics
to tackle in about an hour, using nothing more than a few basic hand tools.
So with all that said, what do you say we dive into our first pick?
Leading off the trio of intakes, we have the SR Performance option in black.
Now, the SR Performance cold air in black will be the most affordable in the category,
at right around 100 bucks, and as a result, will be one of the most basic as well.
But even though this thing is a bare bones entry level option, you're still gonna be
receiving most of the same components of intakes nearly double or even triple the price.
This includes a powder coated black aluminum intake tube, reusable high-flow oiled filter,
stamped steel heat shield, and finally, all the couplers and hardware needed for the installation.
Now, it should be noted that SR does also offer a polished version of this same exact
intake for a couple bucks more if you're the type of owner who prefers a little bit more
flash under the hood, or you can stick with the black option here and be a little bit
more low-key.
I also want to mention that the SR Performance cold air is the only intake in my list here
today that will not be CARB certified.
So if you live in a CARB state, you might wanna consider one of my next two options
instead.
But whatever the case, the SR option is a great intake for the V6 owners on a budget,
and who might not need the fanciest brand name option under their hood.
Up next, we have the most popular option in the S197 V6 category, and by a pretty wide
margin.
I'm talking about the polished BBK cold air intake, available for the '05 to '09 V6.
Now, the BBK simply picks up where SR left off and offers you a little bit more fit and
finish, compared to the budget-friendly first pick.
The big difference here, however, between the two, aside from the construction and that
CARB certification, will be the bright chrome finish that will certainly pop under the hood
of your V6 for owners who are into a little bit more flash.
Now, the chrome polish of the BBK will add a little bit more styling and appearance when
compared to a more traditional polished version, but that finish will also be a little bit
more durable as well.
Aside from the finish itself, the rest of the system doesn't look all that different
from the SR Performance option, in regards to basic design.
You're getting the intake tube itself here, in addition to the reusable high-flow filter,
and couplers done up in the signature BBK blue.
You're also receiving the heat shield, hardware, and everything else needed for the installation.
Definitely a step up compared to our first option in the looks and construction department
and an easy choice for our middle-of-the-road intake for your '05 to '09 V6.
Last but not least, we have the third and final intake in my best of list, the AIRAID
MXP, which receives top honors for the S197 V6 cars.
Now, AIRAID is a familiar face in these best of videos because they tend to offer some
of the nicest construction and build quality in the category and owners simply just rave
about them.
Let's start with one of the best things about the AIRAID, at least in my opinion, the construction.
Now, AIRAID is the only intake in this list that will deliver a roto-molded plastic intake
tube, which some owners might prefer from a heat standpoint.
Now, the consensus here being, the plastic will be slightly less prone to heat soak when
compared to your other metal options.
On top of that, the AIRAID will deliver one of the nicest airbox designs in the category,
featuring an injection-molded plastic for the construction and will utilize that weather
stripping to help seal it to the underside of the hood, blocking as much of that hot
engine bay air as possible.
Last but not least, you do have the AIRAID signature filter, their SynthaFlow oiled option
which will capture dirt and dust down to two microns in size.
Just a quick heads-up here, guys, AIRAID does offer this same exact system but with their
SynthaMax dry filter instead.
So if for whatever reason, you prefer a dry filter, AIRAID has you covered.
Now, the AIRAID, yes, it's going to be the most expensive on our list here today, at
just south of 300 bucks.
But when you factor in the quality, the fit, and finish, you'll immediately see where your
money is spent.
Well, guys, that's gonna wrap us up here for our best of video in the cold air intake category,
available for your '05 to '09 V6 Mustang.
Now, if you do want any more information on any of the products in this video, feel free
to check out the respective product pages at any time.
I'm Justin.
Thanks for watching and for all things Mustang, keep it right here at americanmuscle.com.