Big Gulp
Airaid cold-air intake helps breathe new life into older Dodge Ram 1500 4.7Ls
By Bruce W. Smith
There are a lot of older Dodge Ram 1500s serving as primary work trucks for professional landscapers and contractors of all types. One of the popular models are those with the 4.7L because that engine is the standard V8 for most of the cab configurations.
The stock air intake on older 4.7L Rams can really benefit from a less-restrictive system.
The 4.7L provides good power and acceptable fuel economy. But overall the design and technology of those earlier engines (2002-2007) isn’t what we have today.
That means they benefit a lot with some modest intake and exhaust upgrades to get air in and out of the engine more efficiently.
One upgrade that produces immediate gains in power is swapping out the stock air filter assembly for a well-designed cold-air system.
Airaid’s (airaid.com) intake system (#300-224) is a good option to turn to if you want to bring more life back into your Ram 1500’s 4.7L.
The kit is simple to install and can add up to 18hp and 29 lb/ft of torque to the stock power curve. The biggest gain over stock is in the 2500-3500rpm and 4500-5000rpm range.
More torque generated lower in the engine’s powerband means better cruising fuel economy and better acceleration, especially with a trailer in tow.
We installed the Airaid cold-air intake system on a 2003 Ram 1500 Crew Cab 2WD with more than 145,000 miles on it. Stock it averaged 12.8-13.1mpg in the city and 16.8-17.2 on the open road.
We’ll monitor the fuel economy with the cold-air system and post what we find on our website with the updates.
Our initial seat-of-the-pants impression is the Airaid cold-air intake system definitely brings better throttle response and quicker acceleration from those cruising rpm. That performance increase bumps up in-cab noise levels under full-throttle as there are no noise baffles to slow down or disrupt airflow from the filter to the throttle body.
The great thing about Airaid is all their parts carry a lifetime “No Hassle” warranty. If you don’t like the way it works, send it back for a full refund – no questions asked.
