Best Cold-Air Intakes to Add More Pep (2023)

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Specs

• Filter Type: dry synthetic, oiled cotton/synthetic
• Tune Required: optional
• Material: polyethylene, carbon fiber

Pros

• Gargantuan intake piping
• Snug, OEM-tight fitment
• Highly configurable
• Can function off OEM tunes

Cons

• Expensive
• Some not CARB legal

An acclaimed product from an industry giant, Airaid’s MXP Series intakes are brilliant choices. I should know since I have one installed on my car. The MXP fits perfectly snug in the engine bay with a sturdiness that matches OEM efforts while still delivering meaningful performance. Nearly all MXPs can function off the factory tune with minute gains, but tunes make the most out of this intake and its gaping maw of a pipe. When purchasing, buyers may choose between Airaid’s SynthaMax synthetic dry filters or SynthaFlow oiled cotton/synthetic-blend filters. Piping can be had in carbon depending on the available stock, and airboxes can be open or enclosed.

A couple gut punches are included in a product of this quality, of course. The price is admittedly a bit higher than other quality rivals. The disparity can grow to a hundred-dollar gap depending on the exact car and intake. Additionally, while most MXPs are CARB legal with an EO number sticker to match, a few models for certain performance cars that already bump against the legal limits are not.

Specs

• Filter Type: oiled cotton
• Tune Required: optional
• Material: ABS plastic

Pros

• Agreeable price
• Clean look
• Commendable quality
• Works effortlessly with OEM tune

Cons

• Narrow vehicle application
• Oiled filter adds extra step to cleaning process
• Won’t spice up your engine bay

The JLT Performance Air Intake puts up a convincing impression of higher-tier, big-name products at a more affordable price — and CARB legal too. Its intake designs are smooth, straight shots into the engine, and your single filter choice is an oiled off-the-shelf product borrowed from S&B Filters. The party trick and main marketing headline behind this product is the insistence that it works flawlessly with factory tunes, which does make sense. It’s a simple, relatively inexpensive intake serving as a starting piece for budget-minded enthusiasts that can then be enhanced by custom tunes later down the road, and it seems to work quite well. Most consumers report meaningful but small boosts in grunt, and the prominent intake roar draws frequent compliments.

This truly is a starter intake kit, so there won’t be much flash if you’re hunting for extra style points under the hood. I hope you like red filters and flat black because that’s the only configuration this comes in. JLT being an in-house brand of American Muscle, you’re mainly restricted to muscle cars and some light-duty trucks.

Specs

• Filter Type: oiled cotton
• Tune Required: optional
• Material: polyethylene

Pros

• 100,000-mile filter life before cleaning
• Generous warranty
• Models with drop-in filters available
• CARB legal

Cons

• Marketed towards American vehicles
• Fluctuating price

Ah, the Speed Channel Special. K&N’s 57 Series, found in the ad section of nearly every auto magazine in existence, is everywhere for one reason: It just works. Solid construction with a polyethylene pipe ensures a sturdy, reliable fit, and K&N claims their oiled filters can go as far as 100,000 miles before needing to be cleaned and re-oiled. Skeptical? Yeah, me too, but there’s no doubt the whole product is an effective choice with which consumers have experienced actual performance gains and pleasant induction noise. Unlike K&N’s 63 or 77 Series kits, the 57 is designed to be CARB legal across all models cementing its place as a no-brainer for buyers in states with tighter emissions laws.

There are many variants of the 57 Series, however, resulting in pricing that’s either competitive with cheaper rivals or hundreds of dollars more. For those on tighter budgets, kits using drop-in filters for the factory airbox exist. As K&N is marketed primarily at U.S.-made cars, finding a kit to fit foreign brands can be trickier. Still, a deeper search will land you amongst their catalogs for other popular makes including BMW and Honda.

Specs

• Filter Type: reuses OEM filter, optional pre-filters
• Tune Required: optional
• Material: polyethylene, stainless steel mounting hardware

Pros

• Keeps intake air away from water and dust
• Many vehicle applications
• Reported bumps in mileage

Cons

• Debated performance benefits
• A bit pricey
• More complicated to install

ARB’s Safari Snorkel is an excellent, ingenious intake kit for serious off-roaders looking to protect their engine while maintaining performance in hardcore conditions. Perhaps it’s debatable if it counts as a true cold-air intake, but it deserves a highlight for being a quality, solidly built product. The combination of stainless steel and polyethylene creates a robust system for off-road rigs, and some models can accept prefilters. The actual intake is almost at the roofline to avoid dust and is angled slightly downward to keep out snow and rain. It’s advertised as being able to draw cold, clean air to maintain vehicle performance and is compatible with upgraded tunes and forced induction kits should an owner desire them. One 4Runner owner even reported economy gains of more than a mile per gallon when highway cruising.

While its benefits off the beaten path are evident, there’s no beating the simplicity and performance of a traditional cold-air intake. Being a snorkel, it’s also far more complicated to install and one of the more expensive options. This is undoubtedly an item for the dedicated adventurers but one they’ll be grateful exists.

Specs

• Filter Type: dry synthetic, oiled cotton
• Tune Required: optional
• Material: carbon fiber

Pros

• Immaculate carbon finish
• Broad application
• Healthy power bump even without a tune

Cons

• Nose-bleed pricing

The Afe Track Series is a serious bit of kit for drivers looking for more performance and more flash. Like other high-end rivals, it’s a configurable kit available for a wide range of vehicles and sold with either a Pro DRY S dry filter or Pro 5R oiled filter. Beautifully finished carbon-fiber piping is not only strong and light but a great material to resist heat soaking the intake air. That makes it a superb option for track rats or drivers with cars known for running a little toasty under the hood. One Dodge Challenger SRT 392 owner lauded its resistance to heat and said their previous intakes began to melt.

It seems too good to be true, a baller showpiece with actual function and performance benefits. For some, it probably is. Carbon fiber is expensive, and this intake reflects that with the highest price on this list by a couple hundred dollars. If you truly want the benefits or the look of carbon, then by all means get this one, but it’s nowhere near what anyone would call a bargain.

Specs

• Filter Type: oiled cotton
• Tune Required: yes
• Material: powder-coated aluminum, silicone, composite

Pros

• Made for almost any car
• Tailored for each car
• Almost always CARB legal

Cons

• Only works with a tune
• Wildly varying prices

The Cobb Intake System is a broad, all-encompassing family of filters and ducting dedicated to helping compact cars go wicked fast. Born from one of the largest names in the business, these intakes come in a dizzying variety to fit anything from Focus ST hot hatches to Volkswagen Golfs and even ye olde Mazda Speed3. You can find a well-built, snug-fitting Cobb intake for any modern sport compact. You’re essentially guaranteed performance gains as it’s heavily implied that you should pair your car’s new windpipe with a tune, something Cobb will also happily sell you. Thankfully, that performance will still come with a CARB EO number to cement your 50-states-legal superiority over friends struggling to pass smog.

Forcing you to work with a tune, either off the shelf or a custom one of your choosing will jack up the already varying price. There are cheaper intakes on the market, but I doubt they’ll be as attuned to your car as a Cobb unit.