Picking Between Oiled and Dry Filter Cold Air Intakes for 2004 Ford F-150 5.4 liter

Question:

My vehicle is a 2004 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew 5.5foot bed and 5.4L Triton engine with 137,000 miles. I have recently started using it to pull a 24foot travel trailer and am looking to gain some better fuel efficiency and power and am considering the above-noted air system for starters. Is the oiled or dry filter system recommended? Other than for dust/dirt, does one perform better than the other? Are there any known issues when installing/using this air system on this vehicle? Also, are there any other product suggestions to help with power and efficiencythrottle body spacer? computer? Thank you,

asked by: Peter A

Expert Reply:

When picking between an oiled or dry filter cold air intake system it really comes down to the roads you'll be travelling on. If you know you'll be on gravel or dirt roads you really need an oiled kit. If you don't think you'll ever be on either of those types of road a dry filter is more than adequate and since they are much easier and less messy to clean they are the way to go.

The oiled kit part # AR400-140-2 is a fit for your 2004 Ford F-150 with a 5.4 liter engine and for a dry filter part # AR403-140-2. The oiled filters do a better job with the finer dust particles which is why they are the way to go for dusty roads but they are a bit messier to clean. So either way oiled would work well but if you'll never see dusty roads a dry filter is just easier to use.

A programmer like the Superchips F5 part # SU1845 will give you a nice bump in horsepower and torque as well which will help with towing. This can give you up to an additional 24 horsepower and 39 ft lbs of torque and will help improve mileage.

Do not waste your money on a throttle body spacer. They are a total waste of money.

expert reply by: Jameson C