Im torn between Volant high flow and premium cool

Is it really worth the $100 extra? I'm trying only to spend $150 for the air intake. The reason I'm leaning away from the K&N is because I can't use a TB spacer with it. If the MPG gains are significantly different between the two Volant systems ill go with the better one.

I'm almost ready to start buying, just a few more things to get worked out

 

This makes me laugh. You know all intakes are the same.

Get a damn Ebay one and save yourself the huge waste of cash.

All it is is bent piping and a suction peice. THATS IT. It sucks air in!

 

Not all intakes are the same, some replace teh accordian tube, some replace the plenum adapter, some have a 5" filter, some have a 9" filter, some have a heat shield, some don't.

Personally, i'm a fan of the AEM brute force (same as fram boost, the fram is cheaper). It's a full intake system with the 9" filter. Highest gains i've seen of any of the major intakes.

 

well in that case im going with the cheaper Volant intake... but no not all air intakes are the same...

 

Just remember one thing before you decide to spend your money: Horsepower = Air Intake + Spark + Exhaust
You must have all three or you WILL NOT INCREASE your power. You can't just bolt on an intake and get 15 hp, your vehicle will not bring in the extra air that the intake company claims, because your computer is still set to bring in the same amount. You must get a chip, mass airflow sensor, or a computer tuner to increase your airflow. Next, you must enhance the spark your vehicle produces. Just put on a performance tune up kit, and/or a higher voltage coil. Finally the exhaust, you can bring in all the iar and burn all the fuel you want, but if your exhaust can't push it out fast enough you still don't get the power your looking for. So, go to your local muffler shop and get a free flowing system put on. The stock system will not cut it. So think about that before you spend your money. Make a plan on what you can and need to get in order to satisfy yopur hp needs.

 

of the two Volants you posted, the premium cool will be better. It has a heat shield to keep the hot engine compartment air out. However, I would not believe the 10-15Hp/10-15lb-ft. claims. On a stock Blazer the K&N kit produced 7 hp at the wheels, the AEM/Fram Boost should be in the same ballpark.
If you're going to get an intake, you definitely want one with a heat shield, and one that replaces the accordian tube.
Most eBay ones have cheap, non-reusable filters and no heat shield. All intakes are not created the same, you can actually lose horsepower with some.
With a cat-back exhaust and K&N intake I'm getting about 1-2MPG better in the city and 2-3MPG on the highway.
Tuners and chips don't increase airflow, airflow demand depends on RPM, an intake and exhaust will reduce the airflow resistance, which will help to free up power. The major restriction in the airflow on the Blazers is the stock exhaust manifold. A good set of tubular headers would free up quite a few ponies.

Kyle did a summary of all the restrictions with the intake system a while ago.... LINK-Click

 

try to spend the extra doe and go with k&n

 

well, he's trying to run a throttle body spacer with it, and the K&N's dont really like to fit well with those. But, the throttle body spacer won't do much, besides make noise, so you could save the money from that and buy a nice intake setup.

 

Yeah with a pushrod engine that already develops peak torque so low in the rpm range, a spacer won't give you a solid return. On these engines, it may hurt more up in the rpms that it will negate any gain down low, but that all depends on what you do with your truck...

The Volant Premium Cool intake would be my choice if I were in the market for one.

 

I disagree with this logic. This is saying that our engines are setup so that they're operating at the max potential for air, spark and exhaust. By this train of thought, if you put on an intake (a real one like an AEM or FIPK), and then opened up the exhaust, nothing would happened until you increased the efficiency of the spark, and then *poof*, you increase your power.

Also, our computers have the ability to relearn and recalibrate the settings when more airflow is gained, so you don't need to do a chip to take advantage of the increase from an intake. Yes, a computer reprogramming will gain you more power from the opened intake, but that doesn't mean that you won't gain any without reprogramming the computer.

Furthermore, in reply to the HP claims from the companies, those claims are at the crank, just as the claims from chevy are at the crank. If you tested your truck on a wheel dyno, you wouldn't come anywhere near the 190 hp that chevy claims, you'd be a lot closer to 145ish. 7hp at the wheels is damn close to the 11hp gain that AEM claims.

In my opinion, i'd stay away from the K&N kits. They fall off of the throttle body all the time, as they're only attached with a hose clamp. Get a Fram boost or AEM brute force (same product, different name). They have a MUCH larger filter (9" vs 5"), and attach to the throttle body with bolts.