| Q: |
What does the soft mount do
and how important is it? |
| A: |
The majority of AEM air intake system
designs mount to a vehicle in two locations. One mounting location is to
the engine at the throttle body and the “cold” or filter end of the
inlet pipe mounts to the body of the car. The movement of the engine on
the engine mounts allows it to rock inside the engine bay, so we
compensate for engine motion by using a soft mount that provides a
flexible link for the inlet pipe between the engine and the body of the
car. If you do not install the soft mount properly the inlet tube may
break at the bracket weld and void the warranty on the intake system.
Our instructions provide a detailed diagram of proper installation of
the soft mount, and are viewable from the search results page for each
application. |
| |
| Q: |
What is the warranty on my
AEM intake? |
| A: |
AEM warrants that its intake systems will
last for the life of your vehicle. AEM will not honor this warranty due
to mechanical damage (i.e. improper installation or fitment), damage
from misuse, accidents or flying debris. AEM will not warrant its
powdercoating if the finish has been cleaned with a hydrocarbon-based
solvent. The powdercoating should only be cleaned with a mild soap and
water solution. Proof of purchase of both the vehicle and AEM intake
system is required for redemption of a warranty claim.
This warranty is limited to the repair or replacement of the AEM part.
In no event shall this warranty exceed the original purchase price of
the AEM part nor shall AEM be responsible for special, incidental or
consequential damages or cost incurred due to the failure of this
product. Warranty claims to AEM must be transportation prepaid and
accompanied with dated proof of purchase. This warranty applies only to
the original purchaser of product and is non-transferable. Improper use
or installation, use for racing, accident, abuse, unauthorized repairs
or alterations voids this warranty. AEM disclaims any liability for
consequential damages due to breach of any written or implied warranty
on all products manufactured by AEM. Warranty returns will only be
accepted by AEM when accompanied by a valid Return Merchandise
Authorization (RMA) number. Credit for defective products will be issued
pending inspection. Product must be received by AEM within 30 days of
the date RMA is issued.
If you have a warranty issue, please call 800-875-8511 ,
and our customer service department will assist you. A proof of purchase
is required for all AEM warranty claims. |
| |
| Q: |
Why does AEM use aluminum
for its intake piping? |
| A: |
Our Chief Engineer John Concialdi provides
an explanation of the difference between Aluminum vs. Steel vs. Plastic
in inlet piping:
The issue of heat absorption with an intake system has a degree of
validity, however we have found that too much emphasis is placed on
material selection, instead of the real issue of tuning the system. Our
systems feature a unique shape and diameter because this is what we
found to make the most useable torque and horsepower for each individual
application in testing. However, for the purposes of this discussion, we
will limit it to why we choose to make our systems from aluminum and the
effects of heat absorption on all materials. If you do not wish to
review all of this information right now, a quick synopsis of this
discussion is outlined in the following bullet points, with complete
topic discussions below:
- We use aluminum to eliminate any chance of the system rusting, and
it's lighter than steel
- We limit our use of plastic because this material absorbs some of
the sound energy we work to create in the inlet duct
- Whether or not an inlet system is made from aluminum, steel or
plastic, the thermal conductivity of the duct material has little
effect on engine power
- The rate at which air travels through the inlet path under open
throttle, when one is asking the engine for maximum power, negates the
effect of material heat soak, regardless of the material
We use aluminum—or a combination of aluminum and plastic plenums for
throttle-body-injected applications that require a special plenum—for
every intake we produce. This eliminates any chance of rust occurring on
the inside of the inlet pipe. We have seen chrome-plated steel systems
whose inner diameter became rusted over time, causing flakes of rust to
travel along the inlet path. We also choose aluminum because of its
lightweight properties. Heavier components place higher loads on the
brackets they are attached to—or even worse, to the pipes they are
attached to. We combine our lightweight aluminum design with a flexible
coupling device we call a soft mount that connects the intake system to
the body of the vehicle. In addition to the soft mount, we use doublers
at the point where the mounting bracket is welded to the pipe for
additional strength.
We limit our use of plastic because this material absorbs some of the
sound energy we work to create in the inlet duct. Although we use the
best plastic material for our plenums, it is still not as resilient and
does not retain the visual appeal of aluminum over long-term use.
Because we have to use plastic on throttle body applications, we take
extra precautions to ensure that the aluminum retaining ring that
attaches to the throttle body is anchored securely into the plastic
plenum; this is done by making an interlocking mechanical link between
the plastic and aluminum.
Whether or not an inlet system is made from aluminum, steel, or plastic,
the thermal conductivity of the duct material has little effect on
engine power. We have found that the tuning of the pipe, in addition to
providing the coolest inlet air source, are the keys to making useable
power. We perform engine inlet-air-temp studies when developing each
application to determine the coolest location for sourcing inlet air. In
addition to this, we determine the safest location for the inlet source
to protect it from highly dusty conditions and water. To this end, we
provide a stainless-steel heat shield to help minimize heat soak into
the inlet area, as well as to provide protection from dust, dirt and
mud.
At light throttle opening, air speed and airflow at the inlet system are
relatively low. The high residence time of air in the inlet while at
low-throttle settings will increase inlet charge temps when materials
with high thermal conductivity are used. Typically, when someone is at
light throttle they are not asking the engine to make power. Most
likely, fuel economy is the issue.
When the throttle is fully opened however, air speed and airflow
increase considerably. Typically, the inlet air speed of a 5.7L engine
with a four-inch duct at full throttle is 34 feet-per-second, based on a
volumetric efficiency of 70% and an engine speed of 3,000 rpm. Most
inlet systems for every intake manufacturer for this engine are 30
inches or less. This means that the air in the duct of a 30-inch inlet
length on this engine at the given rpm is 1/10th of a second—hardly
enough time to transfer an appreciable amount of heat into the air
stream on any system.
Basically, the rate at which air travels through the inlet path under
open throttle, when one is asking the engine for maximum power, negates
the effect of material heat soak, regardless of the material. We hope
that this helps to clear up the issues of material heat absorption in
intake systems. |
| |
| Q: |
What factory components do
BRUTE FORCE or Workhorse Diesel intakes replace? |
| A: |
BRUTE FORCE Diesel intakes replace all of
the factory components from the turbo inlet to the factory air box. This
typically includes the stock airbox, stock inlet hose and stock breather
hoses. In some cases AEM retains the factory breather hoses, as
indicated in the instructions. AEM includes complete hardware and photo
instructions for a trouble free installation. |
| |
| Q: |
I have a body lift on my
truck. Will it affect the fit of a BRUTE FORCE intake? |
| A: |
Yes, a body lift will negatively affect
the fitment of the intake unless an engine mount lift is installed to
maintain proper geometry of the engine to the chassis. Most BRUTE FORCE
intakes mount to the throttle body inlet and the chassis via a soft,
flexible mount. If the body is lifted, the mounting points will not
align correctly. |
| |
| Q: |
I have a suspension lift on
my tuck. Will it affect the fit of a BRUTE FORCE intake? |
| A: |
No. Suspension lifts do not affect
engine-to-chassis geometry and therefore will not affect the intake
fitment. It will install the same as if the truck has a factory
suspension set up. |
| |
| Q: |
What is a C.A.R.B. E.O.
number? |
| A: |
AEM intake systems carry or are pending
approval for a California Air Resources Board Executive Order (CARB EO)
number, exempting them from the prohibitions of California Vehicle Code
(CVC) 27156, which states that you cannot modify your car in the area of
the emission control system. The C.A.R.B. E.O. number allows you to
legally install and use the AEM intake system on your truck. |
| |
| Q: |
What is the warranty on my
BRUTE FORCE intake? |
| A: |
AEM warrants that its intake systems will
last for the life of your vehicle. AEM will not honor this warranty due
to mechanical damage (i.e. improper installation or fitment), damage
from misuse, accidents or flying debris. AEM will not warrant its
powdercoating if the finish has been cleaned with a hydrocarbon-based
solvent. The powdercoating should only be cleaned with a mild soap and
water solution. Proof of purchase of both the vehicle and AEM intake
system is required for redemption of a warranty claim.
This warranty is limited to the repair or replacement of the AEM part.
In no event shall this warranty exceed the original purchase price of
the AEM part nor shall AEM be responsible for special, incidental or
consequential damages or cost incurred due to the failure of this
product. Warranty claims to AEM must be transportation prepaid and
accompanied with dated proof of purchase. This warranty applies only to
the original purchaser of product and is non-transferable. Improper use
or installation, use for racing, accident, abuse, unauthorized repairs
or alterations voids this warranty. AEM disclaims any liability for
consequential damages due to breach of any written or implied warranty
on all products manufactured by AEM. Warranty returns will only be
accepted by AEM when accompanied by a valid Return Merchandise
Authorization (RMA) number. Credit for defective products will be issued
pending inspection. Product must be received by AEM within 30 days of
the date RMA is issued.
If you have a warranty issue, please call 800-875-8511 ,
and our customer service department will assist you. A proof of purchase
is required for all AEM warranty claims. |
| |
| Q: |
What is the Power Spacer
and why is one not included in every BRUTE FORCE kit? |
| A: |
The Power Spacer is a plenum spacer that
installs in between the intake manifold and the throttle body. In about
5% of our applications, we have found that increasing plenum volume
increases power. We test each system we develop with various Power
Spacer designs, and only include Power Spacers in BRUTE FORCE intake
systems when they improve performance. AEM Power Spacers feature a
smooth internal design that makes more power and does not whistle the
way spacers with screw type inlets do. Because they do not increase
performance on every application and are designed to work specifically
with BRUTE FORCE intakes, AEM does not sell them separately and includes
them in kits when they increase power. BRUTE FORCE applications in our
search results indicate whether a system includes a spacer. |
| |
| Q: |
Will an AEM intake void my
new car warranty? |
| A: |
NO. The only time this can happen is from
improper installation that causes damage to a vehicle system. If a
service technician denies your warranty claim ONLY because the car is
modified with an AEM intake system and the vehicle system failure was
not a direct result of the installation and use of an AEM intake, please
refer him to the Magnusson Moss Warranty act. You can download the
Magnusson Moss Warranty act from SEMA’s website at:
http://www.enjoythedrive.com/san. |
| |
| Q: |
Why do some BRUTE FORCE
intakes not include a heat shield? |
| A: |
We perform extensive temperature testing
during the development phase to ensure that the filter is in a location
that will receive the coolest air charge (CLICK
HERE for AEM’s temperature testing procedures). For some BRUTE FORCE
intakes, we found that there was no difference in inlet temperatures
with and without a heat shield during our temperature testing. Since we
do not to want you to waste your money on parts that are not necessary,
we do not include a shield with these applications. |