best intake for 7.3???
 

is the banks the best intake or the Donaldson?

Generally the Ford AIS and Tymar/NAPA 6637 are the popular intakes for the 7.3L.
The Bank's Ram-Air intake is basically a Tymar intake with a shroud and a smaller filter @ ~$340 vs. ~$45 for a Tymar style intake, not to mention you hear more turbo whistle without the shroud covering the filter element.

air intake or air filter?

never mind the the1laf got it right.

Thanks 97cummins, I'm new to this forum but I've been around the 7.3L for a long time.

i run an AFE stage 2 but if i had to choose between the banks or the tymar. i would make my own for half what the tymar cost and have the same thing.

Im going to put in a stage 2 S&B cold air intake, it looks really clean and is lots cheaper than an AFE.

I am running a K&N cold air at the moment which I just got the aFe stage 2 so I will let you know how that goes, in your case I would go with the Banks. If you have not done so already, I would also change the intake manifold and exhaust body from the stock 1 piece to a 2 piece from aFe or CFM, the only real difference is the manufacturer. I installed the aFe 2 piece and saw an increase from 15psi-22psi on the street and a slight increase in fuel economy.

the only reason i would buy an AFE Y is to waste money or make it look prety. they are a joke.

Numbers don't lie and since everyone is entitled to their opinion, for some that think they know it all, they are a joke. So just a suggestion before doing anything at all is to do the research on the numbers and manufactures of the parts.

this isnt my first day on a forum, they are a joke. if they work so well why dont the guys running 500+ HP use them? they are for your bodiddly wannabe high HP guys. good job at getting lured in by a shinny add and claims of big HP and MPG increases.

bodiddly..thats pretty funny, my thing is practicality, I have built my share of vehicles and have had great success with the manufactures I have used i.e. aFe, K&N, so on and so forth. Guys running 500+ motors as you say need different parts than say someone building a motor that is going to be reliable till say 300K then need rebuilt. Are you running the stock manifold on your truck? What kind of numbers are you making on the dyno? Your truck is what a 95 or so correct?

They don't need different parts, they don't run one because its a waste of money stock or similar ones do just fine.

I used to run an E99 Y but now running one that came in my turbo kit built my irate diesel performance. I haven't got a good run on the dyno but when I had it on there last it made 488hp and 8 something torque. It should have been closer to 550hp. Yes mine is a 95

What boost numbers are you running? Have you done anything to the heads or bottom end? Rods, arp studs?

im right around 40psi for boost and i have headstuds. bottom end is 100% stock

What turbo are you using? Did you use the stock headgaskets or the fire rings?

the heads have never been off my engine so yes there stock. 95% of people will never need fire rings. im running an S468 turbo

The point of COLD AIR INTAKE is cooler air! Cooler air is denser air which makes more HP! If your air box is open it is pretty much sucking in the hott air from the engine which is pointless! Might as well stay with the stick airbox!!

Way to bring this thread from the dead....

Sure, that's the idea.. But no intake aftermarket or otherwise for our trucks gets air from outside the engine compartment unless you do some sawzall work. They're still a "hot air intake". My "high performance" airbox had a huge snorkel that ended 1/2" behind the grill support effectively cutting flow down to a minimum and starving my turbo of air.

The point of the Donaldson/ 6637/ Tymar intake is high air flow.. They also sit next to the wheel well which can draw in air by the shock absorber.

Like its been said previously, look at what the big guys run, wake up and smell the roses.