edit: wow that pic is huge... click for large image

is this stock? going into the fender would lead me to believe it gets cold air...

my gryphon also reads about the same intake temp as it is outside on the stock temp gauge... only a few degrees different...

can't get much colder then that..

 

No, thats stock. Wierd looking, but stock. Here's what an aftermarket CAI looks like:

 

That's stock, I don't know what the heck Raptor is saying.

 

then how does a cold air intake help.... better air flow?

 

Yea that is stock. New intakes via aFe, K&N etc help because of the larger intake tube diameter, and general shape and surface area of the new filter. The larger aftermarket filters allow more air to flow in due to inrestricted air inlet. Instead of being in a "box" housing like the stock style, they allow air to freely flow into the filter directly. The larger size filter promotes more airflow while a larger air inlet tube allows for maximum air to flow into the throttle body. Most intake air tubes maintain their diameter all the way from filter to throttle body which helps too.

However these trucks run lean from the factory, so any cold air intake most people would recommend a tune via Troyer,VMP, or PHP.

 

The factory intake does a great job pulling cold air. Some aftermarket intakes draw warm engine air from an open (exposed to water splashing) filter. Some of the better cold air intakes are Volant or AFE that still pull cold air through a box, but have large and less restrictive tubing.

 

i hate how dumb the stock intakes look with all the baffles

 

It's the 5.4l V8 stock intake... when I looked at it from that angle, I had a double take at it before I could figure it out myself. Plus never owning a 5.4l V8 myself, it's kind of unusual because I'm looking for that big canister that the 4.2l and the 4.6l utilize.