Hands On: Airaid's 2015 Mustang EcoBoost Cold Air Intake

As we prepare to do more work to our 2015 Mustang EcoBoost, Project 5-Liter Eater, we have more than a few interesting stories planned. Recently we had a chance to take an up close look at Airaid’s 2015 Mustang EcoBoost cold air intake. We previewed this intake during the PRI show when it had just gone on sale.

Close inspection of the kit reveals some very high quality parts, and a well thought out system. Beginning with a new, and enclosed filter housing. This housing is similar in shape to the OEM housing, and will mount using the OEM hardware. It also utilizes an OEM style air inlet to bring cold air from the grille to the filter. The air filter housing also has a transparent polycarbonate window, which not only looks cool, but also allows owners to keep an eye on their filter’s condition and check the housing for any external debris intrusions.

Filter options from Airaid are many, with oiled Synthaflow or dry Synthamax filters available. The large cone filter provides increased surface area for both filtration and increased airflow to the engine. The filter’s service life should outlast the car, and its washable when it needs servicing.

That brings us to the business end of the Airaid intake, the intake tube. Afraid used their roto-molded technology to create this intake, and its diameter is massive when compared with the OEM piece. The Airaid intake tube retains a much larger diameter throughout the length of the tube, while the OEM part reduces its diameter significantly between the air filter housing and the turbocharger inlet at the other end.

Airaid provides silicone couplers, and clamps for their intake. The turbo side coupler reduces to the proper size for the stock turbo. Another cool feature of this intake is that the reduction is only done in that coupler. If an owner decides to upgrade to a new turbo with a larger inlet, they need only replace this coupler, and they can retain the rest of the Airaid system. This is a cost saving measure, that represents some forward thinking towards to performance crowd by Airaid.