Toyota Tundra Forum

You really think the K&N is better quality? I'll give you that it is the cheaper costing of the two. You can get it for about $30 cheaper than I got the Volant for. But it is nowhere near the same quality. Look at the Volant "box" and tube. That thing is at least 1/8" thick or more. I but you could probably drop a 20lb sledge from 5 feet onto it and not do anything to it. For a cold air intake, you want fresh air from outside the engine compartment and you don't want the engine bay to warm up that air in the tube. Thick plastic does the job. K&N uses a partial box that sucks in warm engine air and uses an aluminum tube that transfers heat to air in the tube easily. Simply looking at the two would tell which is made better.

And then there is the filter. The Volant filter is a dense filter designed to filter over 99.5% of the dirt in the air and not clog up so it allows plenty of airflow. The K&N is an open weave that achieves a high flow rate by allowing a lot of dirt to pass through the filter. It only catches the large debris. All the other dirt goes into your engine. You have to get a K&N pre-filter to catch dirt before it hits the filter if you want to reduce clogs. The K&N uses oil to try to catch a little more of the dirt in the filter. Forget to oil it and it goes dry, allowing more dirt in. Over oil it and your MAF sensor is ruined and you shell out $200 for a new MAF sensor and pray it doesn't happen again while you clean the oil out of the tube.

And as for the tube diameter being the same as the throttle body, that's not really a good thing. The bottle neck design would speed up the air going into the TB. Having a velocity stack is the same thing as having a throttle body spacer. Spinning the air with a TBS (or velocity stack) does not make it faster, it creates turbulence which is what you want for a carbureted engine. Doesn't matter much in a fuel injected engine. Plus look inside the throttle body of the Tundra sometime. There is a big wire mesh in there that creates turbulence for you.

I have seen the K&Ns in the past and I have now seen the Volant. In my opinion, the Volant is a far better product and worth the extra cost over the K&N. The K&N has some really good marketing.

The only bad part of the Volant is that it doesn't line up perfectly to the fender hole. But I think I have a solution for that. I'll try it out and take some pictures.

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2007 SR5 Crewmax 5.7L 4x4
Mods: nerf bars, Truxedo tonneau, radar detector power, 3M clear bra, fog lights, black billet grille, rear differential breather, parking sensors, Line-X, power tailgate lock, hood safety latch mod, one off driving lights behind grille, Pioneer NAV w/ OEM camera, Flowmaster 50 SUV dual/dual, blue LED dash lights, Volant CAI, Llumar tint, CompuStar Pro alarm, ProComp 6066 20" wheels, Cooper Zeon LTZ 275/60/20 tires, OME HD coilover lift, Firestone helper air bags, stereo cable lock, Tekonsha P3 brake controller
All mod descriptions and pictures © 2007-2009 by Toxarch. They may be copied only for personal use and the mods may be done for non-profit only.

I've only put maybe 80 miles on it so far since the intake was installed. The ECM is still learning the intake and exhaust on the truck and should be for a couple hundred miles. But so far it seems like it has a little more get up and go from a stop. I don't have any numbers to prove it and it could just be me thinking it. But I feel a little more from it. The exhaust is definitely louder than it was before. I used to cruise along in silence and now there is a slight rumble at cruising speed. Nothing annoying at any RPMs so it's all good. Passing is still quick as ever, maybe a little better. Sure is a lot louder at WOT than before. The intake and the exhaust together while passing someone sounds REALLY GOOD.

Oh yeah, I watched my instant MPG while I was driving earlier. I was in the mid to low 20s and high teens a lot more than I used to be. I'll have to see how it goes for a few tanks after the ECM relearns everything and report back later. I have a record of 5 or 6 tanks hand calculated before the Volant was installed to compare it to.

Tox great write up! I'll be awaiting the info 500 miles down the road, get to ridding.

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If you consider cars sacred objects, and find yourself treating them with adoring reverence, while others consider your enthusiasm to be fanatically extreme, then you are a certified car nut….like me !!!!


2007 Tundra DC 5.7 4X4 with very fast Radiant Red slapped on.
Custom painted engine cover(Godzilla)
One set chrome mannly truck nutz.
Putco chrome tow mirror covers and tail gate handle.
Replaced door handles with chrome.
Raptor oval nerf bars.
18X9 Ultra Goliaith wheels +25 offset, chrome.
Truxx 3/1 Level, 1in Differential Drop.
35X12.50-18 Nitto Mudd grapplers. Inflatted 35.04 H and 12.20 W.
15% tint fronts.
American Aluminum low profile tool box, carpeted.
WetOkle Seat Covers.
Cherry Bomb Single Split Dual Exhaust.

I'll say !

By the way dude, what is the horse power difference after installation ?

Thanks,
Bob

I never did a before and after dyno so I have no clue what the actual gains are.

Looking good. After reading your post on the pros and cons between Volant and K&N, I'm no longer a fan of K&N. I guess I fell for the marketing you pointed out.

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07 DC SR5 Long Bed Desert Pyrite Mica, folding rear seat mod, Raptor step bars, OEM back-up camera, "iPod in the ashtray", Toytec 3" leveling kit

Has anyone done before and after Dyno of the actual gains by the Volant system?

I can attest to the K&N messing up a MAP sensor. Will not be doing K&N again.

Honestly, I was suppose to install TRD performance air filter. However, after I reviewed your write up, I have to ask you for a consultation, if you don't mind

Thanks,
Bob

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Your DIY writeups are @ the top of the heap Tox! Great job!

Maybe as time goes by Volant will tweak the product a little for some better fitment. Just one of the problems with a complete and total new design (the truck, that is).

The Volant looks really good in the engine bay and the filter element seems to be the best available.

Thanks for taking all the time and effort to document the install.

re.ac.tor

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'10 CM SR5 4x2, S.A. Built & Purchased Sept '09, 5.7L, Sandy Beach Metallic, Drug Information in Lay Language

4wheelonline.com is selling the Volant (5.7L) for 279.04 with free shipping and no tax for part#18857. You have to call them to order it since it's not listed on their website. Price should be good for the rest of the month since they are having a sale on Volants this month only.

Posted on TS:
Best Priced Volant (#18857) for 5.7L? - Page 2 - Tundra Solutions Forum

If it were listed on their website then I could get Autoanything to match the price for the one I already bought.