Cold Air Intakes & Your Audi: A Match Made in Performance Heaven

One of the key players in the Audi performance enhancement game is the cold air intake. The main aim of a cold air intake is to give your car a noticeable performance boost, but how does it work?

Let’s take a closer look into both a cold air intake’s purpose and a cold air intake’s benefits for your Audi.

The Purpose of a Cold Air Intake for Audi Vehicles

Many self-proclaimed “car people” are friends with other “car people”. Invariably, every car person has different opinions about the best types of performance upgrades and mods. We’re willing to bet that you’ve experienced this at least once with at least one of your friends about at least one type of mod.

That said, the answer to the question “Are cold air intakes worth it for my Audi?” is ultimately a personal one. Don’t let your buddy who says it’s a waste of money but who doesn’t fully understand the science convince you that you shouldn’t get one. Here’s why:

  • Cold air intakes promote performance gains.
  • Cold air intakes awaken a beastly growl you may not have known your car was capable of making.
  • Cold air intakes, while not cheap, are still relatively affordable and easy to install compared to other involved performance mods.

How Will a Cold Air Intake Make My Audi Sound?

One of the major benefits of installing a cold air intake on your Audi is the sporty sound it adds. While there are a number of ways we could describe it, here are a few descriptors that we think apply:

  • Aggressive: Stock cold air intakes usually dampen engine noise. Adding a CAI will make your Audi sound sportier, louder, and more aggressive (in a good way).
  • Throaty: A cold air intake will let the engine’s natural induction noise shine, giving a nice throaty roar.
  • Turbo & Supercharger Whine: On turbocharged / supercharged cars like Audi 2.0T and Audi 3.0T models, you may hear more pronounced turbo/supercharger whine.

Weighing Cold Air Intake Pros and Cons

“Wait a minute!”, you might be thinking. Aren’t those only the benefits of a cold air intake? Well, yes. Audi cold air intake skeptics and haters may cite these things as reasons to avoid getting a cold air intake:

  • Warranty concerns
  • Quality problems
  • Potential for damage
  • Marginal gains

Let’s tackle each, one by one.

When it comes to warranty concerns, the truth is that yes, aftermarket parts can void your new Audi limited warranty. But you knew that already, and it’s hardly a secret. What’s more, on the scale of things that dealerships and service pros care about, this is about as bottom-of-the-barrel as concerns go.

Quality control is in fact an issue with some aftermarket parts providers. Not us; at Integrated Engineering, we are committed to providing nothing but the highest-quality performance upgrades, including cold air intakes for your Audi. It’s not just our parts that we stand by. You’ll also appreciate our top-tier customer service. If ever you have an issue with any of our products, we have an amazing team of customer service-oriented enthusiasts who live to help!

Some people worry that cold air intakes can increase the likelihood of running your engine by flooding it out. This is mainly a concern for intake systems where the air filter is routed down to the bottom of the bumper area. The issue? Driving through deep puddles could potentially lead to hydrolock, a serious form of engine damage. The simple solution? Buy an IE air intake. (No, really). Our intakes are all located in the original airbox area and grab air from the engine bay and the OEM air ducting, making them very low risk. We wouldn’t recommend trying to cross any rivers in your Audi, but barring that, they’re about as safe as stock!

As far as marginal gains are concerned, let’s address that more below.

The Real Gains: How Much HP Will a Cold Air Intake Add to My Audi?

The honest answer? It depends.

Gains can vary depending on your specific Audi model and whether your engine is tuned or not. Here are just a few examples of real & achievable performance gains for tuned Audi models fitted IE cold air intakes:

Why Cold Air Intake Systems Work

As Cars.com explains, there is a scientific reason why cold air intake systems boost a vehicle’s performance:

“…the theory behind a cold-air intake is sound: Cold air is denser than hot air, so cold air packs more oxygen into a given volume than does hot air. (Note that air only contains about 21% oxygen, with nearly all the rest being rather useless nitrogen.) Since it’s the oxygen in the air that combines with fuel to make the engine run and produce power — and that air-fuel balance is kept at a relatively stable ratio — the more air you can get into the engine, the more power you can get out.”

Boost Your Audi’s Performance with an IE CAI System

Ready to awaken the beast inside your Audi? Check out how Audi driver Shane did just that with the help of a custom intake system.

Ready to make your own mods and increase your Audi’s performance? With an Integrated Engineering cold air intake system, specifically, you can maximize performance while also ensuring longevity and quality.

Whether you’re shopping for an Audi R8, an Audi A4, or an Audi RS5, we’ve got the performance-increasing cold air intake system you need to help you enjoy life on the road that much more. Shop now by your vehicle year, make, and model.

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