In the instructions it says to cut the factory hose off the fittings and replace with the included hose.
It appears from the pictures that the replacement hose is longer. I'm guessing there isn't a way to reuse the factory hose.

Has anyone been able to remove it without cutting? What if I ever wanted to fully reverse the modification? I guess that would require purchasing the OEM hose/fitting assembly?

 

Hey Randy, it will fit, trust me. The hose is longer, BUT its flexible, unlike the factory one, which is that hard plastic. When you cut the hose off the fittings, it will crack, and it has to be tossed away. Just put the ends on the new rubber hose, and it will fit, as you can bend it.

 

I guess there would be no going back... So much for the guys who say they will return the car to stock for whatever reasons...

 

Not really, as the hose that Airaid includes is real rubber while the Ford OEM is cheap hard plastic. And if you wanted to get another one, I think it doesn't cost much at all for a replacement.

 

Installed the intake this evening. I kept the hose in my toolbox for the part number. I figure that I'll have it around if I need to find a replacement. The hardest part of the install was cutting that hose.

I noticed the breather hose fittings are numbered differently. I couldn't tell much difference except one had a 7 and one had a 2 or something.
I've noticed from just working on this car a little that there are all kinds of things to aid in the assembly at the factory. Intake hose clamps have nubs to line up the screw so that it is the same location on every vehicle off the line. The breather hose is hard and positioned so it only fits one way and just snaps on. This car snaps together like a toy. If only more manufacturers would follow this philosophy. (And ford would figure out how to do spark plugs. Guess they did though one month after I took delivery.)

Also the provided hose seems maybe slightly too long. Did you happen to cut yours any? It touches one of the injector plug harnesses/cables.

This thing (Airaid) is definitely engineered well. It doesn't seem to rub on anything and just misses the brake line and radiator hose.

 

Hey Randy, good to see you got it all installed. Yep, that factory breather hose is a PITA to cut. Some sort of rigid hard plastic. To answer your question? No I didn't have to cut the hose (at least I don't recall doing that. Its been over 2 years since I installed it). I just put the two ends on the hose, and hooked up one end and attached the other end. Just curved the hose the right way, to fit properly. I'll try to get a picture of my intake tonight after work, and post up. As to the engineering? Thats why I didn't switch to a C&L intake a friend gave me. I just like the construction of the Airaid unit better (the composite material is great, and Airaid has the best airbox outthere IMO. Really seals off the filter from the engine).

 

Before I went supercharged I had the Airaid and it was no problem putting the stock box back on for the winter the hose is fine.

 

Why did you switch in the winter?

 

The first year of my cars life it was a daily driver and was driven during the winter(it was a real pain to keep clean). Winters up here in Northern Alberta, Canada are very cold and very long, we have snow on the ground typically from November to April with temperatures dipping to minus 40. You don't really want to run a CAI (cold, air, intake) under those conditions.

 

Why would the stock airbox perform any better at cold temps than a CAI? Just curious - I've never heard that.

 

For one you don't really need the added power on icy, gravel covered roads and why bother sucking 5-6 months of air into the aftermarket air filter (you just have to clean it sooner)plus you could run a little lean with the colder air.