Why do you need a mass air flow sensor with a cold air intake?

The smell of gas that refreshes your mind, the sound of revs that knocks your ego, and the noise of turbo that makes your day. These are the fantasies of every car guy. And if you are the one like me. Then you will be definitely willing to spend the whole fortune on your car.

Only true car lovers dare to cut all of their expenses for their car. But wait! Do they really have to? Today, I got a special topic for you, do you need a mass air flow sensor with a cold air intake?

Yes, you guessed it write. It’s about increasing the output without compromising the input and how both could work together for a better experience.

What is MAF?

First, let me tell you what mass airflow sensors are and why we need them. As they sound, the Mass Air Flow sensors measure the amount of air flowing into the intake.

When the revs are low, The MAF sensor signals the ECU to burn less fuel, while on the high revs, the MAF indicates more air getting into the engine means more gas is required to keep it going.  

Are MAF and MAP the same?

There is a quite difference between them. Mass airflow sensor measures the airflow in terms of mass, while the manifold absolute pressure measures the air density inside the intake manifold.

What is Cold Air Intake?

The car needs air and fuel to run the engine. But the flow of air seriously affects the engine HPs (horsepower). Unlike the factory default intake designed to keep the engine within limits and produce less noise. The Cold air intake bypasses the system giving you more power and speed.

Cold air intake consists of a custom pipe with a filter at one end, the other side goes straight to your throttle body. It bypasses several obstacles between the air filter and throttle body and gives you the most out of your car.

Do you need a mass air flow sensor with a cold air intake?

Well, depending on your instinct to utilize Cold Air Intake, the answer might be yes or no. If you don’t care about horsepower or speed and you just want your automobile to look nicer and sportier. Then no, the MAF sensor is not required. It’s possible that the original will work fine.

But if you are a racer, planning to get a boost in your HPs with high speed. Then yes, with a cold air intake, a Mass airflow sensor is must. The factory’s original MAF sensor will not work here because it is not calibrated to work with it.

The only way to get the most of your cold air intake is to get a custom-built high-quality MAF sensor for your car. The proper Mass Air Flow sensor will give you the speed and more HPs without compromising the input of your vehicle.

Why would a car run better with the mass airflow sensor unplugged?

I have seen many people who have unplugged the mass airflow sensor from their car to get crispier throttle and better efficiency. The truth is, yes, it does work as stated. The Mass Air Flow sensor gives information to the car ECU about how much air is getting into the engine. When it is unplugged, the ECU goes back to its default values.

ECU gives proper output based on input. But when one of the input sources goes bad. The ECU uses the backup information to keep the car running. This information is given to ECU while in the programming process.

The same is the case here when you disconnect the MAF sensors. The ECU uses the backup value that is just between the lean and rich mixture. This way car starts running better.

But if something works for others doesn’t mean it will work for you. In some cars unplugging these sensors results in poor consumption, bad idling, and worst, stalling the engine.

Does air filter affect mass airflow sensor?

The air filter is the only defense line between the MAF sensor and the atmosphere. A clogged or dirty air filter can cause your MAF sensor to give out unpredicted readings. That will result in unstable idling.

As I said earlier. If you have gone for a cold air intake to get that high speed with a crispier HPs then a proper MAF sensor is a must. The normal one will not be able to hold all the volume of air flowing into the engine. That will result in the malfunctioning of the MAF sensor.

Can you drive with a bad mass airflow sensor?

If your MAF sensor has gone bad. The car will work fine as long as alternatives are working fine. ECU’s are designed to tackle any unexpected situation by using the information fed to them during the production time. As long as other sensors like IAT, MAP, TPS are working the ECU will use that information to keep your car going without even giving you the feeling that your sensor has gone bad.

How to trick a mass air flow sensor?

There is another way to drive with a bad mass airflow sensor. A common mod is used by most of the mechanics. And that is putting a diode in the circuit of the MAF sensor. You can find this method by searching “How to trick a mass airflow sensor?” The diode gives the fake reading all the time causing the ECU to run on full throttle.

But the major drawback is your consumption. The car will run too rich causing huge pressure on your pocket.

Best recommended airflow sensors:

Here is the list of best mass airflow sensors for cold air intake:

Jet Performance 69180 Performance Mass Air Sensor:

• This product comes with updated pre-installed electronics, giving you the compatibility with different performance upgrades.
• New design with latest technology promises low fuel consumption from day one.

Jet Performance 69190 Powr-Flo Mass Air Sensor:

• Compatible with all kind of cold air intakes, TBI spacers and free flow exhaust systems.
• Its ability to increase 45% air flow will give you a boost in horsepower with a better gas mileage.

MOSTPLUS High Performance Mass Air Flow Sensor MAF:

• This sensor will take away your check engine light caused by the code P0102.
• Better design to save you from the headache of installation.
• Compatible with Chevrolet Buick GMC V6 Engine 

I hope that after reading this blog you have found your answer about “Do you need a mass air flow sensor with a cold air intake?” But there is still a lot that I can’t cover in this blog. You can simply go online to search related forums for more information.