Best Cold Air Intakes for the Hellcat

The Hellcat’s supercharged 6.2 HEMI already moves a lot of air, so a cold air intake is not the dramatic power adder it is on a naturally-aspirated car. What a good intake does deliver on this platform is a freer path to the blower, an aggressive induction note, and — on the right design — lower intake-air temperatures once you start adding boost. Think of it as a supporting mod that pays off alongside a pulley and a tune, not a standalone dyno hero. Here is how to choose one, ranked by what actually matters on a Hellcat.

1. Sealed airbox vs open element

This is the first decision, and it matters more than the brand. A sealed airbox intake keeps the filter isolated from hot underhood air behind a lid, drawing from the factory cold-air inlets — important on a supercharged car, where the blower and intercooler pump serious heat under the hood. An open-element cone sounds the best and looks the part, but it sits in engine-bay heat and can ingest warm air at idle and low speed. For a street Hellcat that sees traffic and heat-soak, a sealed design almost always makes more usable power. Browse engine & performance parts for options.

2. Filter media — dry vs oiled

Once you have picked a housing style, the filter media is the next call. Oiled cotton (the classic reusable style) flows a touch more; dry synthetic media is nearly maintenance-free and far friendlier to the MAF sensor. On a Hellcat — where a fouled MAF shows up as drifting fuel trims and a rough tune — a dry filter is the low-risk default unless you are disciplined about re-oiling correctly. The FAQ below covers why this matters for your calibration.

3. MAF placement and the tune

The single most overlooked thing about intakes on this car: most systems relocate or resize the MAF housing, and the factory calibration expects a specific airflow curve. Pair any full intake with a matching tune or the maker’s plug-and-play calibration. If you are already tuned for a smaller supercharger pulley or E85, fold the intake into that tune — it is a quick data-log for your tuner and it keeps fueling honest. Never assume an intake is “just bolt-on” on a boosted engine.

4. Match it to your car — Hellcat vs Redeye vs Demon

The base Hellcat, the Redeye/Demon, and later model years do not all share the same airbox. The Redeye and Demon breathe through a larger, dual-path setup, and a part cut for a base Hellcat may not fit. Confirm the intake is listed for your exact model, engine, and year — the same fitment discipline covered in our Hellcat generations & fitment reference. Widebody vs narrowbody usually does not affect the intake itself, but the year can.

5. Drop-in filter vs full system

If you want a small, low-risk improvement without touching the MAF or the tune, a drop-in panel filter in the factory airbox is the move — it frees a little flow and freshens an aging filter with no calibration change. A full intake system is the bigger step: more flow, more sound, and the tune considerations above. On a mostly-stock car a drop-in is plenty; on a pulley-and-tune build, step up to a sealed full system.

Where it fits in the build

An intake is a supporting mod, not a foundation. The order that makes a Hellcat genuinely faster is boost and tuning first:

• Start here: a tune and a smaller upper pulley — see Best Hellcat Performance Upgrades.
• Go deeper on boost: Best Hellcat Supercharger & Bolt-On Upgrades.
• Then support it: a sealed intake, colder plugs, and fueling to match.

How to buy

• New intakes and drop-in filters: Amazon Automotive — browse the engine & performance category and check current pricing and availability on Amazon.
• Used, take-off, or hard-to-find intakes (Demon/Redeye airboxes, discontinued systems, ProCharger and Whipple inlets): eBay Motors, via the search buttons below — used listing prices are shown live.

Buy the intake for the induction note and the supporting flow, tune to match, and stack it on top of a pulley for the gains that actually show up at the strip.