The Ford Explorer ST is already a mighty fast SUV. So when Steeda’s YouTube channel wanted to test whether an aftermarket cold air intake makes a vehicle any faster, it chose an Explorer ST. But in the video embedded below, you can see the cold air intake didn’t improve the SUV’s 0–60 time.

Steeda is the world’s largest privately owned Ford performance operation. It sells parts for models ranging from the Mustang to the F-150. It also tests and reviews many of these parts. In one video, the supplier tested the age-old question: Does a cold air intake actually make a vehicle faster?

For the test, it used the Ford Explorer ST with its 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6. The tester found that on the especially hot day, the Explorer ST could do 0–60 in 5.24 seconds with its stock airbox. In better weather, Steeda has clocked a 0–60 of 5.06 seconds in the same vehicle, but the 5.24 seconds served as a good baseline for the hot day. Interestingly, the tester tried a second run with the A/C switched off, but the SUV wasn’t any faster.

The Ford Explorer ST’s stock intake includes “a panel filter, accordion-style tubes, and a small airbox.” Steeda said, “it leaves a lot to be desired.” So the testers swapped it out for a cold air intake from S&B Filters and returned to the test track. The result?

The first test run came in at 5.30 seconds. That’s slower than any of the times Steeda laid down with the factory filter. The second run came in at 5.20 seconds—just a hair faster than the best time with the factory airbox.

Finally, the testers fully removed the airbox cover, hoping the SUV would be able to breathe even easier and accelerate faster. That modification earned them a 5.44-second run, one of the slowest of the day.

Steeda’s tester hypothesized that an aftermarket tune to take advantage of mods such as the cold air intake might improve performance noticeably. But for this SUV in these conditions, just bolting on the parts didn’t do much for performance. See the test yourself in the video below: