Mark99GT

Correct me if im wrong:

If im reading correctly the RAI produced better gains than the CAI on the 03 cobra according to their dyno sheets? wtf is the CAI more expensive/even made?

the only test they did on a 2v n/a car is the 03 gt and 02 gt with the mac cai and a CHIP. On the 03 gt, bone stock, they dont even show the dyno sheet.

With the exception of these two cars, all the rest are 3 and 4v cars. I was ready to order the CAI but now im thinking its a waste of money. Anyone have dyno sheets or anything documented showing power increases on an n/a 2v 4.6 without a tune? Just straight up bone stock vs bone stock with the JLT?

redass02gt

it's because some people have it stuck in their head that no matter what, the air filter nees to be in the fender to be effective. they don't realize that more length of pipe is bad, and the extra turn is also bad.
it's not like you're gonna get a ton of power from it anyway.

SpecterGT260

well, I had had a little power improvement with my MAC, and much better throttle response. as far as the different systems go, the extra length and bend of the CAI may be bad, but so is sucking 200 degree engine air. its give and take, and the systems are pretty much the same power wise. If you want the best system, go with the JLT short ram, but make sure you install the heat sheild. kind of the best of both worlds. I think every 10 degrees you drop in air temp is supposed to translate into 1 hp, or something close to it.

boss281

when the car is movin is not sucking 200degree air, its suckin air at ambient temperature

GTnAZ

im not real savy about CAI and RAI.. but when i use to drive a VW Jetta.. all the guys over there were all into finding out what the best bang for the buck was regarding CAI and RAI...
They used Dynos and all kinds of scientific calcuations and came to a decision that for a stock to a simi stock car the stock air box all smoothed out and a drop in K&N showed more gains the a CAI and RAI.
Also using the plastic intake works better then the metal intake.
Now if you have some healthy mods done, the a CAI or RAI will deff show better gains.
So to make a long story short, if you just add a K&N to the end of you stock intake tube, you will have as great if not better gains as a CAI or RAI on a stock to simi stock 4.6GT.
And like Redass said, the RAI will work a little better then a CAI b/c it does not have that extra bend in it which equals a little more resistance.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask, and ill try to help out as much as possible.

GTnAZ

ok, i hope a mod sees this and makes it a sticky...
Here is all the info you will need! Its from a VW website, but the properties of air intakes are the same no matter what the car is.
I hope this helps!!!

What is a CAI? It's a filter on a stick. The idea behind it is to get "colder" air (from outside the engine compartment) into your engine with less restriction (since it does not have to flow through the stock air box)

Which one should I buy? Because it is a filter on a stick, they are all going to have pretty much the same exact effect on your engine. Spending 100 dollars more on one CAI because it's dyno chart claims it makes 3 more hp than another brand may not be the best idea, dynos vary, test conditions vary, base modifications vary, in the end you can take nothing as fact when it comes to aftermarket part power increase claims. Because of this if you want to buy a CAI, buy on price, material, color, accesibility of a retailer, etc.

What are the benefits? In general, you will gain a few extra hp with a CAI. You will also gain intake noise, which will vary depending on what engine you have.

What are the downsides? The intake noise, and it has been seen many times that CAI's help contribute to MAF failure. As with all MAF failure, it seems to be a crap shoot, but if yours is on the way out or seem prone to failure, a CAI is most likely going to accelerate it.

Are there any alternatives? Yes, you can always run a K&N filter in your stock airbox, run ducting to route cold air from the fender well to the stock airbox, or run a short ram intake that is basically an open element filter than stays in the engine compartment. They all have there benefits/drawbacks. Here is an example of a stock airbox "CAI"http://bambergvr6.50megs.com/stock_airbox_cai.htm

Are there are big comparisons available? Eurotuner ran one that can be found here . Again, I would take the power claims with a grain of salt.

SpecterGT260

the air doesnt circulate fast enough to dispurse the heat, and all incoming air is heated through the radiator. fenderwell air is sufficiently cooler than engine bay air. the two systems are for all purposes equal on an NA car. but always do a short ram on a turbo or SC if you have an intercooler

GTnAZ

yup, no matter how much cold air you suck in, once it hit the turbo or SC it will be heated WAY UP!
That is when a real good intercooler comes into play!

06mustang88

this is the way i look at it

CAI may suck in a little bit cooler air...but they also have longer tubing and that extra turn

RAI may suck in a little hotter air...but they have shorter tubing and less turns

so both will show about the same about of gains. what i look at is the fact that you can not see your cold air intake every time you open your hood. you dont' know if a rock got stuck in it and ripped a hole in it. it's not easy to examine and maintain. ALSO cold air intakes have the possibility to suck up water wich is not good for the engine. i know they make ways so that this doesn't happen, but those ways aren't 100% so why take the chance if the gains are going to be the same??

the only good think i like about CAI over RAI is the look. i like the look of that big metal tubing going into the fender.

04DSGB

If I was you I would just remove the air silencer and get a K&N drop in filter. It works as well as any CAI and costs way less. The other upside is you have the factory sleeper look under the hood. Bling is for ricers.




04 Mustang GT 5 speed
SLP LMII catback
K&N filter (air silencer removed)
4.10s