Cold Air Intake
08-21-2013, 08:22 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 41
Cold Air Intake
Hi all!
Don't worry this isn't a "which one should I get thread". Instead it is a I bought one and just installed it but here is the delima. I have found that this is the number one bolt on, fairly cheap and easy to install but... lets look at the actual device and what it does. "This mod pulls cold air in from the fender well instead of the engine bay. This equals cooler air which is denser leading to increased horsepower." Ok, thats fine and makes sense. However, so DOES the stock intake. Yes the filter-box is in the engine bay but the snout that pulls in the air is in the fender. I'm just completely baffled that people advertise the claim that it draws cooler air than the stock intake. Hell the plenum is the same size as stock. Same diameter of the factory intake plenum. So technically I probably just wasted a couple hundred dollars on this mod that could have gone toward something better like a 4.10. I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling. Why do people swear by these things so damn much. Thoughts?
P.S. receiving my catback tomorrow. Going to spend the weekend installing new LT headers, prochamber and chambered mufflers. All MAC. Wish me luck!
Don't worry this isn't a "which one should I get thread". Instead it is a I bought one and just installed it but here is the delima. I have found that this is the number one bolt on, fairly cheap and easy to install but... lets look at the actual device and what it does. "This mod pulls cold air in from the fender well instead of the engine bay. This equals cooler air which is denser leading to increased horsepower." Ok, thats fine and makes sense. However, so DOES the stock intake. Yes the filter-box is in the engine bay but the snout that pulls in the air is in the fender. I'm just completely baffled that people advertise the claim that it draws cooler air than the stock intake. Hell the plenum is the same size as stock. Same diameter of the factory intake plenum. So technically I probably just wasted a couple hundred dollars on this mod that could have gone toward something better like a 4.10. I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling. Why do people swear by these things so damn much. Thoughts?
P.S. receiving my catback tomorrow. Going to spend the weekend installing new LT headers, prochamber and chambered mufflers. All MAC. Wish me luck!
Last edited by amvaughn; 08-21-2013 at 08:24 PM.
08-21-2013, 08:47 PM
#2
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: MO/ Born and raised in Louisiana
Posts: 10,696
Hi all!
Don't worry this isn't a "which one should I get thread". Instead it is a I bought one and just installed it but here is the delima. I have found that this is the number one bolt on, fairly cheap and easy to install but... lets look at the actual device and what it does. "This mod pulls cold air in from the fender well instead of the engine bay. This equals cooler air which is denser leading to increased horsepower." Ok, thats fine and makes sense. However, so DOES the stock intake. Yes the filter-box is in the engine bay but the snout that pulls in the air is in the fender. I'm just completely baffled that people advertise the claim that it draws cooler air than the stock intake. Hell the plenum is the same size as stock. Same diameter of the factory intake plenum. So technically I probably just wasted a couple hundred dollars on this mod that could have gone toward something better like a 4.10. I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling. Why do people swear by these things so damn much. Thoughts?
P.S. receiving my catback tomorrow. Going to spend the weekend installing new LT headers, prochamber and chambered mufflers. All MAC. Wish me luck!
Don't worry this isn't a "which one should I get thread". Instead it is a I bought one and just installed it but here is the delima. I have found that this is the number one bolt on, fairly cheap and easy to install but... lets look at the actual device and what it does. "This mod pulls cold air in from the fender well instead of the engine bay. This equals cooler air which is denser leading to increased horsepower." Ok, thats fine and makes sense. However, so DOES the stock intake. Yes the filter-box is in the engine bay but the snout that pulls in the air is in the fender. I'm just completely baffled that people advertise the claim that it draws cooler air than the stock intake. Hell the plenum is the same size as stock. Same diameter of the factory intake plenum. So technically I probably just wasted a couple hundred dollars on this mod that could have gone toward something better like a 4.10. I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling. Why do people swear by these things so damn much. Thoughts?
P.S. receiving my catback tomorrow. Going to spend the weekend installing new LT headers, prochamber and chambered mufflers. All MAC. Wish me luck!
08-22-2013, 01:27 PM
#5
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: California
Posts: 102
I know you have to take dyno tests from the stores and manufacturers with a grain of salt, but if you believe the ones that americanmuscle.com did on the Airraid CAI it does give you a legitimate HP gain.
You have to unwind their tests a little.
On their test of a Bama 93 octane race tune only they show the totally stock car had a peak HP of 221 HP. With their tune the peak HP went to 229 HP.
They claim a bigger gain than that at lower RPMs, which is good but the peak gain for the tune was 8 HP.
The also did a dyno test of their Bama 93 octane tune with the Airraid CAI.
In this test the combo showed a peak HP of 249 HP.
If you unwind those 2 test results, it looks like in the combo the tune was worth 9 HP and the CAI was worth 20 HP.
Those numbers may be pumped up a little but unless they were totally playing games (which I doubt), it looks like there is a significant gain with the Airraid system, if its used along with a tune and it gives you more than just the tune alone.
Based on those dyno results I got the combo system for my 2002 GT.
The Airraid system does look pretty nice and looking at it I can believe it does improve the flow somewhat over the stock system. In the seat of the pants test this combo did feel a little faster than stock but its kind of hard to make a fair comparison on this as the throttle response feels a lot snappier, which makes the car feel like its probably more powerful.
The car's going to the strip next week but unfortunately I don't have any "before" runs but I guess the ET will give a rough idea on whether the car is making more HP than when it was totally stock.
The fact of the matter is that its not easy to get HP gains from these engines with bolt-ons, you have to be happy with 5 and 10 HP gains where you can get them. I don't know if I really got 20 HP from the Airraid CAI but if I got 10 I guess I'll be happy with that.
AM guys, I know you monitor this forum, if you have any comments on the Airraid dyno tests you did please chime in.
You have to unwind their tests a little.
On their test of a Bama 93 octane race tune only they show the totally stock car had a peak HP of 221 HP. With their tune the peak HP went to 229 HP.
They claim a bigger gain than that at lower RPMs, which is good but the peak gain for the tune was 8 HP.
The also did a dyno test of their Bama 93 octane tune with the Airraid CAI.
In this test the combo showed a peak HP of 249 HP.
If you unwind those 2 test results, it looks like in the combo the tune was worth 9 HP and the CAI was worth 20 HP.
Those numbers may be pumped up a little but unless they were totally playing games (which I doubt), it looks like there is a significant gain with the Airraid system, if its used along with a tune and it gives you more than just the tune alone.
Based on those dyno results I got the combo system for my 2002 GT.
The Airraid system does look pretty nice and looking at it I can believe it does improve the flow somewhat over the stock system. In the seat of the pants test this combo did feel a little faster than stock but its kind of hard to make a fair comparison on this as the throttle response feels a lot snappier, which makes the car feel like its probably more powerful.
The car's going to the strip next week but unfortunately I don't have any "before" runs but I guess the ET will give a rough idea on whether the car is making more HP than when it was totally stock.
The fact of the matter is that its not easy to get HP gains from these engines with bolt-ons, you have to be happy with 5 and 10 HP gains where you can get them. I don't know if I really got 20 HP from the Airraid CAI but if I got 10 I guess I'll be happy with that.
AM guys, I know you monitor this forum, if you have any comments on the Airraid dyno tests you did please chime in.
Last edited by CalBoy101; 08-22-2013 at 01:31 PM.
08-22-2013, 03:07 PM
#7
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: California
Posts: 102
JJ, it could be BS, but if you believe the AM dyno tests, the comparison they did of tune alone versus tune plus Airraid does show a legitimate gain from the Airraid system, at least in the case where a tune will always be used, which is my situation.
08-23-2013, 11:03 AM
#9
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: California
Posts: 102
Uber, do you have a link to any tests comparing the various CAI systems to the stock one?
A lot of the fenderwell CAI's appear to use an air filter with less surface area than the stock filter so it wouldn't surprise me if those ones don't give you any gain.
That's one thing I liked about the Airraid system, the filter is larger than the stock one.
Unless AM "cooked" their dyno tests it does show a legitimate gain for the system. Their tests allow you to compare a "bama" tune only versus bama tune plus the Airraid system and if the tests are for real it does show an HP gain.
A lot of the fenderwell CAI's appear to use an air filter with less surface area than the stock filter so it wouldn't surprise me if those ones don't give you any gain.
That's one thing I liked about the Airraid system, the filter is larger than the stock one.
Unless AM "cooked" their dyno tests it does show a legitimate gain for the system. Their tests allow you to compare a "bama" tune only versus bama tune plus the Airraid system and if the tests are for real it does show an HP gain.
08-23-2013, 12:06 PM
#10
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: California
Posts: 91
The problem with that is, both of the tests were done with tunes. They could very well have been different tunes that caused the increase in HP. You need to see a test done with the CAI alone.
Here's the thing. The engine is the one that sucks in the amount of air that it needs, the CAI isn't a vacuum that sucks in air, it just filters it. The stock airbox and filter do the same job a CAI does and they do it pretty well. The only difference might be in the temperature of the air getting to the engine and the steel CAI kits tubing probably get hotter than the stock plastic one. Either way, it's not so different that it would make a noticeable increase in HP.
Here's the thing. The engine is the one that sucks in the amount of air that it needs, the CAI isn't a vacuum that sucks in air, it just filters it. The stock airbox and filter do the same job a CAI does and they do it pretty well. The only difference might be in the temperature of the air getting to the engine and the steel CAI kits tubing probably get hotter than the stock plastic one. Either way, it's not so different that it would make a noticeable increase in HP.
Last edited by JJ Glo; 08-23-2013 at 12:19 PM.