callmecobra

are you going for looks or performance?

ultimate_008

That doesn't look that bad but the filter is open to engine bay heat[:@]. That defeats the whole purpose of Cold air intake.
Thanks for the pic though.

callmecobra

yeah, because its on a honda. the only thing i was trying to show was the fibgerglass.

RollinThunder

I have the C&L setup with the larger t/b and love it...looks good 2!

beezy

I have the C&L MAF with the inlet pipe also I really like it but I don't know how it compares to the densecharger set up, but I assume they are similiar

ultimate_008

I am not about to spend $200 on an intake if I can get it for $50 off Ebay. I am jsut looking for the CAI that accomodates the biggest filter.

I saw one BBK intake that has a huge filter. The price is also high. The most expensive one is that pro-flow.com intake which goes up to $400[:-]

jishead

I am not an expert but have been doing my homework on the matter as well. I think that you sort of get what you pay for. Pretty and cheap silver tube with big filter at the end sucking hot air may have a few small advantages over stock, namely looks pretty and flows a tiny bit better but not when the engine bay is hot? Those all steel tubes get plenty hot I think. It's vey expensive but I am thinking about the full densecharger. It's made of tough shiny plastic that does not conduct heat. It gets cold air from outside of the engine bay and the big bad kit comes with a better MAF which I believe is calibrated to that particular setups flow.

I guess the two disadvantages I am worried about in a cheap shiny CAI like the one below on eBay is that the metal will be very hot heating the intake air and you have to use your stock MAF and maybe removed your MAF screen which I am positive can cause problems (I read MM&FF magazine and removing the MAF screen caused HP loss on an '04 Mach 1). I know lots of folks do remove the MAF screen and you probably wouldn't feel any probs but it could cause you to run lean or rich or at least that's what I have read.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=38634

The full densecharger is very $$$ but there are less $$$ options from densecharger : www.densecharger.com

Don't take my word for any of this. These are just things that I have read/observed in the forums/magazines and discussing with the vendors. My GT is still nearly stock!

jdaniel

I would recommend the densecharger to anyone looking for a great CAI. I love mine!

ultimate_008

The one that you have the link to contains a screen that isolates the filter in the fenderwell away from the engine heat.
If you want to talk heat transfer, there are two phenomena that apply in this scenario: radiation, convection and conduction. Radiation is a form of heat transfer through rays such as IR and others. Convection is the bulk flow of a certain fluid past an object.

The more shiny an object is, the more it tends to reflect off these rays. In this case, the chromed aluminum tubes have the advantage. They reflect off the rays where as the black plastic tends to absorb them. This is why advanced CAI systems and headers use Ceramic coated alumium. The coating will be discussed later.

The second phenomena is identical for both material. Once there is hot air in contact with the tube, there will be heat transfer.
Finally, the conduction is where the plastic shines. As you may know, polymers are excellent insulators and will not conduct electricity or heat. It is not the same for aluminum or steel. The ceramic coating will make the metal more of an insulator.

Between the three phenomena, conduction is most important in terms of heat transfer then comes convection and finally radiation. A simple solution for using the ebay CAI for $50 is to wrap it in insulation tape. as someone suggested earlier.

I just can't justify paying over $200 for a plastic tube with a filter at the end.

Fat Nick

densecharger