intake
11-21-2005, 12:42 PM
#4
RE: intake
[sm=headbang.gif][sm=headbang.gif][sm=headbang.gif][sm=headbang.gif] All cais do exactly the same thing, so no cai is any better than another, my advice is to buy the cheapest one. Please get a sticky on this topic along with exhaust.
11-21-2005, 03:02 PM
#5
I ♥ Acer
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location:
Posts: 1,565
RE: intake
There are differences in intakes... looks, for one thing. Do you want a plastic (MMR, K&N, Airaid) or shiny tube (AEM or C&L) or no tube at all (Steeda, MAC or AFE)? Are underhood asthetics even important to you?
Beyond looks, there are gains. The K&N has a 7hp gain, the AEM has a 10hp gain, the AFE has a 12hp gain, the Airaid is supposed to make 13hp, etc.
Does your intake require a tune? Some manage to keep the A/F ratios within stock tolerances. Other's, like the Steeda and often times the MMR, trip the CEL right away and need the computer to be reflashed. Tuning has other advantages too... like getting rid of that dreaded throttle lag, increasing rev and speed limits, etc.
If you're in the market for a cai, I urge you to do a little (or a lot!) research and just don't buy the cheapest thing ya find, unless that's the one that has the combination of qualities you're looking for. We all just spent around $20k on these cars... treat 'er nice!
Beyond looks, there are gains. The K&N has a 7hp gain, the AEM has a 10hp gain, the AFE has a 12hp gain, the Airaid is supposed to make 13hp, etc.
Does your intake require a tune? Some manage to keep the A/F ratios within stock tolerances. Other's, like the Steeda and often times the MMR, trip the CEL right away and need the computer to be reflashed. Tuning has other advantages too... like getting rid of that dreaded throttle lag, increasing rev and speed limits, etc.
If you're in the market for a cai, I urge you to do a little (or a lot!) research and just don't buy the cheapest thing ya find, unless that's the one that has the combination of qualities you're looking for. We all just spent around $20k on these cars... treat 'er nice!
11-21-2005, 08:33 PM
#6
RE: intake
OK let me make something clear hear, no cai should, under normal circumstances, through off your air to fuel ratio. Another thing, how in the hell do these cais give different gains, sure I could understand maybe a 1 or 2 hp difference between brands, but not 5+. All a cai does is remove you stock airbox, the paper filter, and the wire filter behind the cai, that's it, unless you port your intake, you are not going to get such a large variation of hp gains. Even rather its plastic or chrome won't make a big difference, and no, chrome doesn't get hot, mine stays surprisingly cool. Now one difference in hp gains comes in between under the hood kits, the intake is open under the hood, but with maybe a heat sheild, or a fenderwell kit, always sucks in cool air. Like I said there is no real difference between cai hp gains, only difference is looks and setup, that's all. I do still reccommend the tuner though.
11-21-2005, 10:13 PM
#7
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location:
Posts: 529
RE: intake
The reason the numbers are different is because there are differences between CAIs. Some flow better than others. Some flow so much better that it changes the air/fuel ratio requiring a retune. The only way to actually know which is best, other than by word-of-mouth would be to test them on a flow bench.
11-21-2005, 10:20 PM
#8
RE: intake
I'm not trying to be an A hole, but how do they flow better? Then only way I could understand this would be with a different air filter, but that is not going to cause that much diferation between cais. Look all cais have approx the same diameter tubing because they have to fit to the maf and tb, so no cai is really going to flow better than another. I still believe that companys doctor their dyno results, or rate the hp increase at the flywheel and say its rwhp.
11-22-2005, 12:22 AM
#9
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location:
Posts: 529
RE: intake
The flow is a function of the design and interior finish of the unit. If properly designed and finished the number and intensity of eddy currents (air turbulence) created inside the unit is reduced, in effect, reducing the resistance to air flow and allowing more air to reach the throttle body.
Next time you are at the airport, notice that some of the Southwest Airline planes have these upswept attachments on the end of the wings. A normal, flat wing) creates a vortex at the end of the wing which results in drag and increased fuel consumption. The upswept attachments break up the vortex, reducing drag and increasing the distance the plane can go on a given amount of fuel. It's all about flow as is what happens inside your engine, including the intake combustion chamber and exhaust.
Now once you have eliminated as much turbulence as possible, you can start employing things like Bernoulli's principle. Take a sail or aircraft wing. One side is flat the other curved. Air starting at the leading edge of the wing or sail must accelerate over the curved surface to reach the trailing edge at the same time the air flowing under the wing does. The result is a vacuum resulting in lift which lets the airplane take off or the sailboat to move to windward. A properly designed CAI could use this principal to actually increase the amount of air it draws.
Now by no means is this a definitive description of the aerodynamics of aircraft, sail design or CAI design, but it does illustrate at least some of the basic principals involved.
Hope that makes sense. [sm=smiley2.gif]
Next time you are at the airport, notice that some of the Southwest Airline planes have these upswept attachments on the end of the wings. A normal, flat wing) creates a vortex at the end of the wing which results in drag and increased fuel consumption. The upswept attachments break up the vortex, reducing drag and increasing the distance the plane can go on a given amount of fuel. It's all about flow as is what happens inside your engine, including the intake combustion chamber and exhaust.
Now once you have eliminated as much turbulence as possible, you can start employing things like Bernoulli's principle. Take a sail or aircraft wing. One side is flat the other curved. Air starting at the leading edge of the wing or sail must accelerate over the curved surface to reach the trailing edge at the same time the air flowing under the wing does. The result is a vacuum resulting in lift which lets the airplane take off or the sailboat to move to windward. A properly designed CAI could use this principal to actually increase the amount of air it draws.
Now by no means is this a definitive description of the aerodynamics of aircraft, sail design or CAI design, but it does illustrate at least some of the basic principals involved.
Hope that makes sense. [sm=smiley2.gif]