Best cold air intake

[IndeedSS1]

Originally Posted by madmaxx18

Hey I will trade my Cold air inductions cai for an adm one if anyone is interested.

Add the scoop to the CAI, you'll be fine.

[madmaxx18]

No I just like the ADM one in person better for the way I plan to have my engine bay look. It works just fine without a scoop.

[KEEP RT]

Originally Posted by Rcfiddy1

ADM RaceScoop and CAI here.

Still better IMO than no scoop but look at the smallest size of the passage of the air flow path and is it smooth or obstructed in any way cause turbulences? In my common sense thinking it would work off the same theory of porting the heads or porting a throttle body. Thats just my thoughts based on the photos. I'm sure it's good but could it be better. ( Yeh I know every thing could be better but should't it be better for the price as compared to others? Unless it's just for show).

[GEEo]

ADM

[Rcfiddy1]

Im no expert in airflow dynamics but the opening you see is not that small and I don't think it will cause enough turbulence in the box to prevent the intake from getting what it needs, COLD AIR. Maybe from the pic it seems that way. Yes, it is not a ram air setup just a scoop to get cold air in from the lower grill and not from radiator. I have driven my on days in the 90s and had my Diablo monitoring IAT and I can say it did not rise above 2-3 degrees sitting at a stop. In fact as soon as I started moving the temp came down to same outside if not 1 degree cooler.

[BowlingSS]

I went with the CAI, Inc and also have a ADM scoop I am waiting to install. I am waiting on a washer solution first.


Bill

[KEEP RT]

Thanks for the info. Sounds to be a better solution to that type of intake.

[axis]

Originally Posted by Phil'sC5vette

Its ok to disagree, but what im telling you guys if you want your car to run the best have it pull the air from outside the engine bay. Capturing air from a sectioned off area of the engine bay over the front tire isnt much of a differance. Its a very nice clean, cool look, but im talking performance on the table.

Just think of this when your car is idling at a traffic light, the air temperture in the engine buy will increase over 20 degrees and will take more than five minutes of driving time to disapate. Your IAT sensor will continue to read that and add knock if it finds it nessessary on a hot day.

If your IAT sensor is reading true cold air, the temperture will still go up in the intake system, but disapate much quicker once you start driving.

I see where you're going with this but I don't think you have the proof to back it up. Yes there is no flowing air while idling but if you're sufficiently sectioned off from the engine bay, the only place to draw air from is through the OEM scoop and around the washer bottle. It can't suck air in from the engine bay. I'm sure it gets a little heat from the radiator via the OEM scoop though. For those with OTR's, it's even worse. ALL their air comes directly off the hot radiator, while idling.

FWIW, a member here did a test with a thermal couple in the stock box and found that temps did rise significantly while idling but were back to OEM normal within a minute or so.

[axis]

Originally Posted by KEEP RT

Still better IMO than no scoop but look at the smallest size of the passage of the air flow path and is it smooth or obstructed in any way cause turbulences? In my common sense thinking it would work off the same theory of porting the heads or porting a throttle body. Thats just my thoughts based on the photos. I'm sure it's good but could it be better. ( Yeh I know every thing could be better but should't it be better for the price as compared to others? Unless it's just for show).

Turbulence outside of the filter doesn't have much, if any, affect on HP. It's what's going on inside the filter and through the intake tube. Don't know about all the CAI's but the Rotofab has a little radius'd area going into the intake pipe and the Halltech has a HUGE radius. These greatly smooth the airflow into the intake pipe.

I'm probably gonna piss someone off here but will the manufactures please step up and acknowledge that they either are open at the bottom or use the stock square tube that is smaller than the one going to the TB? If so how is it so much better than stock? Remember a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link!

All aftermarket CAI's that use the stock location and have a box, do not have a bottom, with the exception of Airaid. That leaves airflow from the stock location and around the waterbottle.

[IndeedSS1]

Because I've used both, here is some things to consider. The OTR at least the VR, sits over top of the radiator with the opening and scoop behind the grille but in front of the AC condensor. The box or duct of the VR doesn't get hot, partially due to the heatshield mat.

Test for hose without an intake yet. While the car is at normal operating temps put your fingers through the upper part of the grille opening and note how much heat you detect. Then pop the hood and note how much heat rises up.

With the OTR type being in front the the AC condensor and behinf the upper grille opening, the access to much closer to ambient. When moving the advantage is obvious. When sitting still, engine temps rise pretty quickly. The fans kick on more frequently and pull oustide air through the condensor and radiator into the engine bay and cycles out the bottom.

The boxed fenderwell type of cai I had was open to the bottom on the engine bay. The stock duct the grille area was used, but with the bottom open it wasn't getting the coolest air possible. The stock air box is sealed off and isn't bad in that way.

Just throwing this out there. The ECM uses IAT to make adjustments to timing. At cooler temps timing is added and hot reduced. But outside of what the ECM makes adjustments for, we know that a motor feels stronger when intaking cooler air. The IAT sensor sits well within the duct. So potentially the actual temps entering the intake manifold could be much higher, depending on the length and composition of the tract. If someone has a link of the animated graphics showing the difference in airflow within a tube, please post it for us.

[Roto-fab 1]

Originally Posted by IndeedSS1

Roto-Fab. Unless I'm not seeing it right isn't the bottom of your box open. It's hard for me to tell, because of the nice paint matching and the fact that I'm color blind?

Yes, the bottom of our box is open to the fender well area, not to the engine side though. The angled wall of our air box butts up tightly to the pinch weld sheetmetal edge of the car chassis. On the bottom of our air box we have a stud that seats into the stock grommet down on the frame rail. This holds our air box in the position you see.

[Roto-fab 1]

Air box lid

While working on our W/W reservoir kit last night, I noticed an interesting view that is worth sharing. Our air box design uses the hood as our "lid" to effectively isolate engine compartment air while maximizes air box size and area around the filter-both of which help the filter draw air more efficiently.
However, we often hear the question, "Does your air box seal really contact the hood?"
These pictures are taken from outside of the car with the fender liner and tire removed.

[KEEP RT]

Originally Posted by IndeedSS1

Because I've used both, here is some things to consider. The OTR at least the VR, sits over top of the radiator with the opening and scoop behind the grille but in front of the AC condensor. The box or duct of the VR doesn't get hot, partially due to the heatshield mat.

Test for hose without an intake yet. While the car is at normal operating temps put your fingers through the upper part of the grille opening and note how much heat you detect. Then pop the hood and note how much heat rises up.

With the OTR type being in front the the AC condensor and behinf the upper grille opening, the access to much closer to ambient. When moving the advantage is obvious. When sitting still, engine temps rise pretty quickly. The fans kick on more frequently and pull oustide air through the condensor and radiator into the engine bay and cycles out the bottom.

The boxed fenderwell type of cai I had was open to the bottom on the engine bay. The stock duct the grille area was used, but with the bottom open it wasn't getting the coolest air possible. The stock air box is sealed off and isn't bad in that way.

Just throwing this out there. The ECM uses IAT to make adjustments to timing. At cooler temps timing is added and hot reduced. But outside of what the ECM makes adjustments for, we know that a motor feels stronger when intaking cooler air. The IAT sensor sits well within the duct. So potentially the actual temps entering the intake manifold could be much higher, depending on the length and composition of the tract. If someone has a link of the animated graphics showing the difference in airflow within a tube, please post it for us.

Well said!

[IndeedSS1]

Originally Posted by Roto-fab 1

Yes, the bottom of our box is open to the fender well area, not to the engine side though. The angled wall of our air box butts up tightly to the pinch weld sheetmetal edge of the car chassis. On the bottom of our air box we have a stud that seats into the stock grommet down on the frame rail. This holds our air box in the position you see.

Thanks, it was hard to tell from the picture.