I want an AEM CAI but...

[daoshao]

aem or injen cai intakes generate more power than short ram intakes period....
-i tried a short ram intake and barely i can feel anything....put on injen cai and i haul ass....well, i do have a b18...that also helps to haul ass.....better response...faster acceleration..

 

[gearbox]

Just to clear up a few things. As a general rule, short ram is better for low end torque, cold air for more hi end hp. If you go cold air, be ready to risk blowing the engine if you go through a puddle of water. I've seen that K&N typhoon intakes usually outperform other brands. Check their website for dyno results.

 

[Redbone]

going through a puddle isn't going to screw your engine with a CAI, that's just hype. I even drove mine through flooded washes on paved roads and still running fine. Only thing you have to worry about is if you submerge the thing in water, not if it gets wet.

 

[gearbox]

I know 3 people that have hydrolocked the motor driving through puddles in the rain. Its not just hype. Wanna know something else? That bypass aem sells doesn't work unless the entire filter is under water. Otherwise splashes get sucked right into the motor. And everyone thinks you get cold air because the filter is nearly touching the ground...well the air still has to travel through a hot intake tube before it reaches the engine. I've seen better gains on the dyno from an sri than from cold air so it really isn't worth all the risk.

 

[JR-Style]

if you want the best performance and sound when it comes to breathing.. a header is the way to go, best gains out of full cat back exhaust, or cold air intake.. the most gains come from the header. Plus they make the car roAR a little better

 

[jokenfu21]

there's a bunch of misleading info in this thread.
CIVICHICIK - I suggest reading the stickies about intake systems in this forum. it'll help you more than tryin to figure out what people are saying on here...

 

[Blazed]

civichick...get what u want.

and if u want an aem cai let me know...i just too out my d16 and i will sell the aem cai that i had on there..i have the bypass as well.but the b***h is f**ked..but u can use half piping and it'll be a aem sri..

 

[Beelzebubba]

I Otherwise splashes get sucked right into the motor. ....

They should have put their fender liners back in. Warranties usually don't cover stupidity. Besides a little water ingested into your intake is not harmful. Water vapor has been used to control detonation on high compression and boosted engines for decades. Sort of a budget intercooler.

...well the air still has to travel through a hot intake tube before it reaches the engine. .

Air is a poor conductor of heat. The split second of proximity to a hot metal tube does not significantly heat the air.

.... I've seen better gains on the dyno from an sri than from cold air...

I'll agree with you there but not for the reasons you stated.

In peak horsepower the gains seem to be best on an SRI. That would be fine if we were all driving Salisbury Drive/CVTs but most of us do not and we have to upshift. At that point in the RPM range the CAI may have helped produce a superior amount of torque and horsepower.

Peak horsepower gains are nice but more horsepower throughout several thousand rpm will often allow a car with less peak power to be faster.

 

[gearbox]

my sri makes alot more torque down low and only 2whp up high. Great for daily driving cause I rarely go past 5k anyway. And even then only for a second before it shifts.

 

[civichick]

lol I think i have to agree with you on this. but i appreciate everyone's input!

 

[civichick]

hey thanks for the offer. i'll let u know if i'm interested.

 

[CivicDX94]

hi kristina, well i got a short ram intake from ebay and like everyone said, it is a piece of crap. the engine sounds louder but it has a hissing whistling noise that it is annoying at times. also you have to see if Florida has strict emition regulations like California does. so if you dont really want to spend the big buck dont bother then.

 

[Going-West]

Air is a poor conductor of heat. The split second of proximity to a hot metal tube does not significantly heat the air.

also, how hot does an intake tube get anyway? i just drove 6 hours to oregon and i popped my hood when i got there to check it out and the intake tube wasn't hot at all, even though the engine bay was hot

 

[gearbox]

my metal tube gets too hot to touch in the summer. But at freeway speeds it may keep cooler.

 

[My92Civic]

It does add power, just you wont really feel it unless you speed up at HIGH RPM's and thats when it adds powa

 

[mugen00]

Dont go cheap on engine parts! Go with a company thats known for bulding quality parts.

 

[Maiku]

Get a ARC intake

 

[j_fukin_t]

not true.

the stock airbox uses corrogated plastic tubing which has bevels on the inside which disrupts airflow. so technically, you wont be getting the same performance.

whatever, in my expiernce i didn't get s**t out of it but a cool sound and no more ugly air box, and NO performance that i could feel

 

[gearbox]

haha yup. Most intakes don't add much power at all. The stock resonator also plays a part in enhancing midrange due to sound wave matching. Its been tested and proven, that's why every aftermarket intake has a drop between 3-4k below stock torque.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

surface area is what determines heat transfer... i know this is counter-logic, but its a fact. So by minimizing surface area, and providing a good insulator (air is an excellent insulator because of density, abundance, and heat-transfer properites) you keep your piping cool. Same thing applies to exhaust manifolds.

The reason why SRI/CAI don't get very hot is because ambient air is flowing through the inside of them, not pressurized (hot) air. Vice-versa for charge & IC piping.

Ideally, for NA, you want 20 gauge (or higher) mandrel bent piping with low surface area and high volume. Same thing applies for FI, except a higher gauge is needed to contain the pressurized air.

Like I and several other informed people have stated, an intake is an intake. If you're willing to spend an extra $150 for a AEM sticker, please donate it to me and I'll put a much better use to that money.

If anyone wants to dispute these FACTS, I suggest they start reading about tuning.. specifically the information I just shared came from an EXCELLENT book, "Maximum Boost" by Corky Bell. It is the holy-grail IMHO for complete turbocharger basics.