Cold Air Intake

[ColeIketani]

I checked the forums and it didn't answer my question. So what is the real purpose of the CAI?

[-Josh-]

To allow better air flow. Kind of a pointless mod on a car thats stock though, supposedly is cooler than conventional intake to.

[White Dragon]

The real purpose of the CAI is to coll the motor fluids.It makes your car to have a better performance.

[4ss4s1n]

Yea,I think its for better airflow,supposedly the stock intake is constricting in some way.And this somehow makes it flow easier,thus,better performace(average 3-6 horsepower gain,I think)

[flylwsi]

wow.
this has to be some of the worst BS i've ever seen.

the stock intake is designed to keep the airflow quiet.
it does this with all sorts of non-smooth surfaces inside. this creates turbulent, slow airflow.

a CAI does 2 things.
1. it brings in air from a cooler area in the engine bay (or outside of the engine bay). this cold air is capable of making more power (cold air is denser, more o2 in the air getting into the engine, more power)
2. aftermarket intakes aren't designed to be quiet. they use the smoothest surfaces/tubing to get the highest velocity, smoothest airflow into the engine.

so there's your reasoning.

as for what's been posted above me, i'm not sure where that information came from, but if you don't really know, don't post a lie...

cool the motor fluids? and how does it do that.
pointless mod on a stock car? riiiight. a mod that makes power is pointless?

[GTR2b]

Originally Posted by flylwsi

wow.
this has to be some of the worst BS i've ever seen.

the stock intake is designed to keep the airflow quiet.
it does this with all sorts of non-smooth surfaces inside. this creates turbulent, slow airflow.

a CAI does 2 things.
1. it brings in air from a cooler area in the engine bay (or outside of the engine bay). this cold air is capable of making more power (cold air is denser, more o2 in the air getting into the engine, more power)
2. aftermarket intakes aren't designed to be quiet. they use the smoothest surfaces/tubing to get the highest velocity, smoothest airflow into the engine.

so there's your reasoning.

as for what's been posted above me, i'm not sure where that information came from, but if you don't really know, don't post a lie...

cool the motor fluids? and how does it do that.
pointless mod on a stock car? riiiight. a mod that makes power is pointless?

[-Josh-]

Originally Posted by flylwsi

wow.
this has to be some of the worst BS i've ever seen.

the stock intake is designed to keep the airflow quiet.
it does this with all sorts of non-smooth surfaces inside. this creates turbulent, slow airflow.

a CAI does 2 things.
1. it brings in air from a cooler area in the engine bay (or outside of the engine bay). this cold air is capable of making more power (cold air is denser, more o2 in the air getting into the engine, more power)
2. aftermarket intakes aren't designed to be quiet. they use the smoothest surfaces/tubing to get the highest velocity, smoothest airflow into the engine.

so there's your reasoning.

as for what's been posted above me, i'm not sure where that information came from, but if you don't really know, don't post a lie...

cool the motor fluids? and how does it do that.
pointless mod on a stock car? riiiight. a mod that makes power is pointless?

Man, you get mad easily dont you. My point was, why pay 200+ dollars on a mod that's only gonna shave your 1/4 mile time by 1/10 of a second. You're better off saving the money and doing stronger upgrades than a "CAI." Yeah it's a start, but those kind of mods(In my opinion are pointless, untill you can put it on an application that will actually need it) I dont need to be told by some punk what i do and dont know either.

[flylwsi]

well, since i'm a punk...

keep in mind that you've got to start somewhere when you want to make power.

you upgrade the intake your camaro, no?
was it pointless?
did you get more power?
hmm...

yep.

sorry that i'm a punk for further explaining what other people have so completely misconstrued.

[GTR2b]

Yeah, there are lot's of mods for cars that are expensive that have relative small gains. Take the BBK Throttle Body for the LT-1 Chevy, it's $309 from Summit and a gain of what 7-10hp. On a 305hp LT-1 a gain of 10hp is barely noticable.

So what? If someone wants to get a performance upgrade for their car, what's wrong with that?

[-Josh-]

The Z28 i cruise around in is a 79'. 4 bolt main 350, headers, edelbrock intake, 302 heads, Holley 750 CFM, Crane cams RPM series complete with the proper lifters and rocker arms....

The point of what i was trying to say is, the CAI will give better performance values on an engine that's built up than with low horsepower. Why not save cold air intake for last when you actually need better flow and colder air.

[flylwsi]

why would you save one of the most critical mods for last?
you need more air.
it makes more power.
why would you do everything else and then do the intake last?
then you're sucking air in through a straw (with more mods and stock intake) instead of a big gulp

just doesn't make sense.
it's also one of the easiest mods to perform on a car.
most people don't go past that.

[-Josh-]

Some people have different preferences. I'm just stating mine

[ColeIketani]

and on a car with less HP 3-6 might feel a small bit different, not immensely tho

[TudorDrancea]

ok im pretty new here so i dont know how much ull listen to me but i used ebay sure it is a bit risky but hey i saaved boutr 120 i bought intake for my a4 for 8o bucks came all nice and purdy too just like new
if the prices are really that bad serious check ebay you can find good deals so plz dont have orgasm fighting over this small issue

[DVS LT1]

Originally Posted by Z28Josh

My point was, why pay 200+ dollars on a mod that's only gonna shave your 1/4 mile time by 1/10 of a second. You're better off saving the money and doing stronger upgrades than a "CAI."

Intake and exhuast IMO are the best upgrades to start with - maybe a cam swap if you know what you're doing. Problem is most people don't know what they want when they begin to modify their car.

"I just want to run low 13's and I'll be happy."

Then two summer's later they're replacing half the engine parts they bought because they now want to run 11's.

But the CAI you originally bought will stay with you through all the mods. I don't know why you think this is a waste of money. The Moroso CAI which I have on my Z claims to add 16 HP to the flywheel on a completely stock LT1 engine, drop over 2/10's off ET's, and increase trap speed by almost 2 mph. OK, big deal you say (even if its true). But as you continue to modify the engine you begin to benefit more from it. Why wait until the end to drop in a CAI and really benefit from it and all the other mods, when you can have it to start and get the most from every future modification?

Like I said, I will never be replacing my CAI, unlike the cheap over .030 pistons and powdered metal connecting rods I "upgraded" to a few years ago. Although I could use these parts in my future 396 stroker project, with the kind of HP I now want to make they will have to be upgraded once again (to forged aluminum pistons and 4340 forged rods). In this case having the engine bored over may have given me more performance than the CAI, but the intake was a way better investment.