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The problem I see, is most people think, I'm gonna throw on an intake, later a header and exhuat, and blow people away. Okay, first off, people need to realize intakes, hell, I/H/E for that matter, is not a power cure all. Intakes and headers are a part of the NA power eqaution, but if thats all you do, your gonna realize it didn't tunr your motor into the race motor you wanted it to be. I think a lot of people think, I want an intake, like it will give them a turbo'd result...ummm...no. Okay, short rams flow better than stock airboxes, but suck in hot air from the engine bay. A CAI works by, wow, sucking in cold air from the wheel well. What makes a big difference is the cold air. For every 11.1 degrees you lower the intake temp, you gt a 1% gain in HP. So, a CAI will make a bigger differnce HP wise at night in winter when it's 35 outside than in the noon of summer when it's 90 out. Thats a 55 degree difference, or a 6.2 HP gain when the temp is 35 in the winter than the hot summer. Remember, the CAI sucks in the outside air and it's ambient temp, so the hooter outside, the less power gain, the cooler out, the greater. SA short ram in really not effected, since it sucks in the hopt air in the engine bay all the time. But for the most part, people talk about intakes like it's some massivre power gain. If your in AZ in the summer, the power gain is minamal. If its winter and colds out, the CAI makes more power (6hp in the above example). Still, intakes = more power, but not the massive gain some people make them out to be. 6hp in the above example is a bunch, but it's still not going to throw you to that next level. Jackassi had a valid point. CAI are basically the same. The longer tube relocates the filter into the wheel well to suck in colder air. You can argue brands all you want, but in the end, it is generally a filter in the wheel well at the end of a long tube. Cetain brands may have a great cfm, but thats not going to be what makes or breaks the CAI powert gain. The OUTSIDE ambient temp is what will make the difference. So realize what he, and I are trying to so. A CAI will make more power over a SRI, the brand really doesnt matter, custom fab or AEM. It's the laws of physics, cold air is densier, densier air=more power. Plain and simple. In general, it really doesn't matter what brand of CAI you choose to get there. For our engines (not racve motors), the extra cfm the better intake has will be maybe 1hp, not much. As you read above, the outside temp has more effect on power than this does. As stated above in reference to the cfm....wow...a 1hp gain. Seriously, save your $200 more it costs to buy an AEM vs build your own, and put it towards a header. That will get more than 1hp, and putting it towards that is money better spent. The only reason to by AEM, etc, is if you need CARB approval. And again, Jackasssi is correct, thjats why they cost so damn much, it's not cheap to the get CARB to approve it, it takes lots of money. Money that is more often than not passed onto to you and me in the purchase price, just like R & D costs.
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10-07-2003, 11:55 PM
