Which intake setup is better for a high horsepower engine?

[NewyorkKopter]

Hey, can somebody tell me which one of the following intake setups are better for high horsepower naturally aspirated engines?

The F50's intake getting air from the lower side intakes(the F50 does get its air from the intakes infront of the rear wheels right? because I don't see any other intakes but anyways, please correct me if I'm wrong)


or the McLaren F1's huge air intake getting air from its roof scoop


so which setup is better, the McLaren Style intake or F50 style intake for lets say a 800 hp naturally aspirated engine?

[Schister66]

are there some sort of ducts on the sides of the F50....almost like Ram Air?? If there are, then i'd have to say the F50 because it'd pull air from a much bigger area than the McLaren

[beef_bourito]

I'd say it depends on air flow, if the mclaren has alot more air flowing over that spot, there's more air to suck in. it also depends on the design, a scoop won't necessarily suck in air, it has to be designed right, and the efficiency of the scoop will matter.

[curtis73]

Its hard to tell. Those two companies probably developed those intake scoops based on wind tunnel research. There are areas of low and high pressure that help airflow or at least ensure a steady supply of cool air.

The biggest reason for it though is probably packaging. Those engine bays are awfully tight and I'll bet they put ducting where they could

I guess the short answer is; either one, provided they flow enough air to support the 800 hp mark.

[Reed]

im gonna have to say that packaging is the reason for the location of the intakes but i will also have to say that the f50's is "better". Not because it gives the engine more air but because it allows for that louvered plexiglass for the rear window. Normally there would be a low pressure area above the rear window (bad for downforce) but the f50's louvered glass allows that low pressure to suck hot air from the engine bay to reduce that low pressure area.

[NewyorkKopter]

o so it doesn't matter how you get the air, you need enough to support 800 horses right? Also I think the F50 pulls in more air because those side intakes are much larger and wider than the McLaren's narrow roof scoop, but then again the McLaren's intake is more direct right??

[curtis73]

You are correct, but I think either intake would support thousands of HP without a problem.

[NewyorkKopter]

really? either one can take over 1,000 hp? but just one more question, if the intake setup doesn't matter, then how come nearly every single mid engined car thats going to into racing, etc, gets a roof scoop and a huge intake like the McLaren F1. For example the F50 GT. Ferrari got rid of the intakes pulling air from the sides of the car and replaced it with a McLaren style intake

it went from



to this



why did they change it if the intake setup doesn't matter??

another example, the Lamborghini Diablo. Lamborghini used the car's side intakes on the 6.0 which had 550 hp, but then they swapped the split intake on the 6.0 for a McLaren style intake on the Diablo GT which had 575 hp.

Diablo VT 6.0 Engine



Diablo GT Engine



so why did these companies change it if it doesn't matter?

[curtis73]

Well, there are always fine points. Maybe they were in a rush to get it designed the first time and later came up with a better idea. Maybe adding that scoop on top gave them a tiny aerodynamic advantage over the competition, or added one or two extra HP. In racing, the money involved doesn't really matter, as long as it improves performance.

But, your assessment is correct, as long as the intake flows enough mass of air, it is sufficient. Adding more size to the intake won't necessarily change power as long as its currently flowing sufficient amounts.

[NewyorkKopter]

thats cool so it doesn't matter what shape or size you have, just that enough air has got to go through the intake to support the horses. I was looking at the FXX, and the Enzo's engine. Its basically the same intake, except the FXX's intake box looks wider. Thing is that Enzo makes 660 hp, while the FXX makes 800 hp with a similar intake.

[curtis73]

Exactly. There is a recent thread about flow potential of certain diameter pipes. Its this thread: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=497529

As long as your intake (all factors considered like length, number of turns, etc) is capable of flowing at least as much air as is required by the engine, its all good.

[NewyorkKopter]

ok, we have a problem. Remember when I said the F50 gets its air from the intakes infront of the rear wheels? Well instead of intakes there are radiators at the the opening in front of the rear wheels. That would mean that the F50's engine just sucks in ambient air from the sides of the engine bay, would that be good enough to support 500 hp? Doesn't a 500 hp engine need a supply of fresh outside air? Because every single supercar has a intake on the exterior that gives the engine its air supply. So whats the deal with the F50, where does it get its air from?

look at this cutaway drawing