The ideal intake, made out of the stock air box??

[Street Reeper]

CAI - draws in cool air, but with the bends of the pipe, and the small space in the fender, has been reported to suffer on top end.

Popchargers, and Hybrids - has minimal piping, but gets hot air which is less dense.

The ideal intake - one that draws cool air but has minimal piping.

http://www.weapon-r.com/airbox.html

I have already by-passed the intake resinator under the battery, with a ram air scoup that runs under the car. But again this leaves alot of bends and turns which undoubtedly inhibits flow characteristics.

So my idea is to open up the bottom of the stock air box with a couple of three inch ports through the fender well. The design of the intake and air box are ideal for this, it already sits against the fender, and the air will still pass through the filter before entering the path to the throttle body. I would also fabricate a midpipe from the MAF to the throttle body, to one day intstall nitrous, and smooth air flow a little more.

This would be an intake with minimal piping, has a straight shot to the throttle body, only cool air, lots of available air, and inexpensive. What do you think?

[maximaah]

I think one of the reasons for the CAI and the K&N approach is to increase filter area that is drawing in air. The cone-shaped filter at the end of these systems has more surface area than the stock filter and therefore allows the intake to suck air through it easier. More filter area = less impedance plus it doesn't clog with microscopic dust as fast which also increases impedance.

Adding more holes to the stock boxes doesn't seem (to me) like it would allow your car to breath easier - you still have the same surface area on the intake filter... :alien:

[Street Reeper]

How big is your throttle body? Certainly not bigger than the available surface area of the filter. The most restrictive parts of the stock air box is the 180 degree turns the air has to make. If you opened up the bottom of the stock air box this would be a huge source of fresh air. The problem with conventional CAI's is that the bends cause turbulence, and the small space of the fender well is not ideal, because the surface area of the filter does not have much room to breath (think about breathing outside, and breathing outside with a helmut on)

An intake that has one straight shot to the throttle body, draws in cool air, and has an abundant source (the surface area of the filter is taken advantage of) would be the ideal intake, and thats exactly what this set up is.

The filter has very little to do with restriction, but I am using a K&N replacement.

[maximaah]

Politely disagree.

The throttle body is OPEN, the filter is... well, a filter. What is the effective permeability of the filter? This is a science unto itself (have some experience with designing computer systems with filters). You have to increase the surface area of the filter to match the full capability of the open throttle body as closely as possible.

Not saying your idea does not have have merit, but the filter area does need to be increased to keep the oxygen flowing...

:apoke:

[MaxPayne]

Originally posted by maximaah

You have to increase the surface area of the filter to match the full capability of the open throttle body as closely as possible.

:apoke:

Hence the reason for all the folds in any airfilter, stock or aftermarket. The folds effectively increase the surface area of the filter and reduce impedence to airflow.

[maximaah]

Yup.

[Street Reeper]

Look at the size of the pannel filter. The huge size of the filter is plenty to feed that throttle body. The midpipe and throttle bodyare about three inches, the panel filter is much larger than this. If you made a short ram intake with the large panel filter as the mouth it would draw in plenty of air to feed the 3inch midpipe, the filter is about five times bigger than the midpipe it would feed

This is my plan, the throttle body is fed by a 3inch pipe, if you cut a whole that was just about as big as the filter through the bottom of the stock air box and fender (but still retain the sides to protect it from the engine heat), it would feed that three inch pipe all it wanted, and the panel filter is still bigger than the whole it's drawing from, so it's surface area would not be restricitive until the size of the hole that fed the air, exceeded it's diameter. The only thing restricitive would be the permiability of the filter element.

Basically it's a short ram intake that is fed cool air, it's filter may be different than other short rams and CAI's but that doesn't mean that it would be restrictive for this application, just that round filters save more space.

But if you don't think this is true would, you could cut away the bottom of the stock air box, and attach a round filter to the 3nch port than runs from the box to the throttle body, would that satisfy?

[MaxPayne]

The other problem with the stock airbox is that its not just the filter that's the issue. Its the whole intake up to the throttle body. Its much more restrictive than something you can get aftermarket.

[Street Reeper]

I don't think that from the air box to the throttle body is very restrictive. I have taken it a part and looked at it.
But like I said, I have already installed a midpipe in place of the this. There is absolutly no difference between my midpipe, and one that you would buy, other than it is a little shorter.
I will drill two three inch ports in the bottom of the air box, and install two 3inch pipes (just long enough to clear the fender and air box) in these ports to smooth air flow and make it look better should anyone ask to look inside the air box. The midpipe came out great and really looks good even with the stock air box in place. With two three inch ports feeding one I would think it wouldn't be restrictive.
If the filter where restrictive than when I went WOT it would lift towards the midpipe, I don't think this will happen, and I don't think that the filter or this set up will be restrictive in any way. I will have two three inch ports in the bottom of the air box (gets the same air as the PRCAI), the stock snorkel that gets incoming air from the front of the car, and my resinator bypass, the three inch pipe with a four inch opening that runs under the car.