CAI or Short Ram?

[baluuMS3]

Any input guys and gals. And anything on what brand you would get.

[dparm1984]

It's an intake....not much difference between them. How many threads do we need on this?

[kraz3y]

short ram = best bang for you buck
cai = expensive but you get what you pay for mazdaspeed cai 300 bucks but you gain alot

[SharkDiver]

since its a turbo car a sri is fine.If it was a na car then you should go with a cai.The reason is because the air has to go thru the turbo and it gets heated up to a certain point no matter what intake you have.I would just go with a sri.There are many threads on this already.

[SharkDiver]

It's an intake....not much difference between them. How many threads do we need on this?

Since its a turbo car you are right,If it was a NA car there is a diffrence.

[ericrapp]

It's an intake....not much difference between them. How many threads do we need on this?

If someone has not been on the forum to discuss this, and wants to get an answer, isnt that a service we gladly provide? We go over many subjects more than once. If You don,t care to discuss it move on please If you noticed he or she is a new member. And there are differences in intakes. We could talk about quality of manufacture, price sizing material etc.

[detsilverms3]

If someone has not been on the forum to discuss this, and wants to get an answer, isnt that a service we gladly provide? We go over many subjects more than once. If You don,t care to discuss it move on please If you noticed he or she is a new member. And there are differences in intakes. We could talk about quality of manufacture, price sizing material etc.

i agree. i'm tired of people just flaming people for asking a question. does it really matter how many times it's been asked? if you don't want to answer then don't answer and if it bugs you that there are 10 threads about the same thing then just ignore the threads.

for serious...

[nativebackup1]

actually this thread was very helpful to me-i didnt know that a it mattered if the car was turbo or not-thanks!

[jy1051]

i agree. i'm tired of people just flaming people for asking a question. does it really matter how many times it's been asked? if you don't want to answer then don't answer and if it bugs you that there are 10 threads about the same thing then just ignore the threads.

for serious...

x10000

[User Name]

There wouldn't be much of a forum if the same questions weren't asked multiple times. Imagine the activity, or lack-there-of, if everyone did a search and got the answer they sought. I've yet to see any forum, on any topic, that didn't exist solely on the same info being discussed.

[TurboWagon]

Any input guys and gals. And anything on what brand you would get.

My input:

I have a Mazdaspeed Cold Air Intake. I love it. I gained power from it. I installed it myself without too much difficulty. I also looked at many Short Ram intakes. They are cheaper in most cases as well as having an easier installation/cleaning. Short Ram intakes also sit higher, therefore avoiding contact with water in most cases.

A common argument between the two regards hydrolock. Because of the height of the cold air intake relative to the ground, there is a chance you could expose the engine internals to water when compared to the higher short ram.

My suggestion. Search the more in-depth threads about the two and make your own decision based on amount you want to spend, weather in the area, how you drive your car, the results you want to achieve, the sounds you want to hear. The list goes on.

[ericrapp]

I have Mazdaspeed coldair and am very happy with it. No issues whatsoever and thanks you guys for being upbeat. Dealer installed to maintain warranty. It sounds like common brands mentioned on many threads all perform well. Good luck with mods and a good first choice!

[stefano18]

I just installed my Injen cai, and I love the sound mix with my forge BPV. But I was wondering if the SRI are louder??

[AutoXRacer]

MS CAI FTW!!!! (2thumbs)

[ericrapp]

I just installed my Injen cai, and I love the sound mix with my forge BPV. But I was wondering if the SRI are louder??

When are you returning to track Stefano?

[kneedragger241]

I have a Mazdaspeed CAI on my dining room table and I lerve it!
Maybe I should take it to the bedroom.

[aaronc7]

Used to have the MS CAI, now I have the Cobb SRI.

Power: Same...I don't think anyone is going to be able to tell a difference. Someone dynoed the car with a fujita CAI, then sawed it off (lol) and put the filter back on and basically made it a SRI and it dynoed the same. The only difference I could see was the power curve was smoother with the SRI.

Sound: SRI is a bit louder. Hear a little more "sucking" sound with the CAI and more turbo noise with SRI. I prefer SRI, but both sound real nice.

If you've been sitting in traffic for like 10 minutes, the CAI might give you a little more power for a few seconds until you start moving. Many have measured temps under the hood and if you're moving it's pretty much the same as ambient. Even if there's a temp diff under the hood, it doesn't play out to be THAT huge of a factor because the air is going to get cooled by the IC before it enters the engine.

I prefer the SRI because: it's cheaper and does the exact same thing. Also the filter will be easy to get to and clean in the future. Also, the Cobb SRI has a flow straightener, just like the stock airbox...only other intake that does is the CPE CAI. Many/some have observed inconsistent/out of whack fuel trims with the MS CAI....I think this is mainly caused by the excess bends/turns in the pipe and lack of flow straightener. The Cobb SRI has one plus there's no 'turns' along the way that could possibly cause the flow to become more turbulent. Day to day operation they both work fine...SRI is just a lot cheaper. If you really need intake warranty work done you can put in the stock airbox.

my 2 cents lol

[Pondo]

the hydrolock thing is nonsense unless you live in the amazons or on a city that rains like hell. You should not worry.

do you know the term "DEEP WATER"?

[MS3077]

MS CAI FTW!!!! (2thumbs)

You aren't worried about "hydrolock" living in Orlando? It storms like a mother here in the summer and not all the roads are great (pot holes, etc..) I would love to buy the MS CAI but can't bring myself to do it. I'm pretty certain I'm going to get the cobb sri because hydrolock is a strong possiblity living in Orlando. If I need warrenty work for some reason I'll just put the stock air box back on...

[MS3077]

Hydrolock FTL!!!!

[dparm1984]

Hydrolock only happens if you submerge the filter. You shouldn't be driving in water more than a few inches deep anyways....a car can very easily be swept away.

Hydrolock is blown way out of proportion. If you really are paranoid, do a short ram.

[MS3077]

WHy the fawk didn't the speed 3 just come standard with an intake??? This bothers me... :(

[USMCEvan]

WHy the fawk didn't the speed 3 just come standard with an intake??? This bothers me... :(

GOOD POINT!!!!

[jp4130]

WHy the fawk didn't the speed 3 just come standard with an intake??? This bothers me... :(

OEMs have to worry about those who would rather not hear all the awesome turbo noises. My sister asked if my car was broken when she heard the stock bypass valve for the first time. To some people it is just noise, wierd as that might seem to us performance junkies. Becuase of this we have an extremely quiet/restrictive airbox. Small openings like that is how rally cars have thier horsepower limited.(notcool) If it came standard with the MS intake I would not have been thrilled. I hated it when my filter on my old car's cai got wet, then the maf would get a little water it and the car would barely run or move till it was dry.

[mrfixin]

I had a '02 Mustang GT and i put a cai on it and it was just as low or lower then my ms cai and i drove it for 3 yrs and not once did i even worry about hydrolock so i'm not worried about it with my MS3 either. Just stay out of deep puddles.

[jp4130]

I had a '02 Mustang GT and i put a cai on it and it was just as low or lower then my ms cai and i drove it for 3 yrs and not once did i even worry about hydrolock so i'm not worried about it with my MS3 either. Just stay out of deep puddles.

I was not reffering to hydro lock in my post.

[stefano18]

When are you returning to track Stefano?

The track thats by my house might be sold for a parking garage to a Casino thats next door, so I don't know when I will be able to run my car again. I need to find another track somewhere around my area...

[AutoXRacer]

You aren't worried about "hydrolock" living in Orlando? It storms like a mother here in the summer and not all the roads are great (pot holes, etc..) I would love to buy the MS CAI but can't bring myself to do it. I'm pretty certain I'm going to get the cobb sri because hydrolock is a strong possiblity living in Orlando. If I need warrenty work for some reason I'll just put the stock air box back on...

No, not worried... Initially I was with all the talks on the forum...but after living with it day to day for a while now...I can't see myself hydrolocking...as an added precaution, I also have a hydro-shield installed.

In due time, I might swap the MS CAI for a Cobb, CP-E, some type of SRI if there is really no difference in power and heat...
With my MS CAI, if I sit for too long, my intake temps shoot up over 100 to 120ish...

[chacon101]

Some of these posts have been very informative about these intakes and I guess I will chime in as well.

I have the MSCAI and I like it. I have never tried any of the others for this car and when I bought my car, I had it put on before I even drove it. So I don't really have a power comparison but either way, it's pretty damn fast and I love this car.

I chose the MSCAI because I don't want to be throwing a wrench at my car when I have to take it to the dealer. Let's say my car just breaks down somewhere and has to be towed to the shop. Am I going to be taking stuff apart on a highway or something? Not. It's a simple rationale, I have it put on and don't have to worry about it again.

As for hyrdo lock, here in Tampa it's an issue. I have seen several cars sitting in huge pools of water that have been choked out. It rains hard and fast here so the puddles get insane. That said, I will just have to be extra careful but oh well, them the breaks and I am glad it's on there.

[MS3077]

Some of these posts have been very informative about these intakes and I guess I will chime in as well.

I have the MSCAI and I like it. I have never tried any of the others for this car and when I bought my car, I had it put on before I even drove it. So I don't really have a power comparison but either way, it's pretty damn fast and I love this car.

I chose the MSCAI because I don't want to be throwing a wrench at my car when I have to take it to the dealer. Let's say my car just breaks down somewhere and has to be towed to the shop. Am I going to be taking stuff apart on a highway or something? Not. It's a simple rationale, I have it put on and don't have to worry about it again.

As for hyrdo lock, here in Tampa it's an issue. I have seen several cars sitting in huge pools of water that have been choked out. It rains hard and fast here so the puddles get insane. That said, I will just have to be extra careful but oh well, them the breaks and I am glad it's on there.

+1

With the MS CAI you don't have to worry about warrenty stuff but the possiblity of hydro lock is more likely than with a SRI. But the good thing about a SRI is that it's pretty easy to install / uninstall and easier to maintain.