CAI and cold weather

Hi all, First time posting and I got to say how much I love this site. Lots of good info. I have a couple a questions regarding cold air intake systems:

1. I was talking to a buddy of mine who has his own shop and he told me that if I got a CAI that I should remove it for winter driving. He said that is is possible I might have a hard time starting the car in cold weather because of too much cold air coming from the intake and not allowing the engine to warm up. Supposedly the flap that closes in cold temperatures so you can get warm air from the manifold is removed when putting on the CAI. Also he said that when the engine is running hot and you are getting a very cold blast of air coming in from the intake, condensation and ice cold start forming which cold make the throttle get stuck open or closed. Is this true? I am not very knowledgable in this area so wouldn't mind getting some input from you guys.

2. How much of a performane difference is there between the Injen CAI and a AEM short ram. Is the difference enough to spend the extra $$. Or is the biggest difference between the two aesthetic.

Brent
 
Can you feel the difference of 1-3HP? Not likely. Don't waste the extra money on the Injen. Personally, I'd stay away from a CAI because the install takes longer and it is more challenging. I had a AEM CAI installed on my previous car and I did run it 2 winters without any incidents. But, I do think in our -30 Albertan winters, it was bad for the engine.
 
one more question

I forgot to ask one more question. Using an air intake supposedly allows the fuel to be used more efficiently does this mean you should see a little better fuel consumption or will you see worse?

Brent
 
I'd say fuel consumption is insignficant... But, you will tend to drive it harder but the sound of the intake is so intoxicating.
 
There is no negative effect on the motor with a CAI. The throttle body controls the mix and allows the motor to warm up. It doesnt take any longer for the motor to warm up than with a conventional intake.
the only risk is water in the motor :)
 
first off Hawkwind, Welcome to our happy little corner of the net, and to our Club. There are TWO BIG fridge'S in the corner with anything you can think of in them...help yourself...of course only take what you can LEGALLY have. (stash)

make yourself at home on one of the big fluffy couches, kick your shoes off, put your feet up on one of the tables, yes we are allowed to do that, mom don't care....and take it easy.

oh...btw....every once in a while a food fight breaks out...so you may not want to wear nice clothes here.

Welcome!! (stash)

as for the intake.....question #1, you don't remove any part of the workings of your stock setup that is REQUIRED....in other words you retain your MAF, the air temp sensor, and "the flap" you mentioned, which is part of the throttle body...none of that is removed....its all retained.
What you will NOTICE with any aftermarket intake is throttle response...it will greatly improve....you won't really notice the 1-3 HP increase.....but you WILL notice a difference.

As for the CIA, you will get just as good performance form the other systems out there in the market today...as the performance diference is not great enough to really FEEL a difference....but one thing is for sure....

the INJEN looks l lot better....at least in MY opinion....

intake.jpg


and it really doesn't take much longer to install...it only took about an hour....
 
Couple of thoughts...

o re: Water injestion....
The risk lays only in if you submerge the entire opening of the intake, while under heavy vacuum. Having driven w/ CAI's which hang only a few inches off the ground thru several Seattle-area winters (November-May, every year), I haven't hydro-locked my motor. Use common sense - if you will be driving to the beach, I'd simply disconnect the part that goes under the car, and attach the filter on the MAF. If you are caught driving thru standing water where you fear the opening to the pipe MAY become submerged, try coasting thru the spot, if it's short enough. Or even shut the motor off and roll thru. The threat of water injestion wouldn't preclude me from using a sound cold air intake.

o re: Power...
1-3hp? Is there dyno evidence to support that? 5hp is reasonable...but even if it's 2hp...Creating power/freeing up power in your car isn't straight addition. Mod's have a cumulative effect. If a CAI allows 2hp, and a Header allows 10hp, together, you may be 15 more than if you were 100% stock. Simple rules for making power is, allow for More air, More fuel, More Timing, and get the pump flowing as free as possible.
 
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