SRI vs CAI on the DYNO!

driver311

Member
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08 speed 3
Got bored the other day so I went to the dyno to test my sri vs. my cai. Take it for what you will. Here are my thoughts. I like the sri better. Plain and simple I believe its safer, looks better, and has the potential to make more topend hp. The dyno did not show that. The intake tested was a fugita cai. I tested it full length and then cut it right after the fugita emblem and tested it again. Test car was a mine with the following mods. Second cat removal, one resonator and muffler removed, fugita intake, turbosmart bc 13-15psi. I also have a mapclamp on the car and is clamped at 3.5 volts. I think thats right around 15psi. Here is the graph. I hope this help will put the debate to rest. Which is better cai or sri. LOL

mazdadynocaivssri.jpg


I will be testing the ets tmic and pg fuel pump hopefully tonight. Wish me luck!!!!!!!(nailbyt)
 
To be honest it really dont prove anything.You could have not changed anything after the first pull and still get more or less hp,Thats just how dynos work.Just like when someone takes there car to a dyno and they do 3 pulls all 3 will be different and nothing was changed.The red line in the graph seems to be more of a smoother increase then the jagged blue line.I wonder if that means anything.
 
I was thinking abt getting a CAI but the fear of sucking in water makes me lean towards a SRI, but I hate the idea of pulling in hot air from the engine. Although I could just make up a heat shield and fix that somewhat.
 
I forgot to mention that the redline is sri and the blue line is cai. Like I said take it for what you will. I didnt have the smoothing up high and this was in 4th gear so the line will be more accurate. Not a smoothed out version of what the car is actually doing.

Ps. Shark you dont have to tell me how a dyno works I live on them. My friend owns it and to be honest your statement is false. This dyno has been very consistant for me and all the cars and quads I have dynoed on it. Yes maybe a 1-3whp difference but otherwise pretty close. The only thing Im trying to portray with this post is that there isnt that much of a difference so why say one is better than the other. CAI IS OVER RATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just put something on there that flows good and be done with it. Thats the idea.
 
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I was thinking abt getting a CAI but the fear of sucking in water makes me lean towards a SRI, but I hate the idea of pulling in hot air from the engine. Although I could just make up a heat shield and fix that somewhat.

Dude when your driving the engine bay is full of cool air and not to mention this is a turbo car people. No matter what the ari is going through a hot ass turbo so thats why we have an intercooler. YOu woould be wasting your time and money trying to build some form of shield. If you dont believe me go make some wot pulls and then pull over and feel your intercooler and intake tube. It will be cool to the touch I guarantee.
 
I forgot to mention that the redline is sri and the blue line is cai. Like I said take it for what you will. I didnt have the smoothing up high and this was in 4th gear so the line will be more accurate. Not a smoothed out version of what the car is actually doing.

Ps. Shark you dont have to tell me how a dyno works I live on them. My friend owns it and to be honest your statement is false. This dyno has been very consistant for me and all the cars and quads I have dynoed on it. Yes maybe a 1-3whp difference but otherwise pretty close. The only thing Im trying to portray with this post is that there isnt that much of a difference so why say one is better than the other. CAI IS OVER RATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just put something on there that flows good and be done with it. Thats the idea.

How is my statement false?Do you want me to think that YOUR dyno shows the same numbers for you evertime you dyno it unless you change something?Also Im not tring to say 1 is better then the other because I dont know.
 
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How is my statement false?Do you want me to think that YOUR dyno shows the same numbers for you evertime you dyno it unless you change something?Also Im not tring to say 1 is better then the other because I dont know.

Im not debating different days show different numbers. Thats a known fact. But I can do back to back to back dyno runs with proper cooling on the same day and they are always within a few whp. Thats my point. Thats why i say your statement is false. Im not comparing days to day here bud. This was within 20min. of each other. Dynos should be used as tuning tools and as long as you are using them on the same day under the same conditions they are very accurate.


Ps. part of the reason you see alot of peoples dyno runs inconsistant is because of the stock tmic. Heak soaks very easy on the dyno. Most dyno operators dont take that into account for the first few runs. So if you keep a fan on it the whole time your runs will be alot more consistant. Aftermarket intercooler makes for a much more consistant day. Hope this sheds some light
 
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CAI is better 'cause it's what I spent my money on and it looks cooler even if the air is not cooler...:)
 
Everybody knows the longer your pipe is, the more it'll scream. I say stick that sucker right thru to the ground!!
 
hmm, this post makes the cobb sri look like a very good option for me. I wonder if mazda will get pissy about warranty 'cause it's not a mazdaspeed part? Also cobb should make a dry-filter option for the sri.
 
maybe minor diff. between torque and hp, but basically they are getting the same results just the sri cost less and looks better, so basically you are paying more for cai to gain nothing more than the sri
 
Looks like the blue line (CAI) is more 'curvy' whereas the SRI seems to be more steady. This could be because this CAI has bends in the pipe and would be more likely have more turbulence in the air as it passes thru the MAF area. Just an idea.
 
Thanks for making this comparo with your setup/car but I personally don't really care what the other options are out there. I got the MS CAI because I knew Mazda wouldn't (or shouldn't) give me any crap about having it installed. Even if it didn't produce more power than the SRI, I would have still purchased it.

Also, although your dyno speaks for itself regarding numbers, I have seen other dyno sheets that show a bigger increase of power over stock than any I have seen with an SRI.
 
yes, there could be turbulence playing a little bit of trickery on the MAFs but that's about the only difference there.

i'm going more for the SRI only because i don't like the idea that the MS CAI is basically one of my car payments :lol:


i do chuckle at people who think having a CAI is going to ruin their motor in wet weather. people, unless you're forging rivers like in oregon trail, you're not going to get the CAI wet. why? the car has fender liners, and there is no hole at the foglight area for water to enter. you'd seriously have to drive through some deep water to get the filter totally submerged.
 
nice post. although this doesn't actually PROVE anything persay, it does give more supporting evidence that a CAI isn't nearly as much of an improvement over the SRI as people keep boasting. this would probably look a lot different if we were testing a NA car, but fortunately for us, we're boostin like maniacs, so the "cold air" makes very little difference! (alright)
 
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