Can an intake be counterproductive?

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imported_SlackerQX4

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Can an air intake be counterproductive in hot days? While it may be less restrictive than stock, would sucking in more hot air from the engine give you less power?
 
Is it a short ram or a CAI (Cold Air Intake)? What kind of car do you have? Maybe you can build a heat shield.
 
I've got a short ram intake and to compensate for the hot air under the hood I've taken steps to help redirect some air from under the car up to the intake. After a long trip I can pop the hood and the intake is still cool. That tells me that its working. It just depends on the configuration of your engine bay as to whether that kind of thing would work in your case.
 
I have an Injen SRI and love it. Yes it gets hot air but you get more air also. Like turbos without an incooler.....the air is hot.
 
SlackerQX4 said:
Can an air intake be counterproductive in hot days? While it may be less restrictive than stock, would sucking in more hot air from the engine give you less power?
Click to expand...



On especially hot days, you might notice a slight magnification of the way SRI's tend to rob lower end power, but help high-end power.



SRI's generally help improve power on the high end but rob on the low end specifically because of the TEMP. of the air going into the engine. Since hotter air has less density it combusts less. But the faster you go the more air is exchanged in the bay with cooler air... making it more effective! When you move faster, air moves around the engine bay better....diluting the "hot air". Yes.. its still hot... but not to the point that your sucking in pure heat.... (Extreme generalization being made here!!)



Jngrbrdman, what did you do to help keep your intake cool? Did you build something that helps channel the wind? Sounds like a sweet idea!!:xyxthumbs
 
I got a black plastic tube that is used at the end of a rain gutter to direct water. You know the kind? They are pretty tough and kinda ribbed so they can bend a bit. I know people who have used drier hose but that seems too flimsy and too obvious. I placed it between the bottom of the car and the bottom of where the filter is on the intake. It wedged in nicely without any problems so I didn't need to secure it with anything else. There is a black plastic shield or something under where the tube sat so I cut a spot out and turned it into kind of a scoop. So now it scoops the air and directs it up the tube and to the filter. All the benefits of a CAI without the hydrolock. :D I've got pics I can post if anyone is interested. I thought it was a pretty clever solution to a problem. The tube isn't even noticed because it is black and really not in a place that people would notice it.
 
Man, that's a great idea! You're right....pretty much sounds like home-built SRI to CAI conversion. I tried clicking your link to see if there were any pics of it, but didn't find any. Saw some nice engine pics though. Yeah, if you could post a pic or two showing how it looks, that would be terrific.
 
Here are a couple so you can kind of get the idea. I need to take a good one of the bottom side. I'm sure you can figure that part out though. This particular tube was just perfect because it jams in there nicely without needing to be tied off anywhere. I was pretty pleased with it. :)



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I know guys who have gone all out with their short ram projects like this. One guy used PVC pipe and had the open end down by the front air dam. I might play around with a way to do something like that but I think this works pretty good for me. You just need a little scoop on the bottom to help force the air up. Its seriously not noticible unless you are on the side of the car and looking down like the way I took these pictures. I didn't want it too look too homemade or cheesy. This is discreet enough that not many people notice. Its effective enough that the filter stays cool even on hot days. It was the only way I could think of to help keep my SRI from being a hot air intake. :p
 
Jngr,



Your home-brewed pipe set-up was a hit over at the Civic forum. Someone also posted a pic of their set-up, which wasn't home-made...and probably pretty expensive. Here are some pics.
 
And one more angle. Looks pretty SIC (as in awesome!) if you ask me.... Just found out it costs 119.00 + s/h. Not sure it's worth the price though.... Home-made is always cheaper and tastes better :)



Also, I wonder if it will affect the sound. I wouldn't want the nice sound my Injen intake makes muffled by this device.



Plus, it definitely looks like it'll require a new filter that would fit into it. Not sure if it comes with it or if we have to buy it separately. Since I'm not into bringing my car to those kiddie Import Nights shows, I think I'll try Jngrbrd's method.



ShinyLiL, yeah, it channels cooler air directly into the Ram intake.
 
Sweet. That looks pretty nice. I lack the space under the hood for a setup like that. The top of the filter rubs on the hood as it is. :( I'm glad I didn't get flamed for the backyard performance modification. whew! :D
 
I've got an AEM cold air intake, so not hot air problems for me!



I made my own cold air set up prior to AEM releasing the CAI for my car using the stock airbox. I removed the resonator and ran two 2" flex hoses from the inlets on the airbox to just under the front bumper. Worked like a charm and very quiet. You could put your hand in front of the hoses and rev the engine and it was like a high powered wet vac. Cost me $12 for 36" of 2" diameter flex hose at Pep Boys and about $35 for a drop in K&N filter.
 
Another intake option is Comptech's Icebox, which is sort of like an enclosed SRI, that also draws air via an extension tube. A lot of people like the Icebox because supposingly there is no way to hydrolock your engine. Only drawback is the price, but I don't think $150 is too much.
 
I had the same concern about hot air being sucked into the throttle body.



So I made my own heat shield from 1/4" plexiglas.



The cone filter now sucks in cold air from behind the headlight and from the fenderwell.



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