Cold Air Intake

joyriide1113

joyriide1113

There is no cure!
was looking to add a mod to my car. a cold air intake. i fuigured it would be the best bang for the buck. couldn't hurt to let the car breathe a little better right?

do u guys have any opinions on this, sugesetions maybe?

are there any other steps i should take before considering this.

ive never moddified a car but always felt if i did this would be the first (maybe the only) step i would take.

joy
 
not to whore the thread but would there be any advantage to adding one to the cav or is that just a dum waste of money? Sorry joy!

Greg
 
not sure. have u ever driven u're car int he mornign and noticed it has a bit more jump than usual. well im not sufre, but im assuming its the fact that the engine has had time to cool and is creating power more efficiently, right? well the idea with a cold air intake is that it keeps the engine cooler.

hell i dont really know.

most intake systems claim to boost minimum 7hp. so it might do something to the cavi.
 
A K&N FIPK is one of the most popular ones. AEM BRUTE FORCE is another good one. I would go with one of those. All the others are just "IMO" junk.
 
Go with a brand name, air from outside of the engine compartment intake if you're going to do it. Also try to get some dyno graphs from the company to see what it does to power delivery. I've got a no name on the CRX and below 3k it's like nothing, above 3k it's like VTEC kicked in. I do not have VTEC in my car (yet). Go on to a forum of your model of car to see what other people are using, go for that.
 
well im looking into K&N. the bad thing about it is i can't find any intakes for my car. its a 2006 new model and not even the bimemr forums have em.

but do u guys think thats a good and respectable mod?
 
joy

There are several types of CIA systems some are open and some are sealed. If you change the air cleaner you will pick up some modest gains in power and change the sound of your car. The open air units are much louder when you jump on it. The colsed style are not as loud. I would suggest look for one that is sealed.

I have a Volant on my car and think it's worth every dime. The Chrysler 300c uses a CIA system. When I had mine put on I had the vent cover removed next to the fog light. There is no restriction for the air to enter the motor. I've had it on for about 6 month with no problems.

engine-cover-7-05-002-2.jpg


Volant-4-2.jpg
 
I recommend Injen, if they make one for your ride. And as far as them being the best bang for the buck, that is not always so. It al depends on the car and how well the factory did at tuning them. For example, my 2001 Civic I had. A cold air intake did nothing for those cars. They were dyno'd with cold air intake, cat back, and header and made less than 5 ponies after those bolt ons. Some cars, like my Impreza, will gain much more from those mods. Honestly, I would start by researching to see what others are doing and what they are saying is the best. Oh, and if you get a cold air intake I recommend, and I know a lot of people love K&N, getting rid of the K&N rechargable filter for an Apexi oil-less lifetime filter. The Apexi's filter and flow better and you don't have to "recharge" them.
 
Every Dinan part on Bimmers that I have seen has been of quality. That's probably the way I would lean (even though it wont be cheap). As far as intake advice...I'd lean toward something that isnt likely to suck up water. I had an intake that actually sucked air in through the front air dam and never had a problem, but I think I would avoid that if possible.

Dont expect to see a whole lot from just a cold air intake. You definitely wont see a TON of gain on a chassis dyno. I have noticed that throttle response was better after the addition of a cold air intake.

Now, let's eat paste! :D
 
Dinan for bimmer its da bomb. Get AEM for your Mini(SRI). I have CAI(route inside the bumper area). I had it for 6 years, I drove into a 6 inch deep water and nada,zip,zilch problem.. They(AEM) has this water seperator, it mounts between the air filter and the TB. Just use common sense, if you see a deep poddle of water dont drive into it.
 
Way2SSlow said:
Now, let's eat paste! :D
Click to expand...


LOL. YES. WE SHALL.


klnyc. its actually for the bimmer. k&n just emailed me back to tell me that they havent come out with one for the 06' 330i. sucks. they say it'll be a little longe until then.
 
i do not think the CAI are worth the money. in reality, your really going to see maybe 3hp to the wheels. they always claim 6-7hp to the wheels but this is done on a dyno with absolutely perfect conditions. for 200+ dollars, I can think of alot more things to do to my truck than a cold air intake. For the scion, TRD makes a drop in filter replacement that increases the horse power almost equal to the CAI and its only 50 bucks. Now, you dont get the cool looking pipe under your hood, but the performance and longevity is there. In my opinion, the CAI is mainly for looks and people who enter car shows and show off thier engine. Its more of a cosmetic thing than a performance for the price you are paying.
 
to clarify a bit its more to allow my car to maintain its horsepower longer and breathe better so that it uses its potential horsepower all the time rather than just when i start driving. after about 25 minutes of quick accelerations and high rev shift changes u can sort of tell the car is winded after about 25 minutes of it.


i think about it sorta like when we get tired and then breathe in oxygen. fresh clean oxygen.

do i have the idea right? and would this mod help in what im asking from it.
 
fatchance said:
engine-cover-7-05-002-2.jpg


Volant-4-2.jpg
Click to expand...


This is suposed to be one of the best on the market. Its SUPOSEDLY some kind of special ABS Plastic that is not suposed to retain any ambiant heat from the engine compartment (Weather this is true is a whole different story)

They do have their advantages. And quite honestly for the difference in price I would much rather purchase a K&N(proven filter) and install it!

$50.00 (3-5hp gain)
$150.00 (5-7hp gain)

I would much rather spend the $50.00 thats just My opinion though!

Probably your best bang for your buck is going to be a cat back exhaust! and if you want to take it one step further replace your mid pipe with something that has High Flow cats! (typicly this will be an expensive investment though)
 
Most CAI gains appear to be overated vs. those that have installed them on 4 bangers and then put them on a dyno.

also worth researching are any issues such as CEL's becoming an issue
after the CAI mod.

Put a CAT back on that Mini. :ghost
 
Focusedonsound said:
What are CEL's?
Click to expand...

Check Engine Light

I think the disadvantages and risks you take with a cold air intake far outweight the advantages. I would get one for my RSX, but the fear of hydrolock steers me away from them. :nono
Its just not worth the chance of blowing my motor for 4-5 hp if that. I'm not sure if you drive in rain, or how much rain you get where you live, i'm guessing a lot since your from FL, but I would definately consider the disadvantages and risks of hydrolock. I do plan on putting one of those K&N drop in filters that run $50 bucks. I'm not expecting any gains, but the fact that its reusable is appealing to me.
 
If you're car's a manual (and seeing as how you have a BMW I hope it is) then I think it's a worthwhile investment for just the throttle response. It's a bit harder to learn (my first stick came with a CAI) but once you've got shifting for yourself down it's great, no slop or downtime, punch it and instant acceleration. It sounds better too.
 
joyriide1113 said:
LOL. YES. WE SHALL.


klnyc. its actually for the bimmer. k&n just emailed me back to tell me that they havent come out with one for the 06' 330i. sucks. they say it'll be a little longe until then.
Click to expand...


I would wait til K&N comes out with one for your car. I'm going to order one for my truck shortly. I've had one on almost all my vehicles and have never been dissapointed with its performance.
 
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