Veeky Forums, I was looking at a list of the cheapest things you could do to improve engine performance and one of the list items was installing at aftermarket intake, however I've noticed that people seem to trash on CAI here, and I've seen the same kind of talk on other forums.
so what's the big deal? If I bought a 50$ k&n intake and installed it, am I just wasting my money while damaging my engine or would it be worth?
they're a waste of money without a tune
You won't damage your engine you will just waste money and lose power
Go for new headers, catback exhaust, good tires and ecu flash/plug and play chip
It would most likely not be effective if you are not doing other modifications to up the power as the stock intakes are made to pass enough air to the engine so it would work properly.
These are all benchracers who don't even own a car, OP. They do work, I slapped one on several of my V8 cars over the years and they do give you a little extra power, nothing serious but you will notice it. It has to be on a larger displacement engine though. On an eco 4 cyl it probably won't do much.
Exhaust upgrades and and a tune will help get more out of it, but it's not necessary.
Also, install it properly with the heat shields or route inside the fender well so you're not taking in blistering hot heat.
It's hilarious seeing every single know it all on Veeky Forums regurgitate the same lies they've been told, as if they've even done any work to test it themselves.
I can understand installing one not being effective but in what way can a CAI cause you to lose power?
On a small engine it can open up the intake diameter so much that you lose manifold pressure and air flow decreases
Ah, makes sense. Thanks.
>On a small engine
How small of an engine?
what really bothers me is that most people think they need an aftermarket exhaust to make their car sound better.
Having a less restrictive intake makes your car sound way better in the cabin without annoying the crap out of your neighbors.
learning how to drive fast > having a fast car.
take a proper racing class. Its worth it.
a small one
There's no cut and dry chart for it, its really all about the volume of air thata being taken in. Typically small 4 cylinder engines with very low hp and no variable valve timing, I would generally avoid. Vvt or boosted 4 cylinders and larger engines will most likely benefit from an intake.
Just get one that has dynod well. The downside is knn filters etc. Is that the oil from the filter can cost the MAF sensor over time and fuck with the ECU. More commonly aftermarket intakes and filters can make your car run lean due to additional air. The ECU will either reset the a/f ratio and erase any gains you made with the intake or it will continue to run lean and moderately fuck up your engine.
It's not that bad usually but there is a trade-off. It is rare but some intakes Dyno well throughout the rev range and some others can also keep the factory a/f ratio
What about a 160HP 2L 4 pot with VVT?
The oil is not a problem if you oil it lightly.
You'll probably notice a difference with that engine. The only 4 cylinder that I put a K&N on was my brother in laws lotus elise. 2ZZGE toyota 4 cylinder with vvt. Don't know the hp on that engine but it gave it a little boost.
Keep in mind a lot of "cold air intakes" actually suck more hot air than the stock ones.
They help, but not for the reason you think.
They aren't sucking in colder air, they're just sucking in more air since they're less restrictive.
But since you likely won't pair a tune with it, the engine is going to attempt to counter that by running more fuel to preserve the air to fuel ratio, decreasing performance.
Not true all the time
My car stock dynos at 485-495
I was surprised that my first pull before headers had me at 511 with an intake. Then 555 after headers and tune.
Just depends on how retarded your stock box is really.
>The intake let's in more air and the engine uses more fuel to compensate
>This hurts performance
Pick one. That's the recipe for power. What usually happens is the intake takes in too much air and the engine doesn't throw enough fuel in, causing it to run lean. Yes it's true you can't just buy an eBay intake and think it'll do anything, but most name brand intakes are well reviewed. You can improve the intake too by improving the shield around it yourself, there are many write ups about it. A drop in K&N does in fact filter less than paper, if you do clean paved road driving it really isn't an issue.
There really should be a sticky with some facts on it. Because every time there is a discussion about this it's always believers vs non-believers. I have one on mine with a stock tune, I've dyno'd it with and without the CAI. Different dynos but the CAI had +10hp over the stock Dyno. Could be differences with the machines but it's definitely not losing power.
This is true. Shield it or route it through fender well.
Holy shit, just gtfo if you are going to shill blantant lies. Air volume is correct, but ecm correcting fuel trim is going to reduce power? Fucking neck yourself.
How about in those systems where the intake is tuned for that specific engine? One or two extra chambers for cancelling out the pressure waves which comes from the intake valves opening and closing. Wont new larger or same diameter straight pipe make the flow worse?
Those chambers aren't really there for anything other than acoustics.
Throttle response during the butt dyno is the only proof I need that CAI's work. Even more so when it's bolted straight on my turbo ;)
What if you bought a used car and don't know if it's been modified? What do these things look like?
The real actual problem is that they work poorly as filters and let particulate matter in that an oem paper filter would capture. There are many studies that show this and I can personally attest to finding sand,SAND, in the intake after installing one in my LS400. My oem style filters never did this and I've since replaced it. Oiling it was kind of guess work too. Imo it's not worth the ~1.5hp you may or may not gain
Don't even bother upgrading your car. You are obviously an idiot when it comes to car performance and you are more interested in peoples opinions of your choices than the benefits of those upgrades. Gaaaaaaaiiiiiiii
fuck off you daft cunt, people need to start somewhere
On a lot of cars there isn't a big improvement, plus K&N flow more air because they filter less
If you did want a K&N I'd just get a drop-in filter unless it's some idiotic stock system with a 2x6" filter sucking engine bay air.
There are other things you can do that are also cheap, ie ditching a mechanical fan to an electric one, advancing ignition timing, retune to a higher fuel grade, and the sketchiest; running thinner oils.
you running an old carb or something?