cobaltss12

This is an ongoing discussion. I just want opininons.

I think CAI is better all around than SHORT RAM.

CAI: Because it sucks in colder air... colder the air, the more dense the oxygen is, which in turn, makes the combustion better.

Short Ram: Cant think of anything other than its cheaper, and saves room in the engine bay.

Anybody else??

J.D.

This is just my opinion combined with some experience.

80* day

CAI= 100* air off the pavement

WAI= 101* air out of air circulating through engine bay.

These engine bays are so full of holes that the only time you get hot air is when you're sitting still.

In my experience I have gotten better throttle response out of a short ram (or WAI), and since what I like most in a car is low-end punch and quick throttle response, I prefer the short ram setup.

Before somebody pulls out the dyno sheets I would like to remind everyone that this is misleading since the car is sitting still and there is no air circulating through the engine bay- of course it's gonna heat up in there.

My .02- very little difference under operating conditions (*with the exception of the good ol' seat-of-the-pants-dyno telling me I get better punch with a short ram). But hey, I'm not out to convert anyone or anything like that.

doom26464

short ram should be better. CAI is pretty usless on a forced induction vechile with an intercooler(in your case a air to water or whatever it is). Short ram would give so much better throttle response. The only way I could c a CAI being better was if u wanted more high end power wich is what it is good for.

alleycat58

I tend to like the short ram just because then I don't have to worry about water or winter junk getting up into the intake.

wesmanw02

Same here. Some of those CAI's are so low that they practically drag on the ground. My freind had one on his Eclipse GS, and he said that when it rained really hard and he was on the highway, his car would actually suck in enough water to make it bog at times.

Drewfu$

Why doesn't someone with a CAI go dyno it, then remove the intake, and clamp the filter onto the throttle body, then dyno it again and we'll know.

I'd be interested to see if the intercooler is effenient enough to still elimenate knock when the air getting sucked in is much hotter from the short intake style. Theres no doubt that the air will be hotter, especially on a cool day when the ambient air is 40* but the engine bay is still 200*+.

Cobalt_Supercharged

That would be interesting to see. There really isn't that much more piping for the CAI on the SS S/C, but there is a bend that could make a difference. Could also depend on the design quality, the pipe diameter, and the filter.

Doc

That plan is flawed...a few reasons...It'd be nice if it would work....
when my car was on the dyno, I put my hand on the charger and it was cool to the touch. Also, I noticed with my Aeroforce Interceptor gauge that the temp is high when I am cruising and it drops when I get on it and I get boost.
Another thing that wont make it realistic is on the dyno, the hood is up and usually they have a fan blowing air on the car. I doubt the engine compartment heats up enough to make a huge difference on the dyno like it would under driving conditions. They usually wait a few minutes between runs to let the engine cool down so it might be something worth investigating...
The gauge also has this tool to see if the CAI is beneficial. I'd need to put the stock airbox in place to see if there was a difference though. I might do it this week....

celicacobalt

ive noticed after long driving that there is no hot air around my short ram so i thinkits getting cold enough air and the less piping the better for throttle response and i think short ram is the way to go

Tripy

Your kiding me, right?

Many air to water SC cars have shown improvments with either a CAI or SRI. Even if the are isn't intercooled a CAI or SRI would still show some improvement.

The difference is hardly noticible when going from CAI to SRI or back. Some will argue CAi is better for pulling in colder air from the ground while other will argue SRI is better since there is enough ventalation to pull in cold air from the outside even if your engine bay is hot as hell.

You can argue both sides saying one has the possibility of hydrolock and the other with constatnly sucking in hot air.

Either way, a CAI is not useless. You can go either way and chances are your butt dyno will never know the difference.

stlurbanpunk

short ram.
b/c: not much difference in temp inside the engien bay to outside the car. and with CAI you have the problem with rain etc...

Tripy

^^^ See what I mean? It's all preference my man. Live in a place that gets flooded? Gets damn hot? I used to own a supercharged car a few years back. Honestly, my CAI showed better improvments than my SRI did but when late winter came around I changed to SRI to avoid hydrolock. After the rain season went by (2 months) I converted back to CAI.

M62SS

there is no short ram for our cars..right???

WSFrazier

There are many, and some convert back and forth.

Bob T

When going with , say , a Injen CAI there is a sticker stating that using this item in wet conditions may cause water to be sucked into the engine . Has anyone either figured out how to deflect this, cover it , or had a catastrophic failure due to this ---or is it just legal mumbo-jumbo ?
Thanks

IonNinja

there is a simple solution, don't drive through any puddles

having the filter submerged and sucking in water is how you hydrolock your engine

plyboy-illest

im going with an CAI!

Cobalt_Supercharged

My co-worker killed his 5.0 when he went through a large puddle.

AEM makes a bypass that prevents water from actually entering the intake.