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Home > Performance Mods > Intakes > What You Should Know About Air Intakes

What You Should Know About Air Intakes

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Orin Auburn Alabama, US	I'm creating this post, not to tell you that one brand is better than the other. This thread is not to discuss WINS/LOSSES with your intake... no one cares. So read up, I'm going to hopefully going to help you see through some of the hype behind the CAI--Cold Air Intake *Vicious: What is an intake? What does it do for me?* Orin: How can I put this in the simplest form... an intake is a pipe with a filter... that's it... nothing more.. nothing less. Although it sounds simple, this doesn't mean you can bust open your mom's pack of MR COFFEE coffee filters and make an intake... ^ the above image is a simple photo of an intake... it's generic one, but... it still achives its purpose... further along I'll explain why some are better than others.. and guess what... it's not the shiny decal on the pipe yo! ^ please do not be intimidated... it's the APC Intimidator filter...lol... okay.. no more brand talk... The most important part of the air intake is the filter. The job of the filter is to clean out dust/debris/particles from entering your engine Vicious: .....yeah yeah yeah, but what does this have to do with going FASTER? Orin: I was getting to that... you need the filter so you don't get debris into your combustion chamber and scratching up your cylinders.. you'd lose power and eventually your engine would stop working... that's why cars have filters.... YES all cars have filters from the factory.... now this is where I get to the part about speed... the stock air intake is restrictive... think of it as breathing with a heavy gas mask on... yeah, you can breath, but I wouldn't suggest going for a 5k run with a freaking gas mask on your head.. most after market air intakes remove restrictions with smooth pipes, a better filter and less boxes/cavities/resonators...not to mention... bigger pipes... more air. More air for your engine means better breathing, suddenly you're not running with a restrictive gas mask on your head, you've got... something better! ^this image shows a higher quality intake with very few bends, a really nice filter and a fancy shield for keeping cold air concentrated near the filter where it sucks in air. Here is the thing that will really blow your mind, all intakes are designed to do the same thing.... many of them will even deliver similar horsepower results! Heck, you could EVEN go and buy some plastic piping and make your OWN intake for less than 50 bucks!! Vicious: "If that were true, then why are people paying $250 for an intake that does nearly the same thing?" Orin: Well, if you're like myself.. I've go no skills at making things, I tried to make a house from popsicle sticks and it burst into flames for some reason. Another reason is having better quality craftsmanship from professional companies. Here's another thing, another reason that intakes yield different horsepower results is do with design. *Vicious: ....what...* Orin: The bends and curves of the pipe itself can yield different results. The difference is slight (1-2 whp) but it's still a difference. If you're driving through the street that 1 whp most likely isn't going to set you off like that shiny red button in Fast & The Furious! When picking out an intake don't stress yourself about which one is going to be the best, they all do the same thing. You can relax and think a little more about how much that shipping is going to cost you. Enjoy! edit by WEB* Differences between CAI and SRI: SRI: Short Ram Intake.....The filter is closest to the MAF sensor (mass air flow) and allows air to enter the engine faster. This usually allows better initial throttle response along with better low end torque. Overall power band power is effected more in the beginning to middle, and not much if any at the top end. CAI: Cold Air Intake.....The filter is further away from the MAF sensor and the pipe routes down away from the engine to draw in "cooler" air. The air has enough time in the pipe to become less turbulant prior to entering the throttle body thus, cause a slightly better/more efficient air/fuel mixture. The power is felt more from the middle of the power band to top end but overall power band change is slightly effected. Low end torque is deprived a bit but higher end hp is slightly increased. last updated on 07/07/08 14:30 EST
[#] Jul 01, 2007 08:53pm
Aviator213 Hagerstown Maryland, US Scion Guru	Very decent and simple explanations, perhaps we could discuss the advantages/disadvantages of different types of intakes. By this i mean Short Ram and Full Cold Air intakes
[#] Jul 01, 2007 08:58pm
Orin Auburn Alabama, US	^uhhhh.... hell no! let someone else write all that! edit it was discussed in a thread recently, it's complex stuff that still makes my head spin
[#] Jul 01, 2007 09:00pm
Aviator213 Hagerstown Maryland, US Scion Guru	Orin wrote: ^uhhhh.... hell no! let someone else write all that! lol alright...Lets get Web to do it
[#] Jul 01, 2007 09:01pm
Vicious Orlando Florida, US El Chupacabra	Dammit Orin, stop turning our AIM convos into informational threads The Thread Killah
[#] Jul 01, 2007 09:25pm
Orin Auburn Alabama, US	^ lol (copy & paste)
[#] Jul 01, 2007 09:27pm
SqMK Atlanta Georgia, US Ultimate Window Washer	Haha Orin, this thread is great. Nice writeup. Hello guys I am new here and am looking for friends
[#] Jul 01, 2007 09:27pm
SoFloTC Boca Raton Florida, US Godlike Advisor	My friend with an SRT-4 just got a new Blitz Filter that cost him over 100 bucks. His car with the new Filter Pulls so much faster than it did before. Why would Some filters cost so much more and could some filters make additional HP?
[#] Jul 01, 2007 09:40pm
curtislo9 Washington, US Master Mechanic	I believe that Orin is King. RS 3.0 Kenstlye Kit FS
[#] Jul 01, 2007 10:29pm
Aciidsneaker Marshfield Wisconsin, US	LOL, uhh oh haven't seen any of my aim conv's up yet. Nice Write up. Scion Wiki ~~ Donate for the cause, make this site better!!
[#] Jul 02, 2007 08:43am
Orin Auburn Alabama, US	sofresh23 wrote: My friend with an SRT-4 just got a new Blitz Filter that cost him over 100 bucks. His car with the new Filter Pulls so much faster than it did before. Why would Some filters cost so much more and could some filters make additional HP? I'm glad you asked the filter itself doesn't actually make power, but some of the differences you'd see in filters would be due to materials, flow, design. take K&N brand filters, they use a patented woven cotton/fiber material that can be cleaned and used over using their optional kit. K&N sprayed the filter and mesh with a special oil to capture more debris that's very small on a micron scale... ...as far as what why one type of allows more hp, that'd have mainly to due with air flow properties, but you'd want a filter that now only allows a lot of air flow, but filters the best too.
[#] Jul 03, 2007 12:47am
SoFloTC Boca Raton Florida, US Godlike Advisor	oic
[#] Jul 03, 2007 12:49am
Web Maryland, US THE SHADOW	Orin is correct ... NEVER let someone tell you that their intake "MAKES" more power for their engine. If they say that, then ask them if there is a seperate combustion process happening within the intake pipe prior to entering the block. If they are dumbfounded, then you have succeeded. An intake simply helps the engine breathe easier allowing it to increase the already pre-determined output of the engine. You are simply relieving the "drag" on the engine by allowing it to work more efficiently....this doesn't create "extra" power but simply allows the engine to work at another power range it is designed to work at.
[#] Jul 03, 2007 08:22am
Web Maryland, US THE SHADOW	Edited the main post to add in differences between CAI and SRI.
[#] Jul 06, 2007 10:28am
Aviator213 Hagerstown Maryland, US Scion Guru	Web wrote: Edited the main post to add in differences between CAI and SRI. hahaah thanks web, I knew someone would do it eventually
[#] Jul 06, 2007 10:38am
Web Maryland, US THE SHADOW	NP
[#] Jul 06, 2007 10:39am
exiled622 San Diego California, US Scion Guru	nice write up! 1 point for orin and web
[#] Jul 06, 2007 12:15pm
ymsredRturkey Oil Changer	Vicious wrote: Dammit Orin, stop turning our AIM convos into informational threads haha
[#] Sep 08, 2007 03:49pm
Juve Florida, US Window Washer	yep, definitely a good write up. i especially liked the part about the COFFEE lol
[#] Sep 26, 2007 11:25am
p4l1ndr0m3 North Carolina, US Window Washer	What about gas mileage with SRI vs CAI? I would guess that more torque in the low end would help gas mileage meaning the SRI would be the better choice?
[#] Apr 29, 2008 06:20pm
Crash Clovis New Mexico, US Godlike Advisor	A concern of mine with SRI is this... I hear that an SRI can actually cause your engine to heat up more than a CAI in traffic jams and such. The SEARCH feature on the site works, I promise. USE IT!!! "I almost numchucked you, you dont even reallise!!" -Will Ferrell-
[#] Apr 29, 2008 06:23pm
Orin Auburn Alabama, US	^100% unconfirmed, your cars cooling system affects your engine heat, not the intake. p4l1ndr0m3 wrote: What about gas mileage with SRI vs CAI? I would guess that more torque in the low end would help gas mileage meaning the SRI would be the better choice? ^ you will not see a difference in fuel economy just from switching to SRI vs CAI, your driving style, environment and weather conditions will have a much larger impact on your mpg than any intake.
[#] Apr 29, 2008 07:12pm
Crash Clovis New Mexico, US Godlike Advisor	Good news then! The SEARCH feature on the site works, I promise. USE IT!!! "I almost numchucked you, you dont even reallise!!" -Will Ferrell-
[#] Apr 29, 2008 07:26pm
h2oyelnats San Gabriel California, US Tech Advisor	haha informing and enjoyable, nice.
[#] Jul 07, 2008 03:39am
crf3973 Texas, US Detailer	This may be a stupid question.. but im new to the forum.. and a new tC owner... Since I know very little about cars.. What kind of places would I go to get the intake installed... would I buy it from them, or would I be better of buying it online, and then taking it some where to be installed? Just like regular air filters, does the air filer on a CAI need to be replaced every now and then? How much average horse power would a stock tC gain from a decent CAI? - Chase 2009 FM tC When choosing a transmission, think... do you want to drive your car or ride your car?
[#] Oct 23, 2008 10:09am

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