Editing Cold air intakes

Making a CAI, or a shortram intake

This is really quite simple, a great project for the budding automotive enthusiast.

First you need to know the diameter of the stock intake tubing, and where you want your filter- usually a cone type reusable gauze type from S&B or K&N work well for these applications.

Second, you need to be sure to provide fittings for vaccum and pcv lines, or if it won't upset sensors capping them off or putting a breather on works as well (with my Saturn shown in the pic, I capped off the pcv provision and put a KN breather on).  Also ensure provisions for sensors, although intake air temp sensors may be placed relatively near the air filter, or a cooler location for a slightly richer mixuture if that's desired.  I would not risk upsetting sensor readings by cutting and splicing the wires on it though.

Third you need the right assortment of elbows, tubing, clamps, and possibly some length of pcv hose if the stock stuff cannot reach the nipples on the pipe that the pcv lines are to connect to.  Sometimes grabbing a dirt cheap intake kit is useful for the smooth piping to replace the bumpy crappy factory stuff.  

So now you have measured everything- length, diameter, etcetera.  You have your supplies, and now you test fit everything without clamps and adjust as necessary to get everything to fit as you want; once that is achieved, install clamps and filter, connect pcv lines and sensors, and there you go!

The main difference between a cold air intake and a shortram is that a shortram is simpler, and the filter is in the engine compartment, drawing in warmer air.  A cold air intake is more complicated and the filter is usually in the fender or otherwise isolated from engine compartment heat.


== Ram Air Systems ==


There some other methods used to achieve cold air to the engine. Now the major part of the horsepower gains are from the engine seeing colder (more dense) exterior air as opposed to hot underhood air. By looking at the aerodynamics of a moving car we can also pick up some ram air effect by careful placement of the air intake. There are basically two areas of high pressure found on a normal passenger car. The first is at the front of the car in the grille area and the other is at the intersection of the base of the windshield and the hood. By locating our air intake in either area we can show a gain.

The simple way to do this is to use some of the aluminum dryer vent tube (the flexible kind) and route it from behind the grille to the existing air cleaner housing. This works on the older cars that did not have exterior air routed to the engine. A solution that is a bit more work is to cut some holes in the air intake vent inside the enigine compartment to access cold air from the base of the windshield. make some collars to be pop riveted in and run your dryer vent to the air cleaner.

More to come