kiluminati616

I know you're gonna say search but it's really hard to sift thru all the bs threads about intakes to find what i'm looking for. My question is what are the hp/tq gains from installing a cai or sr intake? Does anyone have a dyno showing their gains? I bought my car a few years ago with a cone filter replacing the airbox and was thinking of upgrading to a real intake. I see that everyone swears by the cai but once the car is moving aren't the temp difference negligible?

ANC297

iTrader: (2)

There is little to no gains from a sri...cai on the other hand yields good gains. If I had to guess it'd be from 4-8 hp. From what I understand, you can feel it throughout the powerband...Both sri and cai bring a totally different sound to the table though...I'm sure there are dyno sheets with proof floating around here somewhere.
The cai run behind the front bumper, while the sri is in the engine bay...So the sri can only suck in hot air being thrown off the engine, which means little to no gains. The cai is consistently drawing in cool, denser air which in turn is more power, so even in the hottest conditions, lets say Arizona summer time for example, the air being drawn in will still be cooler than the air in your engine bay.

assclown

iTrader: (1)

not only that, but since i've installed my injen intake (sunday) i've noticed a significant increase in my fuel economy.

ANC297

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I forgot to add that!
Thanks!


-ass, how much of a gain are you experiencing? Like a mpg or 2?

mystakin

im on the same boat as you kiluminati616, i too am looking to upgrade my intake and was debating whether or not to go cai or sr. from what ive read, cai gives better gains but not by an astonishing amount. i dont know how much you already know but just saying its not a huge performance upgrade. the real change ive read is that a new intake gives a better sound and cai might be better for mileage. so to partially answer your question, cai is overall a little better. i dont have any proof by experimentation, but its what ive accepted.

cameraman282

what do you guys think about the comptech icebox? is it different than a cai?

ANC297

iTrader: (2)

I've heard mixed reviews about the icebox...Some love it, and some dont. It yields the greatest gains, but does nothing for sound, which some people aim for the sound of cai.

jaMezBOI

iTrader: (3)

aem cai

Rejckt

iTrader: (2)

I don't think anyone will buy a CAI for like $200 and then throw it on a dyno for $75-$100 to see gains.

gold2003tl (90)

sr will give you gains over the stock box, cai will give you gains over the sr. iv had both, and i prefer the cai.

kiluminati616

I didn't really think of the improvement in mileage. If I can get an extra 2mpg the thing would pay for itself in like a year. Can anyone confirm what kind of improved fuel efficiency they got?

tc5280

i have had both as well and dig the sound of a sr over cai. never saw better mpg though.

assclown

iTrader: (1)

lets just say i have 170k miles on my a1, before cai installed i was getting roughly 300-310 miles before fuel light came on, today i finished off my first tank since installing the cai with 363 miles before the fuel light came on (and that's with a few WOT runs). i do mixed driving lot of highway/country backroads and a little bit of city driving.

Sohcisme

i bought a cheap ebay intake kit and then i bought a 50 dollar k&n filter that comes on the AEM intakes. i love it sounds mean. Its really all about your filter.

kiluminati616

Cool I think I'll look into gettin that injen intake this spring. I've already got xs headers so it should help even more than just putting an intake on...i think. Just ordered the timing belt kit from kaleb (WholesalePartsGuy) and was wondering if it would be easy to toss on the UR underdrive pulley while that's being done?

assclown

iTrader: (1)

grab the intake from excelerate. i think i paid 235 for it? and yes it will help with your headers.

yes go ahead and get lightweight pulley because you are going to have to pull off the crank pulley to gain access to the timing belt.

FlacoJ

make a cia your self to ur own specs

jdjohn84

By simply removing the intake resonator, you are automatically drawing cooler air from behind the bumper. The CAI only drops down a few more inches, and the stock air box and tube to the TB provide more than adequate air flow - the tube is just as large as a CAI tube. You can get a stock-size K&N filter for the air box if you want, or just a good quality higher-flow filter like WIX.

fsttyms1

Still not the same as a CAI. The CAI is a much smoother and straighter flow of air.

jdjohn84

Never said they were the same. Just sayin they both pull air from the same area, and both provide good volume. A CAI reduces turbulence, but I don't think that's a big concern with these intakes; there is already about 18 inches of straight travel between the stock air box and the intake runners. It's not like a CAI is forced induction; it sucks air just like the stock air box. I think $300 could be spent on something better than a CAI.

sbuswell

CAI are a great mod IMO. Yes they are expensive for what they do, but a good quality CAI both performs and looks nice and that's a great combo. I'd say it's the most common mod on any car. So for that reason I absolutely would not state it's a waste of money. Just like a rims aren't a big mistake. Chrome rims look nice, but can slow you down because of their weight. It's really all subjective, but considering this is a car forum most people here are enthusiasts so stuff like this is almost necessary. You can never have enough mods (if you have the cash).

jdjohn84

Agreed they do look good and serve a good purpose. Just not the first place I would spend big bucks. I took out my resonator and am pleased with the results. My first big wad will go towards headers, not a CAI.

reese8789

iTrader: (1)

What cai do you guys think is better injen or aem?

Gil'sUA5

this. and i cant believe ppl still actually buy cai's and sri's just for the sound

OBrechkin

sorry dumb question but does WOT stand for Working over time ?? as in really stepping on it ?

jdjohn84

WOT = Wide Open Throttle...as in literally stepping on it.