View Poll Results: short ram or cold air
short ram
19
54.29%
cold air (in the fender)
16
45.71%
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll
short ram or cold air
06-21-2011, 10:42 AM
#1
short ram or cold air
sup org,
im just curious as to what has worked the best for low end torque for these engines i seem to get mixed results
i personally have a cold air
im just curious as to what has worked the best for low end torque for these engines i seem to get mixed results
i personally have a cold air
Last edited by maxed_out_99; 06-21-2011 at 10:45 AM.
06-21-2011, 10:56 AM
#3
06-21-2011, 10:59 AM
#4
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 84
i would say CAI
I just finished reading a thread about a guy who hooked up Torque (android app) to a bluetooth OBDII scanner
and he found that the intake temps were much cooler than with the short ram intake
imo makes sense since the short ram is gettin air from the engine bay area
but then again i'm no expert and i'm sure someone else can step in here after this comment...
and he found that the intake temps were much cooler than with the short ram intake
imo makes sense since the short ram is gettin air from the engine bay area
but then again i'm no expert and i'm sure someone else can step in here after this comment...
your getting out the fastest right now.
06-21-2011, 08:44 PM
#9
i dont think theres much of a difference in either. personally i think a stock setup is better than a short ram since with a short ram your just dragging in warm air from the engine bay. the only cold air intake that makes a difference is a prcai since its getting air from inside the fender and not the engine bay, and even that difference is not that much. just my .02
06-22-2011, 06:10 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Worcester, MA
Posts: 4,011
I jus came from a Formula D Drift competition . EVERYONE there had a short ram or CAI. No one is stock.
Its undeniable that with the cone filter u have more surface area for pullin in larger volumes of air. However, warm air robs the engine of power. The CAI SHOULD pull a little harder than the SRI. It jus depends on which u want to install.
I been saving up for the Secret Weapon Weapon R intake.
Its undeniable that with the cone filter u have more surface area for pullin in larger volumes of air. However, warm air robs the engine of power. The CAI SHOULD pull a little harder than the SRI. It jus depends on which u want to install.
I been saving up for the Secret Weapon Weapon R intake.
Last edited by cashoit; 06-22-2011 at 06:14 AM.
06-28-2011, 07:21 PM
#16
I made a ram air setup on mine, Kept stock air box and ran a flex tube down to the bottom of car and used the OEM scoop. Also put a K&N drop in. Pulls nice, especially on the freeway or high speeds.
07-03-2011, 10:33 AM
#17
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: saint john nb
Posts: 17
agreed, it may be the fact that the area i live in is prone to minor flooding, but ive seen a few CAIs spell doom for an engine from sucking in water. my favorite thus far was a brand new cadilcac cts witch comes stock with the intake routed very low (so it would work as a CAI) it needed a long block, at $12,000 (he could not find used engine), before labour and taxes. because he drove it through deep water, it was not waranty. 
07-10-2011, 01:09 PM
#21
From what I hear/read/know, an SRI does increase low-mid horsepower and the CAI is mid-high. If you're gonna do an SRI then may I suggest NWP spacers to drastically reduce the engine heat. IMO a CAI shouldn't go on a daily driver as it may not be as ideal for engine. Here in FL with all this stop and go traffic, a CAI is definitely not an ideal intake for me...
Last edited by UncleSmitty; 07-10-2011 at 01:12 PM.
07-10-2011, 01:30 PM
#22
I have a PR cold air, drive my car daily. Ive switched it from short ram to cold air a couple of times. There really isnt noticable power loss or gain between the two. The sound is the only major difference. Also the heatsoak is not coming from the intake manifold itself (thats a whole different problem all together). The fact that the cone is right in the hot *** engine compartment and is sucking up all that hot air that the rad is blowing out is the downfall of it. Also the running through puddle and soaking the filter on a CAI is all on the driver. Gots to watch out for the puddles
07-10-2011, 02:29 PM
#23
Everyone has their own opinion and everyone's personal pros and cons mixed with dyno numbers have thrown the OP off which is why they're here.. . what I've learned from my personal experience is just research and do a trial and error. Buy a new or used, preferably used, SRI on here or CL and try it out for yourself, then compare. People will always try to contradict numbers from a dyno and argue against EVERY element that went into the dyno like mods used at the time, computers, etc so it can be a headache. You already have a CAI, buy and try an SRI f*** it, if it doesn't work then sell it..
07-10-2011, 09:00 PM
#26
Everyone has their own opinion and everyone's personal pros and cons mixed with dyno numbers have thrown the OP off which is why they're here.. . what I've learned from my personal experience is just research and do a trial and error. Buy a new or used, preferably used, SRI on here or CL and try it out for yourself, then compare. People will always try to contradict numbers from a dyno and argue against EVERY element that went into the dyno like mods used at the time, computers, etc so it can be a headache. You already have a CAI, buy and try an SRI f*** it, if it doesn't work then sell it..
07-11-2011, 08:19 AM
#28
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Pittsburg, KS
Posts: 48
Well when I came on this forum everything I read said that a CAI will gain on the low and lose on the top end. And that a short ram will have better top end but lose torque on the low end. That's why so many people will tell you that stock is best because it doesn't have a loss region, it's just more consistent across the board thus making it "best." Two issues: 1) That was a few years back and every response was for stock, so I guess people have changed their minds or the membership has just rotated out enough that everyone is back to their own opinion and the members who accepted the "stock only" approach are not so frequent. 2) I came from the B14/GA16 arena and if you didn't have dyno numbers to back it up, you may as well not even state it. Butt dyno counts for nothing, and I have never once seen a dyno chart posted for a Maxima comparing intakes (never searched, just never seen it cited as evidence). Now I was following the other platform more closely and from it's early development (was driving a 98 and reading in 2000). Since everyone that claimed "stock only" was citing loss of torque I would assume they were looking at an actual dyno readout. And I hope that someone pops up a scan of one so I can see it for myself. But to this day I still haven't seen a dyno comparison so no one can actually say which does what except for sound. Does any one at least have ETs of before and after an install? Until someone has actual quantitative data, this discussion will never have a CORRECT answer. Just opinions and educated guesses.
Flame if you want but go to any auto forum with intelligent people who want actual proof and the story will be the same.
To the OP, you want off the line faster. By logic a CAI usually accomplishes this. I personally have no need for top end gain as I don't race, so there's no reason for me to pursue top-end gain. I just left mine stock because this is the family car.
Flame if you want but go to any auto forum with intelligent people who want actual proof and the story will be the same.
To the OP, you want off the line faster. By logic a CAI usually accomplishes this. I personally have no need for top end gain as I don't race, so there's no reason for me to pursue top-end gain. I just left mine stock because this is the family car.
07-11-2011, 08:47 AM
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Worcester, MA
Posts: 4,011
Well when I came on this forum everything I read said that a CAI will gain on the low and lose on the top end. And that a short ram will have better top end but lose torque on the low end. That's why so many people will tell you that stock is best because it doesn't have a loss region, it's just more consistent across the board thus making it "best." Two issues: 1) That was a few years back and every response was for stock, so I guess people have changed their minds or the membership has just rotated out enough that everyone is back to their own opinion and the members who accepted the "stock only" approach are not so frequent. 2) I came from the B14/GA16 arena and if you didn't have dyno numbers to back it up, you may as well not even state it. Butt dyno counts for nothing, and I have never once seen a dyno chart posted for a Maxima comparing intakes (never searched, just never seen it cited as evidence). Now I was following the other platform more closely and from it's early development (was driving a 98 and reading in 2000). Since everyone that claimed "stock only" was citing loss of torque I would assume they were looking at an actual dyno readout. And I hope that someone pops up a scan of one so I can see it for myself. But to this day I still haven't seen a dyno comparison so no one can actually say which does what except for sound. Does any one at least have ETs of before and after an install? Until someone has actual quantitative data, this discussion will never have a CORRECT answer. Just opinions and educated guesses.
Flame if you want but go to any auto forum with intelligent people who want actual proof and the story will be the same.
To the OP, you want off the line faster. By logic a CAI usually accomplishes this. I personally have no need for top end gain as I don't race, so there's no reason for me to pursue top-end gain. I just left mine stock because this is the family car.
Flame if you want but go to any auto forum with intelligent people who want actual proof and the story will be the same.
To the OP, you want off the line faster. By logic a CAI usually accomplishes this. I personally have no need for top end gain as I don't race, so there's no reason for me to pursue top-end gain. I just left mine stock because this is the family car.
Any dyno i have seen of before and after with SRI or CAI versus stock has historically shown improvement over stock or higher HP numbers.
Like i stated above..i went to a car show/drifting competition and EVERYONE was running either a SRI or CAI. NO ONE was runnin a stock intake. Watch any car show and they always remove the stock box in favor of either a CAI or a SRI. These guys make their living with speed...i tend to agree with them on matters of going fast
07-11-2011, 11:01 AM
#30
Thank you everyone for contributing to my thread there is some very usefull info here.
And pertaining to the dyno comment, at school I dynoed my car with a drop in K&N and the factory box I then dynoed it again with a eBay short ram these were the results; hp-1 gained
Tq-2 gained
I never tested the cold air
And pertaining to the dyno comment, at school I dynoed my car with a drop in K&N and the factory box I then dynoed it again with a eBay short ram these were the results; hp-1 gained
Tq-2 gained
I never tested the cold air
07-11-2011, 12:46 PM
#31
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Pittsburg, KS
Posts: 48
Since you dynoed it both ways, please scan and post your slips. Most people will read a gain of 1hp and 2 ft/lbs as a complete waste of money. What counts is the torque curve underneath the peak. Many of the old intake dynos I would look at would show huge gains in the lower RPM band. If you gained 7hp @ 2500 rpms then that means a lot more than 1hp @ peak. It would also show you if it levels off till redline or falls flat on it's face. Sometimes people push a certain tune and start to lose the top above peak. That's when you back it off and take a better overall curve instead of a better single peak number. But congrats on dynoing. Now share so the rest of us can see what you feel.
07-11-2011, 02:36 PM
#32
Since you dynoed it both ways, please scan and post your slips. Most people will read a gain of 1hp and 2 ft/lbs as a complete waste of money. What counts is the torque curve underneath the peak. Many of the old intake dynos I would look at would show huge gains in the lower RPM band. If you gained 7hp @ 2500 rpms then that means a lot more than 1hp @ peak. It would also show you if it levels off till redline or falls flat on it's face. Sometimes people push a certain tune and start to lose the top above peak. That's when you back it off and take a better overall curve instead of a better single peak number. But congrats on dynoing. Now share so the rest of us can see what you feel.
07-12-2011, 12:28 AM
#36
Not trying to rectify or contradict anybody. If anything's it's given me an incentive to go out and test the stock vs. the SRI. I personally have the SRI and have seen a slight change in low end, pulls harder, I can definitely vouch for that. However, when I switched over to synthetic I felt a bit more of a drag 
mostly from all the F***ING heat the oil produces in the bay! 
So, while working on repainting my car, I decided to cut a hole in the wheel wall so that it could access some more "direct" colder air from the outside. I did notice that it does pull in more air into the bay and that's a great sign! Albeit, it's not yet finished as I wish to fabricate a cone type of snorkel that would lead from the wall, to the fender oval shaped duct, and around a heat shield that protects my filter, to close it off and make it exclusive to the filter and only the filter alone. And being that I'm in cali, it's really rare when there's rain, especially in the IE. But from what I've heard, CAI = High End; SRI -Low End. 
and that's my multiple .02
mostly from all the F***ING heat the oil produces in the bay! So, while working on repainting my car, I decided to cut a hole in the wheel wall so that it could access some more "direct" colder air from the outside. I did notice that it does pull in more air into the bay and that's a great sign! Albeit, it's not yet finished as I wish to fabricate a cone type of snorkel that would lead from the wall, to the fender oval shaped duct, and around a heat shield that protects my filter, to close it off and make it exclusive to the filter and only the filter alone. And being that I'm in cali, it's really rare when there's rain, especially in the IE. But from what I've heard, CAI = High End; SRI -Low End. and that's my multiple .02
Last edited by SandyMax96; 07-12-2011 at 01:30 PM.
07-12-2011, 12:43 AM
#37
07-21-2011, 10:54 AM
#38
ok, heres my dyno runs as i said its embarrassing run 2 is the drop in run 1 is the short ram
i also owuld like to mention at the time of the run my rear header was completely loose due to a "friends" help
the numbers are hard to see
RunFile_002.drf Max Power=162.25 Max Torque=166.70 drop in
RunFile_001.drf Max Power=165.62 Max Torque=168.08 short ram
i also owuld like to mention at the time of the run my rear header was completely loose due to a "friends" help
the numbers are hard to see
RunFile_002.drf Max Power=162.25 Max Torque=166.70 drop in
RunFile_001.drf Max Power=165.62 Max Torque=168.08 short ram
Last edited by maxed_out_99; 07-21-2011 at 10:58 AM.