Calling out....

[Darth Vader]

...the Cobb SRI....

I went to the track yesterday and did matchup with my buddy's identical year/trim stock MS3 and we were within a tenth all night with the same mph.

So, apparently the warm-air intake doesn't add any real-world power...dragstrip dyno never lies.

Times were low 14s at 99.xx mph....

 

[ms6acton]

maybe hes that much of a better driver

 

[Darth Vader]

Dude, I got a few thousand passes down that track myself so, I kind of doubt that's a factor. Look at the identical mph, driver doesn't affect that much, as long as he/she is doing the basic job. That's hp, pure and simple.

Darth Vader

 

[Circle9]

You would have to do the passes in the same car. Passes with the SRI and passes without it, all on the same car. His car could be making a little more power stock than yours did stock. No two cars are the same.

Example: My Si made 190 whp stock, on the same dyno, my buddy's stock Si made only 172. That said, I would run 14.9 in the 1/4 in my car, but I could only ever manage a 15.1 in his. He later got a SRI and I squeaked out 15 flat.

 

[Darth Vader]

If I had the stock airbox I'd try it but, this car came with the Cobb and w/o the stock box, sadly.

I'm not feeeling too butt-hurt because I didn't spend my own money for this intake. I would have bought a CAI anyway, given the choice but, I still hoped for something from this intake other than sounding cool. (homework)(drive)

Darth

 

[derspi]

^^

You would have to do the passes in the same car. Passes with the SRI and passes without it, all on the same car. His car could be making a little more power stock than yours did stock. No two cars are the same.

What part of this post did you not get? No one really cares if you're butthurt or not but the fact of the matter is, your "experiment" proved nothing other than:

a) Your friend is a better driver than you.
or b) Your car makes slightly less power stock.
or c) The Cobb SRI really does nothing other than make funny noises.

Dyno runs and 1/4 mile passes are done on the SAME car over and over again for a reason.

 

[Darth Vader]

Calm down, Commando. Those of us living in the real world don't necessarily have the resources or time for back-to-back dyno runs and teardowns at the track. We just have to make our best guess based on the evidence in front of us.

I "get" the post just fine. I also "get" that expecting something that claims 11 hp to transform a car into a 1/4 mile monster is unrealistic. I also "get" that a intake should be isolated from engine heat to work best. I also "get" that a daily driven, 40 mpg freeway car that puts down low 14s at around 100 mph on street rubber is damn good car. Lots of stuff I get, since I've been working with various forms of hotrodding internal combustion for 25 years or so.

Darth Vader

 

[Sport6]

Calm down, Commando. Those of us living in the real world don't necessarily have the resources or time for back-to-back dyno runs and teardowns at the track. We just have to make our best guess based on the evidence in front of us.

I "get" the post just fine. I also "get" that expecting something that claims 11 hp to transform a car into a 1/4 mile monster is unrealistic. I also "get" that a intake should be isolated from engine heat to work best. I also "get" that a daily driven, 40 mpg freeway car that puts down low 14s at around 100 mph on street rubber is damn good car. Lots of stuff I get, since I've been working with various forms of hotrodding internal combustion for 25 years or so.

Darth Vader

If you get all that, then whats the point of this thread?

 

[derspi]

Calm down, Commando. Those of us living in the real world don't necessarily have the resources or time for back-to-back dyno runs and teardowns at the track. We just have to make our best guess based on the evidence in front of us.

I am calm and living in the real world that's why I know better than to take any manufacturer's claim with a grain of salt. I'm sorry to say but for a person like you who has been in this hobby for a while I would think you would know better too. But hey, I can be wrong too and I can accept that.

 

[Super Unique]

Well, since we're calling people out here, how about the complete BS claim of 40mpg on the highway? I only once saw more than 30, 34 to be exact, and that was a 150 mile cruise @ sea level @ 45mph in 75 degree temps. Pretty much the IDEAL operating conditions for any car to get it's highest mileage. Cruise control set @ 45, no stops. 150 miles. 34mpg.

My typical observed mileage in mostly highway use @ high speeds 80 mph ish... is around 24mpg. This figure is consistent.

40 mpg my ass

 

[Darth Vader]

I do take manufacturer's claims with a grain of salt. I also like to see that things that claim an improvment actually do that, regardless of the number involved. I ain't seeing that so much here. I'm also not totally keen on the driveability withe SRI, as it's introduced a light throttle flat spot, even with an ecu reset.

...and, as for the mileage "claim", the whole world isn't the US and some people use the imperial gallon, which is bigger than the us gallon by a fair bit. Around 40 on flat roads with the cruise on and the speed down isn't difficult.

Darth Vader

 

[Peter B]

Whoa whoa whoa WHOA!?!?! You back that wagon up son! The imperial gallon? We don't use that s*** round here boy! Damn kids and their "imperial" gallons.

 

[dizzin9]

i am still waiting for the "50% discount apology coupon" from COBB...

 

[Super Unique]

50% off on something that doesn't do as advertised is hardly a bargain .....

 

[714ms3]

I think that the true test of how a part would affect a car's performance would be on the dyno, not on the basis of a driving comparison.
On a side note: I currently have the CP-E nano, and am waiting for my COBB SRI to come in the mail. I am hoping to take my car to a local dyno and do some real comparisons.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

I think that the true test of how a part would affect a car's performance would be on the dyno, not on the basis of a driving comparison.
On a side note: I currently have the CP-E nano, and am waiting for my COBB SRI to come in the mail. I am hoping to take my car to a local dyno and do some real comparisons.

One of the problems with dyno comparisons when working with a car like the MS3 is the damned ecu. Every mod out there has to be driven with for a few days to let the ecu adjust to it. What you get immediately after making the swap is not what you will get a week later. Some mods will get better with time, and I suspect some will lose a little of their initial gain. Back to back dyno runs are still suspect because of this.

 

[Darth Vader]

A dyno isn't the best for simulating real-world driving conditions. Would you trade part throttle stumbling for a 10 horse gain up top? Most wouldn't but, dynos really don't simulate real driving well and those kind of problems can result from over-reliance on the dyno.

There was no dyno cells when I started in this hobby, back in the stone age of points and carbs. We had butt-dyno, back-road dyno and dragstrip dyno. The third was the most accurate for pure max power output but the other two were just as necessary to make cars that ran well.

...and just so nobody gets the idea I'm some sort of golden-age throwback, I realise how far we've come and man, I love my fuel injection, computerised engine management and sophisticated emissions control and, the power they bring that only freakish full race cars had in that day.

Darth Vader

 

[matsuda]

One of the problems with dyno comparisons when working with a car like the MS3 is the damned ecu. Every mod out there has to be driven with for a few days to let the ecu adjust to it. What you get immediately after making the swap is not what you will get a week later. Some mods will get better with time, and I suspect some will lose a little of their initial gain. Back to back dyno runs are still suspect because of this.

Yes...

When comparing intakes, back to back dyno runs are totally worthless.

 

[oaklandopen]

and 1/4 mile laps are better at simulating real world?

and why don't you drive something RWD?

 

[matsuda]

I love my fuel injection, computerised engine management...

Assuming that the engine was fully warmed up and you were not moving for any significant period of time before your 1/4 mile run, the ECU (which is monitoring IAT and BAT) is working against you.

Drag racing is not the strong suit of this car, nor was it ever intended to be.