Intake FAQ
The primary purpose of an aftermarket intake is to increase the amount of air flow the engine receives.
HP gain is 0-15HP. These HP figures are a range as different intakes have
different dyno results.
What is an aftermarket intake? Aftermarket intakes can be broken down into two types:
1. Short ram: AKA shorty or ram pod.
2. Cold air intake: AKA CAI.
What does the stock intake look like? To gain a perspective on how aftermarket intakes function, the stock intake features will be shown and discussed for further clarity.
What is a short ram?
This is an aftermarket intake that removes the stock fenderwell snorkel components and draws air from the engine bay. To generalize, it is essentially a filter unit that replaces the stock air filter box. Some aftermarket short rams also replace some or all of the stock MAF piping with aftermarket piping.
sri intake choices on the market:
cobb sri: retails around $179
hks sri: retails $250-270
cpe sri: retails $199
What is a CAI?
This is an aftermarket intake that removes the stock fenderwell snorkel components and replaces them with aftermarket piping. These systems, depending on the manufacturer, may or may not replace the MAF piping as well. These systems draw air from the fenderwell.
current cold air intakes on the market:
cp-e cai: retails $320
fujita cai: retails $215
injen cai: retails $250
-of course actual product may vary from the picture as well as pricing changes.
Are there any downsides to aftermarket intakes?
There are potential problems with some intake systems. Most manufacturers utilize less dense filtration media in their filters. This equates to increased pariculate matter injestion via the intake. This depends on the manufacturer's choice of filter media and is something to be taken into consideration. CAI can be suseptible to water injestion. This is because through their design the filter media is quite low in the fenderwell. Extreme caution should be used when driving through standing water or other areas where water is present. The major downside of intakes are problems with the air/fuel ratio.
Do intakes cause problems with the air/fuel ratio?
Many seem to believe that since their XXX intake does not cause a CEL or exhibit any driveability problems, then their XXX intake must be good. Though the apparent increase in power gives them peace of mind, what they don't take into account is their intake is actually causing unseen harm to their engine. This is generally due to two reasons:
1. The intake piping diameter is incorrect. This can cause a lean condition in the case of larger than stock diameter piping or a rich condition with decreased diameter piping.
2. The air flow is not laminar. The stock piping, through it's apparent unusual design, is constructed to smooth out turbulent air flow. Aftermarket systems do not take this into consideration. When turbulence occurs, the MAF sensor will suddenly see more or less air then it had previously. This will cause the ECU to respond by making the engine run leaner or richer for as long as the error from turbulence occurs.
Can the intake problems be corrected through aftermarket engine management?
Yes. There are a wide variety of engine management systems that have the capability of modifying the mass air flow values to correct intake piping that is non-OEM size. Some intakes have especially troublesome turbulence problems. Since this turbulence can occur at different points in the power band, based on both engine RPM and engine load, all that can be done to make the engine run safely is to recalibrate the engine with a relatively rich overall tune to compensate.
Which manufacturer is best?
This topic is highly debated. There have been no reported consistent "bad" intakes on the market. Obviously, there may have been bad intakes sold, but not enough to report as "bad" overall.
Which intakes have the best gains?
There is no irrefutable evidence that any intake has better gains than another.
How hard is it to install an intake?
Allow around one hour for install time. Professional installation, depending on your area, is around $75. This is one vehicle modification that is very simple and can be successfully accomplished by even the greenest shade tree mechanic.
Should I reset my ECU after this mod?
It is never a bad idea to perform an ECU reset after a mod. The traditional route is to disconnect the negative battery terminal, press the brake pedal for a few seconds to bleed the system of charge, and reattach
-soon I will be making this more mazda related, I will be including different intakes with dyno sheets attached. Links to where they can purchase each intake, and hopefully some how to links for the install of each. So I will be needing any pictures and install how to links. Thanks everyone!
Editors Note
My thanks to Trey Cobb of Cobb Tuning for writing an excellent intake article and again Ron!
-Matt
The primary purpose of an aftermarket intake is to increase the amount of air flow the engine receives.
HP gain is 0-15HP. These HP figures are a range as different intakes have
different dyno results.
What is an aftermarket intake? Aftermarket intakes can be broken down into two types:
1. Short ram: AKA shorty or ram pod.
2. Cold air intake: AKA CAI.
What does the stock intake look like? To gain a perspective on how aftermarket intakes function, the stock intake features will be shown and discussed for further clarity.
What is a short ram?
This is an aftermarket intake that removes the stock fenderwell snorkel components and draws air from the engine bay. To generalize, it is essentially a filter unit that replaces the stock air filter box. Some aftermarket short rams also replace some or all of the stock MAF piping with aftermarket piping.
sri intake choices on the market:
cobb sri: retails around $179
hks sri: retails $250-270
cpe sri: retails $199
What is a CAI?
This is an aftermarket intake that removes the stock fenderwell snorkel components and replaces them with aftermarket piping. These systems, depending on the manufacturer, may or may not replace the MAF piping as well. These systems draw air from the fenderwell.
current cold air intakes on the market:
cp-e cai: retails $320
fujita cai: retails $215
injen cai: retails $250
-of course actual product may vary from the picture as well as pricing changes.
Are there any downsides to aftermarket intakes?
There are potential problems with some intake systems. Most manufacturers utilize less dense filtration media in their filters. This equates to increased pariculate matter injestion via the intake. This depends on the manufacturer's choice of filter media and is something to be taken into consideration. CAI can be suseptible to water injestion. This is because through their design the filter media is quite low in the fenderwell. Extreme caution should be used when driving through standing water or other areas where water is present. The major downside of intakes are problems with the air/fuel ratio.
Do intakes cause problems with the air/fuel ratio?
Many seem to believe that since their XXX intake does not cause a CEL or exhibit any driveability problems, then their XXX intake must be good. Though the apparent increase in power gives them peace of mind, what they don't take into account is their intake is actually causing unseen harm to their engine. This is generally due to two reasons:
1. The intake piping diameter is incorrect. This can cause a lean condition in the case of larger than stock diameter piping or a rich condition with decreased diameter piping.
2. The air flow is not laminar. The stock piping, through it's apparent unusual design, is constructed to smooth out turbulent air flow. Aftermarket systems do not take this into consideration. When turbulence occurs, the MAF sensor will suddenly see more or less air then it had previously. This will cause the ECU to respond by making the engine run leaner or richer for as long as the error from turbulence occurs.
Can the intake problems be corrected through aftermarket engine management?
Yes. There are a wide variety of engine management systems that have the capability of modifying the mass air flow values to correct intake piping that is non-OEM size. Some intakes have especially troublesome turbulence problems. Since this turbulence can occur at different points in the power band, based on both engine RPM and engine load, all that can be done to make the engine run safely is to recalibrate the engine with a relatively rich overall tune to compensate.
Which manufacturer is best?
This topic is highly debated. There have been no reported consistent "bad" intakes on the market. Obviously, there may have been bad intakes sold, but not enough to report as "bad" overall.
Which intakes have the best gains?
There is no irrefutable evidence that any intake has better gains than another.
How hard is it to install an intake?
Allow around one hour for install time. Professional installation, depending on your area, is around $75. This is one vehicle modification that is very simple and can be successfully accomplished by even the greenest shade tree mechanic.
Should I reset my ECU after this mod?
It is never a bad idea to perform an ECU reset after a mod. The traditional route is to disconnect the negative battery terminal, press the brake pedal for a few seconds to bleed the system of charge, and reattach
-soon I will be making this more mazda related, I will be including different intakes with dyno sheets attached. Links to where they can purchase each intake, and hopefully some how to links for the install of each. So I will be needing any pictures and install how to links. Thanks everyone!
Editors Note
My thanks to Trey Cobb of Cobb Tuning for writing an excellent intake article and again Ron!
-Matt
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