More cai concerns

J

J.Scott

Member
Hello from Dallas,

I recently has a Mazda CAI installed on my new MS3. Here are some observations:

1. I think I feel a loss of low end torque
2. There seems to be turbo lag going from 3 to 4th.
3. The car pulls hard above 3000 rpm but not so much below 3000 grand.

The reason and sound vague is I have only have 550 miles on the car- I
don't have a complete feel of proper performance.

I have some ideas about what may be occuring, but I would like responses on
a some questions.


1. Has anyone had a similar experience with there CAI?

2. HAs anyone removed the CAI and gone back to stock?

3. Anyone have a solution?
I would appreciate anyones input

Thanks, J.Scott
 
Wait for the ECU to relearn the your driving. Seeing as you have a CAI now, it must correct its air fuel ratio. Give it some time.
 
I had the same experience after my dealer put in an MS CAI. Its been roughly 6k miles since i had mine installed, and i still have less low end and a stronger top end. In my opinion, lossing a little on the low end is worth it for the extra power that comes over 3500 rpms. Still a noticably faster car.
 
The MS3, with or without the CAI doesn't come into it's nice power band until 3000 RPM where the turbo pressure begins to build. You should check that all the CAI connections are well inserted and the clamps tight, but I think your description is normal. Have fun.
 
it's been said that low end torque was lost , having a cai bcuz of the tube being longer, if i were u, get a sri
 
I think you will be much happier going with a CAI over SRI. More horse power with a CAI. It has been proven many times that CAI is the way to go. Power 3000rpm and over is where you want most of your power anyways. Have fun with it!
 
SRI = Short Ram Intake. Much shorter intake pipe but it is bringing in hotter air vs the CAI bringing in colder air. Some people swear by the SRI but most seem to opt for the CAI. IMO, the CAI is the way to go having done extensive research on this topic.
 
Last edited:
Mallitious said:
SRI = Short Ram Intake. Much shorter intake pipe but it is bringing in hotter air vs the CAI bringing in colder air. Some people swear by the SRI but most seem to opt for the CAI. IMO, the CAI is the way to go having done extensive research into this topic.
Click to expand...

Thank You
 
eh, go to sri cob tuning thread. Don't get me wrong, cai is good, bu rain, flooding, u have to watch out for, (hydrolocking). Plus, sti is cheaper, and maintainance is a lot easier to replace filter.

Another note, cold air is really only good on (NA) cars. Turbo cars, it passes through the turbine, which is already HOT ...so where did the cold air go ??? As long as u can get more air, it doesnt matter if it's cold or hot, by the time gets inside , IT WILL BE HOT AIR cuz it passes through the almighty turbo ;)
 
I would've gone with the SRI myself. There's little proof if any a CAI on this engine is better. Plus once the car is moving the temp differences are minute.
 
flipstylex said:
Another note, cold air is really only good on (NA) cars. Turbo cars, it passes through the turbine, which is already HOT ...so where did the cold air go ??? As long as u can get more air, it doesnt matter if it's cold or hot, by the time gets inside , IT WILL BE HOT AIR cuz it passes through the almighty turbo ;)
Click to expand...


Actually thats not true. Its a relative temp increase. So the hotter the incoming air, the hotter the air will be in the combustion chamber. Cold air is GREAT for turbo cars. We need cold air even more since the turbo is heating it up. "As long as u can get more air, it doesn't matter if it's cold or hot, by the time gets inside , IT WILL BE HOT AIR cuz it passes through the almighty turbo." If that was the case, we would be able to run any boost we want regardless of the efficiency of the turbo or the amount of detonation.
 
flipstylex said:
eh, go to sri cob tuning thread. Don't get me wrong, cai is good, bu rain, flooding, u have to watch out for, (hydrolocking). Plus, sti is cheaper, and maintainance is a lot easier to replace filter.

Another note, cold air is really only good on (NA) cars. Turbo cars, it passes through the turbine, which is already HOT ...so where did the cold air go ??? As long as u can get more air, it doesnt matter if it's cold or hot, by the time gets inside , IT WILL BE HOT AIR cuz it passes through the almighty turbo ;)
Click to expand...

Looking at the MS CAI installation on my car, it looks like you would need to drive through a puddle about 10 inches deep to have that problem. If you did, you probably have other issues too - like water inside the cabin. You are totally right on the filter cleanup though.

I'd still like to see actual dyno results of normal vs. SRI vs MS CAI on the same car. Even with those results, my bet is that this is just a matter of brand loyalty or religion or (more likely) people wanting to validate the money they already spent. If the SRI is better, I'd start justifying my purchase by saying the MS CAI looks better and wont cause any grief at the dealer...:)
 
Last edited:
Jays07MS3 said:
Actually thats not true. Its a relative temp increase. So the hotter the incoming air, the hotter the air will be in the combustion chamber. Cold air is GREAT for turbo cars. We need cold air even more since the turbo is heating it up. "As long as u can get more air, it doesn't matter if it's cold or hot, by the time gets inside , IT WILL BE HOT AIR cuz it passes through the almighty turbo." If that was the case, we would be able to run any boost we want regardless of the efficiency of the turbo or the amount of detonation.
Click to expand...

Finally somebody who know's what there talking about.....
 
I'm glad so many are actually buying the CAI is better theory. It means I could get rid of my boxed-up ms-cai for a decent price. :) For a while, I thought I'd have to give it away.
 
Betelgeuse said:
I'm glad so many are actually buying the CAI is better theory. It means I could get rid of my boxed-up ms-cai for a decent price. :) For a while, I thought I'd have to give it away.
Click to expand...

It doesnt work so well in the box. Maybe that's why you arent noticing any better performance? :)
 
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