Stock Airbox Air Deflector

[mps_za]

This is the part that has to be removed from the car in order to fit the filter of the CAI. As i understand it directs the air to the airbox. I thought this part was rather meaningless. But now i put my car back to stock and its dead. With the cai first and 2nd violently wheelspins at just a small touch of the throttle. Prior to CAI installation and removal of the Air deflector the stock car still had wheelspin in first and some chirps in 2nd now nothing, just feels flat and slower. Ive also timed the runs compared to previously stock and its slower esp the lower gears. It seems to run better as the speed picks up as if enough air gets blasted in.

The purpose of the thread is to try and figure out if the missing AIR deflector really makes such a big difference to the car in stock form. I would presume if true that when installing an SRI like the Cobb it would be equally beneficial to get the air directed.

Basically ive taken the CAI off, put it back on, took it off again, all within large intervals reset the ECU multiple times and drove 100ds of miles the results are always the same, when the CAI is off and there is no air deflector, power is gone?

Whats your opinions on this?

 

[MSMS3]

My opinion is that the stock airbox is that restrictive. Guys with CAI's and no deflector also run in SRI mode just fine w/o reinstalling the deflector/diverter.

 

[mps_za]

Agreed, however the issue here is that the car was more powerful on the stock setup prior to removing the air deflector.

I will put this air deflector back but have been struggling to, and will only really know once i have been able to figure this out.

thought i would ask the question here so long.

 

[MSMS3]

Not doubting you, but driving the car under different conditions, expecially change in season, change in ambient temps, changes in humidity, altitude, even road surface, tire pressure (which changes with ambient temps), all affect how "lively" the car feels, especially with the stock air box, and especially once you are in third gear and higher.

I have difficulty understanding why SRI applications work just fine on CAI equipped cars with the deflector removed.

You might want to PM some of our members who are running their CAI's in SRI mode and get their opinions. A quick search of the topic would reveal their identities.

I just think you are in a different operating environment than you were before you first installed your CAI. Changes in temp also affect traction on the same road surface, and of course, testing on a different surface can make a big difference.

Also I'm inclined to think it is ambient operating conditions change responsible because you can't develop anything close to full power in first or second gear anyway regardless of intake because the ECU is holding back power significantly until you get in third gear.

My 60 ft times at the strip and by accelerometer are really no better with intake and catless dp/rp than they were stock. The stock ECU holds the car back that much. The ECU just will not allow the engine to develop the extra power potential of higher flowing intake in those gears. It's only once I get into the top of second gear (45-50 mph) and throughout third gear, especially from 60 mph on up, that the big power bump becomes apparant. It's at that point that the intake and exhaust mods really come on strong.

But maybe this is just my car's behavior. They are all different. Maybe the Eurospec version is different. Dunno. I have run my MSCAI in SRI mode for testing and did not sense any real performance difference other than that the intake heat soaks much quicker in SRI mode which can make it feel pretty doggy when first getting underway if the car has been sitting in traffic for a while. It cools down quickly once underway, but the first 10 seconds or so (when you might be trying to break the tires loose) was doggy when the intake heat soaked. But that was due to underhood temp, which can get up to 130 degrees pretty quickly.