What exactly does CAI do?

[MagiLLa]

i searched for it but couldnt find good info.

what exactly does a CAI do?
please elaborate me on everything it does and if it's worth it

[MidwestJosh]

It looks and sounds cool. You might get 5 horsepower if you are lucky. In theory it allows more air to come into your engine, creating more power.

[MagiLLa]

well im the type of guy that prefers show over go...
so i dont know if i really need one? how does it sound cool and how much better fuel economy would u get?

[MidwestJosh]

It's pretty hard to explain the sound it makes, at least I can't. I doubt you will see better or worse gas mileage. If you have your hood poped at car shows and stuff, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one to show off. Just my .02, I love mine.

[UNCTYPE-S]

you can make it show and go all at the same time like i did. i have the blue on black theme going, so along with my engine bay all blue, i put blue vinyl around my intake tubing. looks pretty sweet.

[AznGA]

CAI only adds 5 HP?
Ok, if you get CAI for GT, the ramair system would be useless and you will lose 5 HP. Then why get CAI when it adds only 5 HP?

[SikMindz]

'Cause 0 + 5 will always equal 5. :thumbs: Ram Air wont give you squat...:rolleyes: And no I'm not going to explain...that's what the search button is for. :thumbs:

[UNCTYPE-S]

and thats the bottom line foo! plus, the cai sounds a hella lot better, then the *cough* fake ramair *cough*

[phantom505]

For one thing Spoon (a GM engineer) was once asked about why the minivan with the same 3.4 was rated higher on HP than the Grand Am GT's. His reply was simply:

The intake system before the MAF is inadequate.

Sooo.... you fill in the blanks.

BTW, this means about 7HP at the wheels if you take 20% of the 10 difference ( to get HP at the wheel) in HP between the Montonyas. and the GAGTs.

I put mine in and it just rocks at the low end.

[Licit]

So what does the intake on a Montoya look like? I've never even heard that was rated higher on HP, that's interesting. May also be helpful since I am trying to make an original intake that incorporates an active hood scoop into it.

[Licit]

Originally posted by phantom505
For one thing Spoon (a GM engineer) was once asked about why the minivan with the same 3.4 was rated higher on HP than the Grand Am GT's. His reply was simply:

The intake system before the MAF is inadequate.

Sooo.... you fill in the blanks.

BTW, this means about 7HP at the wheels if you take 20% of the 10 difference ( to get HP at the wheel) in HP between the Montonyas. and the GAGTs.

I put mine in and it just rocks at the low end.

What brand and size cone are you using? I read a few posts where people said they felt a large loss in the low end, but gain on the higher end. Those posts kept me from getting the CAI previously, I love my low end and my friends that drove my car did too.

[athomas]

Well the question was posed to me like this.....

If you improve your airflow before the MAF and before the upper intake, that's fine and dandy. But, where does that extra air go once it actually gets there. You would have a slightly higher air/fuel ratio. Would that make the car run leaner? And as I understand it, don't our cars run pretty lean as it is?

So that leads me to believe that for more air, the fuel should be bumped up a bit so not to run too lean. Sure it may net you a hair more power, but, I'd rather get power other ways by beefing things up. Ie.... internals.

I would also love to see dyno numbers that showed a 5-7 hp gain at the wheels with a CAI

[phantom505]

Most of the people I have seen complain about the low end loss usually had a 7" cone or something outrageous.

I believe the one from APOC comes with a 5" cone that has a flat end on it. It allows plenty of air, but I don't think it allows too much. You can see it on their site.

Of all the mods I have done I have never noticed loosing too much low end. Like you I don't like losing the hard launch off the bottom. Maybe I should jump back into a mostly stock vehicle and see the difference again. The car just simply seems faster across the board. Please keep in mind I live way above sea level and this might not be so true at lower altitudes. My engine is so oxygen deprived anyway. I took it to 6000', now that is a low end killer. :) Besides, if you get a reprogram done they should be able to adjust it for such things.

My advice, if you try it and don't like it, there's enough people around to buy your setup from you. So there is a minimal amount of money lost. I strongly recommend it.

I started a thread called "your dyno numbers are wanted." Aleroboy put up some numbers, one that has only a CAI and the upper intake manifold. At 5000+ ft I think he pick up close to 5HP. I think that was almost all intake becasue he hadn't swapped the TB yet.

[Blackalero3400]

Alero 3.4 with only a custom CAI sounds like this
http://homepage.mac.com/ashmc84/iMovieTheater29.html
it will only rev to 4 grand cuz its in park it gets loud :D :D

http://www.aleromod.net/albums/blackalero3400/DSC04006.sized.jpg
^ Dirty, cleaned since then :D