Cold air intake vs. cone filter on MAF...

[streetknight]

Opinions? Performance gains or losses?

 

[DailyDrifter]

Cold air will suck in fresh air from the bumper area, Cone will suck hot air from the enigne bay.

 

[street6]

colder air and plus velocity would assist as well.

 

[UNGN]

On the street, on a hot day, the cold air will make more power.

But at the track, with proper cool down, there will almost be zero difference.

 

[gmpower]

Good thread, I would like to hear what all the pros have to say on this one.

 

[Smokin-6]

I tried a cold air setup and did not notice a difference, I have long since taken it off. Sure at a light the temps climb but once you start moving the air temps at the filter get very close to the outside temps. On a cold day (40 deg) at a long light my temperature at the air filter went to 110 deg. As soon as I started to move within 45 seconds the air temp got down to 42 deg. If you run alky I wouldn't think a cold air kit over a open filter would make any difference.

 

[benoitthegr8]

When I spoke to Julio (ALKYCONTROL.COM) he actually told me that the alky likes the hotter underhood air temp associated with the standard cone filters rather than a cold air kit.... that was a few years back, but that is my recolection.... I still have only K&N filters/MAF pipe on both my cars..... Maybe Julio can chime in and clarify for those using ALKY....

 

[incubus2432]

I just switched from the cone-on-MAF to CAI recently and, while I think that it can't hurt performance, the main reason I bought it was that I think it cleans up the engine compartment a tad.

 

[GRAY86T-TYPE]

Switched my car from a Kirban black powdercoadter MAF pipe with 9" filter to a TR Custom MAF Pipe and Big Mouth Cold air kit with 9" filter. There was alot of difference after this, plus it fits so much better on the car than the kirban one.

 

[Junior Samples]

Using FT 4inch maf and couldnt get it to work with cone, too much turbulence perhaps, all I know it was awful idle awful at load... went to cold air and it smoothed right out and not a prob since

 

[streetknight]

I'm planning on taking the car to the track for the first time this weekend. After I get the bugs worked out, I may take it back and try it both ways on the same track visit. Just to see.

 

[Razor]

Example.. Melissa's car 9.9 at 138 simple K&N on the end of a short MAF pipe.

At 80 MPH what do you thing temps are? The less bends, the shorter the pipe.. the better. And your airfilter stays cleaner longer.

If you run a weird MAF setup, no screens, etc.. then thats another story.

 

[UNGN]

I had a 14" filter with Ram air, but my car ran quicker and faster with a 6" K&N stuffed inside a modified stock airbox (11.53@118.3).

Variation in runs will be more than difference between a cold air system and a K&N stuck on the MAF at the track.

You can test it, but that's what's going to happen.

 

["Turbo-T"]

On the street, on a hot day, the cold air will make more power.

But at the track, with proper cool down, there will almost be zero difference.

Also doesn't a cooler intake help assist in reducing detonation?

 

[1chance]

Well i just made a CAI, and i my car picked up 25-34 HP, but that's just my 2cents. I think the air pickup alot more speed going thru MAF which may not be good, but i made one out of pipe's left over from my Ebay intercooler 3in. Had to get a short Sperco filter from Orieleys, but it flows alot! Looks like K&N.

 

[UNGN]

Also doesn't a cooler intake help assist in reducing detonation?

I would say no. Octane is the cure for detonation, not cooler air.

Cooler air will make more HP, but at the track, if you are running with a hot engine compartment, you aren't getting the most out of your T/R, anyway.

So much air flows into the engine compartment of a T/R that the difference in temps between in front of the firewall and behind the firewall at the track won't be enough to show up on the time slip.

But don't take my word for it, go to the track and run back to back test until you are sick and you won't see .1 second or .5 mph difference at the track between the best CAI/Ram Air and a K&N on the MAF.

 

[UNGN]

Well i just made a CAI, and i my car picked up 25-34 HP, but that's just my 2cents. I think the air pickup alot more speed going thru MAF which may not be good, but i made one out of pipe's left over from my Ebay intercooler 3in. Had to get a short Sperco filter from Orieleys, but it flows alot! Looks like K&N.

Is this over the Stock Airfilter or a K&N on the MAF?

How did you measure the 25-34 HP?

 

[turbo nasty]

Octane is the cure for detonation, not cooler air.

Cooler air has more oxygen thus resulting in better combustion.

Of course, lean mixtures can lead to detonation which exists when the super-hot compressed fuel/air mixture prematurely explodes, instead of burning with a smooth flame front across the piston dome. Adding more fuel to the mixture can discourage the tendency to detonate.
Another, more effective, method to prevent detonation is to provide cool compressed air to the mixture. Cool compressed air provides the same effect on detonation protection as a rich fuel mixture, and provides an extra margin of engine operational safety.

Octane is the tolerance to higher cylinder psi's

Higher cylinder psi's are the result of power adders (N20, boost,etc), timing and/or higher compression ratio engines (pistons, CC)

 

[Razor]

But don't take my word for it, go to the track and run back to back test until you are sick and you won't see .1 second or .5 mph difference at the track between the best CAI/Ram Air and a K&N on the MAF.

+1

Unless its about the bling.. that itself is worth .5 second in the 1/4

 

[UNGN]

Cooler air has more oxygen thus resulting in better combustion.

Of course, lean mixtures can lead to detonation which exists when the super-hot compressed fuel/air mixture prematurely explodes, instead of burning with a smooth flame front across the piston dome. Adding more fuel to the mixture can discourage the tendency to detonate.
Another, more effective, method to prevent detonation is to provide cool compressed air to the mixture. Cool compressed air provides the same effect on detonation protection as a rich fuel mixture, and provides an extra margin of engine operational safety.

Octane is the tolerance to higher cylinder psi's

Higher cylinder psi's are the result of power adders (N20, boost,etc), timing and/or higher compression ratio engines (pistons, CC)

We are talking about Turbo buicks, not generally.

If someone thinks they can run even a pound more of boost without detonation because they have a CAI instead of a K&N on the MAF, they are confused and are probably slow, too.