cold air intake

[MTec007]

i dont really know much on the subject so i have to ask. ops:

what does a "cold air intake" do that is different than what a stock intake does? they both get "cold air" from the air blowing in while moving right?

can a my 88 carby "utilize" a cold air intake? or would it not do much difference? i only see them for EFI cars..

[Roboskittle]

A Real Cold Air Intake delivers cold air from somewhere there is no hot air, into your intake whether it be through a carb or a throttle body. You could utilize one on your carby car. The problem with a lot of these real cold air intakes is that they are so low to the ground if you go through a puddle you run the risk of sucking up water into your engine. Not good.

Most of the cold air intakes you see are really just intakes with less restriction than the stock tubing and air box and really offer no cold air properties as the entrance point of the "cold air intake" is under the hood. This air is obviously going to be a bit warmer than ambient air unless you live in a very hot climate.

[wybnrml]

Most of the cold air intakes you see are really just intakes with less restriction than the stock tubing and air box and really offer no cold air properties as the entrance point of the "cold air intake" is under the hood. This air is obviously going to be a bit warmer than ambient air unless you live in a very hot climate.

X2 Alot of "CAI" that I see aren't really CAI. The filter has to placed in a spot where it actually gets air from outside the engine bay or you are just sucking in the hot air from the engine. For a Festiva I don't think it would make alot of difference in HP, you might gain 2 or 3 HP.

[MTec007]

ok, so if i decide i want to get one where can i get one that will fit my car? i dont know that i want to get one but it cant hurt to just look

[blkfordsedan]

i dont really know much on the subject so i have to ask. ops:

what does a "cold air intake" do that is different than what a stock intake does? they both get "cold air" from the air blowing in while moving right?

Just so you have an idea, and without getting too complicated:

Engines are just big air pumps. Air & fuel are mixed at a specific ratio. The more air goes in, the more fuel you can add and the more power comes out. Cold air is denser (thicker & heavier if you prefer) than warm air, that's why the warm air rises to the ceiling in a room. Because it's denser, it contains more Oxygen molecules than the equivalent volume of warm air. If you have a finite volume of air, say 1.3L in the case of a Festiva, you want the coldest (and driest) air going into the engine you can get, since that will give you the most Oxygen for combustion.

If you think about it that way, It would make sense that the bigger the engine, the more air it sucks and the bigger effect that more Oxygen rich air will make. Nitrous Oxide works on basically the same theory, except your adding more Oxygen chemically.
It also explains why cars are faster at sea-level, say Phoenix AZ, than they are in Denver. Clear as mud?

[TominMO]

Aside from the cold-air effect, these types of intakes also remove the airbox restriction, which IMO is the larger issue. I have for a long time simply drilled a couple dozen holes in the bottom airbox piece on FI cars, to let more air into the airbox. If you look at the little oval air-intake hole on an FI Festy's airbox, and compare it with the hole on the other end where it goes into the VAF, it is clear that the first hole is much smaller; that can be compensated for quite easily, with your drill.

For carbed cars the principle is the same. I'd drill the holes into the cover of the air filter housing, around the rim and outside of the filter itself. Probably better on the firewall side, so that it's away from the exhaust manifold heat.