CAI vs. WAI

[Pimpalero03]

what do you guys think....

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread....&threadid=27985 (http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27985)

[King Asoka]

wow......Im for the CAI with a new MAF!

[Oldsmopimp]

Yea, that is deff. some debate material. Im sure hope that i will gain low end over the stock airbox when I install my CAI tho!!

[leroBob]

Followed that poop for a while but some of those people jut started saying some dunm things like they knew what they were talking about, i'm a firm believer in CAI w/ exhaust, CAi by itself i don't know.

[Silverknight]

CAI and bigger throttle body are excellent combinations. they will give you much more higher RPM power. but not a crazy large throttle body like 68 mm or something... a 58mm TB with CAI will pick up about 16 - 19 HP at the crank

[Final-Reality]

:rolleyes: Here we go again, this same old stupid argument...

The shorter the intake pipe, the better.
The colder the air, the better.

Yes, a "short-ram" WAI will give you better low end response, because the air has to travel a shorter distance to get into the engine. Thats why in that GAGT thread those people were amazed at how big of a difference the "short-ram" intake made in low-end throttle response.

And while it's true that you do most of your driving around town in low RPMs, thus making this seem like a better option for street driving, if/when you actually race (don't street race losers :P ), the CAI would be the better option. While low-end response is lost due to the slower moving air (at low RPMs) having to travel a longer distance, at high RPMs, that air is already moving at a good speed, so the advantage moves back to the CAI, where it's sucking in much colder air from outside the engine bay... and when racing, your engine spends most of its time (I would hope) at higher RPMs.

So, once again, a CAI is the better option over a WAI. Just try to keep that intake piping as short as possible...

If you wan't to just "feel" like you're accelerating faster as you hit the throttle from a stop and your engine quickly responds and jumps in RPMs, go ahead and get a short-ram intake, but just remember that once your engine moves past ~3000rpms, that WAI is hurting your performance compared to a CAI... no more of this "arguing", please? :wacko: :blink:

[flalero]

^^^agree with everything you said. I actually noticed a loss of acceleration on my bottom end after I installed my CAI, but I defintely felt a big gain on the top end, where my engine spends most of its time.

[1WhiteOSV]

Originally posted by Silverknight@Jan 17 2004, 09:20 PM
CAI and bigger throttle body are excellent combinations. they will give you much more higher RPM power. but not a crazy large throttle body like 68 mm or something... a 58mm TB with CAI will pick up about 16 - 19 HP at the crank
The alero i think has a stock 58mm TB. The older GA's w/ the 3100 i think has a 54 maybe?.

[-Alero-]

wait i dont get it so........ the cold air intake is nly worth buying if it has a short end pipe? and where the hell is the throttle body on an alero? :(

[leroBob]

no pic but follw ur air box tube toward the engine (3.4) it hits a squre lookin slim box MAF the the throttle body is next real close like 4 inches max

[flalero]

The throttle body is at the end of the intake, closest to the engine, the yellow coupling closest to the motor is attached to the throttle body.

[FormulaNERD]

the throttle body is where the intake connects to from the air box, also the throttle cables, hence the name, throttle body :)