ok, i have been searching and reading and even called a store or two, but i'm still confused. I always thought the shorter and straighter an intake the better? As long as it gets air from outside or as close to outside the engine bay as possible? I am looking at getting the Injen short ram, but when i call the shop to order it the guy said it not as good as the CAI Injen? I have looked at pics and it looks like they both draw air from the same spot only the short ram does it with out the bends the CAI has. Am I even close to being right here? i really thought i wanted the short ram till the guy told me on the phone it was not as good. Oh this is going on an 06 xB. the only experience i have with intakes is on V8 american muscle type cars. thanks all.

typically a long run from the filter = more torque...

so in some cases a CAI is preferred.. i like CAI simply because it's really hot under that damn hood..

typically a long run from the filter = more torque...

so in some cases a CAI is preferred.. i like CAI simply because it's really hot under that damn hood..
are you meaning it looks really hot or is really hot, under the hood? It looks like they both draw from in front of the battery??

I was also wondering if anyone makes a scoop that found fit into the factory fog light housing? I was thinking of making one out of fiberglas or metal? would i be able to direct air into the air cleaner from the factory fog light area? sorry i am not well versed in what is under the scion, i just started doing this. Now if it was an american car, that would be a different story. LOL

Heat is bad. Ever notice that your car runs better on a cooler day? Cold air mass flows better & has more volume than hot air. Get a CAI.

Guedo, don't they both draw air from the same place?

mine draws from the fenderwell .. not sure with y'alls

oh ok. guess i will go with the CAI. thanks guys.

I'm sure you already have your CAI by now but I'll give my input. I currently have a CAI with no big bends that pulls air from way down in the fender well next to the tire. So it is about as far away from the engine as you can get.

However, I just (today) cut the intake several inches shorter to make the filter sit right behind the foglight cover. It's still outside the heat of the engine but it is probably now much similar to the Ram Air product that you were considering. I am next going to modify my foglight cover to direct air right into the filter and create a tiny ram effect.

I just saw your post today, but I personally would have told you to get the ram air since right behind the fog light is plenty of distance from the heat of the engine so you can get the best of both worlds, CAI and potential RAM effect.

I'll let you know how my CAI to RAM conversion goes.