I was reading about the ECU changing the a/f for turbo applications, when I remembered something about CAI being useless, and it made sense. but do cai have any influence as far as the "efficiency" of the motor when used with larger exhaust ie. mpg hp/torque?

 

Yes, b/c they draw "cooler" air in from fender areas that travels through longer pipes, which straightens the air. This straighter, more oxygen enriched air combusts more efficiently allowing your engine to breathe easier, gain mpg and have an OVERALL effect on HP. Easier breathing + Efficient burning = More efficient flowing exhaust

It's a sequential gain in hp for the entire engine.

 

CAIs move torque up the power band though. But at mid to high RPMs you will feel more with a CAI than a SRI.

 

A CAI does absolutley nothing mentioned above. They actually do pretty much nothing at all and absolutely.. in no case increase fuel economy. That is a ploy to sell parts by manufacturers. Period. Search here and on yoursciontc and you will find a ton of discussions about this. Your engine in no way burns fuel more efficiently with an intake. Period. The entire concept of the intake is based on a principle that requires MORE fuel, not less. It is simple physics that the manufacturers know most people fail to learn.. and they exploit that fact.

A CAI allows for cooler air (which is BARELY cooler than the tc's stock design) which in turn allows the ECU to add more fuel per combustion cycle. More fuel means more power. That is ALL a CAI does.

Now for the fun part... the heat soak is terrible with a metal CAI.. so you lose part of the gains there. They test them right after install (before the ECU compensates) so if you look the AF is lean on most of the dynos... THAT is why they get even close to the numbers they claim.

In all reality, you will notice no gain.. it may be there, but will be about 1/10th of what they claim and will only be in a tiny part of the gain. I received one for free... I like the way they look and sound.. so installed it. It later broke the mount (K&N) so I removed it. So I have run this car without, then with, then without an intake and noticed NO difference in performance and if anything a tiny DECREASE in fuel economy.. which would be the only sign to me that it was doing any part of what it claims.

The "straighter" air (I think you mean more laminar flow by that) does nothing.. nill, zero.. just like a turbonator does nothing. Once the air hits the throttle body and intake.. none of that matters. All of the turbulence re-occurs there before the air ever enters the chamber.

Again.. that is all marketing ploy to convince people to buy a product.

 

So how does this explain dynos after months of operation with the intake? I've got the K&N and noted a gain of 15 mpg over the span of 4 tanks. Understandable, the 8-12 hp quotes the manufacturers tell you will be almost negligable in everyday driving, but an increase in fuel economy can't be denied due to the fact that it actually happens. Those that experience none at all or less are those who "use" that extra "power" from the intake ALL THE TIME. If you floor it from light to light, stop to stop, of course any gain that is claimed will not be seen. Common sense.

Do you not have an engine damper on your car which made you break the brace? Mine is very solid, I have the engine brace on now, but for 1 month I didn't and had no problems. Did you install it correctly?

From my experience with an intake on my truck and my tC, I've noticed mpg gains on both. To say that it "does not happen at all" is quite ignorant.

 

YEs... I installed it correctly Sorry, that is justa funny question regarding something like this tiny mod. The K&N is WELL known for snapping the bracket it connects to on the motor mount. It is a poor design to say the least.

Sorry.. I cant explain your magical mpg gains.. but an intake in no way caused it unless it in some way made you lose power. To say ANYTHING made you gain 15 mpg (outside of a new car) is quite hilarious. . And to say "more power and more mpg" from a CAI is quite ignorant and evades any sense of physics. But it is just arguing now.. so time to stop this.

 

You're funny

 

I actually wanted confirmed info. Judging by the dyno graphs in the intake roundup post, i would say the tc was running lean.
I would also say that the increase in 'power' I feel is actually quicker throttle response.
I'm a lead foot so I don't know if fuel economy is better, but I would imagine it's worse based on the simple principle of more air more fuel. So just like force induction set ups need to alter the ECU, i'm guessing to see any benefit with CAI you would need to change how the ECU responds. True/False?

 

It would help. Not sure if you want to do that with only an intake on though. Maybe if you got I/H/E and some other goodies, then you might want to do that, but it may help.

 

And yeah, any increase you see would have a great deal to do with how you drive. Lead foot = worse gas mpg.

 

Well in all dynos of CAI equipped cars, we see a loss in torque before 3.5k RPM. That's the only way to explain better mileage: less power.

 

Yes, and the increase is at higher RPMs. Hence why most/all intakes manufactures tell you something like "6 hp increase at 5000 rpm." To believe that this "power increase" will happen instantly is not knowing the basic workings of the common engine.

 

There is nothing cool about any of the CAI in the market for the tC. I actually measure my intake temps and the CAI is no different than stock when on the open road and is much worst than stock when you slow down. The metal pipe acts like heat exchange pipe that literaly suck out heat from the engine compartment and delivers into your throttle body and there is nothing cool about hot air going into your throttle body. Hot air has less oxygen so less fuel is needed to get the correct A/F. Hot air also produces less power...

 

I'm wrapping mine with heat wrap. Nice and cool to the touch on my friend's tC even when sitting still.

 

so i should just stick to a drop-in k&n filter then?

 

Apparently to most, you shouldn't do any type of intake at all. Seems like all the manufacturers are liars.

I'm sticking to my K&N and I have no complaints. Increased gas mileage, increased throttle response .....I got what I paid for and love it.

 

actually it doesn't sound like we did get what we paid for .
evidence is mounting. why would anyone want to purchase and install a $250+ piece of metal, just to heat wrap it to get back to stock output?
it did by mine mostly for the look, knowing any hp/tq added would be at best slightly significant. but as I'm researching, my CAI might be a detrement?

 

As for everyone in these forums, we are all here to just give advice and knowledge where we can. I've had a great experience with my K&N CAI and wouldn't go back to stock or a SRI for anything.

And, IMO, the heat wrap will further help on long cruises and racing situations. But again, everyone has their own ideas on what works and what doesn't. Mine works for me and I've proven it on the road so I'll just leave it at that.

Happy Tuning.

 

My experience is that my CAI was a huge waste of money with NO noticeable gains whatsoever. I can't believe I fell for all the hype. I would have been better off just plastering a bunch of decals all over my windows.

 

well nobody is saying they're not good at all. i know it made a difference on my 5.0, it just sounds like they're not as effective on our tC's because the stock design is not too shabby.