CAI or Short Ram Intake

Jon Pennington cowboydren@b15sentra.net
Fri, 20 Jun 2003 16:01:21 -0500


Russell Ibay said:

> which one is better. CAI or short ram intake?

A short-ram intake with a good filter is an excellent value, but a CAI
will always outperform it in the long run.  A JWT POP is about $120, and a
Megan short ram is how much?  I ran my '01 SE with a cone filter for a few
months, and then added the midpipe from a B14 CAI (thanks Brad), and
noticed that the midrange and throttle response were much better,
especially after I gave the midpipe back and had to return to the stock
rubber-like midpipe.  I would not recommend just putting a cone filter on
the MAF sensor; this induces turbulence, which saps throttle response.

An AEM CAI, though most expensive, is the best beginner upgrade you can
make.  CAIs gain power vs. stock not only because the pipes are smoother
and the intake air temps are reduced, but also because the length of the
pipe is tuned.  The air inside the pipes has a resonant property that
literally forces air through the MAF and TB at specific points in the RPM
curve, which improves the volumentric efficiency of the engine at those
points.  A CAI won't "suck in" any more dirt than a short ram will, and
with a B15, there is practically zero risk of sucking in water (the filter
is still over a foot above ground).

Pull the trigger, make the power play...

--
-=|JP|=-        "Stew my foot and call me Susan!"

'01 B15 SE/PP  |   http://members.cardomain.com/cowboydren/   |  <//><
'95 SL2 Auto   |         cowboydren @ b15sentra . net         |AQ/