Header, Intake, & Exhaust - age old question: short ram or cold air intake?

ok so, i have a 2002 dx civic coupe, 5 spd manual. its got 120,000 mi
i want more power and yeah turbo is my dream but they're billions of gillions of dollars; im planning on getting a greddy sp2 cat back exhaust(and a new high flow cat), and i also want an air intake. i've read alot on the differences and i was wondering, i live on long island and we get plenty of rain, i really dotn wann ruin my engine running through a puddle. i've heard that cold air intakes are alot better with power, but how much would it be to get one of those bypass valves?? are they expensive?? and is the power difference between teh short ram and the cold air that much of a difference or should i just keep it simple and get a short ram intake? (besides, i like the loud/deep sounds: guessing it would go good with a catback?)

If you are worried about hydrolocking then go with a short ram intake. They are less likely to suck in water. CAI are better with power but high risk of sucking up water compared to a SRI.

use the search function please

i got a cheap cold air intake off ebay and it came in two pipes so i just take the bottom pipe off buring the wet weather.

i live in long island also and i always went with SRI's. easier to install, louder, and you dont have to worry about the water thing. besides they're easier to maintain and the hp differerence isnt much. for the money i'd get a K&N SRI, or injen in a bind. where in LI are you?

im in bellport li, and i think im gonna get an aem sri

Okay, here it goes:

-the brand of intake tube doesn't really make much of a difference (except specially designed intakes such as AEM's V2 CAI, Password:JDM's powerchamber, etc.)
-the filter is what makes the biggest difference. Get AEM or K&N.
-You will not notice a difference between a SRI and a CAI. There is maybe a 1hp difference
-With a CAI, you might suck up a little water. But in order to fully hydrolock the engine, the entire filter must be either soaked with water or submerged. Dont' drive through a lake and you won't have this problem

SRI
-cheaper
-(slightly) better throttle response
-they cost $100 or less with a good filter
-easier installation (though CAI's are still rediculously simple to install)
-less expensive than CAI's

CAI
-more expensive
-(slightly) higher power gains than SRI's... expect less than a 1hp difference between the two
-more involved installation (on some cars they require the removal of the front bumper)
-risk of hydrolock. Just don't drive through any lakes and you should be fine.

Yes, the filter surface area will make a difference, but the biggest difference comes when comparing a hot or cold air system. In larger computer-controlled engines, a cold air system will prevent HP loss due to hot engine bay air being ingested by the engine intake. Both a short ram and CAI system will produce gains over the factory air box, but the cold air system will actually maintain all the extra power at all times, specifically after stop & go and slow-moving traffic conditions.

Take virtually ANY compressor or vacuum pump, run it until it gets hot and see what happens to its max pressure or vacuum levels (they drop). Now blow cold air on either to see the difference. Look at many sports cars like the Z06, Viper, Subaru STI, and Mitsu EVO. Their intake filters are directly exposed to a constant stream of cold air, useally via an opening in the hood or front facia.

Cold air DOES make a difference; whether that difference is easily noticed is another matter, but if you want to keep those extra 5 horses, keep your engine fed with the coldest air you can give it.

i have a short ram and i love it.

short ram FTW

ORIGINAL: conceptualpolymer

Yes, the filter surface area will make a difference, but the biggest difference comes when comparing a hot or cold air system. In larger computer-controlled engines, a cold air system will prevent HP loss due to hot engine bay air being ingested by the engine intake. Both a short ram and CAI system will produce gains over the factory air box, but the cold air system will actually maintain all the extra power at all times, specifically after stop & go and slow-moving traffic conditions.

Take virtually ANY compressor or vacuum pump, run it until it gets hot and see what happens to its max pressure or vacuum levels (they drop). Now blow cold air on either to see the difference. Look at many sports cars like the Z06, Viper, Subaru STI, and Mitsu EVO. Their intake filters are directly exposed to a constant stream of cold air, useally via an opening in the hood or front facia.

Cold air DOES make a difference; whether that difference is easily noticed is another matter, but if you want to keep those extra 5 horses, keep your engine fed with the coldest air you can give it.


Umm... I said the brand of tube won't make a difference with a few exceptions. Pertaining to CAI vs. SRI, I said you won't notice a difference.

And just to point out: it's arguable whether or not cold-air intakes actually bring in that much cold air since the aluminum tube can act as a heat sink. (not trying to start an arguement, but I figured I'd point that out)

Normally, I'd agree, but AEM provides good reasons (in their website) why the material is not that important. Apparently, they have tested plastics and metals, only to find that the velocity of the intake air is high enough so that heat from outside the tube doesn't have a chance to "heat soak" the air inside. Now if you shut the car off and within an hour or so, turn it back on, there will be a brief blast of warm air into the intake, but that is momentary, at best.

And yes, "seat-of-the-pants" feeling of extra power won't be there, but the 1/8th and 1/4 drag times will show the difference. I plugged in a "Car Chip" data logger into my other car's OBD II connector. The Car Chip can record a wide variety of operating parameters like intake air temp, fuel trim, coolant temp, vehicle speed, etc, etc. When using my "short ram" intake, intake air temps would skyrocket while driving in the city, resulting in retardation of timing and a 10HP reduction. After installing a scoop, cutting the lower radiator cover, and installing stainless steel screen underneath the air filter, I ran the same course with a 40 degree F reduction in intake air temperature. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that there is little difference between warm air and cold air. I have reams of data that shows the huge intake air temperature difference.

Dave

^^Do you think getting a hood with vents on the top would help dissipate heat from the header away from the filter to make as noticeable a difference as fabricateing a scoop from underneath? Aswell as bringing in colder air from above?

That depends on where the air is directed, but without a doubt, it would help keep the intake air temps down. Some of the old muscle cars had functional hood scoops at the top of their hoods. This location was ideal because the air filter sat on top of the engine (the hottest area in the engine bay). Most cars now have intake filters mounted to the side or down in front of the engine.