Cold air intakes?
 

I saw the question hagerbombs had about the sizing for the water shield for the filter on the cold air intake, but didn't want to clutter up the information in his thread for him, decided to start a new one...

Is there any actual proven benefit to these intakes? I have seen the complete intakes on Ebay where they have quoted like, 10% power improvement or so...has anyone here installed one of these intakes and seen a perceptible increase in power?

Second question: what's the premise behind these intakes, how do they differ from our stock air boxes? Looks like the same exact air-flow to me, maybe less restrictive?
Thanks for any info!
Tim

The fuel air mixture is controlled by the computer using inputs from various sensors. CAI is located before any sensors used by the computer so any affect it has on air flow is compensated for.

Unless your air filter is clogged up, the main restriction to air flow is the throttle body except at wide open throttle (WOT). Only at WOT can the air filter make a difference, and if the stock air filter supplies as much air, then the CAI won't help there either.

Because the computer controls the fuel air mix after the CAI, a CAI cannot improve your fuel economy. It may provide a little more power at WOT, that is debatable but it might.

For cars that have a mass airflow sensor (MAF), a CAI can do harm. The oil form the filter element accumulates dirt and can settle on the MAF sensor, causing the engine to run too lean and setting a code, usually P0171.

There is one more potential disadvantage in high performance engines. A high performance engine with a tuned intake may also need a detuned duct to feed it. The detuning is accomplished by these strange cavities and appendages attached to the duct between the filter and the throttle body. These cavities absorb the shockwaves from the tuned intakes and removing them, as a CAI does can actually rob power from the engine at certain points on the power band.

Honestly, all ive noticed with my intake is it makes the car louder and looks cooler - no huge difference in power really. Theres two intakes they offer for these vars, the short ram intake and the cold air intake. I have the short ram, which essentially replaces the air intake tubing but the cone filter is right where the air box is, enabling it to suck in warmer air. The cold air intake places the filter farther downwards, however since its next to the transmission i cant imagine its getting alot cooler air compared to the short ram, unless you purposly duct air from like a fog light hole or something.

Im just gonna get a 90 degree elbow and turn the short ram into a cai

Thanks you guys...both straight-up answers, and pretty-much what I was suspecting...they sure look cool as h*ll, though!

Air intakes that look cool have been a staple modification since the very first car was invented some 115 years ago. The primary function of which was to sell cool looking air intakes.
Lets face it, looks make things appear as if they are faster.
Some good answers here, and as was said, under certain conditions of wide open throttle there actually might be a measurable no matter how small, improvement in some form of performance. But Detroit has come a long way from the oil bath air cleaner which was terribly restrictive but did a hell of a job of filtering dust out of the air all while requiring heavy maintenance to keep it functioning correctly. And who reading this other than a select few have actually ever seen one. But at one point in time, the air filter was pretty much bigger than the engine. But!!!!! Cool they weren't.