One of the first things many car enthusiasts upgrade when they get a new car is the intake system. The reason is pretty simple, they’re easy to install, widely available, and they offer a bit of a performance boost.
But what can you really expect from a cold air intake? How do they work? And are they really worth the money?
We’ll answer all those questions and more for you here.
What Is a Cold Air Intake?
Most OEM intake systems take air from inside the engine compartment and pump it into the engine from there. While this works to keep your engine running, colder air has more oxygen which burns better.
Cold air intakes take air from outside the engine compartment and pump them into the engine. The colder air burns better and improves performance.
Not only that, but many cold air intake systems increase the amount of air the intake system can bring in, and the ability to pull more air into the engine helps improve performance too.
Both cold air intakes and short ram intakes are all about improving the performance of your vehicle, but they go about it in different ways. Short ram intake systems don’t pull colder air in from outside the engine, instead they simply shorten the entire intake system.
Shortening the intake reduces the amount of restriction in the system, which lets more air get to the engine faster.
While short ram intakes certainly help improve performance, they generally have better results at higher RPMs, and as the engine heats up, you’ll notice some performance dips.
Open vs Closed Cold Air Intakes
If you’re getting a cold air intake system, there are two different types for you to choose from. Those options are open and closed cold air intakes, and it’s talking about whether or not anything is surrounding the filter.
Open cold air intakes use an exposed air filter, which increases the amount of airflow that makes it to and through the filter.
Meanwhile, closed cold air intake systems put a box around the air filter and only let air through small slits. This creates a restriction on the air, but the rest of the box helps keep the entire intake cooler, getting colder air to the engine.
There’s a lot of debate around whether an open or closed cold air intake is better, but we think it all comes down to what you want from the engine.
If you only care about the performance gains, go with a closed cold air intake.
If you want a cleaner-sounding intake, then an open cold air intake is the way to go.
How Much Horsepower Does a Cold Air Intake Add?
Manufacturers tend to make some outlandish claims regarding how much horsepower their cold air intake system will give you. They come up with these numbers in idealistic situations you’ll never find in the real world. That’s why we recommend ignoring the label and instead looking at the cold air intake itself.
The right closed air intake can add between 5 and 10 horsepower to your engine, but somewhere between 5 and 7.5 horsepower is most common. Meanwhile, closed air intakes typically add right around 5 horsepower.
But every situation is different, even when comparing the same model cars using the same CAI system. Air temperature, humidity, miles on vehicle, spark plugs, fuel octane, and any vehicle modifications are just a few of the things that can affect horsepower numbers.
This is another area where there’s some truth to manufacturers’ claims, but the manufacturers often exaggerate the truth. Claims of 10 percent increases to your fuel efficiency are common, but you’ll almost never see it.
However, there is some truth that a cold air intake will increase your MPG. Just expect an improvement somewhere in the 2.5 to 5 percent range. For most engines, this means an improvement of about 1 or 2 MPGs.
If you’ve recently noticed a drop in your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, check out this guide instead of getting a cold air intake.
Will It Make My Car Louder?
Some people want a little extra noise coming from their car, and others worry that it won’t pass an inspection if it gets any louder. The good news is that a cold air intake can actually do both things at the same time.
That’s because a cold air intake won’t make the exhaust any louder like a straight pipe exhaust or muffler delete, but an open cold air intake can create a little extra sound coming from under the hood. The sound is simply the air rushing past and through the new intake.
But keep in mind that this is only for an open cold air intake. A closed air intake will make no difference when it comes to the sound of your vehicle.
When Is a Cold Air Intake Worth It?
If all you care about is the horsepower gains or the sound of an open cold air intake, then there’s nothing wrong with getting one and they’re worth the money. Just know that you’re not going to see the horsepower numbers jump a huge amount with just a cold air intake, and you’re not going to get a louder exhaust sound.
One of the first things many car enthusiasts upgrade when they get a new car is the intake system. The reason is pretty simple, they’re easy to install, widely available, and they offer a bit of a performance boost.
But what can you really expect from a cold air intake? How do they work? And are they really worth the money?
We’ll answer all those questions and more for you here.
What Is a Cold Air Intake?
Most OEM intake systems take air from inside the engine compartment and pump it into the engine from there. While this works to keep your engine running, colder air has more oxygen which burns better.
Cold air intakes take air from outside the engine compartment and pump them into the engine. The colder air burns better and improves performance.
Not only that, but many cold air intake systems increase the amount of air the intake system can bring in, and the ability to pull more air into the engine helps improve performance too.
Both cold air intakes and short ram intakes are all about improving the performance of your vehicle, but they go about it in different ways. Short ram intake systems don’t pull colder air in from outside the engine, instead they simply shorten the entire intake system.
Shortening the intake reduces the amount of restriction in the system, which lets more air get to the engine faster.
While short ram intakes certainly help improve performance, they generally have better results at higher RPMs, and as the engine heats up, you’ll notice some performance dips.
Open vs Closed Cold Air Intakes
If you’re getting a cold air intake system, there are two different types for you to choose from. Those options are open and closed cold air intakes, and it’s talking about whether or not anything is surrounding the filter.
Open cold air intakes use an exposed air filter, which increases the amount of airflow that makes it to and through the filter.
Meanwhile, closed cold air intake systems put a box around the air filter and only let air through small slits. This creates a restriction on the air, but the rest of the box helps keep the entire intake cooler, getting colder air to the engine.
There’s a lot of debate around whether an open or closed cold air intake is better, but we think it all comes down to what you want from the engine.
If you only care about the performance gains, go with a closed cold air intake.
If you want a cleaner-sounding intake, then an open cold air intake is the way to go.
How Much Horsepower Does a Cold Air Intake Add?
Manufacturers tend to make some outlandish claims regarding how much horsepower their cold air intake system will give you. They come up with these numbers in idealistic situations you’ll never find in the real world. That’s why we recommend ignoring the label and instead looking at the cold air intake itself.
The right closed air intake can add between 5 and 10 horsepower to your engine, but somewhere between 5 and 7.5 horsepower is most common. Meanwhile, closed air intakes typically add right around 5 horsepower.
But every situation is different, even when comparing the same model cars using the same CAI system. Air temperature, humidity, miles on vehicle, spark plugs, fuel octane, and any vehicle modifications are just a few of the things that can affect horsepower numbers.
This is another area where there’s some truth to manufacturers’ claims, but the manufacturers often exaggerate the truth. Claims of 10 percent increases to your fuel efficiency are common, but you’ll almost never see it.
However, there is some truth that a cold air intake will increase your MPG. Just expect an improvement somewhere in the 2.5 to 5 percent range. For most engines, this means an improvement of about 1 or 2 MPGs.
If you’ve recently noticed a drop in your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, check out this guide instead of getting a cold air intake.
Will It Make My Car Louder?
Some people want a little extra noise coming from their car, and others worry that it won’t pass an inspection if it gets any louder. The good news is that a cold air intake can actually do both things at the same time.
That’s because a cold air intake won’t make the exhaust any louder like a straight pipe exhaust or muffler delete, but an open cold air intake can create a little extra sound coming from under the hood. The sound is simply the air rushing past and through the new intake.
But keep in mind that this is only for an open cold air intake. A closed air intake will make no difference when it comes to the sound of your vehicle.
When Is a Cold Air Intake Worth It?
If all you care about is the horsepower gains or the sound of an open cold air intake, then there’s nothing wrong with getting one and they’re worth the money. Just know that you’re not going to see the horsepower numbers jump a huge amount with just a cold air intake, and you’re not going to get a louder exhaust sound.
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