Yongwd 1st Gear January 6, 2002 Share January 6, 2002 Heard so much of CAI CAI CAI .... What is it about? Why need CAI? Why no one has actually mod the intake to draw air from your cabin air conditioner and divide the front air scoup intake force pressure by a split viaduct??? Maybe I am crazy and too imaginative. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 6, 2002 Share January 6, 2002 CAI = Cold Air Induction. On certain car models it's more effective to do up one, especially for those which comes with a resonator box before the airbox. Use cabin air con? no need lah, that's the job for NOS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yongwd 1st Gear January 6, 2002 Author Share January 6, 2002 and i wonder why no one uses LPG instead of NOS ... hmmm less destruction mah ... [tongue] CAI = Cold Air Induction. On certain car models it's more effective to do up one, especially for those which comes with a resonator box before the airbox. Use cabin air con? no need lah, that's the job for NOS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightspeed Clutched January 6, 2002 Share January 6, 2002 I thought of doing cai ...but they say flood here flood there...then told me I would lose my low end torque... but gain in high end which I dun really care for cos I never go higher than 100km/h.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 6, 2002 Share January 6, 2002 LPG to plug into fuel line lah, NOS for air intake then go wheel spinning bhp mah Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 6, 2002 Share January 6, 2002 Yah, most SG cars don't go up to 120 or more on a daily drive, all high end mods are pretty redundent (hint: Vtec! Ha!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myfocus Neutral Newbie January 7, 2002 Share January 7, 2002 apart from intake noise, never understood the reason for a resonator box. anyway, why would CAI help if there was a resonator box? Afterall, the air goes thru some baffles or shaped box to reduce noise only (no?) then straight onto the air filter box. maybe I'm missing something here.... curious minds want to know :-) CAI = Cold Air Induction. On certain car models it's more effective to do up one, especially for those which comes with a resonator box before the airbox. Use cabin air con? no need lah, that's the job for NOS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 7, 2002 Share January 7, 2002 A CAI is usually fixed with the reso box removed. Complete CAI kits have the cone filter pointing low and near the front bumper and that's why the reso sits most of the time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie January 8, 2002 Share January 8, 2002 Sorry, I beg to differ. CAI(cold air induction) is exactly what it means, getting cold(actually outside temp) air into the engine. A lot of newer cars already has the CAI configuration. To check whether your car already has a CAI setup, just trace the intake and see where it opens. If it opens far away from the engine eg behind the headlight, at the front grille or anyplace where there's little chance of engine heated air being sucked in, it's a CAI. The resonator box is just a contraption to reduce induction roar (think of it as a muffler but at the front end). Removing it does not reduce intake temperature. However, you'll get improved throttle response due to improved breathing. Of course there's the loud induction roar too! Also, a cone filter is not the same of CAI. The placement of the filter is important. If it is placed at a place where the hot engine air can be sucked in, you'll lose the low end torque. To be effective, it has to be a CAI setup, meaning placed at a place far from engine heat. Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myfocus Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 Ok, this sounds more like it, since the resonator doesn't really add hot air (I guess its' conceptually like a box with 1input and 1output). Does the resonator box normally have baffling and some obstructions? or is it a shaped box which uses accoustics, tuned to a specific range of frequencies (yes, the delightful induction bark range :-) ) to do it's job? looking at the focus, the air intake nozzle ends just above the grille. If you open the bonnet, you'll see it resting above the level of the lights ie air is taken in between the grille and bonnet. Close enuff to a factory-fitted CAI? Agree on the cone filter & location. Have seen many cars where the cone filter (or K&N type mesh+cotton filter) are placed in the middle of the engine bay. Always wondered what the post-installation experience was like. Sorry, I beg to differ. CAI(cold air induction) is exactly what it means, getting cold(actually outside temp) air into the engine. A lot of newer cars already has the CAI configuration. To check whether your car already has a CAI setup, just trace the intake and see where it opens. If it opens far away from the engine eg behind the headlight, at the front grille or anyplace where there's little chance of engine heated air being sucked in, it's a CAI. The resonator box is just a contraption to reduce induction roar (think of it as a muffler but at the front end). Removing it does not reduce intake temperature. However, you'll get improved throttle response due to improved breathing. Of course there's the loud induction roar too! Also, a cone filter is not the same of CAI. The placement of the filter is important. If it is placed at a place where the hot engine air can be sucked in, you'll lose the low end torque. To be effective, it has to be a CAI setup, meaning placed at a place far from engine heat. Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 Yes, the aim is - free flow and cold. Cooler air has more oxygen. That's why you feel that your car is punchier at night as compared to the hot afternoon. The free flow part is a bit trickier. Too little resistance will lead to loss of the low end punch, making the car sluggish at low rpm, thus affecting low speed driveability. Any free flow system will improve the throttle response. The art is to have a free flow induction system that does not compromise the low end too much. Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myfocus Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 (edited) Yes, and rainy season too! Water-injection? :-) I guess the way to go is to add tuned induction system (not really a aftermarket bolt-on AFAIK. Too many variables to take care of unless one is willing to part with much $$$). Somehow the tuned induction system does remind me of the old SU side draught carburettors. to sum up, guess what you're saying is, you need to take a system/wholistic approach - simple bolt-ons here and there may actually detract from power and/or drivability. Yes, the aim is - free flow and cold. Cooler air has more oxygen. That's why you feel that your car is punchier at night as compared to the hot afternoon. The free flow part is a bit trickier. Too little resistance will lead to loss of the low end punch, making the car sluggish at low rpm, thus affecting low speed driveability. Any free flow system will improve the throttle response. The art is to have a free flow induction system that does not compromise the low end too much. Cheers! Edited January 9, 2002 by Myfocus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 Your Focus (hatchback? Nice car! ) seems to have a factory fitted CAI. Yes, the resonator has some baffles and as expected, also offers some resistance. You can take out the resonator but have to find a tube to connect the airbox to the intake nozzle. Changing the filter element to a free flow type helps. (A DIY project?) I've tried a cone filter but due to the limited space available, it was placed in the engine bay. Also added on a heat shield. Unfortonately the result wasn't what I expected. The throttle respoonse was very good. Revving is up to redline is much faster BUT the low end sucks big time! What I have now is a free flow filter in the airbox. I've taken off the resonator and replaced it with a PVC pipe pointing at the air scoop. It's much better! Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 A tuned induction system is the best answer as R&D has been done and you are more sure of the result. Unfortunately, it tend to be expensive too! Owners of Civics, Lancers, Wiras and Imprezeas are a lucky lot. A wealth of competitively priced aftermarked stuffs for them! Are there a lot of aftermarket stuffs for focus available here? Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 Cold air = denser air = more O2. The key factor to CAI is to channel as much cold air into the airbox or cone filter (with proper heat shielding of course!) and ram into the engine. U may have noticed that some cars have direct ram-air like the Pontiac Firebird SS. The Evo's air intake doesn't ram the air but sorta allows air to cool the airbox instead. Many Conti cars I noticed have no resonator box and the factory intake setup is quite a direct CAI equivalent. My factory intake collects air from behind the centre grille and in less than 2 feet rams into the airbox and spirals to the turbocharger Sweet setup. The new Volvos have a even larger intake opening behind the grille, lagi bagus! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 Sometimes, stock setup is much better! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myfocus Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 Are there aftermarket tuned induction systems commonly available? I thot these were mainly expensive stuff aimed at the small 2L cars (like the category of the rex)? anyway, aftermarket stuff for focus in sgp? nope. Most of the stuff is from usa but they target the 2l car. 1.6 is found mainly in high tax rate countries :-( (just for fun, check the web, the 130hp 2.0l zetec engine in us has been described as lethargic by some users :-). Different expectations..... on the otherhand, a lack of aftermarket parts is not necessarily a bad thing. if the factory fitted in all the "go-fasta" stuff and optimised it, that's good (going back to your "sometimes stock is best" comment - sometimes aftermarket stuff could degrade performance/driveability). if the factory left out all the goodies and you have to buy them at expensive aftermarket prices, the the car dun look so good (nor inexpensive) anymore. howzat for a contrarian view :-) A tuned induction system is the best answer as R&D has been done and you are more sure of the result. Unfortunately, it tend to be expensive too! Owners of Civics, Lancers, Wiras and Imprezeas are a lucky lot. A wealth of competitively priced aftermarked stuffs for them! Are there a lot of aftermarket stuffs for focus available here? Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myfocus Neutral Newbie January 9, 2002 Share January 9, 2002 (edited) Thank you. Car is a sedan though (personally I think it looks ugly from the rear - I like wedge shaped cars, but the bottom of the bumper is too high and youget to see all the rear suspension sutff. What car is yours? I take it that it is not a focus? I've not tried the drop-in air filter replacements, maybe soon. What are the concerns of water getting into the engine, esp in rainy weather and going thru, say, axle deep water? Your Focus (hatchback? Nice car! ) seems to have a factory fitted CAI. Yes, the resonator has some baffles and as expected, also offers some resistance. You can take out the resonator but have to find a tube to connect the airbox to the intake nozzle. Changing the filter element to a free flow type helps. (A DIY project?) I've tried a cone filter but due to the limited space available, it was placed in the engine bay. Also added on a heat shield. Unfortonately the result wasn't what I expected. The throttle respoonse was very good. Revving is up to redline is much faster BUT the low end sucks big time! What I have now is a free flow filter in the airbox. I've taken off the resonator and replaced it with a PVC pipe pointing at the air scoop. It's much better! Cheers! Edited January 9, 2002 by Myfocus ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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