Which is better - CAI or SS Hood Airbox??
03-02-2004, 10:50 PM
#47
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 1,217
SHOEBOX: The difference is very small I am sure, but when people start saying that the CAI is better by 1-2 hp and have not a shread of proof, it gets me going if you know what I mean. I believe the RA to be slightly better, but still probably negligably so. I tried to support my opinion the only way I know how, with numbers. Not just shoot my mouth off and blow smoke up someones A**.
03-02-2004, 11:05 PM
#48
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Was TX, now in Portland, OR
Posts: 537
I see a couple people have studied some fluid dynamics and heat transfer somewhere....I have as well. My mechanical engineering degree from TAMU tells me.....go with which one you think looks best. Then look at these two things:
CAI advantage...makes the engine bay look much cleaner (no HUGE hump on the engine).
RA advantage.....easilly accessible air filter for easy cleaning.
Both will probably make about the same amount of power on an LT1.
I know I only clean my air filter once every 6 months or so cause it's a PITA to get out. If I had the easy access filter, boom , I'd clean it every time I washed my car, like my Roommate does w/ his 99 SS.
And ask anyone who knows me, I'm not a slouch when it comes to keeping my stuff clean either.
CAI advantage...makes the engine bay look much cleaner (no HUGE hump on the engine).
RA advantage.....easilly accessible air filter for easy cleaning.
Both will probably make about the same amount of power on an LT1.
I know I only clean my air filter once every 6 months or so cause it's a PITA to get out. If I had the easy access filter, boom , I'd clean it every time I washed my car, like my Roommate does w/ his 99 SS.
And ask anyone who knows me, I'm not a slouch when it comes to keeping my stuff clean either.
03-03-2004, 02:21 AM
#49
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 369
Originally posted by ZZtop
Not just shoot my mouth off and blow smoke up someones A**.
Not just shoot my mouth off and blow smoke up someones A**.
JUST GET WHATS CHEAPER
thank you
03-03-2004, 09:12 AM
#52
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Clinton Twp.,MI
Posts: 402
When I put my Ram Air warbird hood on I kept my CAI. Cut out the baffles in the hood behind the scoops & now have cool air flowing into the engine compartment & a cool down"vent" after the car is parked. I'm happy, just my .02 cents ............
03-03-2004, 01:19 PM
#53
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 1,217
"As far as I am concerned, your logic and heat transfer principals are faulty"
Everybody makes mistakes, and they are very rough calculations. Please tell me where they are "faulty" and I will recalculate them.
I didnt post them to ohh and ahh, I was simply trying to help answer the question by showing that a RA car with a fiberglass hood seams to be the "coldest" induction. Wether this colder denser air makes anough difference to affect horsepower output between the two is hard to say. Everyone knows that colder denser air allows for the complete combustion of more fuel than less dense air. This results in more energy and thus more work, which in turn creates increased horsepower. But for all I know that horsepower increase over CAI may be 0.1hp or 5hp. It is a very difficult thing to test, because in a shop on a dyno the cars should test very equal, but on an actual road the heat transfer experienced by each of the two systems will be VERY different.
Everybody makes mistakes, and they are very rough calculations. Please tell me where they are "faulty" and I will recalculate them.
I didnt post them to ohh and ahh, I was simply trying to help answer the question by showing that a RA car with a fiberglass hood seams to be the "coldest" induction. Wether this colder denser air makes anough difference to affect horsepower output between the two is hard to say. Everyone knows that colder denser air allows for the complete combustion of more fuel than less dense air. This results in more energy and thus more work, which in turn creates increased horsepower. But for all I know that horsepower increase over CAI may be 0.1hp or 5hp. It is a very difficult thing to test, because in a shop on a dyno the cars should test very equal, but on an actual road the heat transfer experienced by each of the two systems will be VERY different.
03-03-2004, 02:48 PM
#54
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SLC, UT
Posts: 2,667
Wow, a topic about fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and I'm not involved,....wow
Basically there are 3 different setups, and hopefulyl people are NOT getting confused...
WS6
SS
CAI
The SS & CAI are so close it's not even really worth arguing. They both suck in comparison to the WS6 setup. The Heat transfer into the intake track it bad with the CAI, and worse with the SS (Sitting right on top of the hot intake manifold). The tubing losses are fairly comparable, the SS has to make a 360* turn where as the CAI's have different directional turns; I can get into why the directions of the turns is important, but it'll take this topic even more into an engineers realm. So in that sence of the world, they're about Par.
The tubing smoothness is pretty much in-concequential (sp) in this situation, it's there, but most is fairly low.
The WS6 setup does beat both, and if you want to argue... I'm up for it because I'm like to know how it's either equal to or worse than the either the SS or CAI. Heck, if I remove the filter to my Airbox, I can close the hood and see the TB blades... you can't get much less restriction...
Basically there are 3 different setups, and hopefulyl people are NOT getting confused...
WS6
SS
CAI
The SS & CAI are so close it's not even really worth arguing. They both suck in comparison to the WS6 setup. The Heat transfer into the intake track it bad with the CAI, and worse with the SS (Sitting right on top of the hot intake manifold). The tubing losses are fairly comparable, the SS has to make a 360* turn where as the CAI's have different directional turns; I can get into why the directions of the turns is important, but it'll take this topic even more into an engineers realm. So in that sence of the world, they're about Par.
The tubing smoothness is pretty much in-concequential (sp) in this situation, it's there, but most is fairly low.
The WS6 setup does beat both, and if you want to argue... I'm up for it because I'm like to know how it's either equal to or worse than the either the SS or CAI. Heck, if I remove the filter to my Airbox, I can close the hood and see the TB blades... you can't get much less restriction...
03-03-2004, 07:33 PM
#56
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 369
Yes, WS6 setup owns all. Absolutely the straightest, shortest shot into the intake, short of just running open TB...
When i get my Ultra Z hood, I will be picking up the Ws6 box, although hopefully not for full price, somehow.
There...now we all agree
When i get my Ultra Z hood, I will be picking up the Ws6 box, although hopefully not for full price, somehow.
There...now we all agree
03-03-2004, 11:31 PM
#60
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: NY...what a bad place for a nice car
Posts: 2,315
i have an SS and really like it......the air box was origionally on my car soo i dont have to spend 300.00 for it.....im not gonna go out and buy a "CAI" and gain on 1-3 hp....it nothing u can feel..im my opinion if have the air box keep it...if u dont get a CAI but either way like most of u ppl said u will nto feel the difference also many ppl have their own tastes so whatever u like u buy
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