mugenracer

I had short ram pipe (3" diameter) with a blitz SuS filter and cold air feed which i was fairly happy with even though it left the car a little jittery around town where the cold air fed wasnt getting a strong enough blast to let cold air in at the filter. So about 3 weeks ago, i bought a full cold air intake, and ripped out the resonator chamber and fitted the CAI. the piping for the CAi is 2.75" compared to the short ram 3", since then i actually think my car is slower and its seems to bog on take off (which nearly caused me an accident today when i was pulling out from a busy junction in firts gear, i put my foot down and there was nothing for a couple of seconds) I realise the air now has to travel further to reach the T/B but once it gets a staedy flow it should be ok...shouldnt it?? I even find on the open road that it doesnt have the same power it had with the short ram pipe, and i'v elost the vtec noise at 4400rpm although the secondaries are now sort of louder. has anyone else found this after swapping from short ram to CAI


[Modified by mugenracer, 4:06 PM 3/18/2003]

Diego Boost

That's strange man, and no, the longer pipe should not make any difference in time it takes for the air to get to your Mani. Back when I had my civic I remember switch from the shorty to the AEM CAI and the difference was amazing! Make sure the pipe going from your valve cover to the CAI piping is not clogged. Good luck

SuzukaBlueAP2

I understand ya...i started out the the same thing...3" short ram intake...then tried one of those front mount intakes, then a cold air....and now I'm back to a stock air box. There is SO much more torque with my stock box on than any of the other combinations. The only one i noticed something from was from the front mount

jeebusm3

short ram should give quicker throttle response, while cold air will give power.

MachAF

When I install my CAI i get more torque, when I'm running my short ram I get more topend power.

integobsession

well... did you re-set the ecu? Maybe it'll help out a bit.

If you haven't... dis-connect the battery and leave it alone for a few minutes... then when you start the engine (with the battery connected now of course) don't touch the throttle and let the engine idle until the fans start turning...

Other than that i don't know what to tell ya'.

mugenracer

Yep, i reset the ECU 3 times in the first week after i installed it just to be sure and still its the same. I'm going to have to leave it for now as i sold the blitz filter (dang!) anywho, i'm getting my CTR cams and DC JDM 4-1 fitted next week, so i'm going to wait and see how it works with them, and if i still feel its not up to the job, then i'll just stick the short ram back on along with the CAI K&N filter.

StyleTEG

Yes, the piping length does change how long it takes for the air to get into the IM. Imagine drinking from a short thick straw, how long does it take to get liquid once you start sucking? Almost none. Now imagine sucking through a long thin straw, takes much longer. Same idea applies

The main difference between the two intakes is piping length and diameter. With the except of the CAI "hump" between 4-5k (a surge of 3-5whp do to the engine reaching volumetric effiecency), the performance is almost exactly the same until higher RPMs (where the shortram reaches volumetric effiecency). The fact that the air is colder privdes minimal difference. Once the car gets up to 30mph the air in the engine bay is fresh and cool anyways.

mugenracer

Since i ripped out the resonator box/chamber and all its pipe work, theres plenty of room lower down now, i was thinking that if i were to cut the lower section of intake pipe, just where it enters into the front wing, and place the filter down there, would it be at risk from water splashing up, seeing as the bottom is totally exposed with no covering. Theoretically it should have a better supply of cold air lower down, nearer to the ground than on the end of a short ram, but i would be slightly worried about splashing water. I may place a sheet of cardboard down there for a few days and then inspect it for dirt/water and then decide.

B00ST2nR

I felt a good gain on my car when I switched from 3" inch Akimoto Short Ram Intake, to AEM CAI. Especially up on top. I do agree that the short ram gave me slightly better feedback on the lower RPMS, but everything after that, the CAI felt much better.

Especially when I switched my 2.75 inch GS-R CAI to a 3" inch Type-R AEM CAI for my Skunk2 IM.

Did you install it correctly? My car NEVER bogged.

Buckshot

i had a short ram on for winter and i just put my aem cai back on...i felt a big difference in top end power...but i have itr cams..

Rory Breaker

A short ram will be louder than a CAI in every instance that Ive seen. As for the bogging, something definitely isnt right.

Do you have pictures of your old intake? How did you feed the cold air?

XDEep

haha i think its your guys' imaginations. ive gone back and forth several times and there is very little noticeable difference if any. k&n filter, 3" aluminum piping, silicone couplers..
the stock intake shows its poor flow when you have header/exhaust

ajchen

pop your hood after a hard highway drive and you'll notice that the engine bay is not so fresh and cool if we had some kind of hood vent that allowed fresh air in then i'd agree... but for tegs there really arent any vents or ducts to keep underhood temps cool.

DK4200

thats strange... i had a short ram DC Sports intake then i got the cold air extension and the next day at the track i gained 2 tenths of a second on my 1/4 time

ajchen

uh thats not an accurate cause and effect... maybe you learned to drive over those 24 hours... maybe track conditions and weather was different....

even comparing dyno runs isnt 100% accurate. track times are even less so...

ALF

I get the same effect when switching from my stock airbox to my CAI. The loss in low-end torque is definite and the bog you described is there. When I switched back to my stock airbox, I got my low-end torque back, but lost my high-end pull. I'm also modifying and reinstalling my stock resonator to mimic that of the ITR.

On a side note, I always felt slight hesitation with my CAI when driving in rain. With the stock airbox, everything feels normal...but that's my experience. Your results may vary.

I guess my AEM will be staying in its box permanently.

DR3AM

This short ram vs cold air debate can go on and on and on - enough with everyone's butt-dyno (since we all know it doesn't provide enough empirical data) and someone post a dyno sheet comparing their car with a short ram vs a cold air.

just my 2 cents

XDEep

theres plenty of those too. basically the short ram starts to gain in uber high end setups. imo you either like the hump and the sound or you dont. hydrolock is also an issue.

2/10ths of a second lol

StyleTEG

3" Shortram vs 3" CAI on a B20 nonVTEC with ITR cams, JDM 4-1 header, and tuned with the CAI *not* the Shortram.

Notice the HP is exactly the same except for the hump. No loss in the low end like people keep talking about.

pr0jektdc2

hol up so u can put ITR cams on a non-vtec motor...i dont think thats possible...actually im 99.9% sure that wont work unless u modify the cams!?!? hmmm

Regular Series

Not really. There will always be air in the pipe, whether the car is drawing it in or not. The pipe does not create a vacuum.

XDEep

hahah

riceball777

you cant put itr cams in a non vtec motor

Westrock2000

Dude are you crazy!??! I put ITR cams and the ITR pistons and intake manifold on my non VTEC B20 fool!

Just kidding by the way