Fenderwell vs. engine bay CAI

[Makdaddymac]

okay im still contrucitng my cai despite opinions. i have a pipe that bend perfect to put it in the fender but my coupler is about 1inch to short to make the right angle so the filter will fit in the fender well!!!!! but i can put it nicely in the engine bay and have the tip of the cone sneaking out the stock intake fender hole the extension is going to cost me anoht 15-20.00 in parts. since couplers are 8.00 and i need a 3 inch pipe of something. but i was thinking wouldnt it be safer to run it closer to the stock location, i know about engine temp and etc. but also i had a cai on fwd car that dipped down near the fender and when we had hurricanes gues what happened a cold water intake

so should i just go for the extension or what?

 

[cenok is family]

either put it in the fender or put the stock airbox back on

 

[DocG]

Ram air, duct mounted under bumper. Its what's on mine and is super fast. Faster than with stickers!

 

[LaserSVT]

Fenderwell. In the engine compartment you can get wash from the fan and it will screw up the MAF readings. And Doc, stay clear of water on the road. Hate to see you hydro lock that engine.

 

[S&B]

laser would just hate to see the hydro lock, all you guys know that



I would hope that a K&N sticker would give you at least 20 hp if put on the rear window, and about 10hp if placed under hood

 

[Makdaddymac]

i hate cai intake hp gain claims im doing for the sound of hearing the air suck in when i rev it, and cosmetically is appealing IMO.

but one thing i have to consider, i have sd, so the whole maf reading wont do nothign for me! lol... it is a cold air vs. hot air debate but as far as the ecu doing anything from a maf idk if thats gonna happen

 

[NIKwoaC]

Just put it in the fender like how most aftermarket applications place it. There is a reason they all look the same. Drawing in hot engine bay air is doing you no good. Even Ford knew that, and is why the stock airbox pulls air from the fender, not from the engine bay.

 

[5point0dude]

Yeah go with a fenderwell mounted CAI. I first had a K&N CAI mounted in the engine bay, it would get dirty so quick, I would have to clean it out once a month. I've had the fenderwell monted one on for over a year and have only had to clean it out twice.

 

[1991notchbackLX]

The cooler the intake charge, the better. That's the basic principle behind air to air/air to water heat exchangers/intercoolers and water/methanol injection systems. Cooler air is more dense, and, therefore, more molecules of air can be packed into a smaller space. All matter is inclined to move from an area of high density to an area of lower density, or high pressure to low pressure. I don't think I need to explain why more air makes more power for an internal combustion engine (see Turbocharging or Supercharging), nor do I feel the need to delve any deeper into the principles of thermodynamics on a mustang forum. That said, would you prefer a cold air intake or a hot air intake?

Put it in the fenderwell. You aren't smarter than the mechanical engineers and research and development teams that come up with these designs. If you just want "dat cool swoosh sound wen i hit da gas" then put it wherever you please.

 

[Makdaddymac]

i agree the fender is the better spot for dense more horse filled air!
but im also keeping in mind water that can splash into the fender. it seems the fender design would be less likely to take up splashes on the fox but that is my main only concern for that.

ps. has anyone ever tested there air box temps vs intake pipes. plastic boxes would just absorb the heat where as a a aluminfoil wrapped aluminum pipe or something would deflect it??

 

[SteedaGT9150]

solution to all problems.

MUSTANG-UPR Products.com

 

[Foxfan88]

dbl post

 

[Foxfan88]

i agree the fender is the better spot for dense more horse filled air!
but im also keeping in mind water that can splash into the fender. it seems the fender design would be less likely to take up splashes on the fox but that is my main only concern for that.

ps. has anyone ever tested there air box temps vs intake pipes. plastic boxes would just absorb the heat where as a a aluminfoil wrapped aluminum pipe or something would deflect it??

you would have to drive your car in a 2-3 puddle of water to get water on the filter, dont worry, your not going to suck anything in the motor thats going to hurt it.

as for the pipes, some plastic pipes seem to do a good job of not getting. aluminum is also a great choice. aluminum doesnt reflect heat, it simply dissapates heat at a faster rate that steel or etc. dont wrap a pipe with foil. thats just more meat for the the heat to heat soak up.

i wouldnt worry about it thought pipe material choices based on heat dissapation is something super fast high HP guys worry about when trying to make that few extra HP to get ahead of the competition.

and definatly put the filter in the fender.

some guys dont give a good CAI enough credit, while they dont make a big difference, on some cars they do help. especially if the previous setup is just a filter hanging in the engine bay.

and i do think the stock airbox has some things that could be improved, i know for a fact that the stock flex rubber tube with the ribs doesnt exhibit best possible flow. and the ackward turn the air makes in the stock airbox. it comes throught the panel, literally hits a wall and turns right in to the MAF. but that doesnt mean it doesnt flow more than enough air for a stock setup. but with a HCI, i bet a good fender CAI would be better.

to me a run of the mill fender CAI is a better design, it just that sometimes the bend can throw the maf reading off a bit, but this can be corrected easily with a little tuning. i am assuming ford flowtested their mafs on the mustang with the actual airbox setup used from the factory. beacuse i am sure the stock airbox isnt the idea maf setup. the best maf setup is to have straight pipe going in and coming out. thats best for flow and meter accuracy.

 

[millhouse]

Here is one of the better CAI's you can run in a stock-ish foxbody.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Just throw in a K&N filter that fit's and you're good to go!

As for the stock accordion, it has a purpose and really doesn't restrict flow much at all. Air will actually get trapped in the valleys...which will actually lubricate the air passing through it speeding the flow up (the same principal is used in a golf ball). By doing this, it keeps harmonics down. A smooth tube with the same I.D. size as the smallest cross-section will actually slow the air down and can cause some wacky harmonic issues. Reflecting air back on a MAF sensor that has already metered the air tends to be a bad thing.

You also want to limit the amount of bends in your system, as more bends equal more restriction.