Here is some info on Volant CAI systems

[TXSnakeCharmer]

I have used quite a few different CAI setups on my 99 including several custom versions, but what I have always really wanted and couldn’t have is a high performance "Plastic" CAI kit, but no vendor has ever made one to fit the 99-01 Cobra’s, and very few if any for other model years. Seems logical that Ford made it's stock CAI out of plastic to reduce heat absorption so why are all other vendors making theirs out of metal, ceramic coated or not? (dunno) Anyhow, I happened across Volant Performance website (http://www.volantperformance.com ) and noticed they had a kit listed for 96-01 Cobra/Bullitt (#19946C). Questioning this since these two engines are very different I called to discuss. At the time the tech support was confident it would fit according to their designs. I purchased it and it doesn’t fit a 99-01 Cobra. It was designed for the Bullitt or 96-98 Cobra which has an angled throttle body inlet and intake and they were not aware of the design change for 99-01. After discussing the situation with them they very nicely offered to develop a new CAI kit for the 99-01 Cobra’s. Being the experimental and squeaky wheel I am, I should be the first official customer to take delivery of the final product. The bad news is it will take a couple months to get to production. I still have the incorrect delivered kit here and I would like to say it is very nicely made, in fact the best CAI I have ever seen for our Cobra’s (yes the WMS is nice also, but metal). It looks like they put some real thought into producing a kit that flows more cold air and reduces heat absorption while maintaining a great look and fit like stock at a decent price. The following link is a picture of the GT version which is similar (but different). I have seen a few threads throughout the boards asking about this product, but apparently I was the first to try it and bring this to their attention so I just wanted to share in case others are interested. When I do get the final product delivered and installed, rest assured you’ll get the scoop on it. For now, don’t buy the advertised kit for 99-01 regardless of who tells you it’ll fit, because it won’t. And in good faith I appreciate the fact they are going to make an effort to develop a correct product for the 99-01 group which tends to get less attention than other model year Cobras in the after market world. As I have seen a million times, if a good product is offered to Cobra owners, it’ll sell itself in droves when word spreads about it.

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[Benny]

All I can add is I have a Volant on my Focus and if it works as well on a cobra then it should be one of the best.

 

[trents99]

The one in that picture looks nice but did they say anything about one that will just have an open air element to reduce costs? Thanks for taking the time to get them on making a product for us 99-01 owners.

 

[TXSnakeCharmer]

They didnt mention however I suppose it's possible, but that would defeat the concept of "cold air". I know you can install the "boxed" kit without the box but that doesnt help on saving $$. They did mention trying to incorporate a larger air filter. To early to tell, they are only now in earliest stages. I am suppose to get updates from them as they progress. They are suppose to have a 99 Cobra and a Mach 1 in this week to begin design and fit for each.

The one in that picture looks nice but did they say anything about one that will just have an open air element to reduce costs? Thanks for taking the time to get them on making a product for us 99-01 owners.

 

[mikey99cobra]

it looks good and all. but wouldnt the box that the filter is in work the same as the air box that comes stock? I thought most were in favor of getting rid of the air box. Just and observation...

 

[missouri_guy197]

I was gonna say, that filter looks pretty miniscule...Is the front of the box open or just the side? Do aftermarket MAF meters fit on it?

 

[Craig Mack]

I have been searching threads every now and then about intakes, and most say the gains produced by an intake arent worth the costs. I don't want to pay $200 for anything short of 7rwhp.

 

[TXSnakeCharmer]

mikey99cobra,
Yes, material and visually it is similar to the stock airbox without a doubt, but it is designed to flow more air than the stock airbox, as is the duct from the MAF to TB. That is the name of game. More air and keep it cool. Everything else is not relative regarding a CAI.

missouri_guy197,
The filter is not huge, but it is no smaller than the filter you get with a DenseCharger, WMS, MAC, etc kit that goes into the fender. In fact any kit that goes into the fender is limited because the filter can be only so big to fit into the fender. The filter in the kit I received does not have a front inlet like a S&B PowerStack filter, only side like most. You can use any aftermarket MAF you want as long as it's designed to fit the same as the stock MAF (flange). For instance I use a Pro-M 87 bullet which I have used with the stock box, WMS elbow, home made straight into the engine compartment, and I plan on using it with this. In fact it's at Pro-M right now being recalibrated for this configuration as I write this. Oh, BTW, during my conversation with Volant they mentioned adding a larger filter for the Cobra version. Also filter size doesnt always mean it flows more, and sometimes too much flow is too much depending on whether or not the engine is setup to handle it.

Craig Mack,
You do make a good point. I've spent hundreds of hours data logging, tuning, measuring IAT temps under varying conditions with my 99 and I can tell you for a fact cold IAT is better than warm IAT and the fact it comes from the fender doesnt always mean it's colder. In fact, most probably dont realize that as you sit in traffic and your fan comes on, the rotation direction swirls hot air down and up into the fender well. I have seen up to 15-25F increase in IAT stopped in traffic when my fan kicks on. When it goes off the temps go down. Of course when you are driving the temps also reduce. There are many other things that affect the IAT also, to the point of saturating the IAT sensor even with a fender kit. So you are thinking what difference does it make whether it's a fender kit or stock like kit? Depending on all the mods you use, how you tweak, tune, etc it may not make any difference or it could make a world of difference. When I installed my jet-hot coated headers, covered all engine bay lines and hoses with anti-heat covers, wrapped my exhaust I dropped my IAT temps over 30-40F, engine temps 15-20 and increased my exhaust temps to the tailpipe significantly. Cold air in and hot air out means better performance. There is a science to all this stuff, not just buying something cause the label says it's good or otherwise. In addition, every mod is a piece of crap unless your car is able to adapt to it or it's tuned correctly. Also keep in mind if you spend $3000 on a SC that nets you 100 extra ponies that's $30 per HP. At $200 for 7 extra ponies that's $28 per HP. I dont see that big a difference in the math. Generally speaking the reason why most CAI dont give folks much HP is because it's not a stand alone mod, when it's complimented with other mods it's capable of much more than 7HP. If you are worried about the money you should buy another cheaper car or dont mod it at all, cause once you add one mod, it affects something else that requires another mod to work right and it never ends.

Anyhow, I'm not a stock holder in this company, I just like the concept and it's fits my needs. I'm not looking to make HP with this item, I already have that without it, so anything extra is a bonus, plus it's visually appealing and will help with driveability. Dont take this as busting anyones balls as sometimes I am long winded. I simply prefer to base all my mods off facts which I obtain through personal testing and experience. This may not be the mod for you. But I think if and when it hits the markets it'll be a very hot item and I do think it'll be worth a couple ponies.

 

[Blk99SvtCobra]

i think their might be a few all plastic or plastic and rubber
mine in combo with a maf gives a sexy whistle around 4000

 

[Benny]

I know we all look for HP gains when we shell out cash for mods but in my case it seemed the money well spent. J Colletti(head of SVT) commented that 03 cobras "breathes through a straw". I feel that a decent CAI makes the engine breath easier relieveing some stress on the system.

just my 2 cents

 

[TXSnakeCharmer]

FWIW,
The air filter this Bullit kit came with is a AFE universal big mouth filter. I emailed AFE for the CFM of this filter. Granted this isnt the correct kit for the 99-01 Cobra's so it probably wont apply when the correct kit is made, but gives a good reference point. I was able to fit my S&B Power Stack = 1272 CFM into the air box, so that would be more than enough air flow I may end up doing some experimenting with this kit minus their PP and use my own. I have some good ideas now after thinking about this and examining the kit for a week

 

[TXSnakeCharmer]

Volant claims their air boxes and ducts are made from a material called "X-Link Polyethylene" to insulate from conducting much less heat than metal systems. Well, again my curiousity got the best of me.....I positioned a hair dryer on high and pointed it towards the airbox on the side that would normally be closest to the engine when installed. Over the course of several minutes I took several temperature readings using my Raytek AutoPro (automotive laser thermometer) on both the outside and inside of the airbox at the exact same spots directly where the hair dryer was pointed. The inside point was a constant 40F cooler than the outside point. Considering the material is only like 1/4" thick (if that) I think 40F is a significant difference.

To put this into perspective, I did the same test afterwards using the stock plastic Ford airbox and the difference in temp from inside to the outside averaged 12F.

The same test was done on a 3.5" chrome exhaust pipe and the difference in temps was about 8F

And finally I did the same test on an original WMS Velocity Tube (elbow) which is suppose to be black ceramic coated. The difference averaged 10F.

So it looks as thought Volant has done their homework as far as material goes, by a long shot!!!

I had to come back and edit this one time because I did one more test using a piece of white 3" PVC pipe from Home Depot. The difference was 100F I guess DenseCharger has a good thing going based off that!!

I then wrapped the same 3" PVC pipe with Design Engineering "Heat Screen Radiant Matting" and got a difference of 117F. I was expecting more than 17F help from the matting but that's not bad.

 

[tmhutch]

Great info as usual Shane. Cant wait to here results on the new setup.\

Todd

 

[TXSnakeCharmer]

OK, got the one month update today from Volant. They got a 99 Cobra test car in with a STB installed (dont know which brand STB) and got a design fitted. Appears the lightning owners buy the Volant kits but had to drill extra holes in the airbox to allow more air to enter the box as the engine sucked up the airbox air quicker than it could replenish from the opening into the fender. So Volant is making the 99-01 Cobra airbox much larger with a larger filter. For the filter; instead of the old 3.5" diameter inlet x 6" length for the GT/Bullitt and older Cobra, they are using a 4" inlet diameter with a 7" length and a better flowing material. The duct from the MAF to TB will also loose one of the 90 degree bends found in the stock duct to straighten the path out some. This kit will also fit the Mach 1 and will have an optional piece available to attach the shaker scoop for additonal air like the stock Mach 1. I was told they would send me the filter CFM as soon as they decided exactly which filter they would use. The ETA for this product is mid June as of right now. Could be sooner or could be later.

 

[tmhutch]

Excellent!

Curious to see how it will compare to the Densecharger.

Todd

 

[mstangfrk95GTS!]

ok so whats the pricing likw on these things, are we talking 300 bucks or something here??

im looking for a CAI for the Mach 1 and have only found 2 of them and they are 230$ and 310 $ respectively


im not about to spend that on a CAI unless its worth 100hp

 

[TXSnakeCharmer]

Todd, performance wise yes, I will be interested also. It is a different approach than the DenseCharger it doesnt put the filter in fender with the 90 degree pipe off the MAF. There are really two main MAF calibrations, one for conical filter (or airbox) off the MAF and one for the 90 degree pipe into the fender. The two calibrations are like black and white. I recently had Pro-M recal my 87mm for conical off the MAF and I noticed a huge difference when installed with the factory airbox and K&N. I always had a slight dip in idle with it calibrated for the 90 degree pipe when using it in a conical setup and the Mafterburner couldnt fix that. I think that's the key to any CAI is the MAF calibration although some CAI seem better designed than others. This guy from Corral has a nice CAI in works also. http://www.jlttruecoldair.com/index.html what I really like about his is it does go right into the fender and down but there is no 90 degree angle or bend off the MAF. The MAF still gets a straight shot and the extra long path the TB gives it good velocity, and his is plastic to. As for the price of the Volant, I dont have that. The prior versions ran around $230-$250 that's what I paid for the kit they sent me that didnt fit.

Excellent!

Curious to see how it will compare to the Densecharger.

Todd

 

[Nazman]

Great Info Shane!

As always very informative! I look foward to see your results. Sounds very interesting.

Keep up the good work brother.

Over here in Germany having lots of fun! Swapped my IRS with an 04 Solid and changed my 3.73 gears as well. I'm awaiting for the Hookers LTs and matching X as we speak.

Take care and keep us informed.

Naz

 

[tmhutch]

My Snake will be down for the gears and T-56 pretty soon. I wont be using the Densecharger. I'd be willing to volunteer mine for some back to back testing if you want to got to the trouble. It has the Pro-M 87 calibrated for the elbow and I'll pay for the shipping to you.

Todd

 

[YardSpecial]

Dig up old thread, did you ever get one that fit ??