Question About Ram Ducting Vs Cai

V84mystang · Sep 18, 2014

Hey guys, first post. I just bought my first mustang Saturday. '06 GT prem. Very exciting for me! It's bone stock except for a rear spoiler, TSW 18" rims and a Cervini ram air hood. I have some air intake questions that my research isn't answering.

My first question is about the air filter. My understanding is when cai & tune are installed the biggest hp/throttle response gains come from the tune. How much more would a cai & tune gain me vs. installing a high flow k&n box filter replacement and also a tune? I see American muscle has the Airaid race cai & 93 oct tune as around a 30 rwhp gain from stock intake and stock tune.

Next question. Since I have the hood I'm kinda interested in utilizing the ram air. I know it starts boosting performance at about 40-45 mph but I can't really find specs on what gains come from it. It seems to me that it is essentially cold air coming from outside. Does anyone know if doing the ram with k&n stock filter replacement and tune will give similar gains to cai and tune?

Also, is there any point in trying to use both the ram ducting and a cai? I'm thinking it would be nice to have the tune, high flow filter and ram air gains without buying all 3; tuner, cai, and ram kit. I know the cai would increase the size of the intake but I'm wondering if the ram/high flow filter will still boost intake enough.

Thanks in advance for any input.

earleys94gt · Sep 19, 2014

You're right, the Tune will net more power than the CAI will. Personally, I like the idea of the air filter being enclosed in an air box, not "open" to engine bay heat. That said, there have been issues on some vehicles from the oil used on the K&N filters. I assume, these filters were very over oiled. You could always try a dry filter too, like an AEM.

I think the Ram Air Cervini system would be a very unique feature to have. True, the power won't come on till about 40 mph, but how often to we drive below 35-40 mph? Also, this route may modify/replace the OEM airbox which would change your plans too. I'd contact Cervinis with any specific questions.

Essentially, your engine is a glorified air pump. The more air you put in, the more power you make. At some point, however, with more/too much air comes the need for more fuel and better flowing exhaust. I imagine the CAI would become a true cold air with the addition of the Ram Air system, which can only make more power. Will your '06 GT turn into a GT500, no, but it won't be a run-of-the-mill GT either.

V84mystang · Sep 23, 2014

Can I get a replacement intake tube from the stock box to the throttle body to increase air flow? I know that's one of the reasons CAIs help the car breath.

V84mystang · Sep 23, 2014

I would think that adding a high flow filter and a larger tube (not sure what the technical name is) bringing air from the filter box to the TB would do almost exactly what a CAI kit does, the cai may have a slightly larger filter surface advantage but this would allow me to utilize the ram. I've seen pics of people using the ram ducting and cai but I don't see how just blowing cold air over the cold air filter will give any ram bennifit.
I can't seem to find and replacments for the stock air filter duct/tube to be utilized with the stock air filter box.
Anyone know?

joshw0000 · Oct 1, 2014

You would see the most increase from a ram air and a tune. However, be careful because it's doing just that...ramming air. If you're driving in heavy rain, there's a chance you could suck up some water, although the system should have some sort of fail safe to prevent that. Hard accelerations during heavy rain might cause the system to suck in water. The purpose of the cold air is to isolate the filter in an area where cold air will blow in and use that. The colder the air and more of it you can get, the more horse power you produce, essentially.

I like the idea of a ram air and a cold air intake. In theory, you're forcing cold air to an isolated area and the cai is sucking up cold air and shouldn't run the risk of pulling any water. In application it's probably no different than a cold air.

I haven't had any issues with cai cleaning kits but I follow the instructions to a tea. Plan for a day or two cleaning time so you're not applying the oil to a wet filter and so the filter is completely dry before re-installing it.

dcarlson · Oct 1, 2014

V84mystang said:
Can I get a replacement intake tube from the stock box to the throttle body to increase air flow? I know that's one of the reasons CAIs help the car breath.

The Mass Air Flow sensor mounts in that tube. If you change the diameter of that tube, or even the shape of the entry of air into that tube, you change the proportion of the air flowing through the tube that makes contact with the sensor. The MAF sensor not only measures the air going into the engine, it also gives the computer the information it needs to calculate the amount of load the engine is under, and therefore the amount of spar advance to run.

If you change that tube in any way except for one that has been previously tested and "mapped" you will need a custom dyno tune to get the best and safest performance. (Which is what you should be getting anyway.)

timjimmy · Oct 12, 2014

I ran a Shaker hood scoop with ram air system for about two years, and although it did provide a power increase over 40-45 mph, I swapped it out for a C&L Racer CAI. The way I saw it, more often than not I wanted more power going from 0 to around the speed limit (45-60 or so) and not beyond. Limiting my lower end airflow wasn't ideal because it wasn't very often that I'd bang through the gears up to one hundred. That and most true ram air systems are designed to use the factory air intake, which is a piece of trash. A quality CAI will include a heat shield/air dam to feed air in over the headlight. I don't like it's intake tube, but the FRPP CAI is a good example of what I'm referring to.

V84mystang · Oct 17, 2014

Thanks for the input guys. Really helpful. I think I'll just enjoy the aggressive styling of the ram air hood and go with a tuner first then a CAI. The car does turn heads.

Noobz347 · Oct 18, 2014

V84mystang said:
Thanks for the input guys. Really helpful. I think I'll just enjoy the aggressive styling of the ram air hood and go with a tuner first then a CAI. The car does turn heads.

There's one more issue that I didn't see brought up as I scanned through this post...

Future mods... Keep ALL of your old stuff. Keep your hood, keep your OEM airbox and inlet, keep everything. If you decide later that you want blower kit X that was designed as a drop-in kit, then you'll likely have difficulty integrating it with your ram air kit.

The only thing I don't like about ram air is this specific issue. Properly designed kits don't allow water and or debris into the intake. Many have an air box with an integrated clean-out of some sort.

Question About Ram Ducting Vs Cai

V84mystang

New Member

earleys94gt

Active Member

V84mystang

New Member

V84mystang

New Member

joshw0000

Active Member

dcarlson

Member

timjimmy

Active Member

V84mystang

New Member

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Similar threads

Question About Ram Ducting Vs Cai

New Member

Active Member

New Member

New Member

Active Member

Member

Active Member

New Member

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency