what is the diff between rai and cai?

mustangkid05 · May 17, 2006

so what is the diff between the two??

romaine

BurningRubber · May 17, 2006

Cold air induction is just that... a high flowing filter mounted where it will suck in the coolest air it can. Most if not all CAI's are fenderwell mounted so the filter is kind of protected from water and alot of dirt, cooler air in there also.

Ram air induction is better. Its basically mounted up so there is something that scoops, or gets air rammed directly into it as speed increases. At a stop, its basically a CAI. The faster you are going, the more are you are sucking up. The air being forced into the intake then gets sent to the filter, and it functions like normal from there. March's ram air has a scoop that mounts in the bumper I think, and it scoops air from down there up to the air filter, but that can act like a big vaccum cleaner kinda...

DropTopPony · May 17, 2006

BurningRubber said:
Cold air induction is just that... a high flowing filter mounted where it will suck in the coolest air it can. Most if not all CAI's are fenderwell mounted so the filter is kind of protected from water and alot of dirt, cooler air in there also.

Ram air induction is better. Its basically mounted up so there is something that scoops, or gets air rammed directly into it as speed increases. At a stop, its basically a CAI. The faster you are going, the more are you are sucking up. The air being forced into the intake then gets sent to the filter, and it functions like normal from there. March's ram air has a scoop that mounts in the bumper I think, and it scoops air from down there up to the air filter, but that can act like a big vaccum cleaner kinda...

Prove it!

02FastblackGT · May 17, 2006

CAI have filters placed outside of the engine bay. Since the filter is out of the heat created by the engine, it is therefore cooler. It has been proven that cooler air creates more HP. The downsides to having your filter outside of your engine bay are the threat of rain/deep flooding causing water to be taken in by the filter, therefore hydrolocking your engine. Also, if the filter has a direct air flow from outside air, it might be possible to get dirtier quicker, as opposed to a filter underneath the hood. One thing I know from living here in the desert...the air outside isn't much cooler than the air underneath my hood. I would much rather have the peace of mind while driving in the rain/through flooded areas, that I don't have to risk hydrolocking. Just a few things to keep in mind before buying...

03ghoststang · May 17, 2006

aint it that Ram air really starts to do its job when you are going around or over 100mph

bakos24 · May 17, 2006

03ghoststang said:
aint it that Ram air really starts to do its job when you are going around or over 100mph

Thats what I thought

PlatinumDevil · May 17, 2006

Yes but its still very cold air, probably alot cooler than the air coming from the CAI intake. Depending on where this ram air is located. If its the mach1 style than it will be much colder than a fender mount, if its the march kit it will be a similiar temperature(if not warmer) to the fendermount CAI...

My reasoning.... ever lie on the asphault on a really hot day, the march kit puts the 'snorkel' like 4 inches above the ground... not to mention you could make the march kit for like 8 dollars with flex pipe.

Its also important to note that the length of the intake piping affects your powerband by about 100-300 rpm. (why some people opt for short warm air intakes, or short-ram... personally i think its retarded, but hey, i dont drive a civic.)

mustangkid05 · May 17, 2006

so youre saying basically a cai is more effective?

Kilgore Trout · May 17, 2006

CAI > stock intake > RAI

mustangkid05 · May 17, 2006

McTeague said:
CAI > stock intake > RAI

so youre saying they are just as good as stock?!?

Kilgore Trout · May 17, 2006

Cold Air greater than stock greater than "ram air"

Because "ram air" is just a cheesy gimmick that you will wish you never installed.

BurningRubber · May 17, 2006

I dont see how a CAI will outperform a well set up RAI setup. Think about it... the ram air IS a cold air induction, but with the added benefit of more air being forced in the faster you are going.

Look at it like this, why do some people pull their headlight on the intake side when they go drag racing..? Thats extra air being shot directly at the intake... same concept with the ram air. If it didnt perform any better than a cold air setup, I dont see how it would be worse though... unless you talking price/bang for the buck wise.

Just my opinion on it though.

Yellow2002GT · May 17, 2006

The biggest difference with the cold air kits over stock is that they are smoothed out inside which allows for less restricted air flow......relocating the intake away from the heat of the engine bay is always better but only really makes a difference if your at a stop for a while........a bigger volume intake like the AFM Power Pipe is the true way to go but without the supporting mods i.e. bigger TB, Plenum, MAF, and full exhaust it wouldn't help that much.....Now when I had all the supporting mods with the BBK Cold air intake I changed over to the power pipe and with a good dyno tune pulled out another 13 rwhp and 15 rwtq but it also required a Pro-M air meter.

"ED"
264 rwhp and 304 rwtq
AODE stock cams, heads and block daily driver
12.9@102 1/4
8.22@82 1/8
1.72 60ft

loosescrew79 · May 18, 2006

For a cia to work to its full capability it needs the rest of the intake mods. Ram air may force more air in (yes at higher speeds) and so will larger and smooth intake tubes. But if you have the stock t/b and plenum you are just restricting the air flow again. Same as exhaust. You can't push more air into the motor than you have exiting

Kilgore Trout · May 18, 2006

Also the "ram air" kits are typically a cheap plastic collector and some dryer vent tubing. They are typically overpriced for what you get.

03ghoststang · May 18, 2006

i dunno but i like the way the functional shaker hood looks on the Mach1 and the ram air look on the WS-6 but those cars came with it stock, so just get a CAI fendermount

hognutz · May 18, 2006

ram air is so over rated for the money IMO.

I had a snorkle on my 72 nova bracket car. It ran 10.2-10.5 in the range at about 125-126.

I built a ram air box to force the air from the snorkle to the engine. it ran 10.2-10.5 at 126-127. I gained about 1mph wich is meaninless in braket racing for a decent as amount of work.

myponyrocks · May 18, 2006

there is no ram air for a street legal car, however the Shaker and some of the falsely advertised Ram Air kits, are more efficient than just a normal CAI (my reasoning, air is being pulled in directly from the coolest possible place) However this may even be bs as most of the shaker and ram air kits have a lot of tubing before they get to the filter, and most of that tubing is in the engine bay....

But I still love my shaker.

If you're trying to save money just get a K&N filter only, and be done with it. If you want more power... well the debate has swung very much against the possibility of Ram Air, and is pretty much dead even on CAI vs Stock.

RaceDvr50 · May 18, 2006

Yes cheesy ram air systems are likely worthless but a good rai is like a cai on steroids you get some amount of forced induction and in case some people have forgotten from the comments I've seen posted here forced induction like turbos and blowers is a good thing. Not saying you will get 10 psi out of a good rai because you won't but instead of sucking air, your intake will be under positive pressure and yes the faster you go the better it works.

hognutz · May 18, 2006

myponyrocks said:
there is no ram air for a street legal car, however the Shaker and some of the falsely advertised Ram Air kits, are more efficient than just a normal CAI (my reasoning, air is being pulled in directly from the coolest possible place) However this may even be bs as most of the shaker and ram air kits have a lot of tubing before they get to the filter, and most of that tubing is in the engine bay....

But I still love my shaker.

If you're trying to save money just get a K&N filter only, and be done with it. If you want more power... well the debate has swung very much against the possibility of Ram Air, and is pretty much dead even on CAI vs Stock.

I like the looks of the shaker. as long as someone relizes it is a styling mod and not much on the performance end.

RaceDvr50 said:
Yes cheesy ram air systems are likely worthless but a good rai is like a cai on steroids you get some amount of forced induction and in case some people have forgotten from the comments I've seen posted here forced induction like turbos and blowers is a good thing. Not saying you will get 10 psi out of a good rai because you won't but instead of sucking air, your intake will be under positive pressure and yes the faster you go the better it works.

I am calling unless you can show me some examples of real word gains.

I have done this. 1mph increase and no et gain on a 500hp car tell me there is not much steriods to a ram air. this was box than mounted to the carb, sealed to the hood right under the snorkle. that is about as ram air as it gets.

what is the diff between rai and cai?

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