what is the diference between a short ram intake & cold air intake

rwlsvtec_03

New Member
Search the site before reposting topics that have already been discused.
Cold air usually goes down into the front bumper bringing in colder outside air.
Short ram breathes engine bay air (higher temp) but usually throttle response is slightly better.
Cold air is more expensive and I'm not sure about power gains between the two.
 

sumfilipinodude

New Member
Search the site before reposting topics that have already been discused.
Cold air usually goes down into the front bumper bringing in colder outside air.
Short ram breathes engine bay air (higher temp) but usually throttle response is slightly better.
Cold air is more expensive and I'm not sure about power gains between the two.
x2. Yeah this is a topic that will come up many many times on various forums if you just search. Also with cold air, you might hydro lock due to sucking up water since the filter sits so low close to the ground.
 

obama'swhiteson

New Member
ill help you out man
id say short ram but others may disagree shortram does suck in hot air after engine warms up
cold air intake sucks in water and may seas engine up when it rains
ive heard that the ice box set up it legit
 


BrainDeadSpeed

Southern Imports
Ok, here's the big difference...

A Cold Air Intake (CAI) system is built to take the air from under the car which is generally colder and the cold air helps with increasing horsepower.

A Short Ram Intake (SRI) system is built to take the air from inside your engine bay, which is generally hot from the engine.

With a SRI you get appearance, with CAI you get power. I'm having a hard time deciding if I want power or appearance since my car isn't a race car and is gonna be shown off I'm leaning to SRI.

Generally SRI is cheaper but CAI give a higher horsepower boost to your engine. CAI can suck in water during rain and get water inside your engine. So it's a big toss up.
 

obama'swhiteson

New Member
Ok, here's the big difference...

A Cold Air Intake (CAI) system is built to take the air from under the car which is generally colder and the cold air helps with increasing horsepower.

A Short Ram Intake (SRI) system is built to take the air from inside your engine bay, which is generally hot from the engine.

With a SRI you get appearance, with CAI you get power. I'm having a hard time deciding if I want power or appearance since my car isn't a race car and is gonna be shown off I'm leaning to SRI.

Generally SRI is cheaper but CAI give a higher horsepower boost to your engine. CAI can suck in water during rain and get water inside your engine. So it's a big toss up.
egg-zackly8)
 

Nighthawk

Goes Vroom in the Night
In all honesty, on a completely stock (or bolt-on modded) Integra, neither is really going to do much for you. Your looking at a totally unnoticeable power gain, you'll only "feel" it because it sounds different.

There are alot of parts that factor in when trying to make power with intake mods...Throttle Body, Intake Manifold, Intake Piping/Filter, Manifold Runners, Cylinder Head (any porting, etc), Cams, etc. It's a build with all of these things in mind that will merit the discussion of "making power" or "performance gains." Simply bolting on ONLY an intake is not going to do anything for you, regardless of which one you choose.

The SRI only sucks in hot air and CAIs will seize your motor lines aren't exactly spot on either. The SRI does have a filter in the engine bay, but once you are moving air does migrate through the engine bay somewhat. Only at idle/low speed are you truly sucking in hot engine bay air. That's why people sometimes turn to vented hoods, velocity stacks, removing a headlamp lens, icebox setups, etc. The chances of a CAI sucking up enough water to seize your motor isn't the fault of the intake, rather the driver. You have to drive through a SUBSTANTIAL amount of water for this to happen. Damp roads and very small puddles are not going to destroy your car.

There is a great deal of expandability involved when you get an SRI...for instance you can even turn it into a cold air intake (with hardware and bent piping). This is a plus because you can simply remove the lower piping during bad rain seasons, etc. You can also create an "icebox" setup similar to that of the Comptech design.
 


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