We are proud to announce the launch of our new Chevy Volt Forum! For those of you who are interested in purchasing a Chevy Volt, or are interested in gas electric hybrids, and zero emissions vehicles, check out our Chevy Volt Forum today. We encourage you to join and be a member, it’s absolutely free!

Click here to join: Chevy Volt Forum

TWN SCRD GT is a member of our Ford Mustang Forum and has started a thread on his 2005 Ford Mustang GT and it’s build.

Follow the full thread with updates here: 2005 Ford Mustang GT Build Up

Follow the full thread with updates here: 2005 Ford Mustang GT Build Up

I am one HELL of a car NUT. Anything and all aspects about cars… I LOVE. It runs in my blood, it guides my life, and alot of my money and free time go into it. My current residence is in Savannah, TN with my wife of a year and a half, Emily.

The Car: 2005 Ford Mustang GT. Satin Silver, 5 speed, and some bolt ons. EVerything that has been done to this car, has been, and will be done by ME. No shop has ever worked on my car, except for my best friend to do my alignments at his Firestone store in Colorado Springs.

The Goods: Alot of this stuff has yet to be installed due to me being in Iraq for the past 10 months… but the time is getting close.
-Kenne Bell 2.6 liter Twin Screw supercharger, intercooled, stage 2, with Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump
-DIY Black powdercoated valve covers
-Moroso Coolant, -Moroso Oil catch Can
-Moroso Power Steering Tank
-Speed of Sound A-Pillar dual gauge pod
-Stewart Warner boost and Fuel Pressure gauges.
-Steeda Belt Tensioner
-Spec Stage 2 Clutch and Billet Steel Flywheel (Ordered and Received but not installed yet)
-Steeda Ultra-Lite Springs, BMR Front camber adjusting bolts.
-BMR Tubular Radiator support
-Tokico DSpec Shocks, fully adjustable, front and rear. (Not installed yet)
-Steeda Lower and Upper rear control arms, non-adjustable.
-Diablosport MAFia (Will be coming off when the supercharger goes on)
-Hurst short throw Billet Plus shifter with Hurst white ball, or Pistol grip knob.
-Bassani Modular X Pipe with the high flow cats installed. Stock mufflers, stock headers.
-SCT XCal2 with my own tunes.
-30% window tint, also done by me.
-Hurst Line-Loc (Ordered, but have not installed yet due to being in Iraq)
-Shelby Type S1 wheels, F: 20×9 +35 and Sumitomo HTRZIII 275/35/20 R:20×10 +30 and Sumitomo HTRZIII 295/35/20
- Extra pair of OEM 10 spoke wheels, with a set of MT ET Street Drag Radials, 26×11.50×15

I think that is everything. Most of that stuff isn’t even on the car yet… lol.

Follow the full thread with updates here: 2005 Ford Mustang GT Build Up

Awdtalon309 over in our Mitsubishi Eclipse Forum has started a thread about a 1g Talon that he is building up. Follow the thread to see how the car progresses.

Follow the thread here: Eagle Talon Build Thread

Follow the thread here: Eagle Talon Build Thread

LUVDUBS over in our Volkswagen Forums has his 1981 Rabbit for sale, that is full drag and features a 2.0L 16v. If you’re looking for one, this one is clean!

Full thread: Drag VW Rabbit for sale

1981 Rabbit with a swapped 2.0L 16v engine. Engine has been upgraded with all drop forged internals head has been ported and the tranny is a full race 4 speed with a spooled diff. Has 2 step, roll cage and a line lock. This is a full drag car.. Please note: “NO” rust or leaks of any kind!!!!!

asking $3,500

Full thread: Drag VW Rabbit for sale

Over in our Scion xB forum, SHORTBUS has posted pictures of his converted and modified Scion xB. Check out the picture below:

Check out the full thread here: Scion xB Short Bus

Check out the full thread here: Scion xB Short Bus

What is the best suspension setup? Lowering springs or coilovers?

Our customers have a lot of great questions when it comes to suspension setups and what is the best. We’re going to take some time to explain to you our opinions on what setups we like, what setups we don’t like, and what we recommend. If you have any questions about our article, or have something to add, please use the form below.

I want to lower my car, what’s the best and cheapest way?
There are many different ways that you can lower your car. The methods to lower a car can vary from completely free to outrageously expensive, and many different options in between. Below we will touch on the various methods, and keep in mind that this won’t work for every car, as every setup might be different from the factory. Below we try to discuss various ways to lower your car from the cheapest to most expensive.

Can I cut my stock springs?
One of the old and wrong ways to lower a car for free, is to simply cut the springs a few coils. We definitely don’t recommend to cut your stock springs, or even aftermarket performance lowering springs, because you are ruining the geometry of the spring, and also there is a high chance that the car won’t sit even. This method is simply to lower the car at the expense of ride, performance, and safety. We do not recommend this.

Can I use lowering springs with my stock shocks?
We get this question the most out of any other suspension question. Customers always want to know if they are ok with getting lowering springs and keeping their stock shocks. This is definitely a way to lower the car with aftermarket springs, and keep cost down since you are not also buying performance or aftermarket shocks and struts. If you have a new car, then yes, we would say that if you simply get a good set of lowering springs, your stock shocks will last a while. The more you lower your car on the stock shocks, the more you lower the life expectancy of the shocks. For something like a TEIN HTech Lowering Spring that only lowers your car a little bit, and has a soft spring rate, your stock shocks will last a long time. At the same time, if you have say an older Honda Civic, and you buy something like a TEIN STech Lowering Spring, then your shocks will probably not last very long, depending on their condition before. If you don’t mind the labor charges, or do the work yourself, then you can always try to go with your stock shocks, and only replace them when they blow. This setup will allow you to have a better handling car, but won’t be as good as a good set of lowering springs with aftermarket shocks.

What performance shocks should I get with my lowering springs?
The best scenario would be to buy performance shocks along with your lowering springs. You want to ensure that you buy the type of performance shocks that you need to get the most from your lowering springs. There are two main types of aftermarket shocks available. There is a performance shock that is non adjustable, so it works like your factory shock, but is able to take being lowered or take competition racing abuse. The other type of performance shock is an adjustable kind where you can set the desired stiffness of the shock. The adjustable shocks are more expensive, and offer a much greater range of settings. For example, if you set the rear shocks stiffer than the front shocks, you can get rid of some understeer. In order to properly setup your shocks, you would need to have access to an autox or road course so you can really get a feel for the car. Most people will get enough benefit from non adjustable shocks, especially if they do not intend on adjusting the shock and strut stiffness.

What if I forget about all of this, and just get a coilover kit?
Coilover kits range from a little less than the price of buying 4 seperate shocks plus lowering springs, to outrageously expensive. With coilover kits you generally get what you pay for. The benefits of a coilover kit is that it comes with shocks that are designed to be lowered. You can also adjust the amount of lowering, so you can lower the car as much or as little as you want, as long as the coilover supports the range (most support at least 1 inch, and a max of 3-4 inches). Since the setup is designed to work together, you don’t need to worry about the shocks being too stiff for the springs, or the springs being too stiff for the shocks. Everything is ready to go. A setup like this would be our recommendation. The lower end coilover kits are typically enough for most people, and they offer the ability to lower the vehicle as desired, but usually do not have the ability to stiffen the shocks. It’s a preference you need to make to decide which how much adjustment you need with your suspension. The more adjustment the coilover kit has, and the least of it you use, the more possibility that you are not getting the most out of it, and could be out-handled by a car with an inferior setup.

Do I need to cut my bump stops?
Anytime you are lowering your car with lowering springs, we always recommend for you to cut your bump stops. The reason is that the bump stops are designed for the stock height, so you need to at least cut your bumpstops in half. If you do not, you run the risk of “riding on the bump stop” which means your shock is always compressed down far enough that its resting on the bump stop. This is very bad for safety as well as performance. If you are dramatically lowering your car, we recommend to cut your bump stop even more, but at no time do we recommend to not have a bump stop at all.

Should I get sway bars?
Sway bars are a great way to increase the handling of your car. Depending on the stiffness of the sway bar, they can also give you a harsher ride, and can cause some squeeks due the polyurethane bushings they come with. However, for those who demand the best handling, sway bars can help. Most cars come with a front sway bar stock, and not always with a rear sway bar. This is because they are designed to make the car understeer, which is safer for the average driver. In this case, the addition of an aftermarket performance rear sway bar is usually enough to make the car much more neutral, or give it oversteer. For every driver, they like the setup to be a little different, so determine what works best for you and get sway bars to match. Sway bars are available in different thicknesses and many are hollow to decrease weight.

Are strut bars worth the money?
The newer a car is the less you need a strut tower brace, or strut tower bar, or also known as just a strut bar. A strut bar is simply a bar that ties together your strut towers in your engine bay, or in your trunk. The purpose is to keep the car more stiff during turns to keep the car handling crisp and clean. For older cars that have a lot of chassis flex, we recommend a strut bar, but recommend a strut bar that has the least flex possible. If the strut bar flexes then it defeats the purpose. Many newer cars come with strut bars from the factory, and for those that do, there is no need to upgrade except for appearance purposes.

When do I need a camber kit?
As the name implies, a camber kit is designed to fix the negative or positive camber when lowering your car, or adding new wheels. When a car is lowered a lot from the factory settings, the negative camber can wear out your tires, and decrease contact patch with your tires, which hurts handling. We recommend that if you are going to buy a camber kit that you take your car to an alignment shop and have them adjust the camber kit for you so that it’s within your race spec. Tell them how much negative camber you want, or have them give you recommendations, and set it with the camber kit. Camber kits are available for both the front and rear, and are highly recommended with any suspension setup. Sometimes camber kits are simply bolts that space out your suspension to adjust camber. Bolts are a much cheaper way to do this, and this doesn’t work for every car.

Is negative camber a good thing or a bad thing?
Negative camber is good for handling, but you need the right amount of negative camber. If you have too much, you are losing contact patch with the tire and the road, which can help performance and eat your tires quickly. We recommend to have your car checked by a local alignment shop for specs they recommend depending on your racing or driving style.

What is oversteer?
Oversteer is when you are making a turn either left or right, and the back end of the car begins to slide out. This is a lot more difficult to control than understeer, which is why most new cars come with severe understeer from the factory.

You can also have power oversteer that is caused by a car being rear wheel drive or rwd, and having the tires spin during the turn causing your rear end to slide. This is also known as a drift or drifting.

What is understeer?
Understeer is when you are making a turn either left or right, and the front end of the car is sliding straight, or not turning. Manufactures of cars belive this is safer than oversteer because if you are taking a turn too fast for your suspension, and the car understeers and just plows forward, you can simply let off the gas, and hit the brakes.

Do I need new lower control arms?
For cars that do not come with a rear sway bar from the factory, you might not be able to add a sway bar unless if you add LCAs or Lower Control Arms that allow you to use sway bar end links to add a sway bar to your suspension setup. If you already have a rear sway bar, then adding a new aftermarket lower control arm could decrease weight.

How to Build a Turbo Honda

Our article explains how to build a turbo Honda, Turbo Acura, or what to look for with a bolt on turbo kit. Homemade turbo kits are some of the best and least expensive ways to turbo your Honda or Acura.

Please feel free to pass around the link to this article, but none of this article can be reproduced or copied! This article is protected by Copyscape and written by the RedlineMotive.com staff

We will continue to add to this article as time passes. If you have anything to add or have any questions, please reply to this topic.

The Honda engine is a perfect example of a super efficient modern day engine that is designed for superior intake and exhaust flow. Nothing takes better advantage of this than a turbo. The basics of a turbo is that it uses your exhaust gasses to spin a wheel inside a turbine. This turbine in turn spins and builds up air pressure that goes pushed into your throttle body and intake manifold, ultimately into your cylinder head. Honda engines absolutely love to breathe, but they also love a little help. Honda’s efficient motors are perfect for turbos and the Redline Motive team is going to take some time to help you understand how the system works, what you need to build your own turbo kit, and what to look out for when buying a prebuilt turbo kit. We will also talk about superchargers, and why we do not recommend superchargers for the 4 cylinder Honda engines (we are not going to be discussing V6 Honda engines in this article).

How does a turbo work on a Honda motor and a Honda ECU

Since a Honda from the factory is not designed to be used with a turbo, there are certain things that need to be done to prepare the car to accept boost. The Honda motors are very stout, and can take a good amount of horsepower absolutely stock. The trick is all in the tune. We absolutely recommend a good tune, and a good ECU to help regulate every system in the car. We are not going to go into any specific ECUs, piggybacks, or stand alone’s here, but we do not recommend the piggyback. The basic things that an ECU should be doing is regulate timing, and ensure you have enough fuel.

How much timing is best?

Every car and setup is going to be different. The amount of timing that you are going to start with, and end up with at peak boost, is going to depend on the size of your turbo, the type of Honda engine you have, how much boost you are running, what octane gas you have, outside temperature, and various other variables. We recommend that once your car is tuned, you have a warning system that in overboost conditions, your timing will yank. Take precautions with timing, it’s very important for longevity of your engine. Wouldn’t you rather lose a little horsepower, but have the ability to torture your engine day in and day out and not worry that it will blow up?

What kind of fuel system do I need?

Just like timing, the fuel system for a turbo Honda is really dependent on the flow characteristics of your motor, the amount of boost you are running, the size and efficiency of your turbo, and so on. We recommend a high pressure fuel pump, properly sized fuel injectors, adequate methods to ensure and control fuel pressure, and always having enough fuel to never have an instance or possibility to run lean (take into account overboost conditions).

Do I need a knock sensor?

This is a subject that can be debated all day long. I say, if your engine comes with one, use it. If not, then as long as you ensure your engine is properly tuned, you should not have any worries. But why not be safe than sorry? For hardcore enthusiasts with expensive motors, we recommend aftermarket knock sensors like the J&S knock sensor, where you can tune the sensitivity, and have it pull timing if it detects something went haywire.

No piggybacks

You’re going to spend a few thousand dollars on your turbo kit, and then you’re going to cheap out with the management? You are either itching for an engine rebuild, like to have rods fly through your block, or should just forget about turbo’s all together. If you want to be cool, get a front mount, and never pop the hood. You can also get one of those fake BOV’s so people will think you have a turbo. For those who are serious about performance AND reliability, don’t skimp on the management. Just about all piggybacks don’t do a good job of controlling timing, fuel management, and boost at the same time. And they definately don’t have a good overboost protection system in place.

Ok, I want a turbo. What’s the best engine for me?

Just about any 4 cylinder Honda engine is going to give you great performance with a turbo. We’re not non-vtec haters, but if you have the ability to run a VTEC head, why not do it? It flows more, gives you a better idle with aftermarket cams (although stock cams are typically just fine), and are really not much more expensive. In the long run, you will be glad you went VTEC. We have had great success with both the D series and B Series engines as the most popular Honda engines to turbo.

Honda D Series Turbo

For all of you D Series lovers out there, we feel you. What a great little engine that can produce impressive horsepower, be cheap to replace, and overall be much easier to work with. The D16Z6 and the D16Y8 are the most popular D series engines to turbo, and 300 horsepower at the wheels on a stock engine with a good tune is very possible, and in a lightweight Civic, CRX or Del Sol, VERY fun! Build the motor, get a little more serious, and 400+ horsepower will keep you grinning all day long.

Honda B Series Turbo

The ultimate setup is a B Series Turbo (B18C1 GSR or B16A2 Si motor work well). The B16 is a little smaller at 1.6 liters, but can produce almost as much power for less cost over a B18. The B16 will rev higher, and produce less torque than the B18. The B18 would be our pick as the best Honda motor to turbocharge.

Which Honda engine should I run?

It depends on your horsepower desires. For those people who want to go as inexpensive as possible, and run about 250 horsepower to 300 horsepower safely, we recommend a D Series. For those who want to run more than 300, we would recommend going with a B Series. Can you run more than 300 with a D Series? Sure. But after about 300, it just gets to be more expensive than with a B Series, and typically less reliable.

What should I look out for when buying a turbo kit?

If you are going to buy a turbo kit, we recommend one that does not come with any fuel management, as it’s just a waste of money. Unless if it’s something like Crome or Hondata or AEM EMS, then you are probably going to end up junking it anyway. Buy a turbo kit that comes with a turbo that is sized for the horsepower you want. We recommend getting a turbo that is a little bit bigger, so the turbo is always running in it’s efficient range. Research the kit, and make sure that others say the kit fits without any trimming, modification or problems. However, for a FMIC (Front Mount Intercooler), you will generally always need to trim your bumper.

What is turbo lag?

Turbo lag is when you first punch the throttle, and the amount of time it takes for your turbo to start building boost. We never recommend to give it full throttle until you are in a high RPM range, as you do not want to lug your engine. Lugging your engine can cause premature stress, wear and tear, and engine failure. If you want 300 horsepower, find a turbo that is efficient to say 350 horsepower. That way you can run 300 horsepower, and know your turbo is not overworking, not just blowing hot air, and is as efficient as possible. This will also keep your turbo lag to a minimum. For those people who run huge turbos at low boost, we just don’t understand why.

Will I pass SMOG or what do I do about CARB

GReddy turbo kits are smog legal, but they are basic, do not flow very well, and are designed to be low boosting, low power, and carb legal. On most Honda’s, the GReddy turbo kit is only smog legal without the intercooler. This already limits the amount of boost you can run, horsepower levels, and reliability. If you live in an area where you need to pass visual inspection, this might be the only turbo kit for you. Homemade turbo kits, and most other bolt on turbo kits, are not CARB or smog legal. This is strange to us, because with a good tune, they can be just as enviromentally friendly as a stock Honda. Oh well.

Do I need an intercooler?

Absolutely. We recommend an intercooler with every turbo setup, no matter how much boost you plan to run. The intercooler cools down the air from the turbo, so you can run most boost safely, or have an added margin of safety at your present boost. The cooler air also produces more horsepower at the same boost level.

What size intercooler is best?

The intercooler size completely depends on your setup, and how much boost you are running. The larger the intercooler, the more pressure loss you will have across it. Find an intercooler that fills your bumper, flows the required CFM for your setup, and is made with aluminum endtanks.

Do I get an internal or external wastegate?

A wastegate’s job is to regulate boost. When you run a certain amount of boost, the wastegate opens to release exhaust gas pressure so that you do not create more boost. If the wastegate can flow enough, then you will be able to control your boost properly. Typically, an external wastegate can outflow an internal wastegate. However, depending on the amount of boost you run, an internal wastegate might work fine. In addition, only internal wastegates are CARB and SMOG legal in CA.

What size wastegate do I run?

The size of the wastegate is also dependent on how much boost you are going to run. A 35 or 38mm wastegate is good for most cars that run under 20-25 psi of boost, and a larger wastegate might be needed if you do not get proper boost control with the smaller wastegate.

Do I need a boost controller?

Many people do not need a boost controller because they run the boost set by the wastegate spring. If you do not want to add another variable to your turbo setup, we recommend just running the wastegate spring, and if you want more boost to replace the spring.

Should I use a electronic or manual boost controller?

We have found that a manual boost controller controls boost just as well as an electronic boost controller for much less money. However, an electronic boost controller has several features that you might like, like being able to raise boost from inside of the car, being able to lower boost from inside the car, and boost scramble which allows you to run a higher level of boost for a set amount of time.

What kind of intercooler piping do I need?

We recommend aluminum piping, and do not recommend plastic, steel, or any other material. Aluminum doesn’t get as hot, and keeps the air from heating up as much, plus it’s rather light. Typically, you would need:

• From the turbo to the intercooler inlet: 3 90 degree bends.
• From the turbo outlet to the intake manifold: 45 degree, and a 90 degree that points into the throttle body.You will need some straight pieces between some of these bends. We recommend 2.25″ intercooler piping for the inlet side, and 2.5″ intercooler piping for the outlet side. For higher boost levels, increase these sizes (boost more than 10psi, get a 2.5″ inlet pipe, and 2.5″ outlet pipe.)
  

What’s the best air filter?
We recommend an air filter that has an internal shell so that the air filter doesn’t collapse on itself due to the intense sucking of the turbo.

What’s the best type of exhaust manifold?
We recommend a manifold that is cast iron, or tubular made with thick steel so it will not crack. Make sure the manifold has a lifetime warranty.

What is the best exhaust size?

Turbo’s love to breathe. We recommend 3″ exhausts with all turbo setups. You can have a 2.5″ downpipe, a 2.5″ catalytic converter or testpipe (Off road only), and a 3″ catback for a good street combination. Get a good 3″ straight through muffler.

What parts do I need for a turbo kit?

1) Turbo
2) Turbo Manifold
3) Intercooler
4) Wastegate
5) Blow off valve
6) Intercooler Piping
7) Silicone Coupling
8) T Bolt Clamps
9) 2 or 3 bar MAP Sensor (for more than 10-11psi)
10) Air Filter
11) Oil Feed Line
12) Oil Return Line
13) All gaskets.

Do I need a new MAP sensor?

Honda map sensors can handle up to about 10 or 11psi without throwing a check engine light. Over that, we recommend a GM 3 bar map sensor. You will need a converter to wire it up, but it’s rather simple.

Where is the best place to pipe the oil return line?

We recommend to pipe the oil return line in your oil pan at a place that is above the oil level in your oil pan. If you don’t do this, you can burn oil through your exhaust.

Where is the best place to pipe the oil feed line?

On the back of the block above the oil filter there is a great place to feed the oil feed line. Make sure you run a restrictor so you don’t put too much oil pressure in your turbo, which can make you leak oil between your turbo seals, or through your exhaust.

Where is the best place to tee for boost pressure readings?

We recommend to find a FREE source off the intake manifold. Do not tee it off the fuel pressure line. While this is a good place to read boost, you do not want to lower fuel pressure by teeing into this line.

What gauges do I need?

We recommend two gauges. We recommend a boost gauge, and an EGT gauge. The boost gauge, for obvious reasons. The EGT gauge, or Exhaust Gas Temperature gauges, to monitor engine conditions. A high EGT temperature means you are running lean. We recommend to keep the EGT Temperature under 900 c or 1650 F.

What does a blow off valve do?

A blow off valve releases extra pressure in your intake tract. When you are building boost, if you let go off the gas, you close the throttle plate. The pressurized air hits this plate. It needs a place to go, so during this condition, the blow off valve should open, and release the air. If your blow off valve is weak, or leaks, then you could have problems building boost, or losing boost pressure. We recommend to get a good quality blow off valve that is rated up to the amount of horsepower you are going to run. We *highly* recommend AGAINST ebay blow off valves.

Intercooler Clamps, Intercooler Pipe Blow Offs

We recommend strong t bolt intercooler clamps. Make sure your intercooler piping is beaded as well. With beaded intercooler pipes, and t bolt clamps, you should not have any problems with your intercooler piping blowing off. Because of the MAP sensor in the Honda, the car should still run fine, and can limp home, but it’s definately not fun to have an intercooler pipe blow off.

Startup Checklist

Woohoo! Ready to fire that baby up? Make sure you pressurize the system with oil before you start it. Pull your ECU plug, and crank the motor, so the oil can circulate through the engine, and fill in the turbo. Make sure everything is plugged in, all RTV has dried, and all connections are tight. Plug the ECU back in and fire it up. Do not rev the engine, let it idle, and the ECU adjust to the bigger fuel injectors, strange air characteristics, and everything else. Your engine is going to steam, and burn off oil, fingerprints, dirt, and all kinds of gunk. It will stink for a few days. Don’t worry about it.

Enjoy your new turbo Honda!! ]]> http://garage.redlinemotive.com/story/how-to-build-a-turbo-honda/feed/ 8 http://garage.redlinemotive.com/story/short-ram-intake-vs-cold-air-intake/ http://garage.redlinemotive.com/story/short-ram-intake-vs-cold-air-intake/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:29:48 +0000 Redline Motive http://garage.redlinemotive.com/?p=41

Short Ram Intake vs Cold Air Intake

There has been a long standing debate over which is better, the short ram intake kit, or the cold air intake kit. In order for us to be able to better understand which intake is better, we need to understand how each intake works. We also need to look into the various applications each intake can be used for, the conditions it will be in, and what is better for you personally.

Why an aftermarket intake kit anyway?

Before we discuss the various types of intake kits, let’s first understand the benefits of them. The engine works by sucking in air through the air intake system, and into the motor. The more air that comes in, the more power it will make. The trick is to keep this air as cool as possible. The more dense and cold the air is, the even more power your car or truck will make. This is the very basics of how this works, so knowing these basics, we can go forward and discuss the various types of intake kits.

Short Ram Intake Kit

First, let’s define what a short ram intake is. As the name implies, a short ram intake is an intake that has a short tube. Since the tube is short, the air filter, and entire intake kit is visible when you pop open the hood. Since the air filter remains in the engine bay, it is subject to more heat. So since you are able to suck in more air since there is less restriction than the stock air box, you are going to lose some of those horsepower gains because of the warmer air. The positives of a short ram intake is that it is cheaper than a cold air intake, and easier to install, remove, or work on. It’s much easier to service the air filter, since it’s easily accessible.

Cold Air Intake Kit

A cold air intake kit does also as the name implies. The cold air intake has a longer tube, so it’s able to place the air filter in a position outside of the engine bay. It could be placed in a fender, or a wheel well, or down under the front bumper. Since it’s out of the engine bay, it’s considered that these intakes draw in cold air, so as the name implies, it’s a cold air intake. While cold air intakes generally outperform short ram intakes, they do have some drawbacks. Because they are placed near the ground, they can get puddles splashed on them, which will have your engine suck in water. If this happens, you can hydrolock your motor, and this will cause your engine to be rendered useless. You can avoid this by purchasing a seperate bypass valve, which will increase the cost of your cold air intake.

Which one makes more horsepower?

This is a loaded question, because it really depends on many factors. If you get a high quality intake kit, then these intakes go through a lot of research and development or R&D to ensure their intake makes the most possible horsepower for your car or truck. Generally the cold air intake makes more power.

What about running lean?

When you allow more air into your engine, you need to ensure you have enough fuel to match it. If you do not have enough fuel for the larger amount of air coming in, you can run the risk of running your engine lean. Usually, this is not a problem for cars that do not have many other modifications, because the ECU will compensate, and increase fuel pressure to match the additional air flow. If you want to double check, we would recommend to get your car dyno’d, or to purchase an air fuel gauge, but it is very rare to see an intake cause any sort of a problem.

Are any of these intakes CARB legal?

We do carry CARB legal intake kits, which will allow you to still pass smog and inspection. CARB legal intake kits are typically more expensive because they need to go through the process of being certified. Both short ram and cold air intakes can be carb legal.

Which is better for a turbo kit or a supercharger?

If you have a turbo kit or a supercharger, the same would apply. The colder and more dense the air, the more power you will make. If you can, we suggest to go with a cold air intake with at least the piping inner diameter of your turbo inlet, or throttle body inlet if you have a supercharger.

Do you recommend an intake kit as a first mod?

Absolutely. An intake kit, if it’s short ram or cold air, is a great starting point for your performance modifications.

Which intake is louder?

We get this question a lot, and really, the cold air intake seems to be a bit louder, but we’re not sure what the big fuss is about this. Either way, they both sound much better than stock, and give the car a deeper throaty sound on throttle. A short ram intake might sound louder to you since it will be in the engine bay closer to the driver.

What about a drop in air filter?

For those of you who are not interested in spending the money for a full intake kit, sometimes the factory intake system works just as well as a short ram intake. The problem is that the factory air filter is often times very restrictive. You can get a high flow drop in air filter that will allow you to gain more horsepower and torque, and you can still look stock, and not have to pay the big bucks.

I saw a dyno test that showed a certain brand was more horsepower than another brand

When it comes to intakes, there is really not much difference between the same style (short ram vs short ram or cold air vs cold air) to be able to accurately measure on a dyno. A few horsepower difference could be simply because the dyno fan was pointed more at the air filter, or the car was cooler than a previous run. Pick an intake based on the style you like, the brand you trust, and the price you are willing to pay. Some intakes, like the tube within a tube style can infact produce more power than a standard intake, but those are in a completely different style and much more expensive.

Do they make these intakes for all cars and trucks?

Unfortunately, not all engine bays allow for a cold air intake, so sometimes the short ram intake is the only option available. If this is the case, then the choice is easy :) If your particular car or truck is tough to find an intake for, you can always fabricate your own intake out of silicone coupling, aluminum tubes, and an air filter.