Return of the CAI

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Perfect way to use this new forum;

What do you want to know about our intake?

Some questions I might actually know the answers to. Like, what kind of nerd rewrites the opening crawls from Star Wars to introduce MINI intakes? I know the answer but I am keeping quiet (You have been spared from the long version BTW) I also I expect to get questions that I cannot answer by myself. So, I'd like to enlist the NAM community to help me answer them.

There must be better ways to objectively look at an intake. Do you have an idea of how to evaluate an intake? Do you think you are uniquely prepared to offer the NAM community an objective perspective. Maybe you have access to a decibel meter, but is it loudness or tone that we are looking for?
Point is, if you want to test our intake, tell us all why Craven should send you one for evaluation. Then promise your fellow NAMers you'll let them know what your findings are.

 

The new intake looks great! I was always concerned how the top was only held by pressure, but so far I haven't had an issue with it coming off (only 2 track days). Do you know of any solution for us v.1 owners to keep it more secure?

I also like the improvement on the battery terminal, I haven't noticed any rattles, but I always thought it looked funny the way the terminal kind of just hung there all crooked.

 

Are you handy with a drill and a dremel?

The top is held on by slots in the side of the box (dremel) with these funny foot nuts attached to bolts through the top (drill). Drilling the top would be easy, but cutting slots in the steel could be a bit more tricky. I would be happy to send you the hard to find foot nuts and their accompanying bolts .

If that battery terminal made noise, I'm not sure it was loud enough to bother anyone either, but it does look better now.

 

Maybe I can use it to test stock CAI vs. HAI vs. CAI (The craven) for 30-70 mph 3rd Gear pull time to average the 'real, on the street' differences...

 

Couldn't (I) do a vacuum test to measure the amount of air flowing through your intake v.s. the stock system? Also, a temperature test to compliment the vacuum to see how much cooler the air really is compared to stock. Then, lastly a decibel test to see how loud it is compared to stock.
Let me know if you will be sending one my way
Thanks, Chris.

 

I would definitely like to test the intake. I have always wanted one but the wife would never let me spend the money. I consider myself handy and computer literate so I would be able to put together an installation guide pretty easily. I would also be able to give an unbiased impression since I have no other mods on my car and I just hit 5,000 miles.

On a side note, things I would look for on an intake would be no loss of power down low and an increase through the mid to high range. I'm not a huge fan of just redistributing the power from low to high.

 

If I were able to keep the unit, I'd throw it on a dyno vs. your biggest competitor, Alta. Then I'd monitor IAT temps vs the Alta. And last but not least I'd wear the filter around my neck on a gold chain to see if it attracts teh ladies ...ok...we can leave that one out, but seriously, I'd need to keep the unit so I could sell the inferior one and pay for the dyno time

 

You are currently running a hot air intake? What are your favorite aspects of this mod? Is it loud, responsive? How does it compare to the stock intake in your opinion?

For the benefit of discussion, why would a 3rd gear pull offer more 'real' numbers? I'd like to lead this toward a discussion of how it should be evaluated, before determining who is best suited to do so.

 

It has become my understanding that much of the benefit of a cold air intake is the increase in flow, as opposed to temperature. This sounds like a good idea. How will you record your findings while under normal driving conditions?

That would round out a fairly in-depth test. Is it the general consensus that loud is good? How many decibels is too many? Should the reading be taken at the source, or inside a closed cabin with the hood down?

 

Not an objective argument, but I can appreciate the sentiment.

It does seem like a good idea to test on a stock vehicle. I have also considered that many if not most of the potential CAI owners would be making other modifications and could benefit from numbers off of a highly modified car, or even a GP as one of my PMs suggested.

This seems important since low RPM's are where any S/C vehicle would be lacking.

 

I have no intention of reposession of the unit(s). Consider it a thanks for community service.

Interesting idea, there are several comprable intakes though. Proving that one over another ignores several quality parts. Is a comparison to stock less important than evaluation vs alternative intakes?

Sounds like a fresh look. I mean, it works for [yell]FLAVA-FLAV![/yell] and he is one ugly looking dude.

 

Loud is not always better. i like to hear the whine of my supercharger but i like far better to be a "sleeper". i haven't done any engine mods to my car so it would be a stock vs. CAI test. but i have experiencing in modding domestic cars and if parts were free i'd be more than happy to put in the labor to see if there are real world results worth noting. is the enclosure performace enhancing or should you run your CAI open top like an HAI would run. what exactly does the enclosure provide in terms of ambient temperature? is there any insulation around the enclsure? would this decrease ambient temp? if it does decrease the ambient temp to add shielding or insulation would it be available on the craven website as an add on to the kit.. i like ColderAirIntake. i know that my current stock set up is not providing anything awesome in the way of vacuum but i'm interested in what the gain would be with your unit.

let me know

 

I think not only measuring DB would be important, but also the type of sound it makes at different RPM/throttle input. I like the whine during hard acceleration, but I'm not a big fan of the hissing sound when your're gently on the throttle, like when maintaining speed on a slight uphill.

 

As far as the sound of the CAI, that seems to be a big mater of taste. Good quality audio recordings taken of multiple CAIs, driving an indentical route and style with each CAI would be a start. this may have been done with other CAIs already?

 

To add to that the sound of my MINI changed when I went to a tighter belt and also some more when I changed the crank pulley to aftermarket 0%....just to muddle the importance of sound debate

Also, I have no stock tube and would have to use the Alta Silicon tube which Alta claims, with dyno charts, makes HP. Something to consider for those looking into this test.

And Kellen, I can see how a comparison to stock would be the most important criteria for you...ya gotta have sales to all those performance peeps buying aftermarket parts for their recently acquired $12-15k MCS's!

 

Just a thought, but how about getting a tester to test in all 4 seasons, I know most people who mod thier cars hear don't pull off their stuff in the dead of winter. How it hold up to temp extreams and performance in those extreams maybe important to some buys....I know it is to me. Where I live the temps vary from 95 to -35.

 

Sounds like we are reaching agreement on that. Some sounds are good, others; unecessary or even detrimental.

The polycarb top, is there to disrupt the exchange of air between an extremely hot engine bay from what is only considered cold air by engine standards. On a stationary dyno, hood open, and a static supply of air the cover will not be as helpful. When is is creating negative pressure at the cowl and the cool air is flowing over the car, disrupted already by the abrupt windshield, then you will appreciate the polycarb top.

I do not doubt that some further insulation would provide further well...insulation. The properties of aluminum are such that is will conduct the heat less than steel or plastic, and yet decrease the cost of the part where added insulation would be a substantial increase in cost, and might not translate in terms of power to power ratio. So, I'm not sure we will offer insulation. Just as we have no concrete plans to add a duct to the grill. We did stamp the ROTC so homodification (home-modification, get it. I like inventing words) can be done (it costs you less to do it yourself anyway).

 

Try 35 - 120

 

Doh...just noticed you said -35 ...screw that

 

That sounds like a good idea. It would provide others the opportunity to make their own subjective decision instead of offering a subjective rating. Maybe it has been done, but I haven't heard the comparsion. Anyone know of it being done?

 

sorry, kind of off topic but why had nobody made a fiberglass ram from the hood scoop to go directly to the intake?

 

Because on the R53, supercharged version, it would/might take too much air away from the TMIC. The R53 scoop is functional as opposed to the R56 scoop.

 

Oops, I never looked at the link at the beginning. I didn't realize it was for the R53. I just started a thread over in the R56 forums about my question.

 

This intake is for the R53, our R56 intake will have the scoop open with all ait flowing to the intake. But that is another story.

 

This is a good idea. There would be different levels of performance at any given temperature, that is the idea behind the providing cold, dense air for combustion. There would also be differences based on elevation. I'll bet humidity has an effect too. Anyone have any thoughts? It just seems like it could be too big of a project for a minor change in performance.