2006 stock r50. I notice a significant performance difference (butt dyno)when driving on hot days versus the cooler evenings of the same days. I am assuming it has to do with the underhood temps affected by the hot sun and the difference in air density. The outside temp does not have to be drastically cooler at night to notice the difference. I experienced this very same phenomenon in two different 1985 RX7 GSL-SEs, fuel injected 1st Gen RX7. (My 1982 RX7 GSL had a Weber side draft carb that did not seem affected by temperature or sun intensity). So...I would willingly pay the price of a CAI if it provided the similar difference in power that nighttime air did. Has anyone experienced the day/night variation in performance, or know if a CAI can bridge this performance gap?

 

I put an Alta CAI on my 04 R53 JCW and noticed a little bit of difference in performance and a lot in sound. I think you would notice a bigger performance difference in your R50 because it is not forced air and the freer flowing filter would make a difference. I can tell you that I put a CAI on a 2.5L 4 Cyl. Jeep and noticed a huge difference in performance. It was like running a marathon and then reaching down your throat and pulling a sock out. It made that much difference. This was a proven mod because Pre CAI I would drive down the freeway at 65 MPH and would have to down shift from 6th to 4th to maintain speed going up and over an overpass of a street. Not much of an incline. Post CAI I could be doing 65 MPH come to the same overpass in 6th gear and accelerate and pick up speed easily. I put the same set up on a 4.0L 6 Cyl. Jeep and it made a noticeable difference and then to a 5.9L 8 Cyl Jeep and did not really notice any performance gains. My point being the smaller the engine the harder it seems to be for it to pull more air. It does not need as much but the more you free up the air intake flow the easier it is for the engine. After my experiences the first thing I do to my vehicles is put a CAI on them. My JCW is the first forced air induction that I have done a CAI on but I would do it again just knowing I have opened up its air way.

 

Thanks for the input, it helps because I may have been comparing apples to oranges in the rotary vs piston engines. It seems this issue is only noticeable during the hot days when the sun is highest, but to me if I can correct this "flat spot" in performance, great. I am loving this car, and look for excuses to drive places. Interesting about the smaller motors benefitting more; the injected rotaries that I experienced this with are of course, small displacement, only 1.3 liters, and the Weber carbureted one was the std 1.1 liter motor. It had no air cleaner, just a foam element that covered the top of the carb. - no flat spot on hot days.

 

Just be sure you get a true CAI....
Many folks just install a filter under the hood...no ducting...actually called a HAI...hot air intake...it foes improve throttle response....but sucks in engine heat...
You might like a "sprint booster" or one of the clones....can help the electronic throttle feel a bit better...many folks find a bit of a lag from the drive by wire system....
Also of note...
The just-a-cooper does have a higher compression positions...so octane does help...so on warm days you might be feeling timing pull to prevent a bit of knock if the fuel is not up to spec.

 

Are there recommended CAIs? Or ones to stay away from? I have a 2013 Countryman (non-S) that I'm feeling the urge to customize. Also, what does that do to the warranty?

 

the way warranties work is they can only refuse to honor the warranty if there is reason to believe that the modification caused the problem.....so if you replace the turbo with some knock-off, and you end up blowing your motor, they wont honor your waranty.......but if you replace your shocks, and your motor blows, your motor is still covered under waranty.

as for recomendations, i just installed a DDM street intake on mine and i am very pleased with it.....im not sure you are going to notice much difference between any of the intakes as far as performance goes, so its really down to how much you want to spend and what you think looks good.

 

Who makes a true cold air intake?

 

A closed or covered system that redirects cold air into the intake. For our cars, DDM RIS (pricey) or DoS (less pricey) are the only true CAI.

Edit: Disregard the second part, I forgot which section of NAM I was in. That was for n14 or n18 engines. I don't know much about gen 1's, sorry!

 

Apparently there is no true cai for the r50. Does anyone have insight into why the link below is 7 times less expensive then most intakes?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Cold-Air...-/230798223342

 

I just took this one off of my r50 before trading it in. I defiantly noticed a difference with this.

http://www.waymotorworks.com/way-ddm...ntake-r50.html

I'm looking to sell it if you are interested.