I had to run to the mall this afternoon (xmas return ), and since I had the HAI off for cleaning I figured I would take some more numbers on the HAI temp using the old filter with a thermocouple inserted. Having two T-C readers, I put the other T-C on the IC outlet, since this is probably the most important temp. I think I've done about everything possible to make the stock IC and HAI work as well as they can -- you can read about this in these other threads. Since then, I've also added insulation to the IC outlet horn and the HAI heat shield.

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https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=80549

The trip to the mall is ~20 min, with a bunch of lites and a few short sections where you can get up to about 60 mph. I drove pretty normally, no WOT, shifting between 4000-5000, acellerating faster than most cars on the road but nothing crazy.

The attached pic shows all the numbers I recorded. On the way to the mall, the HAI was at ambient temp or within a few degrees F, and even when sitting at a lite the temp went up slowly (a few dgrees/min). The IC outlet was also very low, mostly around +10 F above ambient at cruise.

The drive home was quite different. After sitting in the mall parking lot 15 min, the HAI was 83 F and rising, while the IC outlet was 105 F and steady. Both dropped rapidly in the first few minutes, but did not return to pre-heat soak levels until I was close to home. In particular, after a heat soak it was quite amazing to see how fast both the HAI and IC outlet temps climbed when stopped at a lite - about 10F/min.

Overall, this little experiment confirms that in continuous driving conditions, even with short (< 1min) stops, the stock IC and HAI can be made to work really well. Secondly, I wonder how much that initial intake air temp matters to IAT under heat soak conditions. The whole intake tract (including the SC) gets very hot, and isolating only the air intake (as with the usual CAI) may be tackling only a small piece of the puzzle. I think the heat soak problem needs to be addressed with insulation for the whole air intake path.

 

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nice work.

BTW, what's Dale's el cheapo OCC?

 

It's this right here:
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Although small, at the rate I'm collecting oil it should be able to hold about 10K miles worth.

 

is that I'll just keep running my HAI or go back to a modified stock box. The plastic is a good insulator, but the response of the HAI is fantastic! I've started the bafleling game to route more cold air, and route air from the radiator away. But I'm with you on this one. Cheap and if fed properly, a good performer.

Matt

 

The HAI (or my much cooler AI) may not be for everyone, but here in SoCal where the weather is nice year round and the Mini just a weekend drive….this is the best system going. A bit louder then stock but not as loud as the CAI, with more power and a fraction of the cost.

 

So increased heatsoak means it's not very attractive for the autocross types, eh? And I've been so interested too, because of the price. Maybe just as a winter intake?