can someone tell me the difference? is it the housing that the cai comes in that defines it to be a cai? i was looking for pictures of the two types and they look the same to me. thanks!

 

Depends where you shop it's about $200.

 

technically a cold air intake extends down into the fender well or away from the engine so it can get "cold" air. warm air intakes are aftermarket intakes that are located in the engine bay, therefore sucking in "warm" air

both will give you the same small gains and one is not better than another

 

The airfilter on a stock MCS is a CAI (cold air induction), it draws air from outside the engine compartment (nozzle in front grill). A JCW or aftermarket CAI uses a larger filter (more area) to draw in more air, it also gets additional air from the cowl area creating two inlets. Hope that helps.

 

you can put a six foot filter on the end of the inlet tube, but the fact remains, the inlet tube is the same size whether it has a six inch or a six foot filter on it. power doesn't come from the filter size, but from air temp (isolating the filter from engine heat is good), how restrictive the filter is and how well the box design flows air. The JCW and Dinan boxes use larger upper sections with hi-flow filters.

 

it's really just slang for most of the intakes out there, whether they leak hot air or not. They claim to have less flow restriction to allow for more air at high loads and RPM. Most do something to the partition between the engine compartment and the cowl area to get more air in that way, and that is a source of increased intake noise in the cabin. Most also claim to use better filters, either eliminating expensive paper filter replacements, or increasing flow capacity/reducing pressure drop.

Matt

 

so from my understanding, i previously had an accord with a cai: it had the piping go from the throttle body to under the fender; getting colder air instead of from the engine bay.

from all the pictures i've seen of mini cooper intakes, they're all still located inside the engine bay and still labeled as a cai. does the "box" most cai's come with differentiate a regular intake and a cold air intake? thanks... this has been mind bottling.

 

The difference is where the inlet to the filter is. Outside the engine compartment is a CAI. Inside the engine compartment it is a HAI or hot air induction. Colder air is more dense, so the same volume of cold air has more oxygen than hot air. Might say it's 100 proof compared to 80 proof...

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

I know this part is confusing. SUPPOSEDLY when the bonnet (hood) is closed, this "seals" the top of the open boxes you are seeing (some actually seal better than others - ones with a top are best) - and the actual air intake is through the grille snorkel, and through an opening into the cowl area (the area under that little grille below the windshield) - so assuming these close and seal the box when the bonnet is closed, they are drawing cold air, not engine compartment air...

As others have said, the "regular" intake for a MINI IS a CAI - including the stock one. Some folks just put filters directly off the throttle body (no box) - that's a HAI. The K&N is sold as a CAI, but I'm not sure I believe that...

 

This is a HAI...


Matt

 

. . . and, courtesy of On-Whorizon, this is for a CAI

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...99&postcount=1

 

perfect! that totally cleared it up for me. thanks everyone!