Sonik evolved

There has been much debate about what is better some say short ram is other say its cold air so wich is better over all? Thanx for clearing up

1stGenCRXer

For daily driving, Cold Air.

For racing, where you can get a good flow of air from outside the car to the intake, short ram.

For daily driving, a short ram intake won't help you because your headlight blocks a lot of air, and the engine bay temps rise higher than if the passenger side headlight was removed [as it is for most racing].

So.Cal_INTEGRA

You get better throttle response from Short Ram, but more HP from a Cold Air.

1stGenCRXer

That's only part of it. Like I said before:
Shorter intake lengths allow for more power. Period. That's how it's always been. Longer intake lengths can help build more torque, but the main reason CAI's make more power on the street is because the intake point is away from the higher underhood temperatures that a short ram can see. If you make provisions so that they aren't an issue, a short ram will make more power.

bnuk

My intuition tells me that if you are running a turbo, the benefits of a CAI are kind of negated so it would be a better idea to just go with a fairly short intake, is that correct?

Snoopy

an intake isnt needed if you have a turbo

qtiger

I'd suggest an intake with at least a foot of pipe. Turbos get awfully toasty, and are commonly right behind the radiator where you're already picking up air that's not as cold as it could be.