can someone just tell me some more info about cold air, short ram, and normal intakes. im looking to buy one for my 93 240sx with stock KA. but yea, any info is thanked.

 

uhhh, they allow air to enter the engine? Just buy whatever's cheapest on Ebay, you're not gonna gain a ton of hp from it.

 

Here's a quick rundown between the different types of intakes. I'm going to use AEM for the examples, but any company would suffice.

Normal: Usually people referring to just the filter.
Pros: Most filters last much longer than stock filters so you don't have to buy replacements.
Cons: Performance gains are minuscule, if any. Often times filters worse than a stock filter.


Short Ram: Replaces the stock rubber piping from the throttle body to the air filter with solid (almost always) metal piping, usually shortens the distance between the two, but not always the case.
Pros: Start seeing measurable power gains.
Cons: Generally not the highest performance. You gain high end horsepower at the expense of low end torque in most applications.


Cold Air: The same as a short ram except this time the piping is longer so that the filter can get air from outside the engine bay (usually from inside the wheel well), hence being called a cold air intake; the air is colder outside the engine bay.
Pros: In general the best performing intake.
Cons: Almost always the most expensive.

 

If you get a cold air intake and the filter sits below the engine on the bottom you have to becarefull in the rain or puddles or you will have and water hose instead of air intake. It will suck all the water in to your engine and run it, You can get a bypass vale but they dont always work. When my friend had his civic si he has that and it still sucked up water and his engine was totaled.

 

Yea that is one thing you have to consider when using a cold air intake. A guy at my work had an aem one on his s2000 and it sucked up some water.

 

Gaius Caligula says, although it is possible...hydrolocking is over-rated. Just don't completely submerge the filter, which should be common sense anyways.

99.9% of those complaining about hydrolocking with a cold air intake drove through a foot+ deep puddle and blame it solely on the intake....whatever.

 

I bought a bypass valve to make me feel better, even though i dont drive in the rain as it is.

 

IMO, the 1 or 2 horses you gain from a CAI is not worth the chance you take hydrolocking. Sure it's easy to say "just don't drive through a puddle" but who pulls over to take out their CAI once it starts raining??

 

no it is not overrated...one time i was driving down denbigh blvd.....over the overpass....at the bottom was an ocean of water that i could not avoid....sucked water up.....there are times it cannot be avoided.....by pass valves help but are not 100% effective....get/make an interchangeable coldair/short ram

 

heres a suggestion pull out the stock airbox, be happy,ta da... or if you got a sensor use the stock rubber piping and go buy a 4$ filter from pep boys, thank you bye.