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True Cai systems ?

jay gee

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Hello everybody,
We just ordered our first ever Ford, Mustang GT, 401A, P.P., Magna something, A10, everything but the Shaker Audio system.

Wife ad I are old school muscle car enthusiasts since the 60s
Me with a 400+ 6 spd. 2000 Camaro. And her with a 6 spd Dodge Challenger RT Classic which she traded in for the Mustang

One of the first things she wants to do is install a true Cold Air Intake system that draws or rams cold air from the lower front end of the car.
Our past experiences and tests with on or blocked off CAI show that this is a big plus. I have a forced air CAI system on my Camaro, and she had a true induction CAI on her Challenger.

All the searching I've done doesn't show any true CAI systems offered by any custom accessory providing company. Does anyone know of any performance shop offering what I'm looking for ?

Here's an old write up about CAIs for those who may be interested

http://installuniversity.com/install_university/index.htm
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scrubber3

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Mishimoto makes one. I have had mine installed since last summer and it keeps the IATs right about where the stock numbers were. Seems to go down much faster when moving than the stock one though. Roush and the GT350 intake are good to go as well.
 

dgc333

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Most all S550 CAI including the stock one take in air from the opening in the core support providing a ram air effect. There is an outfit that is making piece of duct that attaches to the core support and fills the space between the core support and the grill for an improved ram air effect.
 

WhiteyDog

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Most all S550 CAI including the stock one take in air from the opening in the core support providing a ram air effect. There is an outfit that is making piece of duct that attaches to the core support and fills the space between the core support and the grill for an improved ram air effect.
That's the VelossaTech Big Mouth. It works pretty well.
 

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jay gee

jay gee

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Stock is a true CAI.
I"m sorry, but I may have to disagree. I'm old fashioned and maybe out of touch with what works now. IMHO the air intake shoud be as low to the ground and away from any radiant heat from the motor or radiator.

Mishimoto makes one. I have had mine installed since last summer and it keeps the IATs right about where the stock numbers were. Seems to go down much faster when moving than the stock one though. Roush and the GT350 intake are good to go as well.
This one may interest me. How far down does the ducting go to catch cool air ? Also on both our units the AIT sensor is relocated further down the ducting, away from the heat from the T.B.and manifold.


On my Camaro the mouth of the CAI is like a wide scoop that's positioned just behind the lower bumper.

On the wife's Challenger the filtered mouth is located in line with the chin spoiler that has a duct opening to cool the front brakes.

I'm sorry folks, I may be behind the times of what may work in mustangs, or is it because there isn't room to run a duct down to almost street level.
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Zelek

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I"m sorry, but I may have to disagree. I'm old fashioned and maybe out of touch with what works now. IMHO the air intake shoud be as low to the ground and away from any radiant heat from the motor or radiator.



This one may interest me. How far down does the ducting go to catch cool air ? Also on both our units the AIT sensor is relocated further down the ducting, away from the heat from the T.B.and manifold.


On my Camaro the mouth of the CAI is like a wide scoop that's positioned just behind the lower bumper.

On the wife's Challenger the filtered mouth is located in line with the chin spoiler that has a duct opening to cool the front brakes.

I'm sorry folks, I may be behind the times of what may work in mustangs, or is it because there isn't room to run a duct down to almost street level.
It is away from the motor. It's in the front grille. Open up the right side more by cutting the honeycomb part open and get a Velossatech Big Mouth. That's as cold as air as you're going to get and it's quite far away from the engine.

I had an '02 SS. I know exactly what you're talking about with the air intake like the SLP box that sucked in air right off the air dam. This car just wasn't designed the same way.
 

Joe 5.0

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It is away from the motor. It's in the front grille. Open up the right side more by cutting the honeycomb part open and get a Velossatech Big Mouth. That's as cold as air as you're going to get and it's quite far away from the engine.

I had an '02 SS. I know exactly what you're talking about with the air intake like the SLP box that sucked in air right off the air dam. This car just wasn't designed the same way.
Agreed. Grab a dremel and open up the honeycomb portion of the upper grill on the driver’s side. That’s the location where air is drawn into the air intake. You can also remove the entire bumper and cut out the entire hineycomb portion.
 

scrubber3

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Agreed. Grab a dremel and open up the honeycomb portion of the upper grill on the driver’s side. That’s the location where air is drawn into the air intake. You can also remove the entire bumper and cut out the entire hineycomb portion.
I opened every single one of the honeycombs up on that side.
 

scrubber3

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This one may interest me. How far down does the ducting go to catch cool air ? Also on both our units the AIT sensor is relocated further down the ducting, away from the heat from the T.B.and manifold.
.
It goes directly to the opening on the drivers side. I opened the honeycombs up to allow for better airflow into it. I would recommend getting Ameriseal Multipurpose weather seal part number 15160. It will seal the system even better and keep any vibrations at bay. (this is a metal box) Place it where the metal contacts primarily on the bottom of the top lid. Also, dab a little anti corrosive oil around the fasters. I really peculiar about what I do and this extra stuff could be overkill, but that's just how I am.
 
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dgc333

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I had a JLT CAI on my 15 and have the Ford Performance CAI (same as the factory CAI on the GT350) on my 17, both have a snorkel that connects the filter bucket to the core support and bring in ambient air from outside the engine compartment. Both when moving down the road have air inlet temperatures within a few degrees of the outside ambient just like the stock air box.

IMHO, the low mount you are describing is dangerous for a street driven car, to easy to pick up a splash of water and soak the filter.

Another thing to keep in mind unless you are making extensive mods to the car the only reason for the CAI is the wow factor and the noise, you don't get any measureable power increase because the stock filter box is so good. Also, many of the CAIs for the GT require a tune because they change the cross sectional area where the MAF mounts.
 

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I"m sorry, but I may have to disagree. I'm old fashioned and maybe out of touch with what works now. IMHO the air intake shoud be as low to the ground and away from any radiant heat from the motor or radiator.
The OEM intake is 100% sealed and draws 100% of it's air fresh from the outside of the car. It doesn't get anymore "true cold air" than this.

The only such intake that you describe is made by MMR and places the filter the fenderwell behind the fog light, but the otherwise poor design of that system doesn't make it perform well.

Also, you want as short of an airpath as possible and one with the least amount of bends. A sealed airbox in the stock location will perform better than a long intake tube with lots of bends that has to get air from the fenderwell.
 

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There are a few intakes on the market that are sealed. Fender isn't necessarily the best place to get fresh air on all cars. If you get a sealed intake and add VelossaTech big mouth, you're getting the "freshest" and "coldest" air possible with some of the ram air effect.
 
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jay gee

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Hi dgc333,

I mentioned earlier that Fords are a first for us and the technology in them is also new to us. So this is a learning moment for me.
The Mustang purchase was a surprise to me. It was the wife's decision and negotiations before I did any research.
You think you know your partner and then they surprise you.
When we were younger I dragged raced 1955 Chevy / 301 c.i.motor, 1953 Studebaker / 327 Chev. motor, 1966 GTO / 450 motor etc. All that time she helped me repair blown rears, trans, engine swaps.
Then one day in 2010 she tells me that she's always wanted a Mopar. Hence her Challenger.

I know there's no way to accurately measure CAI h.p. gains. Even with the biggest fan pushing air in.
So we did timed runs for comparisons.
My Camaro has a custom hood with a scoop that seals tightly against the opening of the air box. Call it Ram Air
Made several timed 1/8 mile runs in that mode with the CAI system blocked off, then we blocked off the RAM Air system and used the CAI mode.
Times were always a little better in CAI mode.
We did the same tests with the wife's Challenger in stock and CAI mode.
We had the same results as the Camaro.
It's more of a seat of the pants feeling

In both systems the AIT sensor was moved further away from the radiant heat the intake / T.B. so the CPU is seeing cooler readings
AS far as water entering the motor that would only happen if We drove through a flood. IIRC it's called hydrolocking
On a motorcycle, spraying water into the system was common. It broke up built up carbon in the heads.
They did this in WW2 for airplanes. I seem to remember they had a built in spray system as they flew

S*&t, I'm giving away my age

I don't know about any wow noise on the Camaro because of it's SLP headers and loud mouth exhaust. And yes the Camaro makes about dynoed 425 h.p. A big difference from the underrated 310 H.P. that Chevy advertised because of Corvette sales.

I've taken this post further then I meant to.

There's a lot I need to learn about the Mustang.
Like does it use MAF sensor signals or does it use Speed Density
Also is the Mustang a Drive by Wire or Drive by cable
Is there a tow hitch option :crazy:

THanx for listening
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texasboy21

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Modern car airboxes and induction systems are much more efficient than they were 10 years ago. The stock airbox isnt a restriction at basic 'bolt-on mods' power levels, and is 100% a true cold air intake. It is completely sealed from the engine bay, is insulated to prevent heat soak, and draws air from outside the car in a high pressure area.

Drop in a high flow filter, if you are feeling spendy add in an induction tube, and take your 10ish whp and look for power elsewhere.
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