Aftermarket Cold Air Intakes: Guarantee of the Sure-Shot Performance of your Vehicle

You would never know that how monumental a loss in the performance of car is until you switched to the aftermarket cold air intakes.  These aftermarket parts induce the horsepower and torque of the engine. The fuel economy is also increased and so does the throttle of the engine. The voice of the engine is changed to more loud and thunderous one.  The tail of your car is more beautiful as it is modified a little to install the aftermarket parts.  These are incredibly cheaper than the original air intakes and more performance oriented. 

The CAI or cold air intake is used to decrease the temperature of internal combustion engine so that the engine power is increased. An internal engine is a place where the combustion of fossil oil such as petroleum takes place in the presence of Oxygen. During this process powerful mechanical energy is produced which is used to move the parts of an engine such as pistons, nozzles and turbines. The factory fitted standard systems are designed to restrict the air flow within engine so that the engine noise can be reduced whereas aftermarket products such as AEM cool air intake never compromises on the efficiency and power of an engine. 

In the aftermarket brands, the diameter of the air intake pipe is increased whereas the length is decreased. The increased diameter reduces the speed of airflow resulting in the less loss of air. The route is more direct and targeted with the removal of muffling or silencer devices.  The air filter is more open which increase the capacity of holding the air and velocity of air flow. The aftermarket cold air intakes have some disadvantages to their credit as well. As the modified intake opening is lower than the standard parts, the chances of getting them waterlogged manifold. You have to very cautious while you drive in streams or watery roads.  Though, the cases of hydrolock engines are very rare because the filter rarely gets completely submerged in water. One can purchase bypass filters or hydro shields to prevent water from entering the engine. 

Weighing the pros and cons of aftermarket products such as AEM cool air intake, Injen, Fujita or many more, they are worth taking a chance. When gas prices are increasing on daily basis, they can be wonderful medium to amplify gas economy and engine performance.

Aftermarket Cold Air Intakes: Now and Then

Aftermarket cold air intakes are used for two purposes. Number one, to increase the power of engine by taking air from the outside and afterwards, pumping into the engine bay for internal combustion. Number two purpose is to add appeal in the outward appearance of vehicle. The noise is more attractive and engine bay is better and upscale with aftermarket cold intakes. The cold intake or CAI is one of the most easily installed aftermarket modifications. It increases the horsepower and torque of the engine.  It is also a cost effective way to increase the performance and speed of your car.

The first model of aftermarket part was launched by KN engineering in 1980’s.  The preliminary models were consisted of plastic tubes and conical air filter named as Short ram air intake.  After that many companies which are now globally famous for aftermarket CAI manufacturing ventured into the field. Companies like AEM cool air intake, Airaid and Volant were the ones which forayed into the industry of auto tunings and earned the present credentials. Along with them, you can now see Japanese and Chinese air intakes in market. These are especially available in sports market arena.

In modern cold air intakes metal tubes has substituted plastic tube design.  To match the color of vehicle, they can be customized and painted or powder coated.  The operation of CAI is though, the same as the previous ones which is to increase the Oxygen level into the engine bay by providing the direct route for air flow. As a result, temperature inside the bay area is reduced. This also prevents smaller vehicle parts from burning.  In aftermarket parts, the diameter of the tube is increased so that the airflow could be increased. Similarly, the interiors of air intake tube are smoothened to diminish the resistance in airflow.    

Now, the development in aftermarket CAI has reached new levels. The most developed intakes are referred as Complete Cold Air intakes or CCA. Considering the benefits, if you want to install CAI or CCA in your vehicle, make sure they come from reputed manufacturing companies such as AEM cool air intake, Fujita or Injen and with complete warranty period.

Difference between Factory Fitted and Aftermarket Cool Air Intakes and Why should you Choose the Latter?

A cool air intake or CAI is worth its cost when it comes to cool down the internal combustion of a vehicle and increased fuel economy along with vehicle efficiency and engine power.  The factory fitted intakes tend to compromise on engine power so that the noise of engine could be suppressed down. So no wonder when you choose to replace factory fit intakes from Fujita intakes; the larynx of your vehicle gets a strange yet sensuous new voice.  The aftermarket intakes are available in market in different sizes and colors. The price range also varies. 

The intakes work on the simple mechanism of combustion. As you drive your vehicle, harmful and toxic hot gases are produced which should be drained out from the vehicle after cooling down. As cooler air is denser and heavier, it is flown inside for the combustion. The combustion power of an engine with aftermarket CAI is said to be increased by four to 12 percent. This cooler air is oxygen which reduces the heat in engine bay and is generally taken from outside when one drives.  The CAI also saves the smaller heat- sensitive components from burning.  Both factory fitted and aftermarket CAI such as Injen Intakes do that but with different strategies.  

In aftermarket CAI suchlike Fujita intakes, the width of air intake tube is increased to reduce the speed of airflow whereas the amount of air supposed to pass through the pipe is amplified.  The intake which has otherwise rings like restrictions are removed for smooth transition of gases. The length of intake tube is also shortened along with silencer or muffler device. Air filter is also trimmed for smooth flow. The direct route of air intake enables efficiency and higher power to the engine.

Unlike other aftermarket alterations of automobile, CAI is very easy to install. It is mostly a nut and bolt case where you do not even have to go to mechanic. It can take around half an hour to one hour to mount one aftermarket or stock CAI. If you are confident that you know your vehicle well, you can install them yourself.  Most of the stock intakes such as Injen intakes come with instruction manual to help the owners with installation.

Delving Deeper into Auto Cool Air Intakes

If you want to increase the performance of your vehicle, you should consider replacement of original cool air intake.  To restrict the engine noise, factory fitted CAIs are very restrictive which also limits the efficiency of engine as well .There are so many of cool air intake (CAI) brands available in market such as AEM cool air intake, KN, Fujita and Injen.  To understand the correlation between air intake and performance of your vehicle, let’s understand the function of CAI.  

CAI is an operational system that is used to drain out toxic gases made during the internal combustion in a vehicle. For environmental aspects and cool the gases, cold air mainly oxygen is passed in the pipe..  Mainly a CAI system comprises of cylinder head, turbocharger, a convertor and a silencer or muffler.   Most of the time, the CAIs are also referred as performance exhaust as they boost and amplify the performance of a vehicle.  If you been to local auto store, you may have overheard mechanics talking about KN cold air intake or others.

The benefits of installing a CAI are:

Benefit One:  The engine gets increased horsepower and torque.

Benefit Two: As the diameter of exhaust pipes is widened, the throttle response is increased.

Benefit Three: When the gas prices are increasing day by day, you get increased fuel efficiency.

The Disadvantages of CAI are as follow: 

Disadvantage One: As the aftermarket CAI like AEM cool air intake are lower fitted in comparison to the factory intake pipes, water can crawl into your engine on waterlogged roads. So, if the filter gets completely submersed into water, hydrolock can occur. You can use hydro shields to protect your engine against water.

Disadvantage Two:  An aftermarket fitted CAI can increase the noise coming from an engine as the resonance of silencer tubes is increased. Though, most of bike and car owners consider this as desired effect of installing CAI.

Disadvantage Three: Most of the branded auto manufacturers exercise the right of denying auto warranty for vehicles which have aftermarket CAI modification. So, to solve this issue you can consult with the dealer of the company and install CAI only of verified and branded manufacturer like KN cold air intake or Fujita intake.