Thinking about CAI

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I have been thinking about cheap power mods. I plan to advance the timing to 14* when I can find someone to borrow a timing light from!
The cold air intake mod seems like a good project. From what I have read I would want to route it away from the heat such as toward the passenger side rather than put the new intake where the old filter box was. I don't really want to cut through the body. I would want to make my own system out of parts off the shelf rather than buying ready-made parts from a dealer. I saw some stuff at the local store that should be workable.
But having read about this in the new and old threads including the dyno reports it seems that the power bump is like only 3hp. And some opinions suggest that it's not really there at all but is placebo or even a negative if too near the hot manifold.
Well that is all obvious to those who frequent this section of the forum, but I am wondering if there is a consensus on whether it is a good idea even to try. Assuming that I do a good job that is! (Not experienced with this but willing to give it a go!) Will it really be very loud?

I have been monitoring my air intake temps with the factory intake with the help of my ScanGuage and saving them in a journal.  I will be building a cold side intake soon and will compare the temp differences and any other observations that may stand out.


Originally Posted by SleekBlackBeauty
I have been thinking about cheap power mods. I plan to advance the timing to 14* when I can find someone to borrow a timing light from!
The cold air intake mod seems like a good project. From what I have read I would want to route it away from the heat such as toward the passenger side rather than put the new intake where the old filter box was. I don't really want to cut through the body. I would want to make my own system out of parts off the shelf rather than buying ready-made parts from a dealer. I saw some stuff at the local store that should be workable.
But having read about this in the new and old threads including the dyno reports it seems that the power bump is like only 3hp. And some opinions suggest that it's not really there at all but is placebo or even a negative if too near the hot manifold.
Well that is all obvious to those who frequent this section of the forum, but I am wondering if there is a consensus on whether it is a good idea even to try. Assuming that I do a good job that is! (Not experienced with this but willing to give it a go!) Will it really be very loud?

That is the great thing about this forum..... soooo much real world data, but soooo much crapola too. Dynos don't lie unless they are done on different days, at different locations, or by companies that want your money. Overall the concensus is that the 2-3 whp number is probably about right. Now, that doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. It does sound cool and can look pretty good too. Just judge it for what it is.