Cold air Vs Ram air?

[UnitedNSX]

I've been looking to increase airflow to my engine and I'm interested in a cold air intake from a vendor that is on the prime site but im still researching and have found a ram air system that is $100 cheaper.
Suggestions? Which is going to increase HP most as well as sound?

Thanks

 

[Hondatuner20]

Please post links to the options you are considering.

 

[GIII]

I've been looking to increase airflow to my engine and I'm interested in a cold air intake from a vendor that is on the prime site but im still researching and have found a ram air system that is $100 cheaper.
Suggestions? Which is going to increase HP most as well as sound?

Thanks

hp gains are very very small,,do this if you want to sound good

 

[UnitedNSX]

The one I'm leaning towards is from b line motorsports and the other is the weapon r, secrete weapon ram air intake.
Reviews on the two??

 

[naaman]

My understanding with "ram air" is that it is essentially the same idea as cold air intake in that it forces air into the intake before that air is exposed to the engine compartment. The added effect of "ram air" is that it (supposedly) increases volumetric efficiency, and thereby increases horsepower by approximately 1% for every 10 mph that you are travelling.

While a cold air intake draws in "fresh" air before it heats up, the ram air set up will cram air into the intake according to the vehicle's speed. The benefits of a ram air intake will therefor not show up on a dyno test, although, there is an interesting article on the effectiveness of ram air (non-NSX, not sure if the part you're considering will perform similarly).

http://www.installuniversity.com/install_university/installu_articles/ftra/ftra_12.262000.htm

 

[TrustJDM]

Out of those 2, i'd probably get the B-Line since the Weapon R intake doesn't fit very well in the NSX. A local person had an early version and had that complaint, but I don't know if the fitment was ever resolved.

My favorites in no particular order are:

Mugen / Downforce Stack
Comptech w/fender scoop
oem w/df/dali/cantrell fender scoop*
Gruppe M w/fender scoop*
B-Line

Most of the intakes w/an exposed filter in the engine dept. probably soaks up more warm air and are just there for the noise. The Gruppe M maybe the only exception but it still doesn't completely suck in cooler air. Looks very unique though.

The one I'm leaning towards is from b line motorsports and the other is the weapon r, secrete weapon ram air intake.
Reviews on the two??

 

[UnitedNSX]

My understanding with "ram air" is that it is essentially the same idea as cold air intake in that it forces air into the intake before that air is exposed to the engine compartment. The added effect of "ram air" is that it (supposedly) increases volumetric efficiency, and thereby increases horsepower by approximately 1% for every 10 mph that you are travelling.

While a cold air intake draws in "fresh" air before it heats up, the ram air set up will cram air into the intake according to the vehicle's speed. The benefits of a ram air intake will therefor not show up on a dyno test, although, there is an interesting article on the effectiveness of ram air (non-NSX, not sure if the part you're considering will perform similarly).

http://www.installuniversity.com/install_university/installu_articles/ftra/ftra_12.262000.htm

Yea, I think the secrete weapon sits in the engine compartment so surely it's sucking in hot air :/
I think the b line sits in the existing vent area so the air it's pushing wouldn't be hot unless your in Houston in August! :/. It gets up to 105* here!

 

[UnitedNSX]

Out of those 2, i'd probably get the B-Line since the Weapon R intake doesn't fit very well in the NSX. A local person had an early version and had that complaint, but I don't know if the fitment was ever resolved.

My favorites in no particular order are:

Mugen / Downforce Stack
Comptech w/fender scoop
oem w/df/dali/cantrell fender scoop*
Gruppe M w/fender scoop*
B-Line

Most of the intakes w/an exposed filter in the engine dept. probably soaks up more warm air and are just there for the noise. The Gruppe M maybe the only exception but it still doesn't completely suck in cooler air. Looks very unique though.

Which do you have? Increase in hp and sound?

 

[bfrank1972]

lol I love these people:

"To create an air intake system with the highest airflow possible, the engineers at Weapon-R experimented with basic laws of physics. They found that by creating two different air velocity profiles in the intake tube, both traveling at different speeds, it increased overall air speed and volume to the engine, naturally feeding the engine 3 times more air than a conventional air intake system. To implement this patented technology, Weapon-R CNC mandrel-bends 6061 aluminum to the desired shape, and then polishes it to a show quality finish. The intake tube is then matched with Weapon-R’s Secret Weapon air filter. The Secret Weapon air filter features a tuned velocity stack to increase velocity and decrease turbulence. The dramatic increase in airflow results in a greater increase in engine performance than would be possible with any other air intake system."

they experimented with the basic laws of physics!

naturally feeding the engine 3 times more air than a conventional air intake system

3 times more airflow? Wouldn't that be 3x the horsepower (assuming correct a/f ratio)? That would be like... 710 hp. WOW this thing is awesome!


Folks it's a cold air intake. "Ram Air" systems rarely are more than simple cold air intakes, which BTW often LOSE hp over the stock intake depending on how poor the stock design is.

 

[BATMANs]

My understanding with "ram air" is that it is essentially the same idea as cold air intake in that it forces air into the intake before that air is exposed to the engine compartment. The added effect of "ram air" is that it (supposedly) increases volumetric efficiency, and thereby increases horsepower by approximately 1% for every 10 mph that you are travelling.

While a cold air intake draws in "fresh" air before it heats up, the ram air set up will cram air into the intake according to the vehicle's speed. The benefits of a ram air intake will therefor not show up on a dyno test, although, there is an interesting article on the effectiveness of ram air (non-NSX, not sure if the part you're considering will perform similarly).

http://www.installuniversity.com/install_university/installu_articles/ftra/ftra_12.262000.htm

Both are pulling in cold air directly to the intake. There isn't any pull of hot/warm engine compartment air.

 

[Big_D]

The NSX already draws cold air into the intake. The snorkel in your fender does this. If you want more sound, then get an intake scoop from Downforce which will replace the snorkel with a scoop that captures the entire area of the fender opening.

 

[swimmingpie]

As far as "ram air" goes, there is no significant difference in pressure unless you are going something like 300mph. "Cold air" on the other hand, is very meaningful. The stock intake draws cold air from outside the engine bay. Most aftermarket intakes for the NSX are designed with the filter inside the engine bay, drawing in hot air. This is why most aftermarket intakes for the NSX actually decrease power. A proper cold air intake like the B-Line is what you want. The gains in power are not going to be very much compared to aftermarket intakes on other cars given the well designed factory system, but it will certainly sound better.

 

[BATMANs]

.... Most aftermarket intakes for the NSX are designed with the filter inside the engine bay, drawing in hot air.....

What difference does it make with the locate of the air filter if the end of the intake tube like the OEM or DF/Cantrall scopes are pulling in air from outside?

 

[Honcho]

All intakes are BS for the C30A on stock cams. The stock airbox IS a cold air intake and draws from the driver fender well. It has been proven time and time again that the stock airbox makes more power and torque than any aftermarket "CAI." The airbox is not the restriction on the NSX intake- the throttlebody flange on the intake manifold is.

The only thing you will get out of an aftermarket intake is a louder induction growl. There are far better ways to find hp in the C30A, such as Prospeed/Loc's RDX injector mod.

 

[UnitedNSX]

All intakes are BS for the C30A on stock cams. The stock airbox IS a cold air intake and draws from the driver fender well. It has been proven time and time again that the stock airbox makes more power and torque than any aftermarket "CAI." The airbox is not the restriction on the NSX intake- the throttlebody flange on the intake manifold is.

The only thing you will get out of an aftermarket intake is a louder induction growl. There are far better ways to find hp in the C30A, such as Prospeed/Loc's RDX injector mod.

Man it sounds like u know ur Nsx but this is another language to me. Can you detail where I can find these parts and typical cost with install?
Thanks

 

[Big_D]

This is what you should get...


http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exhaust_airflow_products/NSX/Downforce/Air_Intake_Scoop/

Comparison of OEM snorkel

 

[scorp965]

In order to induce compression, and increase volumetric efficiency, you would need much higher intake velocity than you're going to get on a road car, it's more of a design consideration for aircraft, and even then it won't be relevant to all aircraft; ram-air is a marketing term from the 1970's, - really all it results in is additional debris clogging your air filter.

Engine designers will tune their intake system (airbox, manifold, etc.) for resonance, which can increase volumetric efficiency, which is why a factory airbox typically results in the highest level of power on a properly designed motor. Now in terms of design Honda wasn't trying to create only power, they were also trying to abide by noise limits, and they had emissions concerns to contend with, so there is a degree of uncertainty in the factory design.

There is also device called a factory intake resonator, which people remove in favor of a 'ram air' scoop / AIS - the scoop will not do anything except clog your filter, but the question is: does the factory resonator play a part in the tuning of the intake system. If it does, it would be foolish to remove this part.

There are several elements of charlatanism in intake design, they typically involve the terms "ram air" or "intake turbulance" - many designs also include velocity stacks or turbonators. In terms of the best solution for your car, my suggestion is a factory airbox, a more permeable filter element (comptech unifilter), and regular service, to ensure your filter does not become dirty.

If you wish to increase the 'sucking noise' you can remove the factory resonator tube from the quarter panel.