[longarm]

I am looking to make an upgrade to my car. I wanted the expert opinions from all the high speed individuals in here. My brother told me AEM brand was best, so I think I'm sold there and I'm thinking a short ram. (He had an SVT) I figured I'd check in here and find out what everybody thought. I have a 03 F-150 that already has a K&N FIPK and I like it, however I have never used a CAI before and want only the best for my Foci. Thanks in advance.

BTW, When does the FocusSport magazine come out?

 

[black02zx3]

get the volant for the best overall and safe power gains... plus it sounds like a beast

 

[Ollie18]

u got a pm

 

[longarm]

pm, whats that? I have an 03 Foci Centennial. With the CAI, is that ok in Michigan where we get lots of rain and snow?

 

[Ollie18]

go to ur 'my home' and you should see a new pm, or click on the envelope that is flashing under the FJ logo in the top left....

I never had one problem with the AEM CAI with rain or snow. I also added the bypass valve and the slash shield which probably contributed alot to protect against rain and snow problems...but I can't say that for sure. All I know is that it is a great system, and I would buy it again if I needed an intake...

 

[longarm]

Ollie, Ok, Got it. Sounds nice, but I'm not going to be buying anything for about a month. Have to wait until I get a decent check. That come with directions and everything?

 

[Ollie18]

ok I was just checking. IF it is still up for grabs when u r ready we will figure something out. Yes, the instructions are somewhere ina box. I will have to look for them since I just moved. But I think there are sites out there that also tell you how to install it...really not a big deal.

But as I said...it is a great system, and I personally would get it again.

 

[longarm]

Out of all the mechanical geniuses in here, you mean know one can tell me the defference between a Short Ram and a Complete CAI?

What are the + & - of each? Is the CAI a real tight fit? Is the Short Ram a good option? DOes the short ram provide as much to your motor as a CAI?

 

[EggYolk]

Find out for yourself - do searches

 

[StormStrikes]

I can tell you from experience that the short ram is a great intake. You plenty of punch down fairly low. The down side to the short ram is that it suffers from heat. Once your motor gets warmed up your gonna loose some power. If it happens to be hot outside as well, your gonna loose even more.

The CAI is a better option in the long run for power in different environmentals. Due to my hobby I couldnt use one and got the short ram before I new of the Volant and the FIPK from K&N. I think AEM could seriously improve the short ram by making out of something other than metal. That tube gets really hot and doesnt help matters. I think if it were made out of a more heat resistant material it could be a better set up.

The disadvantage to the CAI, and I dont know that it would be all that noticeably, is that it is a longer tube from the inlet to the TB. This changes the power curve somewhat. Its less of a down low punch and more on the top end. But I think with the inlet temps. being cooler you may not notice what you loose in that configuration.

Overall, the CAI is a better intake I feel. If you are concerned with water ingestion as am I the maybe the volant of the K&N FIPK would be a good option. The short ram is usually cheaper, but if you want consistent good performance and CAI is in order.

 

[Andy Smith]

I think AEM could seriously improve the short ram by making out of something other than metal. That tube gets really hot and doesnt help matters. I think if it were made out of a more heat resistant material it could be a better set up.

A lot of people dont understand that it doesn't really matter. How many of the air molecules actually are near that pipe? How quickly are they moving? The inside of the pipe is smooth also. There's really not very much heat transfer that goes on there at all.

 

[greyZXtre]

Ollie..i have aem cai too...where did u get your splash guard...that could be verry helpful down here in houston

-_-justin

 

[techguy]

We tested two different cold air types, and 3 different short ram types, plus 2 different versions of a modified factory box, with the stock filter, a flat panel K&N and no filter.

We tested them for peak power with the hood up and we tested them for power loss with the hood shut and the engine hot. We also ran them at the drag strip.

When we were done we took what we learned and designed our production version that we have for sale.

The short rams all made the most power with the hood up, as expected. They also lost the most compared to their own peak with the hood closed and the engine heat soaked. But the best short ram's peak was so much higher that it still made as much power as best "cold air" intake did when heat soaked.

In other words, the gains were like this:
[these numbers are approximate, from memory. We actually did these tests 2 years ago and I am not looking at the dyno sheets right now]
Short ram: Cold +8, Heat soaked +3
Long cold air Cold +5, Heat soaked +3

We also found that the air intakes that placed the MAF electronics into the tube didn't idle as well as the ones that used the factory sensor.

 

[BUR_ZX3]

long story short... long tube and short ram = same gains.

 

[x415fsx]

I think AEM could seriously improve the short ram by making out of something other than metal. That tube gets really hot and doesnt help matters. I think if it were made out of a more heat resistant material it could be a better set up.

i thought the same thing with the intake i have on my ex's car,,,just hold your hand on the pipe and rev while under the hood,,,,if u do it for a few seconds ull feel the pipe cool down quite a bit

 

[longarm]

In theory it makes sense that the metal tube would run hotter. I have the K&N FIPK in my truck and it is fine. I was wondering about my truck. So I'll go with the short Ram for my car. NOW, from what I'm reading, it's a little conflicted in regards to the K&N FIPK and the AEM Short Ram. Which is actually better, vs. personal opinion. Does anyone actually know which IS was better product? Thanks in advance.

 

[longarm]

Andy Smith, so what your saying is that for the short ram it doesn't matter if the tube is metal or hard plastic? Being metal won't hinder preformance being hot over plastic?

 

[Ray]

Andy forgot that when the air heats up (being heat soaked) it becomes less dense, and the molecules spread out.

 

[Andy Smith]

Andy forgot that when the air heats up (being heat soaked) it becomes less dense, and the molecules spread out.

No i certainly didn't forget that. Take a heat transfer class guys (actually dont...they really suck

) A smooth metal pipe wont transfer much heat to a fluid (like air) moving through it, especially with air having such a low specific heat. The short rams do really poorly in general because they air the suck in is the same air that's touching the pipe (hot underhood air). The CAI's gain quite a bit over them. I'd never doubt a CAI, they've been proven effective on every n/a car i've ever seen. (And in tests with multiple CAI's AEM's is always the best..i dont know how, but they do some serious research i guess!)

 

[Andy Smith]

Andy Smith, so what your saying is that for the short ram it doesn't matter if the tube is metal or hard plastic? Being metal won't hinder preformance being hot over plastic?

Nope. You're ingesting that same hot air into the intake anyway...a hot pipe wont be heating it up, even if we forget the laws of heat transfer.