I thought this may have been lost in the old thread (https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ad.php?t=26728)


How Max spent his Friday:

I finally got around to making some measurements. They are with the splash shield in place. The experiment conditions were:
29 Aug 2008
Ambient temp 92 deg F.
Relative humidity 61%
Cruising speed 75 MPH
Intakes used
(A) 2 K&N RC-4650 on 3" Aluminum tubes 30 deg bend. (clean)
(B) 2 K&N 33-2290 in stock configuration. (clean)
(C) Same as (B) but with 1/4" foil faced self-adhesive
foam insulation on bottom of stock air box and filter boxes.
IAT = Inlet Air Temp (Nitrod/OBD info)
OT = Outside air temp (Crossfire dash display)
ET = Engine Temp/Coolant (Nitrod/OBD info)
UHT = Underhood Temp (Fluke/Ktype thermocouple.Placed midway between radiator and front of engine)

I ran up and down the I85 for 15 miles before each test to normalize. The temps displayed were stable +- 3 degrees for 10 miles.

This cost me a day and 1/3 tank of gas. I hope you folks appreciate it!

I will try to post this in columns. (I guess cut-n-paste don't work?)

. (A) (B) (C)
OT 92 92 92
IAT 134 108 106
UHT 134 137 144
ET 191 192 192

A couple of observations.
The faster you go, the lower the IAT's (duh).
The slower you go the higher the IAT's (duh).

After (B) and (C), I let the car idle for 10 minutes just to see how hot stuff gets.

(B) (C)
OT 92 94
IAT 140 131
UHT 189 188
ET 200 201

My uninformed conclusions.

Having the intakes/filters under the hood is a really bad idea. No matter how cool it looks.

If you want cool air to "launch" with, you had better keep the revs up to ~3000 for 15 seconds to cool off the intake/airbox. I saw this effect.

My cheap-*** insulation job seems to have some benefit.

If there is any interest, I'll take the bleedin' thing off again and snap a couple of shots.

I have no idea how the material I chose will hold up over time. We'll see.

I know you all think I'm a PITA, but at least I'm not a worthless PITA!

Comments?

 

I appreciate all your data here and the time you spent collecting it
I also am happy to have my Needswings CAI with a front grill cool air intake

 

Valk,

Thanks. It seems most folks don't care.

you might want to read Waldigs posts about wrapping the tube in the engine compartment. If it is important to you.

Absolutely no dis on Waldig ( it was his thread that got me to get back to this. kudos to you Woody!), but I hope he'll find a more attractive material to use. Or, wrap the insulation with aluminum duct tape. NOT "Duck tape" The real stuff will last forever and reflect infrared too.

 

Now, Max, we all still care!
Without digging through the Gallery please refresh my memory: do you have under the hood intakes or are you still running the stock airbox set-up? Were you running with the A/C on (just wondering 'cause I sure as heck would've been)?
BTW: nice job & I appreciate the work & the gas you ate doing this little experiment.

 

Thanks, bud! A/C off, top down!

I dropped the underhood intakes/cone filters like a ...hot rock!

I am now back to the stock airbox with K&N's. I'll next remove the little restrictor plates that feed through the radiator bulkhead and find a flexible coupler that actually works and can keep a minimum 2.75" diameter through.

I carefully measured the area of that little oval tube feeding through the bulkhead and found it to be only 3.975 square inches each while the intake tubes on the airbox are 4.713 square inches each (15%). They gotta' go!
Other folks have done this and now I see why.

Attached pic of insulation.

 

Max, at first it looked like you were grilling potatoes or chicken under there !
Sorry, couldn't help myself!
I was very surprised, too, when I first saw those wee little holes, with a flap, stuck through the radiator support. Thought to myself, well now I see why everyone is swapping out their intakes! Factory CAI or not, it's like trying to stuff a cow through your front door; you'll get it in there but it won't be easy nor efficient!