Cold Air Intake: An Awesome Performance Enhancer!
If you are desiring to increase the power of your car without
adding expensive after market parts, a cold air intake system is
something you may want to consider. This system is designed to
lower the temperature of the air entering your vehicle to
maximize the power of your engine; the result is that your car
performs better and produces a cool intake noise. In addition, a
cold air intake system will enhance the appearance of your
vehicle's engine bay. Installing a cold air intake system is not
a difficult procedure -- you can do it yourself. Let's examine
the steps you need to take to properly outfit your car with a
cold air intake.
There are many companies offering cold air intake systems for
your car, however you will need to find the right match for your
particular make/model -- a reputable auto parts supplier can
help you in this area. Brands like AEM Cold
Air Intake, Volant
Air Intake, and K&N
Intake are some of the most popular systems for the
do-it-yourself crowd and are worth your consideration when you
are shopping for a system.
How difficult is it to install a cold air intake system on your
vehicle? Not very. For the experienced car enthusiast it is a
fairly simple procedure involving eight steps as outlined by
Valvoline on an Acura that was refitted:
1. We begin by removing the factory air intake tube from the
throttle body on the engine and the air box on the fender well.
Two clamps are the only items that secure the rubber hose.
2. The stock air box lifts out easily once you've removed the
screws that attach it to the fender well.
3. We raised the car on a lift to access the lower air intake
and muffler (yes, muffler) Acura installed to keep air intake
sound to a minimum. The tube attaches to the muffler and the
muffler is held in place with a few screws.
4. Here is the first piece of the new Cold Air Intake system.
This tube will have the air filter attached to it in the fender
and this is where the cold air will come from. You'll need to
feed the tube up into the engine compartment where it is held in
place with a large nut.
5. With the lower pipe in place we installed the new high-flow
air filter next. It'll reside up in the fender where it will be
somewhat protected from the elements. However, if you live in a
particularly wet environment prone to significant rain, you
should consider relocating it directly in the engine compartment
as a large amount of ingested water can damage the engine.
6. The second pipe is installed next. A urethane connector
allows you to attach the pipe to the throttle body where it's
held in place with two clamps, one for the throttle body and one
for the pipe.
7. Here is the urethane sleeve connector for the upper and lower
pipes. Before securing the lower pipe with the flange and nut we
made sure our connection to the upper pipe was secure.
8. Here is the flashy finished product. You'll immediately
notice the air intake sound since it's a noticeable growl over
stock. Most power will be achieved at higher rpm where
additional air is needed most.
Of course, if you are not comfortable with installing the system
by yourself, bring over a buddy who can talk you through the
job. In the end you'll have a car that performs and looks simply
awesome!