My new intake!

[Green]

This is my latest mod, a DIY short-ram intake. OVerall it cost me $18 and about a half hour of work. It is only really two components, the filter ($12) and the rubber flex coupler (6 bucks at home depot) Also, I don't know if you can see it in the pics, but i bent a small peice of steel, bolted it on to preexisting holes, and use cable ties so the thing wont bounce around when I'm driving. This was a cheap and easy mod, and improves throttle response w/o forking out the big bucks for a brand name short-ram.

[sLoPrO2k]

Damn I bet you were dirty as hell after working in that engine bay....LOL...Glad you could save yourself some money! Good Job.

[Green]

Yah, the guy who owned it before me wasn't really a motorhead, some old guy who probably never looked under the hood except to fill the windsheild washer. I need to go in there sometime soon and clean it up.

[BMW ///MPOWER]

did that really help??

[jnorion]

I did that with my old cavalier, with the protege I bought the real thing... as far as I could tell the ghetto rigged version worked just as well.

[BMW ///MPOWER]

what i mean is does a short ram even help? because isnt it sucking in warm air?

[Brad]

cold air isnt going to really help that much more

[jnorion]

what i mean is does a short ram even help? because isnt it sucking in warm air?

It's sucking in warm air but it's sucking in a lot more air. The snorkel that leads it out from the stock airbox is usually very small. That and the stock filter is restrictive.

[goldstar]

It's sucking in warm air but it's sucking in a lot more air. The snorkel that leads it out from the stock airbox is usually very small. That and the stock filter is restrictive.

Actually, the OEM air filter is not at all restictve. Based on the accepted 1.5" water pressure drop through a clean filter, the stock filter is more than adequate up to 7000 RPM for the 2.0L engine. For more information:

https://www.wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2370

Ambient intake air temperature has a significant effect on HP output. Based on SAE J1349 standard for HP measurement, an underhood intake air temperature, of 120 deg F (48.89 deg C), for example, will reduce HP output of the 2.0L engine from 130 to 124, a reduction of 4.4%. For a fuller explanation, look at: www.wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=995

[BMW ///MPOWER]

ha thats what i thought, short rams are pointless...

[jnorion]

ha thats what i thought, short rams are pointless...

Now wait a minute... that's not necessarily true. Based on this information, short rams are pointless assuming nothing else changes but the location of the intake. However, in most cases that's not how it works. It depends on the car and the type of intake. Ghetto-rigging a high-flow filter onto the stock intake of the 2.0 liter engine may not work... from the sound of it it won't really help. However, if you put it onto a different car, my old Cavalier for example, it may make a difference. I replaced a VERY restrictive filter (don't know if it was stock or not, the car was 14 years old) and felt a huge difference immediately. The car definitely gained horsepower. Also, if you actually buy an intake kit complete with piping it is a totally different setup than what we see here. The piping that comes with them is wider, allowing for more airflow, and is smooth, giving less turbulence down the tube. Also, there is less tubing for it to flow through than the stock intake piping (including the snorkel, which has already been removed in the pictures above) so the air is restricted for a shorter distance.

I agree completely that a ram intake is not as effective as a cold air intake, but I think it's going to far to say it's pointless.

[Green]

........Wow, such contreversy. I can attest to the fact that it helps me to jump off the line. Possibly it may not add horsepower as much as torque.... but that's why i did it anyway. In the future i am going to add in a bit of pipe to make it a CAI, but really this was just a quick and as far as i can tell, effective mod.

[Green]

On that note, does anyone know where i should look for 3" steel pipe? Hardware stores don't have it. Perhaps a muffler shop....?

[sLoPrO2k]

I would just give in and stop trying to "save" money and order an ebay intake. They are only like $40.

[jnorion]

I would just give in and stop trying to "save" money and order an ebay intake. They are only like $40.

I agree... I have one that I have used off and on for a while... works just fine