Cold Air Intake

A cold air intake is a system used to bring down the temperature of the air going into a car for the purpose of increasing the power of the internal-combustion engine. more...

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A secondary goal is to increase the appeal of a car by changing the appearance of a car's engine bay and creating an attractive intake noise. These aftermarket parts come in many different colors and many different sizes.

History

The aftermarket company K&N Engineering first offered air intake systems in the late 1980s. Those intakes consisted of rotationally-molded plastic intake tubes and a conical, cotton gauze air filter. In the late 1990s a proliferation of intake manufacturers such as Injen, AEM, Airaid, True Flow, AFE and Volant entered the fray. In addition, oversea manufacturers imported their designs lending to the popularity of Japan domestic market (JDM) air intakes in sport compact markets. K&N and many of the other intake companies now offer intake systems in metal tube designs, allowing a greater degree of customization (the tubes can be powder-coated or painted to match a vehicle).

Mechanics

All cold air intakes operate on the principle of increasing the amount of oxygen available for combustion with fuel. Because cooler air has more density for a given volume, cold air intakes generally work by introducing cooler air from outside the hot engine bay. However, the term "cold air intake" is often used to describe other methods of increasing oxygen to an engine, which may even increase the temperature of the air coming into an engine.

Some strategies used in designing cold-air intakes are:

increasing the diameter of the air intake, allowing increased airflow.; smoothing the interior of the intake to reduce air resistance.; providing a more direct route to the air intake.; tuning the length of the intake to provide maximum airflow at certain engine speeds (RPM).; using a more efficient, less restricting air filter.;

Application

Intake systems come in many different styles and can be constructed from plastic, metal, rubber (silicone) or composite materials (fiberglass, carbon fiber or kevlar). Due to the limited time air actually remains inside the intake tubing, the materials often do not impact a kit's ability to deliver cool air. The most efficient intake systems utilize an airbox which is sized to compliment the engine and will extend the powerband of the engine. The intake snorkel (opening for the intake air to enter the system) must be large enough to ensure sufficient air is available to the engine under all conditions from idle to full throttle. If the intake opening has an unrestricted opening - no screens or other obstructions - the opening need not be larger than the inside diameter of the engine's throttle body, airhorn, or carburetor throat. Under some conditions Intake system efficiency can be lost if the intake opening for the airbox is too large.

Read more at Wikipedia.org