(Stock intake piping Vs. Metal Piping)

[JTEK24]

[Metal short ram piping Vs. Stock Rubber piping] w/short ram filter.

I've noticed that the metal intake piping absorbs alot of heat from the motor after driving so I decided to give the old factory intake piping a try after seeing some of the engine bays on members ride threads. Of course metal gets hot when heated but the rubber piping was cooler after driving back to school. So I was wondering has anyone else did these comparisons. HP gains are minimal but I was just seeing if there was any truth to the stock piping being cooler with the short ram filter.

[evil_demon_01]

Although metal does absorb more heat, the air going in the engine is only going to be as cool as the air going into the filter - So engine heat on a Short ram is an issue to start with.
The intake air through the metal pipe may pick up a couple of degrees as it passes through but I don't think it would be significant on such a short length of pipe.
Also most short rams are a bigger diameter pipe than the stock pipe, which gives more airflow capacity

[wed3k]

you may be better running an intake manifold gasket insulator spacer or the blacktrax plenum spacer. these will both reduce the manifold heat and cooler air = more hp.

[JTEK24]

Although metal does absorb more heat, the air going in the engine is only going to be as cool as the air going into the filter - So engine heat on a Short ram is an issue to start with.
The intake air through the metal pipe may pick up a couple of degrees as it passes through but I don't think it would be significant on such a short length of pipe.
Also most short rams are a bigger diameter pipe than the stock pipe, which gives more airflow capacity

I thought about the diameter pipe giving more airflow. True short rams and engine heat dont mix, and cold air intakes run into problems with rain puddles. so is the best option to stay stock?

you may be better running an intake manifold gasket insulator spacer or the blacktrax plenum spacer. these will both reduce the manifold heat and cooler air = more hp.

I havent researched this, but I'll give it a look.

[wed3k]

what restricts is the throttle body. that TB pretty much limits airflow to 6k. ive ran 3" piping with no filter and the motor doesnt want to go any furthur than 6k.

[bmxfelon420]

cold air intakes run into problems with rain puddles.

i was wondering about this too, is there any way around this? Like could i compromise slightly and cut a little off of the second section of my cold air piece and keep it high enough, or out of splash range?

[TypeG]

i prefer a metal pipe due to looks and perhaps better sound than a rubber pipe. later.

[Losiracer2]

i was wondering about this too, is there any way around this? Like could i compromise slightly and cut a little off of the second section of my cold air piece and keep it high enough, or out of splash range?

unless you drive through a 12 inch deep puddle of water, I doubt you'd hydrolock your engine. I mean there are splash shields covering the filter and by the time you go through the puddle, the water won't have enough time to work its way up, past the shields and totally submerge the filter. And if you're stupid and drive through a flooded street w/ a CAI, then you deserve to hydrolock your engine. Just don't be one of those people on TV crossing a Flooded street and having to get rescued....if you think logically when it rains, just be cautious and you should be fine.

[cloudasc]

I thought about the diameter pipe giving more airflow. True short rams and engine heat dont mix, and cold air intakes run into problems with rain puddles. so is the best option to stay stock?

I havent researched this, but I'll give it a look.

If you want to go cai, and don't want to worry about hydrolocking, just buy one of these.

[HondaFan81]

unless you drive through a 12 inch deep puddle of water, I doubt you'd hydrolock your engine. I mean there are splash shields covering the filter and by the time you go through the puddle, the water won't have enough time to work its way up, past the shields and totally submerge the filter. And if you're stupid and drive through a flooded street w/ a CAI, then you deserve to hydrolock your engine. Just don't be one of those people on TV crossing a Flooded street and having to get rescued....if you think logically when it rains, just be cautious and you should be fine.

You're wrong. It is easier to do than you think. I just spoke with a girl that has a 98 Integra 5spd and bought the car with some mods already done (she has no idea about cars), it has a CAI. She drove it in the ran through a small puddle in some city and her motor hydrolocked. She had to get a used motor swapped in.

Water bypass valve or not, I wouldn't run one. More piping equals more frictional loss anyhow, there are other ways to reduce intake charge temps at a safer level. Also, intake piping length for optimal power varies per engine and encompasses your TB, IM, headflow, header, etc.

[johnl]

I've noticed that the metal intake piping absorbs alot of heat from the motor after driving so I decided to give the old factory intake piping a try after seeing some of the engine bays on members ride threads. Of course metal gets hot when heated but the rubber piping was cooler after driving back to school. So I was wondering has anyone else did these comparisons. HP gains are minimal but I was just seeing if there was any truth to the stock piping being cooler with the short ram filter.

Warning, the following post may contain pseudo physics...

The metal tube may well feel hotter than the plastic / rubber tube, even if they were actually the same temp. Metal is a lot denser than plastic or rubber, so when you touch it, it feels hotter because (being denser) it contains more heat and your hand doesn't cause the temp to lower sharply at the point at which you touch the material. With a lightweight material (i.e. less dense), the very act of touching it causes the material to quickly cool down at the point at which your touching the material, but less so with a denser material.

The metal is also a better conductor of heat than the rubber or plastic. When you touch a good conductor like metal then you're hand absorbs heat at the point at which you touch the material, and the material starts to cool from the heat passing into your hand. But, metal being a good conductor, more heat then quickly moves from the rest of the object to the point at which the metal is cooling down, thus tending to keep the material hot at the point at which you are touching it.

Plastic / rubber being a poor conductor, when you touch it the material quickly starts to cool down at the point at which it's being touched from heat passing into your hand, but this heat isn't quickly replenished by heat conducting from the rest of the object to the point at which you're touching it, so it doesn't feel as hot, because very shortly after you touch it, at the point at which it's being touched it isn't as hot.

With two different materials heated to X°, the denser / more conductive material will tend to feel hotter. The effect is like that of fire-walking over hot coals, i.e. you can do it because while the coals may be hot (X°), they are not dense and are not good conductors of heat, and therefore don't actually 'contain' all that much heat and don't transfer (relatively) much heat to the foot. If you had say similar sized stone or metal pebbles heated to X° then you wouldn't be able to walk over them (without excessive pain and burning) as you could with less dense coals at X° because the amount of heat in the pebbles is mich higher than with the less dense coals.

So, just because the metal tube feels hotter than the plastic tube doesn't necessarily mean that it is...

[johnl]

My CAI draws air from high up inside the fender cavity, so short of submerging the car there is little chance of significant water being drawn into the intake. I can't see the point in those CAIs that draw air from near the bottom of the fender cavity.

[1990Ex]

You're wrong. It is easier to do than you think. I just spoke with a girl that has a 98 Integra 5spd and bought the car with some mods already done (she has no idea about cars), it has a CAI. She drove it in the ran through a small puddle in some city and her motor hydrolocked. She had to get a used motor swapped in.

Water bypass valve or not, I wouldn't run one. More piping equals more frictional loss anyhow, there are other ways to reduce intake charge temps at a safer level. Also, intake piping length for optimal power varies per engine and encompasses your TB, IM, headflow, header, etc.

i think that "puddle" was bigger than she thought my friends gsr been running a cai for about 4 yrs now with no problems an he drives in the rain all the time

[Night Wolf]

the OEM one should be cooler, but the metal one flows better.

as for me I got the best of both worlds. Im running the stock filter box with metal piping from a civic CAI. soon Ill wrap it in a heat sheld wrap.

[benjerman112]

Have the best of both worlds

some header wrap works just as good i think.