I am currently not happy with my loss of low end tq with my CAI. For a while I had never noticed it, but a few months back I was forced to dissasemble my Injen CAI and just run the short ram version for the very first time. From day 1 I noticed a huge difference in the low end hp and tq. The CAI has the top range covered from like 80 mph + that the Short Ram cant touch, but realisticly when am I going to be going over 80 mph in a race? My local track is only an 1/8th mile, and all my driving around town feels sluggish to me know that I used to run the short ram. 1st gear just picks up way better wit hthe short ram. I was doing some looking today around in the engine compartment because im switching out my battery, and notcied that the opening in our front bumper shoots air through the hole beside the fan under the battery. I am gonna look and see if I can find my old intake tubes I had laying around when I was customizing a Intake for my cavalier and see what will work. If i can't find them, im just gonna take my zaw-saw to my Injen and cut it off right below my battery, and test for fitment. My Intake is already scratched all to pieces in the lower half and I am wanting a new one soon anyhow, so this doesnt bother me if it doesnt work. Im thinking that by putting it there, it will slightly be further away from the heat coming off of the header and radiator than it would beside the battery, and be a perfect middle for low end tq and high end hp. I will let people know how the car feels afterwards becasue I know I see a new "Which Intake" or "CAI vs SRI" everday. Hope this can help a few people out, and solves a few problems of my own

 

Sounds like you want to do something similar to what I want to do with my Injen. The only difference is I want to chop mine up and recombine it so it places the filter behind the battery and away from the engine. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to secure the intake once I do that.

 

Well after a few hours of tinkering and changing my oil I am done. I wasnt able to find my spare itake tubes, which kinda makes me sad, because they were all 3". I was thinking that I could run 3" and with a 3-2.75 coupler hook it to the 2.75 Injen pipe. A lot of intakes for a cavalier have proven to have more power by doing this( www.induction-dynamics.com has a good write up). SO i took my bottom section of my Injen measured it off and made a few marks under the battery. The filter is directly under the batter and about 10 inches of pipe was lost. I took it out for a 20 minute spirited run and came back to check a few things out. Filter nor the pipe for about 3 inches up from the filter was hot, not even warm. The pipe where it passed the radiator return hose was a little warm so I might wrap it there, but for the most part seemed good.

Pros:
1.) Filter isnt low enough to the ground to pick up debries, or heat off of the blacktop during the summer.
2.) No more worries about water entering the filter.
3.) A lot more torque, seems just like the short ram during 1st and 2nd gears, and then a more forceful CAI during 3rd gear. 4th and 5th seem just a little better than the SRI but not as good as the CAI, but that was expected

Cons:
1.) Top end dropped a little more than expected but im happy.
2.) Lost some of the CAI sound but sounds way better than the SRI
3.) Wonder whats gonna happen to fuel economy?

I am currently not running anything other than the intake. With the header/dp combo, and exhaust I think this would be the way to go. Engine seems very responsive. Tach and RPM needles move very close to each other in 3rd and 4th gears with is good. 1st through 2nd picks up way better than with the CAI, and more effeciently than that SRI.

Overall: Very good, im happy, maybe should have left it an inch longer, but this will survive me, until i decide which intake to move to next.

On a side note, saw some pictures of a few RA's running breather filters. So I decided to pick one up. Doesnt really fit well and seemed like it made the car idle funny so i took it off. I still dont know if i like the thought of oil recirculating back into the intake manifold, but sure seems to work better than running a breather filter. Anybody else have this problem?

Also, I might have messed the MAF up by getting some carb cleaner in it(didnt mean to) Should this just work itself out, or should I look up getting a new one. I usually deal with IAT sensors, and they are way cheaper than MAF sensors, so this one im stumped on? Seems to be running fine though...

 

pics?

 

I dont have a digital camera and after I finished it started raining. If it is nice tomorrow, I will snap a few pictures with my camera phone and try and post them up (thumbup)

 

Here are a few pictures. Not very good size or quality but this is the best that I can do until I get a digital camera

 

looks good but I'm not to sure I'd wanna cut up my injen cai, I just got their hydrosheild in black , gonna slap that jimmy hat on .....

 

Im gonna buy a new intake anyway, this one was all scratched up, so i figured why not play around and see what I could do to restore low end tq without sacrificing all my high end hp, working pretty good, sounds more like a NA car should, with still a good mivec sound.