WhiteLS69

I was reading that CAI can cause ur engine to bog down on take off. is this true cause i dont want to spend 200+ on something that hurts off the line performance.

l337m4573rpyr0

I'm no expert, but I've never heard anything like that. I really don't see how thats even possible considering all a CAI does is help your engine breathe better. Maybe one of our more mechanically experienced members could shed some light here?

PremioJoe

I have an Injen CAI on my 2.2 Cobalt and I havent experienced any bogging down. Ive heard what you are talking about though. Some cars experience a loss of low-end torque, but I can assure you that I didnt lose any bottom end power. It still feels the same as it did before, but I really gained power in the higher RPM's.

DC52NV

the only intakes that cause your car to bog down are sri. cai do not bog your engine down.

WhiteLS69

what is an sri?

dj4all

Short Ram Intake - a lot of guys with intakes like the Injens for the 2.2L think they have a CAI (Cold Air Induction/Intake) but they're mistaken. If the air filter is plainly visible under the hood then that is a SRI. IMO, SRI's don't really do much but look nice.

WhiteLS69

well why do sri's bog down?

Adirondack_Cobalt

Breathing in hot, stagnant underhood air... that's a good reason. Fresh air is happy air...

Scott

DC52NV

heatsoak. picture this, you've been driving for awhile and it's a hot day. you stop at a red light and sit there for about a minute or two. underneath your hood temps reach well over 150 degrees and the light turns green. you accelerate to resume driving. the sri you have sits right in your engine bay so it's going to suck in all that hot air which will cause your car to feel very sluggish at first due to all the hot air the intake just consumed. if you had a cai you wouldn't have that problem due to the filter will sit in the bottom of your car right behind your front bumper where temps are alot lower. hope this explains it for you.

Permafried-

The whole idea behind a CAI is it is SUPPOSED to be positioned below the main engine compartment so it can pull in air rising as a result of physics. The problem with short rams (as most people have pointed out) is they're sitting above the major heat source...once that rising air hits your hood it really has nowhere to go and the short ram is pulling in that hot air as opposed to the "fresh air" flowing under and into the engine compartment. If I had a camera I'd take a pic of my friends CAI to show you where it SHOULD be to give you an idea of why a short ram can actually hinder performance by sucking in too much hot air. Pretty much trace a line back from the lowest point of your front bumper and raise it an inch or two (sometimes somewhere around the tires) and that's where a CAI should be.

Permafried-

tiny

another thing, is that SRI have better throttle response than CAI's

DC52NV

yes, they sure do. i have the aem v2 intake for my car, pretty much a fatter sri, and it also gave me more tq on the dyno but less hp than the cai.

WhiteLS69

so is the injen intake actually cold air and does anyone have some pics of it installed?

Permafried-

The Injen intake is a two part installation. This allows it to act as a full CAI (hangs down on passenger side behind bumper I believe) or it can be converted to a short ram which is a nice feature particularly once the snow starts flying and they pound 10 feet of salt on the roads to melt it.

Pics of Short Ram and Full CAI Install

Permafried-

IonNinja

I know with installing a CAI or short ram there is a sort of delay in throttle response but no bogging down.