Does the custom cool air intake that is displayed in the aftermarket do it yourself section work? Its all rubber hoses and PVC piping. Some guy at AutoZone said it should work just as good as one you would buy, and someone else said it was a waste of time and money. Any suggestions or guidance?
Custom cool air intake
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I hear the same things back and forth between people, yet my car club says that the pvc piping will heat up and when this happens it really wont add anything to the car at all. Still I think it is possible that at night it might have a greater effect on actual hp gain.
What you should do is build the basic shape of the piping that you need with PVC. Then take that to an exhaust shop that does mandrel bends and get them to bend you a pipe with the same shape. Spray coat the pipe with high temp thermal paint and you'll be all set. 1) the mandrel bent pipe is smoother than all bends that PVC's have = smoother turbulence free air flow 2) with the high temp paint, the pipe won't heat up as fast
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I doubt PVC transfers heat as well as aluminum. There's a reason they make pots, pans, and CPU heatsinks out of aluminum, you know.
But I agree, there's no way to get the PVC to do smooth bends and curves.
But I agree, there's no way to get the PVC to do smooth bends and curves.
No intake will make your car "fly" or add 20 HP. Its mostly a mental thing. At most with the intake alone you'll gain 2-3 HP and a deeper sound. If you want to fully utilize the potential of the intake you will need a mandrel bent catback exhaust and a header. WAI is good all year round, CAI you will lose bottom end and gain some top end, plus you gotta worry about rain...Try the WAI out first, if you don't like it make the PVC extension.
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