You might ask yourself, why did the car manufacturer make such a restrictive intake system?
Well, if the intake manifold on a modern car isn't restrictive, how can these aftermarket intake companies claim power increases?
That answer is not as simple and involves some tricky marketing and some pre-determined bad tuning. Not all manufacturers of cold air boxes are equal, some are much better than others.
One of the easiest ways to get a little more power out of an engine (to prove the latest cold air box is an improvement) is to lean out the air to fuel mixture. Use a product that doesn’t have the experience, testing, and reliability behind it, and you might be doing more damage than good.
On a modern car with a Mass Air Flow sensor, this can easily be achieved by changing the size of the pipe the sensor sits in. Easy to get the extra power, not so easy on the motor. Am I against the modification of an improved air box / cold air intake? No, but there is more to the equation here.
Running a motor too lean for an extended period of time will cause damage from knocking and high exhaust gas temperatures. Do you know what specific changes happen with your new cold air box you installed?
If you already have an aftermarket intake and aren't sure if it's allowing your motor to work properly, you should talk to a professional tuner about the current health of your motor from the upgrade. The proper tuning tweaks from someone who has experience can correct a lean condition from a Cold Air Intake.
photos by www.cobbtuning.com