Old school twist on hot air intake?

2027 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by Guest, Dec 26, 2003

cakley

Discussion Starter · Dec 24, 2003

I've found that my car "feels" like it has more power when the air temp is around 50-75 degrees due to my cheap (duct tape) cold air intake. The down side is on cold mornings the cool air does little to increase power and only takes longer to warm up.

:idea: :idea: I remember my old Dodge Charger. The 400cu big block had and intake with twin inlet. Each inlet ran to the front of the car for nice cool air. But it also had a thermostat operated valve in each inlet with on opening that would suck hot air off of the headers during warm up. I can't recall what the temp was or if they even worked on my old car. I think this type of set up was normal for old cars.

Anybody have any input?

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· #2 · Dec 24, 2003

Hi Cakely:

___Although not an Insight, I have a small paragraph for you to digest …

___When picking up my son from the U of I in Champaign ~ 2 months ago, I was traveling through temperatures (as shown on the LCD) between 51 and 57 degrees. Here is the interesting part. While driving at ~ 60 mph, the temp differences seen on the LCD within ~ 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile, were as high as 5 degrees F different that night. I was using the game gauge in the X for maximizing mileage as usual and with temps at 54 or above; I was in my usual 30 to 32.5 mpg instantaneous range. When I would drive through one of those areas where it was 51 - 53 degrees, the instantaneous would drop back to 27.5 to 30 mpg? I could almost see the change happen at 53 degrees and below! I know this is hard to believe but the X’s efficiency would drop by almost 10% with that small change in temperature and there wasn’t anything I could do about it! While driving the X in below freezing temps the other day, it was very hard to keep it in the 25 – 27.5 mpg range. Over 180 miles roundtrip in those temps, my trip mpg was only 25.1 and I haven’t seen that low since it was a brand new vehicle purchased 9 months ago … These cold temps simply suck the life out of the MDX, the Corolla, and apparently, the Insight’s as well.

___Finally, have you read any of the Warm Air intake threads over in the Honda-Hybrid-Electric vehicle forums over at Yahoo? There is a lot of back and forth as to why temps do what they do to the Insight but most are simply speculating. The most interesting information comes from Burt (otherwise known as [email protected] ) himself where he is only losing 2 mpg throughout the winter months with the warm air intake mod. That is pretty amazing to me and that is why I think there is something to it? I have read Rick Reece’s comments from years ago as well and after installing his (including the blow dryer mod), it sounds like he left it on year round? All but turning on the blow dryer anyway.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:1wc1zd25][email protected][/email:1wc1zd25]

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Rick Reece

· #3 · Dec 24, 2003

Wayne,
I took the dryer modification off almost a year ago when I moved my stereo amplifier to the rear of the car (I think it did help in the really cold weather but I just didn't drive in below freezing weather that much of the time and after adding the sound dampening stuff figured I should remove some weight). I leave the hot air intake on all year but I might rethink that if I did a lot of sitting in traffic or used the A/C in city driving. On a 90F day the intake temp will be around 118 while driving down the highway. At a stop light (even in idle stop) the temp will exceed 130F due to less air movement. Have fun, Rick

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cakley

Discussion Starter · #4 · Dec 26, 2003

Right now I make short trips and with one tire having only 32psi.. Damn nails.. I am only getting around 45-50mpg. I'm still using my CAI.

Idealy the insight would have a computer controlled intake system that would use the hot air from the cat and the cool air from the front of the car. :idea: The computer could adjust the air temp as needed for warming up, max power, or max mpg.

Warm up with hot air.
Climb hills or with IMA using cool air.
Down hills or in regen mod using hot air.

Looks like the best I can do is have a winter set up or a summer set up.

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· #5 · Dec 26, 2003

Hi Cakely:

___I think the Insight designers were thinking along those lines by placing the intake behind the radiator. It wasn’t a perfect solution of course but it attempts to achieve the Insight’s primary goal of maximizing fuel economy by trying to maintain a higher and more even temperature to that intake. I just don’t think they went far enough …

___Here is another piece of anecdotal of evidence in regards to HP and efficiency although I am well beyond my knowledge of the subject … I work with some guys that are Drag Racing nuts. The Route 66 dragway in Joliet is home to some of the fastest ET’s in the world for any number of classes. Anyway, the guys at work say it’s not just that this dragway is one of the best built tracks in the country but that the temperatures in early summer and again in the fall are optimum for HP and traction. One of the guys in particular insists that the 60 - 65 degree temperatures seen at those (2) races is responsible for the low ET’s. Now it’s a stretch to equate drag racing ET’s in specific temperatures to the Insight’s best temp fuel economy but I have seen the best mileage in the MDX in 63 – 72 degree temperatures myself. Cold air intakes would be great for the summer imho to bring that intake air closer to the summer time external air temps but in the winter, I think you have gone well below the temperature of maximum efficiency or HP.

___I hope someone with a better understanding of temperature vs. air/fuel mixture or combustion efficiency will chime in (there is lots of discussion in the yahoo groups of course) but in my real world experience, a 60 to 75 degree outside temperature (intake temperature) would appear to be the best temperatures to drive in. With that, a 60 – 75 degree intake temperature would probably be close to optimal as well?

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:3hlxyqhz][email protected][/email:3hlxyqhz]

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