Build your own CAI??

[Alkemix]

http://www.partzfinder.com/Cold_Air_...bows_s/253.htm

I'm looking for a website that simplifies building your own CAI like the one above, but using NEW parts, since this one is using slightly used or open box parts.

I'm still doing research as to whether or not I'd go through with building my own, but it doesn't seem that difficult at the moment, although I might have to fabricate some sort of a heat shield.

Wondering how much "engineering" actually goes into the CAIs that are already on the market and why the fck are they so expensive when clearly I can make one here for 50 bucks and a 6 pack of beer (I'm being facetious).

Has anyone tried this before? Is this do-able for a novice?

[stephengraham]

Even with a heat shield it wouldn't be a CAI, it would be a short ram. It will sound nice, but you will be sucking hot air. The stock box has a port that runs to the front, outside the engine bay. If you put in a k&n, you would basically have the same CAI. The short ram would look nice, but it would be less efficient.

[Alkemix]

Gotcha. I do intend to keep the stock air duct that runs to the grill. Doesn't the EvoMs CAI do the same thing. I thought it was a short ram with a heat shield and uses the stock air duct to run cooler air to the filter? I basically just wanted to mimic that design using cheaper parts.

I'm guessing not a lot of people have gone this route.

Does anyone know if our stock intake pipe has a velocity stack? Still doing research, but finding out some good things.

[peta8368]

my car was at AEM a few days ago, and they are using my car as the development platform for a new intake system. From what i can gather, the stock intake is pretty well made. They tried different designs and some actually lost power when compared to stock. They had my car for a month the first time to finally settle on a design.

Piecing your own CAI might actually cause you to lose power, especially if you are going to build a short-ram that is going to be sucking in hot air right next to the turbo.


Peter

[Quattro]

What is it you are looking to get out of an intake, sound? hp gain? Most intakes in the market for the b7, will give you sound and gain will be minimal...more throttle response. Ghostsquadgarge is building a CAI, which looks very promising, a suggestion would be waiting for that to come out before you spend on making your own although I dont know pricing it still might be worth it.

If you build a short ram, just replacing airbox with a filter, you will just be sucking in hot air and if you dont have a heat shield, you are actually doing worse than good because of all the heat in the engine bay more precisely intake area.

Evoms and Carbonio, use stock air venting to get "colder" air from outside, but these intakes are basically just short ram but with "more enclosure." One alternative and combination is getting that ghostsquadgarage pipe, that replaces the one from engine to air box (I have it and it works well).

Their are plenty of people who have made their own intake by replacing the box with a filter. Sound is overall what you will get, hear turbo spool, stock dv...

I hope this helps
-randy

[Alkemix]

^^Sound!! and efficiency matching stock.

Again, i would use the stock air duct/air inlet to allow outside air reach the cone filter and create some degree of an enclosure/heatshield and try to use that air duct like a straw as much as possible.

[GhostSquadGarage]

Trust me. the amount of engineering and testing that goes into such a simple piece like this is rediculous !
I thought it would basically be a plug and play thing, but after testing temps and benefits it's become so much more and has taken me so far over 6months of testing and modifying and testing and changing. I think we finally have the solution down to provide both sound and "significantly" lower temps (that will actually provide more hp) and we're testing that full throttle on a car right now. As long as this goes good for a while and then the results match up after extensive road tests to when we 1st installed it, only then will it be released.

It's definately true that you can get a K&N filter for like $50 and plug it up and gain a little bit of sound, but you are just suffocating the engine more than you realize.
We developed the Intake Pipe for people that want to retain stock airbox or combine it with their Carbonio\eVoms etc since alot like the looks of other companies.
Soon we will have the full deal out and available for distribution to the public.

This is not something where you can just go to Home Depot and buy piping and cut it to fit. There's quite an extensive research and science that goes into the material alone, having to build aluminum and combine it with the right elements to resist heat and withstand temps while still efficiently pushing "cool" air into the engine. Even a few of the aftermarket companies cannot even match the effeciency of the stock airbox so do your research on this.

I think Laurence@gsg has either a sale going on or one of the last of our intake pipes available at the moment, so search his posts for that if you're mostly looking for the whooshing sound in combination with your stock airbox.

-Jordan

[Grk_A4]

I built my own custom intake. I'll post some pictures up when I can get a hold of a decent camera. I basically just took a rubber coupling and slapped that onto the turbo. Then I put a 90 on the other side of that coupling. A short straight piece with another coupling to put my maf sensor. Then slapped a cone filter on the other side. I also left the plastic duct work in there in order to bring some sort of cooler air from outside. It sounds nice however until I fabricate a heat shield I'm still sucking in hot air. :(

[Alkemix]

To the GSG guys, If i had the $$ I'd have that intake pipe, stat. It wouldn't even be a question... A) it's sexy as hell and (B) I can only imagine the sound of that pipe is probably equivalent to the sound of the sweet spot on a fatty titanium driver, but I'm hurting on the funds and wanting to make something happen sooner rather than later. I'm not opposed to getting my hands dirty, but can't afford a fail.

To Grk A4, can you post pics of each section of your intake? It seems temp is the primary problem.

Thanks guys!

[Quattro]

the hardest part of an intake will be creating a heat shield. I have seen a few people make their own and claim to be not as hot, search and see what you come up with =D

[Vito Roma]

my old car had a cai some guy made for me a dyno'd better than the ones on the market. Also cost $150 compared to $300 like the rest. So if you know what u are doing go for it. Looked damn easy

[vtracer20]

GhostSquadGarage -- will you be proving dynos and logs for your intake when it's released?

I dont like companies selling a product, saying this and that and not proving it. Not saying that's you, just in general

[GhostSquadGarage]

Yes, everything will be done in full regarding this.
The gains will be minimal (4hp-10hp) as I'm sure you're aware but it's the responsiveness and prolonged power you will feel the most with this along with the sweet sweet sound !!
Test car 1 is done and working flawlessly with the finalized design and we're moving on to 2 more cars and then dyno's before releasing it just yet.