CoolBlackSE99
CEG'er
CAI = Cold Air Intake
-
Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.
You can register to join the community.
Cold air intake question
- Thread starter tycontour0514
- Start date
99SEinLivonia
New CEG'er
A very simple option
A very simple option
If you still have the original intake, here is a simple and effective improvement.
1. Completely remove the air-box from the car.
2. Loosen the fusebox in it's mount so that you can access the original through-fender hole hidden behind it.
3. Completely remove the plastic cover that mounts in the fender and feeds the bottom of the air-box. Toss it in the trash.
4. Cut the supply hose off the bottom half of the air-box.
5. Find a piece of hose used for cooling brakes - 4 inch diameter and ~ a foot long.
6. Carefully enlarge the hole in the bottom of the air-box to just fit the above hose - it'll wind up being oval in shape.
7. Remove the air dam from beneath the air filter - it's plastic and forces the air to turn, dropping chunks in the process.
8. Check the accordion hose to be sure nothing is obstructing airflow inside it.
9. Fasten the fuse box in place, put the modified air-box back in and fasten it down after making sure the 4 inch hose is pushed through the fender and into the bottom of the air-box.
10. Replace the OEM air filter with a new version.
11. Make sure everything is tightened down and have fun!
I did this to my 99 SE 5+ years ago in a couple hours with scrap hose. Much better air flow from a real cold area, and a throaty sound. I've never had a problem in water - either rain or 6" puddles - just don't try to blow through lakes at 90mph!
A very simple option
If you still have the original intake, here is a simple and effective improvement.
1. Completely remove the air-box from the car.
2. Loosen the fusebox in it's mount so that you can access the original through-fender hole hidden behind it.
3. Completely remove the plastic cover that mounts in the fender and feeds the bottom of the air-box. Toss it in the trash.
4. Cut the supply hose off the bottom half of the air-box.
5. Find a piece of hose used for cooling brakes - 4 inch diameter and ~ a foot long.
6. Carefully enlarge the hole in the bottom of the air-box to just fit the above hose - it'll wind up being oval in shape.
7. Remove the air dam from beneath the air filter - it's plastic and forces the air to turn, dropping chunks in the process.
8. Check the accordion hose to be sure nothing is obstructing airflow inside it.
9. Fasten the fuse box in place, put the modified air-box back in and fasten it down after making sure the 4 inch hose is pushed through the fender and into the bottom of the air-box.
10. Replace the OEM air filter with a new version.
11. Make sure everything is tightened down and have fun!
I did this to my 99 SE 5+ years ago in a couple hours with scrap hose. Much better air flow from a real cold area, and a throaty sound. I've never had a problem in water - either rain or 6" puddles - just don't try to blow through lakes at 90mph!
2.5 Always!
CEG'er
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2007
- Messages
- 67
buy the AEM SRI or CAI, personally the SRI than by the K&N for the filter and your set for life
2.5 Always!
CEG'er
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2007
- Messages
- 67
Also I'm sponsored so I could probably get you a AEM SRI for dirt cheap or at least cheaper than anywhere else... p.m. me
Dyoel182
Addicted CEG'er
I wasnt aware they made one for our cars and you dont really want a K&N now that there are better options on the market that dont need to be oiled and do a much better job of filtering.
Hearing more intake noise and thinking it improved performance are very different than an actual proven dyno increase.
2.5 Always!
CEG'er
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2007
- Messages
- 67
The only other's better in my eyes are the Injen and Greddy. It's all personal preference because i bet someone will say oh no dood AEM is the best, or HKS rocks... ya know what i mean though?
You will see a gain regardless. Less work for the engine to suck air in = more power.
Dyoel182
Addicted CEG'er
I dont. You could build a CAI out of pvc pipe from home depot, slap a quality filter on it and move it out of the engine bay and it would work just the same.
If you have a sensitive butt dyno. Otherwise the added intake noise is playing with your mind.
I just made a CAI intake for my car. I had a KnN on the stock intake before.
The intake noise definitely was louder as a WAI, but I can definitely feel a gain from going CAI. The gain wasn't so much in the top end but with the CAI the power band seems to be advanced a few hundred RPMs, something this car definitely needs.
I have had my KnN since I was 16, I think I paid 35 shipped for it. I paid 20 for a 90* reinforced coupler, some $$ for straight reinforced couplers, a spectre maf adapter (with IAT hole) from PepBoys ($15), and used some piping I had laying around from past projects. All in all with quality parts you should be able to make one for right around $100.
If you plan on making one here is mine for reference. It got pretty beat up when I was mocking it up in terms of the paint, the piping came with powder coating that is just way too thin. I still need to make a heat sheild, I'm gonna do that when I take it off to repowder coat it. Installation is not easy compared to other intakes, it's definitely at a awkward angle and very tight fitting which makes mocking this up a real pain.
The intake noise definitely was louder as a WAI, but I can definitely feel a gain from going CAI. The gain wasn't so much in the top end but with the CAI the power band seems to be advanced a few hundred RPMs, something this car definitely needs.
I have had my KnN since I was 16, I think I paid 35 shipped for it. I paid 20 for a 90* reinforced coupler, some $$ for straight reinforced couplers, a spectre maf adapter (with IAT hole) from PepBoys ($15), and used some piping I had laying around from past projects. All in all with quality parts you should be able to make one for right around $100.
If you plan on making one here is mine for reference. It got pretty beat up when I was mocking it up in terms of the paint, the piping came with powder coating that is just way too thin. I still need to make a heat sheild, I'm gonna do that when I take it off to repowder coat it. Installation is not easy compared to other intakes, it's definitely at a awkward angle and very tight fitting which makes mocking this up a real pain.
Are you seriously telling me an open filter element will do nothing more than what a closed conical filter :help:.
lol
SicSE
Veteran CEG'er
3216541
Yeah I know I hate the fact the radiator is there, but I'm going to fab up a fairly thick peice of aluminum to cover the filter to the raddy, then another one to block it from the transmission heat. When it's done it will draw air directly, and only, from under the car. I still noticed a gain over the stock intake though. I associate this mainly to getting rid of those weird bends in the stock rubber intake, those really kill flow.This is only temporary as well.
z06killinsbf
CEG'er
So, what are the normal hp gains people are seeing from either style?
Dyoel182
Addicted CEG'er
Either style being just slapping a cone filter on or actually doing the cold air pipe?
I have no idea what you mean.
When you say noticed you mean you felt an increase or you noticed an increase when you went to the dyno?
Are you seriously telling me an open filter element will not net more tq/hp #'s
Dyoel182
Addicted CEG'er
If for some reason the stock intake is restricting airflow then yes an open filter could free up some power. The downside is that real world driving is not like when you're on the dyno where your hood is up and you have a fan blowing cool air towards it. Most open filters will just be sucking in warm/hot engine bay air as opposed to the cool/cold air from the front or from the fender.
Of course with a cold air intake and open filter you'll usually pick up 3-5hp that might show up on the dyno.
Of course with a cold air intake and open filter you'll usually pick up 3-5hp that might show up on the dyno.
z06killinsbf
CEG'er
Yes .
B3NN3TT
Hard-core CEG'er
You seem to forget that there was NO cold-air option for the Duratec until way after the Contour was out of production; originally, that's all we had - and it seemed to offer a fine power increase back then. Sure, a cold-air unit is preferable, but seriously - there's nothing wrong with the standard short intake; it beats the pants off an accordion tube with a paper filter on it. Plus, once installed, they are easy to convert to cold-air by adding a simple extension, so you aren't locked into anything by any means.
Personal experience - I drove around with a short intake and a K&N for a couple of years until I upgraded to a cold-air intake. I noticed ZERO difference on the butt dyno after the upgrade; just less noise.
Dyoel182
Addicted CEG'er
Show me the dyno plot to prove it. I'll admit it looks cleaner but its almost never a performance mod. My most recent experiment was a friends Celica that he insisted on putting money into so we did two dyno runs stock, two runs with just a filter and then two runs with the cold air intake and didnt let him see any of them until it was all done. He ended up gaining 3hp max somewhere in the middle powerband for the $125 he spent on the intake and the dyno operator told him the average deviation between runs can be that big when stock.
I'll tell any SVT owner the same thing. Get yourself an AFM Dry filter to replace the paper or K&N filter in there and you'll actually see a bump in fuel mileage which will tell you the engine in happier.
B3NN3TT
Hard-core CEG'er
Dude... not even a good cold-air intake is going to get you anything all by itself. It works in concert with the rest of your mods.
NO, I don't have any dyno charts, but good Lord... people used those for like 8 YEARS on this platform for performance. They weren't all just crazy.
NO, I don't have any dyno charts, but good Lord... people used those for like 8 YEARS on this platform for performance. They weren't all just crazy.