Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance Cheap forced air induction

The idea has been brought up, and then shot down,
about putting a fan in the air intake system.
I understand the arguement against it,
(fan becoming an air dam at higher rpm's).
Then the idea was brought up about putting the fan on the end of the open air filter.
I understand the arguement against it as well,
(fan not providing enough cfm).

Well I would like to try something different, a "Motorized Impeller".
A picture of a motorized impeller with specs can be seen here .

In my line of work (Thermal Engineering Tech) I have ahad the pleasure to play with one of these in a work setting.
I would like some input on whether this could be used for a ram air setup.

What interests me is;
1) It runs on 12V
2) It is variable speed
3) 260 CFM
4) small sdimensions = 7" tall x 2.5" wide x 7" long
5) small current draw ~ 3A
6) priced at $170 for a single impeller order

According to a few people that have responded about the fans 200+ cfm is more than enough for a Zetec.

Any thoughts?

And yes I know there are already Eram's.
I just thought it could be a nice alternative to the other Eram .
These Eram's are expensive, some are big, and some are heavy.

My possible alternative would be cheaper, lighter, easier to install, small, and hopfuly just as effective.

Well, my K&N setup flows about 800cfm.....also, it looks like a good idea, but placing it on the end of the filter will only increase air turbulence and further decrease cfm flow.......i'm not saying it can't work...but that is what I know about the subject. Unless you get cold air in there, ram air isn't going to give a significant gain over any custom intake setup with an aftermarket(K&N) filter. Anyway, keep trying to see if it will work, you can always have fun trying!!!!

the idea certainly has merit, though the setup has more to do with how well it will work than anyhting else.
and yes it does seem that it does flow enough for a zetec (ideally, a zetec will flow ~240-250 cfm at redline)
just don't expect anyhting major out of it.

If the forced air blowing into the air intake has a significantly greater pressure than the air being drawn in, it will over power the air being drawn in, and at a point will block the air being drawn in, causing less turbulence.

An impeller can provide a more significant PSI boost than a fan.
My idea for a set up would be to blow cooler air from the wheel well to the air intake.

Also another thought, why not small fins to the intake pipe to cause the air to swirl, something like what the barrel of gun does to a bullet.

You can stabilize a flying projectile by spinning it, up to a point, but spinning airflow does not necessarily have anything to do with a better burn or F/A mixture. Spinning air can be every bit as detrimental as other turbulent air

II'm talking about forcing alot of air (cfm) though a funnel (for lack of a better word), causing psi boost) into the inner part of a K&N style filter.
The funnel would be finned, with very small fins that would only slighty spiral the air (the right spiral affect would/could be beneficial).
I am approching this with the idea to get air into the engine faster, hopefully as fast af the engine needs it.

So if that is what the zetec normaly draws wouldn't the cfm's need to be higher then that to create boost. I understand that those are redline numbers but I don't see any real gains up high. It should make the car more resposive though.

What about the housing for the impeler? What about two side by side that would only increase the thickness, I like the idea personally.

I do understand what you're trying to get at, but the fact remains that spinning air isn't always stable or better for the engine. In most instances, it will not net you any type of advantage. Also, if the fan is after the air filter, then you don't want something after that disturbing the air flow (which the air filter just smoothed out). The filter you purchase should be able to adequately do the job for you without complicating the process any more. Remeber this simple thing: KISS

Keep It Simple Silly

Two impellers would increase the price,
I want to keep the price low.
I am not trying to boost HP, but would hope for a few at lower RPM's.
I'm loooking to boost the response of the engine.
Get to the higher RPM's (power band) quicker.
Acceleration not Power.

To help clarify the air turbulence issue;
If the entire volume of air in the intake is swirling then turbulence is decreased, not increased.
To help visualize this - think of two coke bottles taped together and the top one is filled with water, when you creat a whirlpool the water transfers much more rapidly than before.
(Yes that is the example from the Tornado commercial)
Where the turbulence will occur is at the inlet of the filter, which is where it occurs already.
One goal of the setup is to minimize that turbulence as much as possible.

Also the fins causing the whirlpool will also help the air to turn corners in the intake pipe, more efficiently.
The gain from this benefit would very small (maybe 5% of the increased air flow).

Should the setup be RPM dependent or always on?
off @ idle = 0cfm
9V @ 1500 = ~75cfm
10V @ 2250 = ~125cfm
11V @ 3000 = ~175cfm
12V @ 3500 = ~225cfm
All on 4000 = ~265cfm

How about a mechanical "impeller" that is forced to turn by waste gas expelled from the exhaust. You could control the "boost" by way of a "waste gate".
Then we could blow up the earth using something that I call a "laser".

Sorry guy, I feel a little punchy today.