COLD AIR INDUCTION WORTHLESS ON 03 COBRA

[Fast03Cobra]

I could be wrong but here it goes:

The air under the hood might or might not be colder or hotter than the air drawn from the fender. Personally I think its hotter BUT my goal here is to prove, or not, that it does not matter on the 2003 Cobra.

We have 2 mod options:

1. Cold Air Induction: Draw cooler air from a source other than the air under the hood (common sense tells us under the hood should be warmer).

2. Draw air from under the hood area (hotter).

That said everyone knows that cooler air provides a more dense charge and more HP right?

The Intercooler's purpose is to cool the air that passes the blower. Why, cause the blower heats up the air tremendously. The air coming out of the blower has to be hotter than the 180 - 200 degree liquid inside the Intercooler or it serves no purpose.

Temp of air coming out of blower > Intercooler coolant.

I am willing to bet most of the air coming into blower remains in a general range of (50-100F). But the blower temps are probably triple that. And the blower SPINS the air which mixes the air and heats it.

If the air coming out of the blower can be COOLED by a system that uses 180-200F liquid its gotta be HOT coming from the blower!

I would think VOLUME is more critical than density in this case. The blower probably gets hotter and cooler in a range as well with the outside temps. But not a huge swing. Its still going to heat up that air. But it will fluctuate with the air.

You really have 3 sources of heat: (1) Heat from all tubing & TB (2) Blower itself (3) Intercooler.

I doubt that CAI systems make any difference in the density.

I could be wrong on this, but I figure a few others smarter than I might have some good comments to make.

It seems to me that allowing the blower to access more CFM is more critical.

I dont think this arguement holds an a naturaly aspirated engine.

No flames please, just some good input we can all learn from....

 

[david smilovic]

Sounds time to find a air to air charge cooler as on my LPE Twin Turbo,or build a cooler more efficient air to water hi-cap.Your logic runs with mine and I have been commited to some of the finest institutions on earth and BEYOND,Dave S.

 

[ZXnVS]

A quick question: where did you get the figure that the intercooler is near 200 degrees?

 

[Fast03Cobra]

I was guessing since most cars have 180-200 F thermostats. Is not this Intercooler reservoir tied into the cooling system? Or are they 2 COMPLETELY different systems?

I really dont know... It appears to me the intercooler coolant is circulated via the water pump and that would mean that the systems are connected...

Unless of course, the intercooler has its own pump and its own thermo...

From looking at (only a glimps) it I thought the 2 systems are tied together.

 

[toofast4u]

I agree with your logic, but believe the intercooler is much cooler then that. They are two completely separate systems in entirely they both have thier own reserves, pumps, and radiators.

 

[slow lane]

intercooler temp

If you have an '03 Cobra, feel the intercooler reservoir when the car is up to full operating temp.

You'll find that if you've been running without boost, the intercooler fluid is roughly ambient temperature. If you've been running with boost, the fluid reservoir feels slightly warm to the touch. The cooling effect of the intercooler under no boost conditions should have pretty well negate the difference between stock air intake temps versus a cold air kit. Under boost, where the intercooler has a larger temperature difference impact and is working less efficiently, the impact should be more noticable.

Having said that, I have a UPR cold air intake installed. There is no noticable difference in power at low RPMs. There is a noticable change in pick up from 5000-6500 RPMs (there was a hiccup at about 5800 when under full accelleration before the change).

The UPR kit comes with a "big mouth" filter which should flow better than the standard Mustand K&N filter. I suspect that the improved filter washed away the hiccup.

Quarter mile times have improved by exactly Zero.

I am still glad I purchased the kit for the following reasons...

1) It came with the high flow filter.
2) It puts the filter in the fenderwell away from heat and water
3) It should support future mods better than a K&N in the stock box.
4) It looks cool.

 

[03DOHC]

Food for thought.

 

[MinGrey03]

The dyno sheets don't lie.......

 

[jtfx6552]

Originally posted by MinGrey03
The dyno sheets don't lie.......

What is important to me, is how the car accelerates on the street or track. I am not sure sitting still on the dyno with a big fan will give the same results as the car in motion.
See thread :http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15952

Right now I am trying the Amazon racing CAI. I had it at the track this past Friday and did get my best MPH ever, but the weather was nice too.

JT

 

[ygohome]

I just ordered the Amazon kit from Rick. By the time I get my 03 back (it's in the shop getting it's clutch replaced) I should have the kit ready to install. Cant wait!

 

[03DOHC]

Originally posted by jtfx6552


What is important to me, is how the car accelerates on the street or track. I am not sure sitting still on the dyno with a big fan will give the same results as the car in motion.
See thread :http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15952

Right now I am trying the Amazon racing CAI. I had it at the track this past Friday and did get my best MPH ever, but the weather was nice too.

JT

How fast did you run?

 

[jtfx6552]

A 12.32 @ 116.65. On this run the car broke loose in first and I to let off for a split second, which usually kills mph, but not on this run.
Not as good as my best et of [email protected], but a better trap speed. The 12.20 was a better 60 ft obviously.
JT

 

[Fast03Cobra]

I did the Silencer Removal mod and I could actually notice a very slight difference.

Since the intercooler is its own system, this BEGS the question:

1. Would not an intercooler radiator upgrade be a HUGE help? I would bet Ford put one on thats simply works but is not entirely efficient.

I could be wrong. I was impressed by the piping and oil cooler and nice radiator they put in the 03...

Maybe a little more surface area on the intercooler radiator with a better radiator and some Water-Wetter with straight water?

I've been told people have used straight water and water-wetter together with no problems....

You know, I cant find ANYTHING in the owners manuals about the intercooler! When to change fluid, what kind to use, mixture, etc..

HHHHHHHHHmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Food for thought again!

 

[toofast4u]

Originally posted by MinGrey03
The dyno sheets don't lie.......

What dyno sheets are you refering to? Dyno sheets from the person selling something usually lie. They add a pulley and intake and forget to say the car had a pulley added also. It is called marketing.

 

[toofast4u]

Originally posted by Fast03Cobra
I did the Silencer Removal mod and I could actually notice a very slight difference.

Since the intercooler is its own system, this BEGS the question:

1. Would not an intercooler radiator upgrade be a HUGE help? I would bet Ford put one on thats simply works but is not entirely efficient.

I believe they are the same radiator as in the lightning. I would not change the radiator, but you could do this.

I just measured the intercooler radiator and it was 22.5"x7" and approx 2 inches behind it is the power steering radiator and then behind that is the engine radiator talk about allot of radiators.

I just found this site on installing a fan on a 99.5 Lightning the intercooler is the same as the 03 Cobra at least size wise.
http://www.nvlope.org/_tech/intercooler_fan_install.htm

Here is the site to the fan they used.
http://jaycorptech.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=5

I wonder if it would be actually worth it to do this. I might mount two of these fans next to each other on the intercooler that way it will also increase air flow to the power steering radiator and engine radiator. And direct wire or relay wire them to the factory radiator fan.

Take a look at this thread.
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16376&highlight=radiator+fan

 

[i8u]

Hmmm. Are you sure they are the same size. I thought the lightining had a slightly larger intercooler. Dammit.. Now I have to go check...:??:

 

[Blades]

The 99s had a smaller intercooler than the rest of the Ls, same with the 2000 i think. Thus the difference in power.

 

[jtfx6552]

If I counted right, the lightning heat exchanger is 16 rows high, the Cobra 13 rows. I counted the rows of fins, not the tubes the coolent goes through (that would be 17 for the lightning, 14 for the Cobra).

Doesn't sound like much, right? But if they are the same width and depth,, the L has 23% more cooling in the IC heat exchanger.

Could be significant.

JT

 

[nicetry]

try this on, if the food on your fork is too hot to eat, what do you do?
blow air on it to cool it down( your breath is warmer than the outside air,but cooler than your food.)
the more you blow the cooler your food gets until it is cool enough to eat.(or like me its cool enough to handle.haha)
the air traveling around the food draws the heat away from it.
now look at a "cold air kit" with this in mind.
as the colder air charge(colder than underhood or intake track)
travels through the filter,plumming, throttle body. air meter,upper intake manifold, lower manifold and into the cylinders, it cools everything in its path, and the speed at which the air travels is too fast for it to get heated from the engine, unless it is hot from the underhood temps. Ram air kits work even better, like you said more cfm does help as well. also, if the air temp
was not much of a concern there would be no need to have an
air intake temp sensor. but the real benifit from most quality
air kits is not the temp of the air charge anyway, its the larger
and less restrictive air track that allows the engine to inhale with less work making it more efficent. and making the air travel through the air meter with less turbulance allows for a more precise reading. soda straws are a good example here,Mcdonalds
versus BurgerKing....for more soda,faster with less work.. McDonalds wins
this is my opinion and i hope nobody thinks i am in anyway
saying anyone else is wrong........
Jr
Full Throttle
:beer:

 

[03DOHC]

Originally posted by nicetry
, it cools everything in its path, and the speed at which the air travels is too fast for it to get heated from the engine, unless it is hot from the underhood temps.

I have one problem with that statement. If the air is traveling too fast to get heated, how can it get cooled by the intercooler?