What will give more power CAI or SRI

[Sniper2606]

i have a SRI and i keep hearing the CAI gives more power? is this true? what about water problems since the intake its all the way down

[E4Performance]

CAI will give you low end torque. SRI will give you top end HP

[MSMS3]

Both are hugely serious power mods for this engine. Either one will give you very significant power gains in both hp and torque. There will be a firestorm of debate regarding which is better. There are very technical reasons to support each view which mostly have to do with whether and to what extent the CAI actually provides colder (and denser) air to the engine compared to the SRI and whether there is any really serious risk of hydrolock from the typical CAI design if you are stupid enough to drive through really high water.

Suffice it to say that the debates, IMHO, are more academic than real world important, given the big gains this engine gets from either and the relatively modest, if any, differences in performance between designs. Either way is a big improvement over the POS stock air box. My personal preference is CAI, but I respect the views of those who prefer the SRI.

Finally, I must respectfully disagree with the observation here of our vendor regarding power down low and up high. I don't think there is much difference, and the data seems to suggest that the modest differences are only present at WOT and tend to support the opposite conclusion -- a little bit more punch down low from the SRI and a bit more high rpm, high engine load performance (trap speeds, etc.) from the CAI.

[E4Performance]

It's actually oppsite MSM because at high rpm, the car is trying to suck air in quicker to feed the turbo and the engine. The SRI gives the shortest tract and therefore the quickest airflow. It may be different based on dynos with different pipe sizes, but CP-e uses 3" on both the SRI and CAI and showed top end was > on the SRI due to shorter run.

[nyghtryder]

Honeslty you talking maybe about +/- a few crank hp and for the money to spend to get a cai its not going to be worth it. Plus if you plan on going fmic, its definatley not worth it cuz most kits use their own intake.

[Kdawg207]

Originally Posted by nyghtryder Honeslty you talking maybe about +/- a few crank hp and for the money to spend to get a cai its not going to be worth it. Plus if you plan on going fmic, its definatley not worth it cuz most kits use their own intake.

smart man



my 2 cents CPE Nano - FTW

[IshiKage]

:

Originally Posted by Sniper2606 i have a SRI and i keep hearing the CAI gives more power? is this true? what about water problems since the intake its all the way down

actually, CAI gives you top end and on the low end, CAI has the same amount of power as SRI.

so if you want more power and top end, go with the CAI.

im going to be switching back to CAI b/c of this reason


wakeboardude and i put it to the test a few times. our cars were equally modded he had SRI i had MSCAI.

up to about 75mph, we were dead even everytime...pure drivers race but after that, my car would pull ahead everytime.

[reddeerspeed3]

sportcompactcar did a fairly extensive test on this using a wrx about 9 months ago. they concluded that SRI's gave more high end HP and CAI's more low end TQ due to resonant frequencies or some technical shit like that. and like nyghtryder said, who gives a shit over 2-3 hp vs. 2-3 ft-lbs. either one is a huge improvement. if you get a CAI, buy a quality hydrosheild that fits properly. if you get a SRI, buy a cold air box to help fight heatsoak

[ms3077]

You can't really compare two different cars as well; some are factory freaks, some turds. For example, I have an SRI raced a buddy with same mods except his got CAI; I pulled a couple cars to 120+ plus but that didn't really prove anything as mentioned.

I know at least one member who didn’t get any real significant gains with intake/ test pipe but my car got huge gains; he’s got an 09, me an 08. I’m holding ~ 18psi on stock tune, he not even a tad over stock boost. Apparently there’s weird shit going on between different model years.

The 2010 MS3 response great to bolt ons according to corksport, they got like 40hp/tq with just intake/ inlet/ test pipe, holding ~18.5psi like I'm doing. So I'm wondering if the 09's got some kind of issue?

But yeah CAI, SRI doesn't really matter both huge gains.

MSMS3, you should stick around here more often, screw 24/7.

[BoostIsBetter]

not this debate again.

please do a search!!!

[IshiKage]

Originally Posted by ms3077 You can't really compare two different cars as well; some are factory freaks, some turds. For example, I have an SRI raced a buddy with same mods except his got CAI; I pulled a couple cars to 120+ plus but that didn't really prove anything as mentioned. I know at least one member who didn’t get any real significant gains with intake/ test pipe but my car got huge gains; he’s got an 09, me an 08. I’m holding ~ 18psi on stock tune, he not even a tad over stock boost. Apparently there’s weird shit going on between different model years. The 2010 MS3 response great to bolt ons according to corksport, they got like 40hp/tq with just intake/ inlet/ test pipe, holding ~18.5psi like I'm doing. So I'm wondering if the 09's got some kind of issue? But yeah CAI, SRI doesn't really matter both huge gains. MSMS3, you should stick around here more often, screw 24/7.

not sure, there could be something up witht he tunes of 09s or ecus better yet.

but we are both 09s

CAI's have shown higher hp gain and CAI's take in cooler air than SRIs. so SRI's giving a better top end over CAi makes no sense to me

[wankular]

Who cares about the technical crap? I prefer an SRI because the filter lookes sweet in the engine bay.

[ms3077]

Originally Posted by 240mazspd3 not sure, there could be something up witht he tunes of 09s or ecus better yet. but we are both 09s CAI's have shown higher hp gain and CAI's take in cooler air than SRIs. so SRI's giving a better top end over CAi makes no sense to me

Probably but enough to make a significant gain vs. the other. Doubtful, what most everyone is saying is that neither one makes enough power over the other to really justify one superior. Perhaps the CAI takes in cooler air but how much cooler to you think that air is? Once the car is moving air does in fact get directed through the engine bay and this is reflected via. Dash Hawk monitoring.

Myself including many other members here have witnessed intake temps to be within +/- just 2-4 degrees off real ambient temps using a SRI. So how much to you think those couple degree cooler temps are worth? Probably not much, then you got to take the other aspects into consideration like price, installation, maintenance, etc. Also, say if you do indeed get say 5hp more with a CAI; does it off set the better throttle response and other pluses you get with a SRI? And if those 5hp or so aren’t realized until 120mph what’s the point?

[silverspd3]

i have the cp-e cai love it never had a problem with it.. bought the pre-filter works great and with there design the filter angles up away from the ground and the bumper is sealed off pretty well only holes their are is in the wheel well and i never felt my filter wet.. i have seen water spots inside the engine bay to so a sri is gonna get a lil wet to but not enough to harm. It would take a lot to suck in water with this car unless u drive trough 2-3 ft of water and if u do see a puddle just coast through it (no gas) or drive around it and most puddle's are on the right side of the road and the intake is on the left.. i Bought a cai mainly because i don't like the idea of sucking in all that hot air from the engine bay but both sri n cai are both good for this car.. i felt more high end gain from the cai then low end gain. and its not hard to change the filter either just the matter of turning the wheel's all the way to the right and unscrew the 3 or 4 screws in the wheel well then u have access.

And I disagree with E4 statement about the sri giving faster airflow.. only thing true about that is as soon as u give it gas it will be quicker b/c of the shorter pipe but once ur already moving it doesnt matter

Thats my 2 cents

[gsrtype1]

It seems logical that a cia would give more hp cause its not breathing the hotter air of the engine bay.

[ms3077]

Originally Posted by silverspd3 i have the cp-e cai love it never had a problem with it.. bought the pre-filter works great and with there design the filter angles up away from the ground and the bumper is sealed off pretty well only holes their are is in the wheel well and i never felt my filter wet.. i have seen water spots inside the engine bay to so a sri is gonna get a lil wet to but not enough to harm. It would take a lot to suck in water with this car unless u drive trough 2-3 ft of water and if u do see a puddle just coast through it (no gas) or drive around it and most puddle's are on the right side of the road and the intake is on the left.. i Bought a cai mainly because i don't like the idea of sucking in all that hot air from the engine bay but both sri n cai are both good for this car.. i felt more high end gain from the cai then low end gain. and its not hard to change the filter either just the matter of turning the wheel's all the way to the right and unscrew the 3 or 4 screws in the wheel well then u have access. And I disagree with E4 statement about the sri giving faster airflow.. only thing true about that is as soon as u give it gas it will be quicker b/c of the shorter pipe but once ur already moving it doesnt matter Thats my 2 cents

The air ain't all that "hot" once moving (+/- 2-4degrees ambient) and throttle response will matter everytime you let off the throttle unless of course you're power shifting. But when you’re just cruising around in gear and decide to downshift “throttle response” comes into play

[IshiKage]

dude, the air is hotter with SRI. have you had both? i have. the thing that improve with SRI vs CAI was throttle response. the amount of time it took the air to stop in the CAI was longer thus making it feel a bit sloppier.

but power wise.

CAI>SRI in terms ofpower. cooler air=more power

[silverspd3]

Originally Posted by ms3077 The air ain't all that "hot" once moving (+/- 2-4degrees ambient) and throttle response will matter everytime you let off the throttle unless of course you're power shifting. But when you’re just cruising around in gear and decide to downshift “throttle response” comes into play

True but whats the diff like .5 secs.. or less and true once u get moving there is air flowing through the engine bay but r engines get hot as fuck.. but to each his own.. this battle could go on all day.. i like both.. both r great upgrades for this car.. cant lose on either one.

[glocK23]

I initially had Cobb SRI, switched over to CP-E CAI, then to CP-E Nano, then back to CP-E CAI.

The cobb sri felt snappier than cp-e nano. the cp-e cai felt very nice low-end and top end. I kept the CP-E CAI over the Cobb and Nano.

If I had to choose which intake from CAI to SRI, it would be

CAI = CP-E Xcel CAI
SRI = Cobb SRI

Just based on personal placebo experience

[rodrigo]

i think the differences in hp and tq are negligible

[mazdaj]

i ran with the bottom splash shield off and a cpe cai in 1-2 ft puddles of torrential rain and i came out ok...despite what people think it takes alot to hydrolock. the things i did to test motor mounts for cpe....lol

[dizzin9]

think about it this way: would u rather have a short or long penis?

[wankular]

Originally Posted by dizzin9 think about it this way: would u rather have a short or long penis?

Depends on who you're asking.

[IshiKage]

I had a penis reduction and I'm not liking the change, nor is the bitch. Even though I don't really need a cai since I have fmic, my intake temps have def gone up b/c of the extra metal in the engine bay

[ms3077]

Originally Posted by Lenny127 i think the differences in hp and tq are negligible

This sums it up.

[ATAZ]

Simple solution for SRI getting cold air. Take the ram air piping out of the battery and allow the TMIC ducts to supply colder air. It literally sits right in front of the SRI....so therefore ur always getting cold air and the SRI is way easier to clean.

just my $.02

[ms3077]

Originally Posted by ATAZ Simple solution for SRI getting cold air. Take the ram air piping out of the battery and allow the TMIC ducts to supply colder air. It literally sits right in front of the SRI....so therefore ur always getting cold air and the SRI is way easier to clean. just my $.02

Or you could just fab something up to have 2 air ways (still have air going to bat) this way you'll get true ambient vice 2-4 warmer but big deal right? lol. I’m glad you pointed this out, now I have something to burn some time on as I’m pretty bored right now.

[reddeerspeed3]

i've been trying to think of a decent way to do this without hacking that plastic all to shit. i'm more likely just gonna port one of these into my CAB

[acmhd7]

Glad this topic came up again because I never thought about searching and probably would have went with a CAI before this thread. Some good points have been brought up on both ends.

CIA - Cooler air....well thats about it.

SRI - Wayy cheaper, easier to clean, no issues if go with a FMIC...if I ever decide to.


The two points that are selling me on the SRI are price and ease of cleaning. I dont think the HP #'s on the two are that different enough to warrant $100+

[Sniper2606]

thanks for all the replies i will stay with my hks sri lol, last thing since some people brought this up, whats the deal with the FMIC and the SRI? because i have both on my car

[IshiKage]

i think some are under the assumption that you cant run CAI with FMIC when you can

[Sniper2606]

quick question how do i clean the intake filter just blowing air to it?

[ms3077]

Originally Posted by Sniper2606 quick question how do i clean the intake filter just blowing air to it?

Use an air duster (like the ones used for cleaning electronics) to blow off dirt/ debris. After this use a mild detergent under cool water to clean / rinse the filter clean. Let dry naturally or sit next to a fan; don't blow dry under heat! Re-apply thin layer of oil if it's an oiled filter like Cobb's; don't over oil!

[snowms3]

yah definitely dont over oil. my buddy did that on his car and it ruined his maf sensor 500 bucks later he learned his lesson. thats 500 he could spent on parts for his car. but the way its been explained to me about sri vs. cai is that short ram will provide initial torque because its a smaller tube thus any turbo lag you may experience may be gone and cold air intake will take you mid range to higher rpms but i too believe the gains are so subtle it doesnt matter too much. its just a personal pref

[rapha82]

nice to know

[zoom1&zoom2]

Originally Posted by Sniper2606 i have a SRI and i keep hearing the CAI gives more power? is this true? what about water problems since the intake its all the way down

I have a MS6 and I have tried the cobb sri and my ms cai back to back, no dyno or track but I'll share my findings. The sri showed a IAT change of 20-25 degree's warmer, and it did effect hp, car felt more sluggish. Down low and up top. The part I did like about the sri is it quieter outside and inside. It also will stay 100% dry. But I went back to the MSCAI. IAT temps dropped back down and the power came back up. Another thing is the cobb has the built in air flow straightner, and my MScai does not have one. I saw no differences in anything how the car drove in that respect. But not all of us seem to need a straightner. As for wet weather, I have driven in alot of standing rain, had the dryflow filter soaked, but I stayed out of the throttle as much as possible, and when I got home I checked the inside of the tube by the MAF sensor and there was no water. Now I have a K&N filter with a prefilter. The prefilter and the oil in the K&N are great water deterrents.

[ms3077]

Originally Posted by zoom1&zoom2 I have a MS6 and I have tried the cobb sri and my ms cai back to back, no dyno or track but I'll share my findings. The sri showed a IAT change of 20-25 degree's warmer, and it did effect hp, car felt more sluggish. Down low and up top. The part I did like about the sri is it quieter outside and inside. It also will stay 100% dry. But I went back to the MSCAI. IAT temps dropped back down and the power came back up. Another thing is the cobb has the built in air flow straightner, and my MScai does not have one. I saw no differences in anything how the car drove in that respect. But not all of us seem to need a straightner. As for wet weather, I have driven in alot of standing rain, had the dryflow filter soaked, but I stayed out of the throttle as much as possible, and when I got home I checked the inside of the tube by the MAF sensor and there was no water. Now I have a K&N filter with a prefilter. The prefilter and the oil in the K&N are great water deterrents.

20-25 warmer IAT's?? That doesn't make sense at all! I think you're confusing BAT's (boosted air temps) with IAT (air intake temps).

With an SRI; IAT's (air intake temps) will be on avg just + 2 -4 degree's from true ambient (the air a cold air intake should be taking in) once moving forward; those few degrees aren't enough to yield substantial gains.

Plenty of people have confirmed this to be true. If you're seeing much higher than +4 degrees IAT's with an SRI that's only because you're still; once moving the IAT's go down al most immediately; just a few short secs.

Driver311 actually did back to back DYNO runs with CAI / SRI and found that niether yielded substantial gains over the other; this is right in tune with everything my self and the majority of the board have concluded.

I mean honestly there’s really no good reason to run a CAI vice an SRI here. You can say what you want but the facts are the facts; unless of course you're hell bent on the idea of possibly getting an extra 2-3hp for the first 3-5secs of a run.

[glocK23]

Does it even matter about temperature? I mean that shit is negligible , it's all going into a hot ass turbo regardless.


FML.

[Frequentflyer]

Go with the SRI. Cheaper, more safe, easier to install/uninstall/service the filter and hp difference is not enough to really feel the difference. If your ass can feel a <5whp difference in a car with this amount of power to begin with, you've got a real sensitive ass!

[FantasmoNegro]

MSCAI and your warranty will stay intact.