New *electric* 'Ram' Air Intake

[psychotic]

Just thought i'd show you guys what i did with my boredom. If this is in the wrong forum a moderator can move it, i wasn't sure where to put it.

Anyways...

http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=273794&page=3

 

[Robb]

You do know that that thing is doing more harm than good right?

Robb

 

[psychotic]

How so?

 

[Robb]

That 3" tube is big enough to allow in any air that the engine"wants" or "pulls". The engine can actually pull more than that fan can produce, therefore simply "freewheeling" the fan. Therefore, the fan accomplishes nothing. Now, the fan is sittin in this 3" tube taking up space, which acts as a restriction to airflow. You have basically taken a 3" tube and made it the equivalent of a 2" tube. Simply put, you have done more harm than good to your intake system.

Robb

 

[Xplodor]

Nice consept. I've heard that those things do more harm then good, but let's get some info from other members.

Minor correction. This is more like "Cold Air Induction," true "Ram Air" has the filter inclosed so the air that is being pushed into it has no where else to go other then into the intake, thus calling it "Ram Air." I had this similar setup on my Mustang (cold air induction), then I switched to a Kenne Bell Ram Air System. What a difference.

 

[psychotic]

The air tube i made is not hooked up or sealed to engine intake, therefor the engine does not "suck" air up through it, it sucks air from under the heat shield i made. Therefor, the only time air is moving up the tube is when the car is moving, or when i turn the fan on. I turn the fan on at low speeds to help off the line with all the cold air being blown at the filter. At higher speeds, the air speed is great enough to force air up the tube on its own, so i shut it off. Yes the fan being there does restrict the air somewhat, but all it is doing is blowing cool air at my filter, not having air "sucked" out of it by my engine, so the restriction doesn't matter that much.

 

[psychotic]

Originally posted by morrisey0
That 3" tube is big enough to allow in any air that the engine"wants" or "pulls". The engine can actually pull more than that fan can produce.
Robb

I somewhat agree with you, that is what i would if this fan was used inline, or inside, the actual intake... The fan is dangerous to be used this way, because the "pull" of the engine can sometimes actually be used to suck the blades into it.


This is where you may be confused, my engine is not "wanting" or "pulling" from my tube... in the pictures you can see the filter is not enclused, open on all sides, "pulling" in from the air around it, not the tube. My cold air tube is just aimed at it, making the air cooler.

 

[Robb]

OK, I gotcha. Effectively, all you are doing is blowing some cold air up "close" to your intake filter. All the fan is doing is blowing it while your truck is not moving, whereas, the "ram" effect of the tube being in the truck's airstream blows it up there by itself.

Honestly, I can't see it making any difference at all, but what do I know. But, just for conversation sake, let's say it gives you 1-2HP. Now, the fan motor is run off 12V which is generated by your alternator, charging the battery, which is driven off your engine. The fan motor obviously pulls amperage. The alternator has to work harder and strain the engine more to create additional amperage. Therefore, it is possible that the fan motor is actually stealing 1-2HP from your engine simply by running. Either way, we are talking about .5-1% of your engine horsies, so no biggie.

Robb

 

[Alec]

When I installed my dryer hose tubing, I felt a slight gain on the highway when air was being forced up through the tubing. With the fan on, you may feel a very slight gain down low, but it will restrict the "ram-air" effect on the highway, and thus you'll actually have less airflow than you would through a straight length of dryer hose.

 

[GaSouthern1]

I didnt even see this thread...whoops. Disregard my thread that I wrote in "everything under the sun". On the subject of cheap induction, i remember this link from a few months back: funny as hell..check it out.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=450937

B.T.W. - I was not tryin to insult you on the other thread psychotic, i just noticed that it kinda came off that way. And thanks for closing it Alec, now that i think about it, it would have turned into more of a fight than a conversation...

Patrick

 

[psychotic]

actually i've heard many people talk about making a sort of supercharger out of a hair dryer. it involves a roller blade wheel and some other stuff. I hear it can actually provide some small boost.


As for the draw on the alternator. This fan draws very little power.... 2.7 amps... as it was designed with that in mind.
I know it will restrict the ram effect at higher speeds, but it will still be plenty fast, I'd say with the fan inclosed inside the tube, the amount of cold air it spits out at the filter is about equal to driving 25-30 mph. Say you are driving 50-60-70... yes the fan will slow it down, but not that much, and the fact that it restricts the air flow some when speed is that high shouldn't make much of any difference.

(also the ridges inside the dryer hose tubing slow down air flow a lot, whereas the smooth bends of my PVC pipe flow easier, even WITH the fan in the way)

After all my homemade cool air mods, (heat shield, 'ram air', aluminum tape) I do NOTICE a difference. and you don't NOTICE 1-2 hp. Before i opened my hood, stuck my hand beside my filter and the air was very hot. now it is COLD. This will actually probably help out more in the summer.

 

[psychotic]

GaSouthern.... your post WAS kinda a$$hole like... but i would have said the same thing if i thought someone used a turbo thing off ebay.


but, didn't you read the paragraph at the beginning that says something like...
this is not a turbo, don't use it as one, it will wreck the engine, it is 50 dollars off ebay, but only 15 at a marine shop, i only use it to provide cold air, do not put it in the intake tube as the air your engine sucks in could suck the fan right off into your engine.

I know all about the scam like that, i just thought of a different way to use it...

i just kindly ask you read and understand before you post as that was somewhat insulting

 

[BigDave]

Anyone know whatever happened to the "hair Dryer Supercharger" that was talked about on that other board. I did a search over there and couldn't find a followup if anyone that frequents that board could provide a link to the follow up I would like to know what happened with it...

Dave

 

[GaSouthern1]

here ya go BigDave....
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=450937

 

[psychotic]

Ga, he wants to know what happened with it... as do i, it is very interesting. Probably something i'd do . Anyways, its a very old post, and never tells how it turned out. Does anyone know what happened, or anything similar? I'll ask my friend tomorrow where he read about a hair dryer supercharger

 

[GaSouthern1]

oooohhhhh i see ....well, for lack of a better response, i have no freakin idea what happened to it.

 

[BigDave]

Good effort though GA...

Dave

P.S. Still wondering how it turned out. I'm half tempted to email the guy...

 

[psychotic]

i say do it

 

[GaSouthern1]

nevermind, i read that he got a 240 whatever X. His VW was running like dirt...that is all i could find out

 

[EliteConcept]

for "cold air induction" i think i had a very good idea.

i installed my cone air filter.. but instead of takin the bottom of the stock air box out...i left it in....which in turns brings in cool air from near the grille.
seems very logical to me, may not look as good as just a cone air filter sitting there but hey it has to work the filter is sitting right on top of the bottom half of the stock air box.