I respectfully disagree. I think that is a pretty wrong statement Redneck - a misrepresentation of the facts and the uses of CAI at the least.

I personally find that I get much better throttle response from my CAI, but no real power increase.

I drive in real wet conditions quite often, and have with a multitude of vehicles with CAI's, and hydrolocking has never been and never will be a concern. Unless you take the intake to the ground to get the real cold air, hydrolock should never be a concern.

Have you ever hyrdolocked because of a CAI?

 

Why would a check engine light come on?

Could it be because the ECM doesn't make immediate adjustments to A/F ratios?

When drag racing, I have immediate control over A/F ratios. Make a run, pull the plugs, advance or retard timing or perhaps change the jets and it immediately happens. With the JK I make some changes, perhaps the check engine light comes on, then the JK will often sputter and choke until it figures it out. The best way I have found to clear out the ECM is to trick f it into believing I drove it like a funny car with multiple near WOT freeway on ramp entrances and then a week for it to get it's mind back around how I really drive. Those aren't instantaneous A/F ratio changes and quite different than what we have with those trusty old carburetor engines lacking computer controlled ECMs of years gone by.

The Chrysler ECM is a pretty difficult beast to tame and has inadequate sensors delivering the data. There isn't a MAF sensor nor wideband O2 sensor. Changes are made based on expected results and without data that tells the whole story of aftermarket parts added on. For instance, the AIT sensor does absolutely nothing to address the volume or density of air through the intake. It simply sends the air temperature data without any consideration of volume. Bolt on a CAI that increases air volume and slightly more density and it doesn't have a clue as to what's going on. Add a programmer from someone who doesn't have the Chrysler ECM really nailed down and you have even bigger issues.

Anyway, I've screwed around more than enough with my JK and can without hesitation say that the hurdle to overcome is dealing with the ECM and the loop of the stock sensors. I'd love to be able to get a MAF sensor and a wideband O2 sensor working in conjunction with a programmer that really understood the Chrysler ECM. If it were easy, perhaps Hypertech would have figured it out and I wouldn't have lean conditions when running with their recommended octane settings at a given performance tune and likewise they wouldn't suggest that an intake/headers/exhaust upgrade is beyond what their programmer can handle.

 

Ok well I will have to disagree with you Redneck.... I run a CAI and here are a few pictures that will help eliminate your quote! Unless I fit into the third type of CAI user


WET CONDITIONS DURING WHEELING!!





THIS IS ME NOT WHEELING AT ALL!!

 

Yes, in a mustang though. And it was a ram air intake where the pickup was near the bottom of the front bumper, then tracked upward. If you're staying in the engine bay with the filter, there's no real issue with hydrolocking. I guess headers would help with in bay CAI's if they were ceramic coated though.

 

Black Satin does a better job of acting as a heat barrier coating than the ceramics. Certainly doesn't look pretty like cermachrome but it gets the job done. I hear there is some really truly ugly stuff that does an even better job but primarily used in industrial applications.

What I was told as a good average of under hood heat reduction was 15-20 degrees under how much the cermachrome offers in heat reduction. Inside a minute after shutting a vehicle down you can't feel heat emitting from black satin coated parts. Definitely good stuff, and way cheaper than an AEV heat reduction hood.

 

I havent hydrolocked, but I have seen at least a couple of guys on here that did hydrolock with a CAI. I'm not saying they wouldnt have without a CAI but having a 100% open filter is no way as safe as having the stock air box and there have even been guys that have hydro'd with the stock box.

 

Then your wife drives it for a while and the "done deal" starts all over again, or you move from the desert to the mountains and the "DD" starts all over again.

Sadly few know, other than Chislers engineering group, what the parameters are in the program. What their objectives were outside of the feds restrictions. That is why aftermarket programmers have such a time with it and must reverse engineer it all.

The computer can recognize instantly a few things but having the proper response instantly when something has been modified is a lucky guess at best.

Just take a simple thing like changing tire sizes. The computer doesn't know it just realizes that it is "going uphill" everytime you start off from a dead stop. It cannot give you correct mpg, shift points, etc. when 1st changed. Someone has to tell the bonehead computer what size wheel it is, then it makes a few basic programmed changes and hopefully "learns" the rest.

Also as to changing out parts and upgrading, that is why we share our experiences, what works and what doesn't. WE put together packages based on our and others experiences based hopefully on the wisdom of others. Yes, sometimes we get on the wrong learning curve and have to back up a bit but it is not necessary for each person to reinvent the wheel, otherwise your points on what works for you should be ignored. I'd rather listen to what you have to say and what you found actually works and build from there, especially if others found the same things you did.

 

You picqued my interest so I located some specs on the "BS" their claim seems a bit much but coincides with your statement about the heat after shutting off the engine. So here are a couple questions for you.

Did you apply yourself?

If so, how?

Did you measure the temp at the exhaust tailpipe before and after for comparisons sake?

From what is described the process is strictly external so unless it is a super conductor heatsink I fail to see how it would aid exhaust scavening.

From their description it would appear you could coat your "Y" pipe on the vehicle.

Yes, I know, unintentional hijack just occured.

 

There are two words in there that make my statement RIGHT and your argument wrong......... "TO ME". That was strictly my personal opinion.

 

I don't understand all the argument over the CAI. I didn't say they would lead to hydrolocking all the time. We ALL know that people have hydrolocked under what seemed like pretty normal conditions with minimal amounst of water involved...and WITHOUT a CAI. Add the CAI to the mix and that chance will certainly increase. That's all I meant. Dammit, some of yall took an extra argue pill today. Yall run what you want to run. somebody asked opinions....I gave mine. That doesn't make it wrong. It makes it mine.