Plastic is a better heat barrier than metal and a 10 degree Fahrenheit drop in temperature for air inlet gives a 1% increase in power. I can easily believe you can get a 10-15 degree cooler air temperature at the AIT, and on the 3.8L motor you're looking at 3-4 hp tops.

Reducing under hood heat effects a variety of components, robbing power. Likewise other parts heat retention will increase performance, such as cylinders and exhaust.

 

Better heat barrier indeed. Not to mention the stock air box encloses the filter completely. I don't get what people are missing about this. Open air filters are not an improvement. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs an education.

 

river raider makes a set of hood louvers that i'm thinking of getting.

 

OK, the recipe to reduce under hood heat.

2 bottles Redline WaterWetter

Black Satin coating for exhaust manifold or headers.

180 degree T-stat and programmer to kick the fan on under 200 degrees.

Before you even get to a vented heat reduction hood you've reduced your under hood heat by 20-30 degrees.

 

but.....but.....but........but.....if it's not overheatin, why bother?

 

the side vents would be pretty good looking and functional the whole hood would be nice but the vents would serve the purpose

 

Open air filters are not an improvement. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs an education.

An engine is basically an air pump. And the easier it is for an engine to move air the more efficient it is. That is why people put on free flowing or large diameter exhaust systems. That is to get the air out. Unless you can get air in as fast you have wasted your time and money. The restrictions placed on air flow through a stock airbox are far higher than that of an open filter CAI. Here's a test. Get a glass of water, a coffee straw, and a straw for a BigGulp. Now start sucking. Which straw would you rather finish your drink with? This is a pretty good analogy of what happens with your airbox. The one thing that I noticed when I put on my CAI (oops not a true CAI but close) is throttle response. Why? Because now it was much easier for the engine to draw in the air as it was needed, and did not have to overcome the restriction of the stock air box. Also I have personally monitored engine bay temps vs my NATCAI and have measured up to 30 degree temp differences. Maybe we should call it a cooler air intake. I be edumacated.

 

Eugene, I'm talking about an improvement overall, which an open filter is NOT.
perhaps an open filter might move more air....IF the Jeep engine is capable. With a non stock exhaust and maybe a chip, an aftermarket intake might be worth a few ponies. However, it is still not an overall improvement over stock. Open filter designs are more prone to water injestion. They also suck in more heated air. the stock vehicle is harder to improve upon across the board than most people think. Everything is a compromise. Want more power? Then you take a chance on sucking in water...and maybe an intake that whistles or makes other unwanted noises. So, an improvement it is not. Not in the overall sense. That is what I was referring to.

 

I installed an S&B intake last year.(I won't call it a "Cold Air" intake because those words seem to get everyone's little pink panties in a wad.) I did a very unscientific test to see if the air was any cooler between the factory box and aftermarket box. I used an indoor/outdoor thermometer and put the remote sensor in the box. After getting the engine warmed up, I went for a ride. The temp in the box varied depending on the speed I was going but was usually around 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the outside temp.
I did the same thing after putting on the S&B and the box temp ran about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the factory box.
So after looking at both boxes, I came up with my conclusion. If you look at the factory box, the air intake sits against the top of the hood. And when the engine heats up, where does the heat go; it rises and sits under the hood. My aftermarket intake has the hole in the side of the box facing the fender. So in addition to not sucking in air that is sitting against the hood, it has better access to air coming up from beside the fender.

 

ok hijackers......back on topic....i'm cutting my hood and installing vents with the intent to:

a. get better air flow in there

b. keep the engine compartment cooler (nope, not over heating, i just WANT TO)

and

c. Look bad ass

anybody have any ideas on the best way to DO THIS?


p.s. I have a CAI, it made my jeep have more pep.
If you disagree with this you can argue till your face turns blue.
I drove my Jeep before and after so i'm pretty sure I would know.