3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002) 1993-2002 Discussion including performance modifications and Technical Support Sections.
Sponsored by:

question about ram air?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 10-09-02, 01:27 PM
  #1  
2 FD's since '98

Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
 
rajeevx7's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: West Palm Beach
Posts: 1,598
Received 7 Likes on 5 Posts
Question question about ram air?

hi team,

can somebody speak to me about the safety of having a ram air system with our fd's?
i can easily route a pipe from one of the openings in the front of the stock bumper straight into the center of my cone intake( intake was designed for attachment of ram air tube.

my concern is about water being pushed straight into the intake and being ingested by the engine.
is this a valid concern?
or does it not matter atall.
i am only worried about heavy, heavy rain in FL, and not about driving through deep puddles.
thanks for the experience/input.
Old 10-09-02, 01:44 PM
  #2  
Addicted to Track

 
TailHappy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: NC
Posts: 903
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My understanding of ram air would be that it would be pretty pointless, or at least would not have any effect, on anything other than a normally aspirated engine. In effect, ram air is just hoping to slightly pressurize your intake charge (which worked great on the bike I had), but a turbo far exceeds any effect that you would see from ram air. However, you may see some benefit from the cooler air.

Water injestion should not be a concern. Small amounts of water are actually intentially poured into rotaries by some to steam clean them, and water injection is used by others to allow more boost without the risk of detonation. But I might be a little concerned if it was a true scoop that could catch a huge splash of water like if the road was flooded. You might want to allow a way for the water to get out before it gets to the intake.

But take all this with a grain of salt...just my opinion!
Old 10-09-02, 01:54 PM
  #3  
2 FD's since '98

Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
 
rajeevx7's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: West Palm Beach
Posts: 1,598
Received 7 Likes on 5 Posts
i agree with the better benifits on a N/A rx. but, im looking for the much, much cooler air charge..
the inlets of the pipes have to bend up, so im not worried about a huge puddle making its way up it, my concern is still with the heavy rain. there is a GUARANTEEDamount of water to make its way in.



so ive got one opinion, water wont effect my engine.
still need more input, thank you tailhappy.
anyone else?
Old 10-09-02, 02:01 PM
  #4  
Mr. Links

iTrader: (1)
 
Mahjik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 27,595
Received 40 Likes on 26 Posts
I agree with TailHappy. I doubt you'll ingest enough water to make it an issue (unless you drive the car into a river or something).
Old 10-09-02, 02:02 PM
  #5  
Mr. Links

iTrader: (1)
 
Mahjik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 27,595
Received 40 Likes on 26 Posts


BTW, I guess you are thinking of doing something like the RX-7.com car?
Old 10-09-02, 02:40 PM
  #6  
2 FD's since '98

Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
 
rajeevx7's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: West Palm Beach
Posts: 1,598
Received 7 Likes on 5 Posts
thats exactly right.
but they dont have to worry about everyday driving.

alright, ill do it, because i think mahjik always knows what he's talking about.

but, if there is anybody that has had a bad experience please post it.
thanks, rajeev
Old 10-09-02, 08:34 PM
  #7  
Rotary Enthusiast

iTrader: (6)
 
rx7will's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 1,301
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 2 Posts
You wouldnt believer how many hondas i've seen with seized engines because of their cold intake that is placed inside their fenders. Weird things happen when you try to compress water, especially in high rpms. I
've see one engine with a hole in the block where the rod broke off because of the ingested water. The effects of ram air are misleading because it usually incorporates cold air into the equation. In my opinion the cold air is more beneficial than the ram air. Why not just buy one of those tornado things and put in right infront of the turbo, this way you get twice the power and three times the gas mileage. Jk
Old 10-10-02, 11:11 AM
  #8  
Senior Member

 
martini's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Bellingham, WA
Posts: 723
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You don't need to worry about the water..

but what you do need to worry about, is the bugs, rocks, dust, sand, etc that you will suck up if you are doing it like the rx7.com car.
Old 10-10-02, 02:44 PM
  #9  
Mr. Links

iTrader: (1)
 
Mahjik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 27,595
Received 40 Likes on 26 Posts
Originally posted by martini
You don't need to worry about the water..

but what you do need to worry about, is the bugs, rocks, dust, sand, etc that you will suck up if you are doing it like the rx7.com car.
I would assume he is still going to filter it (or I would hope) if it's going to be street driven.

I've actually thought about doing something like this for a winter project.
Old 10-10-02, 02:49 PM
  #10  
Full Member

 
KneeDragonR1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: XXX
Posts: 76
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally posted by rx7will
The effects of ram air are misleading because it usually incorporates cold air into the equation. In my opinion the cold air is more beneficial than the ram air.
That is not just your opinion, it is fact. Ram air is complex physics because it is wave based. You need to find the volume of the intake track and factor it with the area of the outside (of the car) opening to determine at what rmp the positive air pressure wave will get to the intake port. Even if you do, to pressurize the air enough to give a 3% power gain you will need to be going about 150 mph. Because it is an exponential gain you would only see <1% gain at 75mph. The real benefit is not pulling hot air from the engine bay and they sound awesome.

KneeDragonR1
Old 10-10-02, 03:50 PM
  #11  
Full Member

 
mblachford's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: San Diego
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally posted by rajeevx7
thats exactly right.
but they dont have to worry about everyday driving.

alright, ill do it, because i think mahjik always knows what he's talking about.

but, if there is anybody that has had a bad experience please post it.
thanks, rajeev

If you notice one thing about the people that have posted to this thread, its that they don’t live in Florida. I lived in Tampa for 13 years before moving to So Cal and I can say that afternoon "monsoons" are a common occurrence. I had an acquaintance I worked with who did just what you are considering rajeevx (on a 5.0 mustang - this is going back about 8 years) and he had to replace his engine when he made a right turn into low lying water and flooded his block. Bottom line is that it’s up to you. However, being that you live in semi-tropic conditions and it pretty much rains every day in the summer means you may or may not have a problem down the road.

Just my .002 cents.
Old 10-10-02, 06:34 PM
  #12  
2 FD's since '98

Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
 
rajeevx7's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: West Palm Beach
Posts: 1,598
Received 7 Likes on 5 Posts
thank you all for the valuable insight.
i did notice a couple posts that didnt pick up the fact that i'm not looking for the compressed air factor, but the colder intake factor.
i have two pipes to each intake, one goes through the little gap to the left of the radiator and the other leads to a small funnel that i placed in the mouth opening in the very upper left corner, discretley mind you.
so ....
i wont connect the one at the underbelly straight into the cone, but i will run a direct pipe from the one in the mouth. thanks guys.
ps...why would i need to filter the incoming air? im going to hook it straight to the turbine!

J/J
Old 10-10-02, 08:36 PM
  #13  
almost done

 
KINETIK_FD3S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: 250 HZ
Posts: 1,049
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
you could also put an Air Bypass Valve from AEM.

here is the link

http://www.aempower.com/induction.htm
Old 10-10-02, 10:50 PM
  #14  
Mr. Links

iTrader: (1)
 
Mahjik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 27,595
Received 40 Likes on 26 Posts
Originally posted by mblachford



If you notice one thing about the people that have posted to this thread, its that they don’t live in Florida. I lived in Tampa for 13 years before moving to So Cal and I can say that afternoon "monsoons" are a common occurrence. I had an acquaintance I worked with who did just what you are considering rajeevx (on a 5.0 mustang - this is going back about 8 years) and he had to replace his engine when he made a right turn into low lying water and flooded his block. Bottom line is that it’s up to you. However, being that you live in semi-tropic conditions and it pretty much rains every day in the summer means you may or may not have a problem down the road.

Just my .002 cents.
Did you ever think about the differences of an air intake on a N/A verses a turbo-charged car?

Air intake system
Most cars are normally aspirated, which means that air flows through an air filter and directly into the cylinders. High-performance engines are either turbocharged or supercharged, which means that air coming into the engine is first pressurized (so that more air/fuel mixture can be squeezed into each cylinder) to increase performance.
Sure, if you dump a ton of water directly into the cylinders it's not going to be good for the engine. However, the air is going into his turbos first. I seriously doubt he'll get enough water all the way back there to cause any damage. At most, with the temps of the turbos he might get a little steam action if that happens but I doubt it will happen at all unless he submerges the car...




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:54 AM.