**The Art of Engine Modification: A Journey into Cold Air Intakes**

In the realm of engine modification, there are various ways to enhance power and performance. One popular method is the use of a cold air intake (CAI), designed to relocate the air filter to areas farthest away from heat sources. This relocation is typically achieved through longer, more intricate aluminum piping that positions the filter in the fender well or behind the front bumper.

However, this design comes with its own set of challenges. The relocated air filter becomes more prone to getting caked up with dirt and picking up road debris, which can lead to hydrolocking issues if driven through deep puddles or similar conditions. To mitigate these risks, it's essential to research and choose a CAI system that suits your specific platform and driving habits.

Despite these potential downsides, the benefits of a CAI system are undeniable. By relocating the air filter to a cooler area, the intake can provide improved airflow and performance, particularly at higher engine speeds. In fact, many factory intakes feature a Helmholtz resonance chamber, which acts as a shock absorber, smoothing out airflow and potentially boosting power output.

Racing Beat's CAI system is one such example, designed to work in harmony with the engine's natural resonance frequency. By optimizing the intake's design, Racing Beat has created a product that not only improves performance but also cancels out some engine noise.

When installing a CAI system, it's essential to follow proper procedures and take necessary precautions. This includes cleaning the area where the new intake will be installed and relocating any components that may interfere with the installation process.

Once installed, a CAI system can provide a noticeable improvement in performance, particularly at higher engine speeds. In the case of the Miata, a small car with limited power output, even a modest gain of 6 horsepower can make a significant difference in terms of driving dynamics and overall enjoyment.

The sound alone is worth the investment, as the CAI system provides a more aggressive and satisfying induction noise that complements the engine's natural tone. With proper installation and maintenance, a CAI system can provide years of reliable service and noticeable performance improvements.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, a cold air intake system offers numerous benefits for those seeking to enhance their vehicle's performance. While it may require some research and consideration to choose the right system for your needs, the rewards are well worth the investment. Whether you're looking to squeeze out every last bit of power or simply enjoy a more satisfying driving experience, a CAI system is an excellent addition to any engine modification project.

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WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- After market intakes,everybody wants 'em, but why?Well, it can be a good way tomake a few extra horsepower,make a little bit more noise,(car engine revs)and it gives you something niceto look at in your engine bay.Today I'm gonna show you how to installan aftermarket intake andalong the way we'll break downwhat an intake really is and we'll talkabout a few different stylesof intakes along with some prosand cons so you can pick theright intake for yourself.I'm Zach and this is Money Pit.Let's do it.(upbeat music)So what is an intake system?You know what it is, it'sthe part that takes in air,it's its face, its breather,it's its suck hole.Now the stock airbox really,really muffles the beautifulsound of our engine suckingin all the air that it needs.(car engine revs)You hear that?Me eitherlet's go fix that.So air gets sucked in here,as much air as the engine needsright into this little black box.It enters through this snorkel,which is fed air from over here.It's just reaching for colderair because the airbox itselfis mounted right nextto the exhaust manifold,which makes a lot of hot air.So cooler air is more denseand denser air has more oxygen in it,which means we can make more power.- More power, baby.- But that air needs to be clean.So it's forced through a flatpaper air filter in here.Let's open this thing up and look at it.First thing we're gonna dois loosen this hose clamp,I'll disconnect our mass air flow sensor,and then there are four10 millimeter screwsaround the top of the lidthat we need to loosenand then we can take the lid off.Come on baby.Ah, there's our paper filter.So these are pretty good at their job.Usually easy to replace.It keeps maintenance costs down.They're usually prettyrestrictive which is goodfor cleaning your air, butnot great for performance.I literally just replaced this one.I just put it in here.So if any of you guysneed a paper air filter,hit me up in the comments.But this lives in thisgiant big plastic boxthat muffles all of our sweet sounds.So it's gotta go.(glass shatters)So once the air is allsucked up and filtered,how does the engineknow what to do with it?In the case of this Miataand many other cars,we have a mass air flow meter,which is the thing thatactually does the measuringof how much air isflowing into the engine.So it can tell the fuel injectorsjust how much fuel to squirt,along with telling a bunchof other stuff what to do.Lots of cars nowadayswill have MAP sensor,which stands for manifoldabsolute pressure,which means basicallyit has a pressure sensorin the intake manifoldit then it tells the enginehow much air is in there.All right, so let's take thisthing off and talk about it.Just held on by two 10 millimeterlittle boys right here.Math.Okay, so now we've gotta takeout the lower part of the box.So to do that, the first thingI'm gonna do is loosen upthe snorkel over here and thenit looks like three twelvesnuts and bolts holding onthe lower part of the box.So this is our cruise control set up hereand this is gonna need relocatedfor the kit we're putting on today.All right, so why do weupgrade our intake system?Well, in theory it will allowfor an increase in airflowin your engine, which meansthat you can make more powerand since your engine isn'tgonna be working as hardto suck air in, you can alsogain a little fuel economy.And the filters thataftermarket intakes tendto use usually tend to last a lot longerbecause they can be cleaned and reused.They also tend to looknicer than the stock intake,and they most definitelysound mad better, yo!Now that all sounds great, right?So why might you notwanna upgrade your intake?Well, for one, if your engine is stock,your stock intake is probably not reallymuch of a restriction.They're pretty well designedfor flow these days,especially because that'slinked to fuel economy,but it's also important toknow that adding an intakemight also make it soyour car won't pass smog,which is a big deal in someplaces like California.And if you have a newer carthat still has a warranty,you might void that sucker too.So you've gotta think about that.Okay, so you're convincedyou wanna upgrade.There are a couple of differenttypes that you can go witheach with some pros and cons.The two primary designationsare a cold air intakeand a short ram intake.So let's take a look atthe one that we boughtand talk about it.The company that makes thispiece is called Racing Beat.They make all sorts ofparts for different Mazdas,including the Miataand they've got a pretty good reputation.So I bought their little intake guy.So this thing is shortwith one nice smooth bendfor as little restriction aspossible while still tryingto place the filter in thebest location availablein the Miata's engine bay.In our Miata currently,we just need to get itaway from where it is.You can see that wherethe Miata puts its filteris right on top of the exhaust header.That means there's a lot of heat thereand hot air means less oxygen,which means less power,which is obviously bad.So the Racing Beat piecejust turns the filter around,which is much better with a lot less heat,a lot more oxygen and more power.This thing will make anadditional six wheel horsepower,which is a lot relatively speaking.When you consider thatthe the Miata only makeslike a hundred horsepower.That's about 6% of what the car makes,which is actually apretty good improvement.And it also replaces the old paper filterwith this fancy K&Noiled cotton cone filter,which should suck prettygood and sound pretty nice.And these things last pretty much foreverbecause you can clean 'em and reuse 'em.Just listen to the difference.(car engine revs)So this thing is actuallykind of an interestinglittle intake 'cause it's again,not really a cold air or a short ram.Though short ram intake is what it says.It's short.A short ram is just tryingto remove as much restrictionas possible to let the engine gulp inmore air into the throttle body.But what if you want lessheat and more power, baby?Well, you can go cold air intake, boy.they're designed to totallyrelocate the air filterwith some longer, moreintricate aluminum pipingand they'll put the filter asfar away from heat as possiblelike in the fender well orbehind the front bumper.With the filter beingrelocated to these areas,they become more prone togetting caked up with dirtand picking up road debris.Like if you drive througha really deep puddleor a kitty pool, it'spossible to suck enough waterup in your engine to hydrolock it.So to know what's outthere for your platformand what people like the best,you're gonna have to hit the old Googleand check them forums.So there is a potentialdownside to the prettyaluminum intake pipeswe've been talking about.You might actually lose alittle bit of throttle responseor even a little bit of torque somewhereby replacing your factory pipes.You see this chamber over here,this little chamber of secrets,that's what's called aHelmholtz resonance chamber,and a lot of factory intakes have thisin some form or another.It's pretty interesting.What it does is it kindaacts like a shock absorber,cushioning all the airwaves in the intakeand smoothing out flow, which is good.It can also, if it's tunedcorrectly to the engine,it can act a little bit like a springand propel air into the combustion chamberin just the right time to make more power.It also cancels out a little bit of noise,which is not very awesome,but it is very smart.And for two of those reasonswe're gonna let it stay.That's why the Racing Beatpiece only goes on to the endand makes power.All right, we've gotsome stuff taken apart.Anytime that's the case,it's not a bad ideato do a little cleaningwhile you're in there.All right, we need to removeour cruise control actuator,which looks like two more little bolts.So we're just pulling off thecruise control actuator here'cause we need to relocateit for our new intake.So these filters,these K&N filters arecotton oiled filters.So it comes with thislittle spray can of oiland we're just gonna finallymist the oil onto the filteron the outside evenly.And that's it.And we'll wipe the excessoff the rubber partsand that's ready to install.Yeah.So we can snug up our hoseclamp over here at the bench.This is a bracket that comeswith the Racing Beat intake,which is the method for holdingour mass airflow sensor in place.So that's about how it's gonna sit.So we've got this upper supportthat goes down to the frame rail here.We'll reuse one of our originalbolts to hold it in place.And then this support goes toour our suspension hardwareand we'll just keep it nice in place.So let's button it up.Is it tightened up down here?All right, that's it.An intake is installed.Let's fire it up, see how it soundsand see if we can feel a difference.You ready?- Yeah.(car engine revs)- Woo!That sounds so much better.You can hear it suckin' air in.I love a good induction sound.And now this has one.(car engine revs)Oh, yeah that underload going downthe road is gonna sound so good.Let's go.All right, so obviously it's not likemy expectations are super high.At best, this thing isadding six horsepower,which, you know, isn't a lot.But this is a small car,it doesn't weigh a lot.So six horsepowers shouldbe a bit of a change.Hopefully we can feel it.(car engine revs)(car engine revs)Sounds awesome.This thing finally makesa little bit of noise.I think it pulls a littlebit harder at the top end.Well, it sounds great and it feels great.It's not crazy.Don't expect too much from just an intake,especially on a stock engine.But I'm telling you thesound is worth it alone.Come back tomorrow andcheck an episode Up To Speedwith my boy James.And then come back the day after that,and the day after that,and the day after that.You know why?'Cause we're releasingcontent every single day.That's right, baby!Donut every day.Make sure you're subscribed andclick that notification bellso you know what's coming.Follow me on Instagram@Zackjobe to see moreof what's going on in theday to day with the Miataand follow Donut on Instagram @DonutMedia.We'll see you guys next week.