Cold air intakes really only work on older engines with carbs or first generation ('80's) model fuel injected engines. Read this post on aftermarket cold air intakes
http://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/col...
ALL cars have an inlet-manifold, it's where the air is sucked into the engine, and also where the fuel-injectors are positioned to spray a mist which mixes with the inlet air, giving each piston an 'inlet-charge' to compress and burn.
Standard cars tend to have a plastic or metal 'air-box' in which the panel filter lives. A cold-air feed is typically a pipe which feeds air from a port right up in the front of the engine-bay. It may well be connected to a cone-type filter, which may also give a lot more induction-noise (in the right car, this can sound awesome).
The purpose of the cold-air feed is to make sure that colder, denser air from outside the car is what the engine is breathing in - warmer air is less dense, so contains less oxygen, and gives less power and efficiency.
Intake manifold is the part that bolts directly to the engine block. The throttle body (or carburettor on older cars) then fits to that. Onto that goes the ducting to take air from the filter ans this is the area where cold air and short rams get attactched
The throttle is between them in the airstream. as the air enters the engine. the cold air or fresh air comes from the front of the car body to the throttle.
The intake divides the air into the intake chambers of the head(s).
Hey guys. I am looking to buy a car soon and have researched a lot about cars already but am stuck on one thing. What's the difference between an intake manifold that is stock with the car and a cold air/short ram intake? Does the cold air intake attach to the manifold as an extension? Or does it replace the intake manifold?
