Cold Air Intake

About three weeks ago, I installed the AIRAID QuickFit with SynthaMax air intake kit onto my 2007 Dodge Charger 3.5L V6. My goal was to get better horsepower, but honestly, I got much more than that.

Many people are skeptical about these cold air intakes and whether or not they really help. I can attest that the QuickFit's bolt-on system allowed me to install the kit easily and in approximately 30 minutes. I immediately noticed a deeper sound and more desirable rumble coming from under the hood. I don't have access to a dyno so I can't give an actual gain of horsepower, but I can definitely feel an improved throttle response. Finally, as an added bonus, I've noticed an increase of 1-2 in mpg.

Key Features & Benefits of the AIRAID QuickFit with SynthaMax:

• Utilizes O.E. mounting clips
• Easy bolt-on installation
• Cold air dam design
• Non-oiled, SynthaMax filter

So if you're looking for a little more power, take a look at the products available from AIRAID.

Memorial Day weekend 2011 will go down as the first time the SCCA has held a ProSolo and National Tour event over the same holiday weekend. We can’t think of a better place to host the event than the awesome Lincoln Airpark, home of the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Finale and National Championships. It appears many of our fellow Solo competitors agree, as the ProSolo entries capped out at 250 and the National Tour count has topped 300 competitors. It is an incredible turnout and testament to the enthusiasm within the Solo community despite high fuel prices and the still recovering economic conditions. 

With the big event just around the corner, the Tire Rack/Grassroots Motorsports Project STR team of John Rogers and Chris Harvey have continued the development of the 2010 Mazda MX5. First up, was the addition of Design Engineering, Inc. (DEI) Reflect-A-GOLD heat reflective material. We wrapped out a cold air intake tube, O2 sensor wires and plastic exhaust outlet hole with this state of the art polymer to help ward off heat from the engine compartment. Its self adhesive backing makes it easy to install just about anywhere.

Next up was some fine tuning to our exhaust system. In 2010 we installed a STR class legal, PPE header, mid-pipe and resonator and capped it off with a Goodwin Race muffler. 12,000 miles and lots of hard use had taken a toll on the resonator, so we decide to explore other options. We tried the simple solution first, just replacing the resonator with a straight pipe, but the resulting resonance in the cabin was too much for our eardrums to handle on the long drives to and from events. A call to Burns Stainless was made and an Ultra-Light muffler was quickly on its way. We replaced our old piece with this unit and noticed an immediate drop in the exhaust tone and weight. It's quiet enough we can bolt on a lightweight turndown in place of the Goodwin muffler and leave a few more pounds behind in the paddock.

To take care of our suspension needs in 2010, we installed an off the shelf, KW Variant 3 coil-over system with Hotchkis anti-roll bars. This set-up carried us to ProSolo and National event wins as well as bringing home hardware from the ProSolo Finale and National Championships. The street oriented spring rates coupled with KW’s wide range of valving adjustments performed better than expected on the Solo course and gave us a comfortable ride home.  For 2011, we decided to turn up the volume a bit and assist KW with the development of a more aggressive system for Solo and track use. Stay tuned for driver impressions and track results as we get some seat time on this newly installed, prototype set-up.

ProSolo event competition will take place on May 27-28th with the National Tour running on May 29th-30th. You can find live results and a link to streaming audio at www.sololive.scca.com .

A cold air intake system can increase your vehicle’s horsepower while improving the engine’s efficiency by relocating the filter to the outside of the engine compartment and delivering cooler air inlet temperatures. Reducing restrictions in the air intake will help create more horsepower and torque.

Purchasing an air intake system along with other upgrades such as a coil over kit can increase your vehicle’s performance. And to ensure optimum engine performance, consider the intake systems available from AIRAID. With the introduction of SynthaMax filters, AIRDAID’s complete line of intake systems provide long lasting quality with high-tech filtration technology.

Shop by vehicle or contact one of our sales specialists with questions you may have about tuning your engine.

A few weeks ago I bought a 2007 Dodge Charger SE 3.5L and was looking at making some modifications and performance upgrades. I definitely want to upgrade to some new tires and wheels, but wasn't sure what else I could do after that.

After researching, I quickly realized that adding on a Cold Air Intake to the V6 Charger is a popular, easy and cost-effective way to add a few extra ponies under the hood.

If you're looking to add some more power to the Charger, take a look at the AEM Brute Force Cold Air Intake System.

Ask any professional engine tuner about performance enhancements and they will probably tell you the most effective thing you can do to improve engine performance, for the price, is to improve the breathing capability of the engine.

Regardless of whether you have a gas, diesel or rotary engine, your engine is essentially an air pump. Anything you do to reduce restrictions in the air intake or exhaust system will improve horsepower and engine efficiency.
 
Original Equipment (O.E.) air inlets restrict incoming airflow to reduce intake noise. Some O.E. systems actually add heat to the inlet air thereby reducing efficiency. A cold air intake system relocates the filter outside of the engine compartment to deliver cooler inlet air temperatures.

Cooler air has a higher oxygen density, which translates into a more intense burning of the fuel air charge in the combustion chamber, creating more horsepower and torque. But that's only part of the power equation. Tuning the inlet pipe in length and diameter to match the engine's resonance helps move more air to the cylinders (remember your engine is a big air pump), and this tuning allows for larger power gains.

Every AIRAID intake system is dyno tested and tuned to provide maximum performance and efficiency. During R&D fuel trim correction factors and all OBDII sensors are monitored to eliminate leaning the engine out and/or setting a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) and illuminating the malfunction indicator light (MIL).
Every AIRAID intake system includes a lifetime SynthaMax synthetic air filter. 100% synthetic, non-oiled and washable, SynthaMax filters are easy to maintain. Just wash with a mild household detergent and rinse. Oil-soaked gauze filters used by other intake systems can actually contribute to contamination around the throttle plate and can lead to mass airflow sensor (MAF) degradation or failure resulting in malfunction indicator lights (MIL) and reduced performance.
  
AIRAID Intake Systems offer unmatched fit, finish and lifetime warranty.

    A question I hear quite often is exactly that "What is the 'best' mod for my car?".

    It is asked with full expectation to hear something like "get some new tires and wheels they'll look great and really handle the corners" or "an AEM cold air intake will up the performance of your car and that would be really cool". While both of those statements are accurate they may not be the best answer.

    I find that many times the people who are asking that question are younger drivers who are excited to get their life behind the wheel jump started. They over look the fact that their driving skills are still under-development and they still need improvement as well as experience before they can truly appreciate what any upgrade or a mod to the car can offer.

    Every year more than 5,000 American youths ages 16 - 20 die behind the wheel. Nationwide, a teen dies in a traffic crash an average of once an hour on weekends and nearly once every two hours during the week. That means every week more than 100 families will lose a child.


    The Tire Rack has joined with the non-profit BMW CCA Foundation and the SCCA to bring Tire Rack Street Survival teen driving program to the nation. Through the efforts of members of the BMW Car Club of America, the Sports Car Club of America, the Mercedes Benz Club of America and the Porsche Club of America as well as other automotive enthusiasts who volunteer their time to serve as coaches with each teen, over 80 schools will be held in locations across the U.S. and benefit over 1,600 student drivers this year.

    The point I am making is quite simple, the best 'mod' for a young inexperienced driver is more often than not  "fix the loose nut behind the wheel"

    Even older, more experienced drivers can improve their skill set behind the wheel by enrolling in a high performance drivers education course or a full on race school with professional racers as instructors. These are typically held at major race tracks around the country. 

    Many local car clubs with national affiliates run these schools and are very friendly, helpful and fun to hang around with. To find a club near you search your favorite marque like Audi, BMW, Porsche or Mustang. The SCCA as well as NASA are also involved in schools and welcome new members at all events. For you Mid-West guys and gals you might want to look into the Audi Car Club Chicagoland Chapter, The North Shore Corvette Club and the Salt Creek Sports car Club as all of them organize great events.

   
And befor you go there, Yes, I remember the old adage "practice what you preach"

    I recently attended the Ford Racing school at Miller Motorsports Park in Toole, Utah and came away with better understanding of vehicular dynamics and car control skills. The lead instructor at the school was Professional racer Cyndi Lux. She and her team of instructors were fantastic as their instruction was helpful and easy to understand. 


   

In addition to the great driving instruction I was also able to learn about a couple of BF Goodrich tire models and how they perform and react under extreme conditions.

    Let me tell you I had an absolute blast pushing them to the absolute limit. Actually, a little beyond their limit, at times, according to one of the the instructors 

My name is Luke Pavlick ... I'm a car guy

    A while back I picked up a 2003 Infiniti G35 6MT with 8k miles on it. Like many car enthusiasts I couldn't' t wait to bolt on any performance modifications I could. Wheels, tires, cold air intake, etc. While that was all good, it lacked some handling. So I turned to our friends at Eibach for some suspension help.
   
As you can see, she needed a bit of help in the wheel gap and handling department. I added the Eibach Pro Kit lowering springs and sway bars to the car. Before lowered pic. 













What was really great is another sales rep here had the identical car just not lowered. In this pic you can see the difference after the springs were installed. Both cars were same year and model.













Not only did the new Eibach items work great, they made the car look wonderful. The springs combined with the sways made the car handle completely different. I ran the sway bars at medium stiffness front and rear which worked well for street and mild track use. Ride did stiffen a little but not significantly.

Spring into action with the Pro Kit! You won't be disappointed.