Project 350Z: Testing the AEM Cold Air Intake

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Here is where the air filter lives and picks up nice dense cold air.  For servicing it can be reached from the bottom of the car.
Once again it was time to go back on the dyno.
On the dyno we were surprised to see a power gain above 5000 rpm with the cold air intake.  We figured that the short ram would make more of a difference on the top end.  The difference was consistent however slight.  The AEM Cold Air Intake was good for 3.7 more hp and no difference in torque over the Short Ram.  Is the Short Ram worth it?  Well it is less susceptible to sucking up water, looks good and has a more aggressive intake sound.  Perhaps some will like this over a slight power gain which might actually be smaller once the vehicle is moving.

So the Cold Air Intake out powered the Short Ram by a little.  When would you want to run the Short Ram?  We think the short ram might do a little better when the car is moving and more cool air is blasting through the core support, way more air than our dyno fan can move.  This would reduce the hot air spillover past the heat shield.

The Short Ram is also a good intake to consider if you drive in the rain a lot.  The cold air intake moves the filter down low to where it might suck water in really wet conditions. The short ram has the filter in close to the stock location reducing the chances of accidentally hydrolocking your engine.

We are going to run the cold air intake because we think it will give more consistent power under a wider range of conditions since this is not a daily driven car.  Stay tuned as we will continue to test more parts on Project 350Z.

Want to read more about our Project 350Z?

Sources

AEM Intakes

Jim Wolf Technology

MotorDyne Engineering

DC Sports

Berk Technology

Whiteline

KW Suspension

Stoptech

Nitto Tire

ACT Clutches

SPL Parts

Westend Alignment

Nissan Motorsports

WPC Treatment

 

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