on my tours through the net i've bumped into this several times - folks who log their intake air temps and are seeing way high temepratures with aftermarket cold air intakes.
i've also noted folks who have had the intakes 'misalign' with the side vent duct on the vehicle, reducing airflow (found it in a thread where someone was testing a pedro technotorque but got off numbers because of said misalignment of the intake?). having never istalled one i am uncertain if this is possible. another misalignment i've read about involves the poor mating with the engine cover which allows hot engine air in.
so, perhaps high intake air temps are caused by a misaligned install which obstructs side vent duct causing intake to draw from other places? otherwise, one has to ask, even with gaps that would allow engine air into the intake, why that air is getting in there? that is, air in the engine bay should be at a much lower pressure than air being forced into the side vent (being located at a high pressure area of the vehicle). so the only reason you are getting engine air in the intake is because the engine is asking for more air than the side vent can provide - which begs the question of what's better - hot air or no air?
my only other thought is that, with a larger airbox you have more air 'standing around' in dead corners, etc.; there is opportunity for this air to heat to engine temps before intake? probably not, but a generous application of insulation with reflective foil backing would sort that out.
|