How much horsepower does Cold Air Intake add?
- Author: SPELAB Mechanical Engineer (focusing on car modification for 10 years)
The first recommended thing in the world of performance modification for a vehicle is the cold air intake system. Costing from a few bucks, releasing a considerable amount of power and easy installation are the key factors, which make it among the first performance upgrades for a newbie. The question arises in mind that how much horsepower can be added if we install a cold air intake to our vehicle.
This performance upgrades can add approximately 5-20 hp to your vehicle, depending on make, model, engine size and type of air intake. Thus, adding a cold air intake is among one of the most affordable as well as easiest ways to increase the engine’s power.
Horsepower and cold air intake correlation
We all know that engine produces power by burning fuel and for that purpose Oxygen is critical. Therefore, for efficient combustion, there is a great focus on providing quality oxygen to the engine’s cylinder. For efficient combustion, one should ensure the following
- Sufficient amount of air to completely burn the fuel
- Availability of denser air (cold air)
From school education we all know that:
Cool air is denser, which means it has greater concentration of Oxygen as compared to hot air. The ability of the engine to generate power increases with the amount of oxygen supplied to the combustion chamber.
However, if limited amount of oxygen is available in the chamber at the time of combustion, then it is obvious that all the fuel won’t be burnt and consequently we will lose power and the unburnt fuel will also be wasted and will add to environmental emissions. Thus, for better performance, cold air intake system is preferred, because it provides sufficient amount of cold air to the engine’s cylinder and burns the fuel completely, which results in better power generation as well as less environmental emissions. This is all the science behind this cold air intake upgrade.
How much horsepower can be added after a cold air intake?
As mentioned and explained a cold air intake increases the amount of air that an engine can take in and resultantly the performance of engine upgrades. There is no direct number quantifying that how many horsepower is added to engine after this upgrade. But, this upgrade can provide a gain of around 5-20 hp. However, for turbo charged and supercharged engines the power gain is outstanding.
Benefits of cold air intake
With a cold air intake, you can expect the following from your vehicle
- Improved horsepower
There is no specific number about how much horsepower will an intake system add to a vehicle but it generally varies between 5-20 hp. It must be mentioned that for vehicles that have turbo chargers on them, for them these cold air intakes are extremely crucial and they will experience a significant improvement in horsepower.
- Improved acceleration
Now that the air flow of your vehicle is improved after installing the cold air intake, your engine is definitely going to produce greater power and with the power you will feel the boost in acceleration.
- Improved Sound
As you provide the engine quality air by installing a cold air intake, you can notice a change in the sound of your engine, which is full of roar. Thus, you can take it like your engine is happy for that performance.
- Improved mileage
Providing your vehicle with sufficient quantity of quality air, you achieve better combustion. With this new performance upgrade, you can expect improved mileage, because complete burning provides you with energy for every drop of fuel.
Installing the cold air intake
The stock air intake is installed near the engine, where there is influence of engine heat. Therefore, the sucked air is hotter and therefore, your combustion process suffers and eventually your engine. However, the cold air intake is normally installed away from the engine in a heat shield to ensure that cold air is provided to the engine. The preferred location is near the fender wall, where the air is cold enough to provide better combustion. Also, the cold air intake is really larger in the size and thus, it improves the air flow of the engine, due to which we get better performance from the engine.
To replace the intake system, following steps are required to be taken
- Remove the cover of air filter box
- Take out the stock filter
- Disconnect the MAF sensor
- Remove the pipe from the throttle body
- Take out the screws from the housing and remove the housing
- Remove the MAF sensor and keep it aside
- Install the new cold air intake pipe on the throttle and tighten it
- Install the MAF sensor and connect it with the wiring
- Put the new air filter over the other end of the pipe
Now your vehicle is good to go. Experience the improvement by driving your vehicle.