I‘m getting a 2006 Pontiac G6. I love the car, except for the fact that it has a 4 cylinder. I‘m considering putting a cold air intake on it or something to boost the horsepower a little. I‘d just like something to enhance the performance, and frankly I don‘t know a ton about cars in general. Leave intelligent comments please
For all the hype, cold air intakes are a relic of the carbureted cars in the 60s and 70s. The air intake in those days was almost always at the top of the engine, where the air was downright hot. Bringing in cold air from outside the engine compartment was a big improvement. Since the 1980s virtually all cars have intakes that bring in cold air from outside anyway, except when warming up. During that time they bring in air from around the forward exhaust to speed the engine warm-up, which reduces overall emissions and improving fuel economy. both things dear to the hearts of bureaucrats. In addition, the upgraded intakes had low restriction air filters, which reduced the tendency of carburetors to run richer as the flow increased and the filter acted like a choke. Modern fuel injected engines really don't care about the filter restriction, which only makes a difference for the few seconds every once in a while that the engine is running at full throttle and high rpm. At any other time the throttle plate is far more restrictive than the intake - there is no improvement at all from a CAI. In short, the intake that is on the car is the best.
