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View Full Version : Which material best for CAI?



BrianC
09-03-2006, 07:17 PM
Hey all,
Im going to DIY a CAI on the weekend. I was thinking of using that black, ribbed tubing that you can get from Bunnings. Not sure if it was on https://www.catalogueau.com/bunnings/ but there might be a chance. Ive read a few posts that suggest they're no good for air flow? Can anyone suggest any other kind of tubing that i can use? I know some people have used PVC piping. But apart from PVC, is that black piping my only option?

Thanks :)
Brian :thumbsup:

saxman
09-03-2006, 08:22 PM
I wouldn't use either of those. the ribbed tubing is horrible for air flow, and pvc pipe emits horrible gasses when it's heated.

Get some metal piping, and go to town... something that absorbs as little heat as possible

hotboxcivic
09-03-2006, 08:25 PM
Get some metal piping, and go to town... something that absorbs as little heat as possible

aliminium home a/c pipping works well, it's flexible air flow is most decent compared to the bunnings pipping you're referring to.

if you wanted something more, you can get monza pipping.

hotboxcivic
09-03-2006, 08:26 PM
I wouldn't use either of those. the ribbed tubing is horrible for air flow, and pvc pipe emits horrible gasses when it's heated.

btw, what "horrible gasses", i've seen alot of people use pvc pipping for CAI and also as an intake arm.

MoDCoN
09-03-2006, 08:41 PM
PVC? Thats polyvinylchloride... which means your horrible gas may be chlorine. And that sh*ts nasty! I've seen lots of ppl slammin their rides to the floor... I still wouldn't do it. Get something that works better- something designed to be in an engine bay/high temps. Aluminium, with a rubber connector to your CAI. Are you building just the housing, or the whole thing???

NogZ
09-03-2006, 08:43 PM
Aluminium piping, powdercoated is even better :D

AEM has theirs powdercoated.

Or you can heat wrap it if you really want to keep the heat away.

Having a smooth tubing with minimum bends would be your aim. Companies also tune the bore and length to increase response, power, noise and more, but thats a lil hard to diy :D

[ricer]
09-03-2006, 08:56 PM
what happen to stockest ek?
i told u man u cant buy a civic to leave it stock
thats just gay
they're the biggest rice car
thats why they have sooo much after market stuff!
:D
just use the flexi pipe man, dont use the bunnings one cause it has small holes... the monza one should do cause you just want to draw cold air in to the pod anyway.. its ur pod already causes all kinds of wierd turbulance so who cares what kinda pipe u use..

BlitZ
09-03-2006, 09:54 PM
carbonn fibre!:thumbsup:



























else alluminium with heat proof paint

Benson
09-03-2006, 09:56 PM
Bunnnig sells this aluminum tube (100mm)... its awesome, can bend and stretch so easily.... it goes for roughly $20....

saxman
10-03-2006, 11:42 AM
I'd use steel before aluminum personally... aluminum loves to transfer heat.

If you're going to use aluminum, I'd paint it inside and out with a ceramic based paint and/or heatwrap it

booget
10-03-2006, 11:51 AM
where would i get heat wrap? and how much?

Q_ball
10-03-2006, 12:06 PM
heatwrap u can get from any auto one or repco - similar stores as well.
from memory, i paid about 80-90 bucks for approx 15m....i think...it was a while ago...
but theres a rough figure for ya :)

booget
10-03-2006, 12:46 PM
fark that's expensive heheh

how many meters would i need for wrapping the arm of the CAI?

Q_ball
10-03-2006, 12:55 PM
1 pack should do ya well, so roughly 10-15m
CAI dont need too much heat wrap, its not like ur wrapping a dump pipe or manifold where theres an excessive amount of heat comin off the pipes.

BrianC
10-03-2006, 01:36 PM
Hey, thanks for all the responses guys. Benson suggested i get that aluminium tubing from bunnings, wouldnt i be able to see the aluminium sticking out the front because of its chrome appearence tho? And where do i get this monza piping stuff? Autobarn?

I just took off the resonator and put the bumper back on. Ill head down to some shops today and look for some piping, and ill fix it on tomorrow :thumbsup:

I caught the "ricer bug" from u [ricer] lol. Dont worry, so far it still looks stock from the outside :thumbsup: I'm gonna have to change my signature soon tho ;)

saxman
10-03-2006, 06:03 PM
Haven't you guys read the post where the guy put a thermometer in his airbox? You don't have to worry about wrapping or insulating the pipe as he found the air temp in the box DROPS RAPIDLY down to outside air temp as soon as you start to move.
and what about throttle response, low speed driving, and acceleration from a standstill?

BrianC
10-03-2006, 06:44 PM
Hey claymore and saxman, what are u guys talking about? Im asking about what type of material to use for my CAI scoop/pipe/tubing. Not about insulating the intake or anything like that.

Anyway, i went looking around at autobarn and repco. And none of them had anything. Then i went to bunnings, and it had only the black ribbed stuff (perforated and non-perforated). And it had some "ducting tubing" or whatever, its looked like aluminium, but i cant be certain. But its too big anyway i think..

Im gonna go check out shift performance tomorrow. But i think i might just use the black stuff from bunnings. What do you guys reckon? You reckon its shithouse?

PS: This monza stuff. Where can i get that from?

Brian :wave:

saxman
10-03-2006, 07:01 PM
one of the considerations you should make in choosing a material is how well it insulates against heat. You basically need to consider how well it will flow air, how well it will insulate against heat, how well it can be formed to what you want, and cost/availability.

Something like an aluminum pipe is generally more readily available, inexpensive, easy to cut to size, and flows air well due to it's smooth design, but is a poor heat insulater, so options were offered on the best way to insulate against heat, wrapping being one of them.


Honestly, if you're going to use the ribbed stuff, just leave it stock, you're not going to be gaining anything.

czy_sol87
10-03-2006, 07:09 PM
i used the stock airbox and piping for my CAI, everything looks stock in the engine bay, but the resenator has been removed and a pod connected to the bottom of the airbox has been put in its place. so the pod is behind the bumper. and yeh in heavy traffic even the stock piping heats up

LAGOOT
10-03-2006, 07:52 PM
im currently using a/c duct piping.
and yes it does work :)

saxman
10-03-2006, 08:08 PM
I doubt that anyone would doubt it's ability to funnel air into the engine. Doesn't mean that it's an improvement over stock though.

BrianC
10-03-2006, 08:09 PM
one of the considerations you should make in choosing a material is how well it insulates against heat. You basically need to consider how well it will flow air, how well it will insulate against heat, how well it can be formed to what you want, and cost/availability.

Something like an aluminum pipe is generally more readily available, inexpensive, easy to cut to size, and flows air well due to it's smooth design, but is a poor heat insulater, so options were offered on the best way to insulate against heat, wrapping being one of them.


My intake is made from aluminium and its fine. It disperses heat well, and doesnt hold onto it as long as some materials.

What im reffering to tho is the scoop/piping that goes from the front bumper grill to the pod, to feed cold air. You suggest using aluminium for that? Keep in mind im doing a DIY job, not the Car Rebuilding Championship of the World.



Honestly, if you're going to use the ribbed stuff, just leave it stock, you're not going to be gaining anything.


If i use ribbed piping to feed cold air versus no cold air feeds at all. Obviously the pod will receive cooler air, rather then just the warm air from the engine bay. Hence, ribbed piping = gain :thumbsup:

saxman
10-03-2006, 08:36 PM
yes, aluminum works fine, however, as a metal, it has inherent problems with heat exchange. The question was which material is best, and one that transfers heat to the intake charge simple isn't that. Aluminum, compared to other available metals for this process, tends to be a worse heat insulator. Just a matter of how the metal is.

I would recommend that you fabricate a cold air intake before anything. Put the filter in a cold air source, not just run a duct that hopes to pull some air to a filter that's under the hood.

I would do something like this
http://teamdelsol.com/technical/howto/coldAirIntake/default.asp

EfiOz
11-03-2006, 03:55 PM
How about this?

http://www.compsystems.com.au/images/Customers/360GT_1.jpg
:eek:

RMN15N
13-03-2006, 05:51 PM
Best Material is the PVC piping from autobarn/supercheap for around 30 bucks den buy the silver/insulated piping from Bunnings or any Hardware store and use that to cover the PVC piping from heat issues.

saxman
13-03-2006, 06:48 PM
Best Material is the PVC piping from autobarn/supercheap for around 30 bucks den buy the silver/insulated piping from Bunnings or any Hardware store and use that to cover the PVC piping from heat issues.
how do you figure? it's impossible to shape, the inner diameter is generally much smaller given the exterior diameter, the pipes deform when they heat up, and they release deadly chemicals...


sounds like a winner on every aspect.

using pvc is a HORRIBLE idea. If it was good, don't you think that at least one aftermarket intake would be made from them? I've seen aftermarket intakes made from steel, aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, abs plastic, etc, but never pvc because it's a horrible thing to use for this.

hotboxcivic
22-03-2006, 07:03 PM
saxman : that diy CAI is awesome ( link ) (http://teamdelsol.com/technical/howto/coldAirIntake/default.asp) very clean and seems easy to do!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: for you yanks!

ewendc2r
22-03-2006, 09:44 PM
Carbon Fibre is the best due to heatsoak qualities correct?

saxman
23-03-2006, 04:30 AM
don't know if it's "the best" persay, but it does have very good qualities as far as heat blockage, etc goes... unfortunately, it's no where near the easiest to shape(believe me, I've tried many ways to make custom cai pipes... very difficult), and cost is much higher than a metal pipe.