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CT CF airbox, does it really add HP? Also Cantrell or ARC experiences?

rsevo6

rsevo6

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I have a '98 CTSC whipple type and am thinking on changing the intake,
will that improve on HP with CTSC as this sucks in as much air as it can anyway??

Have possibilities 1 and 2 already in my possesion, but before goiing through the trouble of installing them and trying them out, I would like to know other people's experiences with them:

1. Cheapest option: Cold air intake, like Cantrell or DF with freeflow filter, supposed to add 6-7 rwhp disadvantage possibly getting water in during heavy rain (it rains a lot here) is this a real risk??
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exhaust_airflow_products/NSX/Cantrell_Concepts/AIS/

2. Expensive option: Comptech CF airbox, description says: can be used on both NA and CTSC cars and adds up to 8-9 rwhp (with freeflow filter I think)
http://www.ct-engineering.com/store/intake10.html
http://www.ct-engineering.com/store/330107.html

One other:
3. Relatively unknown option: Arc induction box
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/archive/induction_box/

I know people are generally satisfied with the Cantrell or DF cold air intake, but the risk of the CTSC sucking in water during heavy rain is scaring me a bit.:frown:

Does anyone have personal experience with installing a CT CF intake or ARC induction box on his CTSC equipped NSX?
 
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I have been using the Cantrell air-intake together with the Uni-filter for quite some time now.
The Cantrell makes a nice sucking noise at idle although my Taitec GTLW effectively drowns the noise at anything above 1500 RPM.

So for, I have never had any problems that I know of while driving in the rain. I am sure that there will be some single droplets which might make it up into the airbox, but I doubt it very much that this would cause any trouble or even be able to reach the manifold at all.

I mean, even in heavy rain, what would be the air-water ratio?
My guess that even in the most severe circumstances, it would not be more than about 2-3%. Think of it like this. If you are jogging in the rain, or when you are on your bike in the rain, how many times did you notice water actually coming into your mouth while breathing.
Aside from that, I don't think you will be driving at WOT during heavy rain (at least I hope not :smile:)
 
I thought the thing with cold air intakes and such was that it doesn't damage the engine until the filter becomes totally submerged and sucks in the water. Since the filter doesn't get close to the ground I wouldn't think rain would be an issue.
 
davidf said:
Comtecs intake duct is different than DF/Cantrell. It does'nt go near as low the the others.
Click to expand...

latzke said:
Option #4: Stock box. Just as much power, $0, no water troubles, and if you want to hear more intake noises use UNI filter instead of stock paper.
Click to expand...

Shad at Driving Ambitions will tell you different and you won't have any water issues with the CT box.

Maybe CT will start making them again :confused:
 
Intakes are PROVEN HP gaines....keep the mis-information out.

The way the NSX is designed, you will NEVER have water intake problems.
 
SWIFTVISION said:
Intakes are PROVEN HP gaines....keep the mis-information out.
Click to expand...
On many autos, this is correct. On NSXs it's marginal at best (some, like the cantrell or CT have shown very small increases) others (circular filters in engine bay) have shown negative improvement.
SWIFTVISION said:
The way the NSX is designed, you will NEVER have water intake problems.
Click to expand...
Yes, the stock intake is very sell designed.
 
Even at heavy downpour only small amount of moisture gets sucked in with the air / fuel mixture and it gets combusted. blown out as steam.

However it can get to a point which there is too much moisture and the fuel will not ignite and stall the engine and foul your plugs. This still will not damage the engine. Just need to change out your plugs.

If you take in SOOO much water that the engine cannot compress anymore thats when engine gets damage. This can only happen if you drive into a large body of standing water and gas it and try to drive thru it.
 
I have the old RM-carbon fiber intake with cold air option, which basicly puts a trumpet shape behind the air duct, and runs a flex pipe through a cone shaped filter straight into the engine. Have driven this in the worst rain i can think off. No problems.
 
No water problems here!!!

nsxwater.jpg
 
I have the ARC and while it looks good from the top, It has an open bottom into the heat of the engine bay. I believe 5-10+ hp can be had with a comptech top and bottom with a good filter over the ARC. The oem box with a K&N makes about 5 hp over the ARC. (as per Shane at Autowave after my dyno pull with the arc and V2 CTSC. They also told me the CT exhaust was holding back another 10hp or so....
Matt
 
intake upgrades really make sense only on n/a engines. with forced induction you are pressurizing the intake anyway so it makes almost no difference what filter you use.
 
pierceman said:
I have the ARC and while it looks good from the top, It has an open bottom into the heat of the engine bay. I believe 5-10+ hp can be had with a comptech top and bottom with a good filter over the ARC. The oem box with a K&N makes about 5 hp over the ARC. (as per Shane at Autowave after my dyno pull with the arc and V2 CTSC. They also told me the CT exhaust was holding back another 10hp or so....
Matt
Click to expand...

I have the ARC, just because I got a deal on it, and I think the restriction was the thick paper filter that came with it. I ripped out the paper, kept the filter frame and replaced mine with UNI filter material. I also put an air scoop in the quater panel and it seemed to be an improvement.
 
swerve said:
intake upgrades really make sense only on n/a engines. with forced induction you are pressurizing the intake anyway so it makes almost no difference what filter you use.
Click to expand...

On the Comptech air is still being sucked through the filter and TB. Any improvement in this area pays dividends. The newer Whipples have opened the intake side of the charger case from just the top half of the screws exposed to the whole inlet side open.

Joe
 
Joe, are you talking Whipples or Autorotors.
Do you have any pictures showing this or dwgs?
If you saying Whipples, then are you saying there have been improvements to the 1600A model?
Trev
P.S. I am going to be testing the stock air box for pressure drop in the next week. I will use a stock used filter and a used and cleaned but used K&N.
Just doing it for fun to see how 395 cfm of air will flow through which is what I see for a n/a engine at 8000 cfm compared to how 552 cfm will flow which is what a 6 lb boost should require total.
 

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I don't think whipple even makes the 1600 any more but here is a link to the open case intake side. The Autorotor is open like this also.
http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/Library/W140axdimensions.pdf

http://www.opcon.se/www/files/lysholm/pdf/dimensional drawings/LYSOA417_424.pdf

If you look at the older Comptech/Whipple intake snorkel it is only attached to the charger case on the very top half of the case. The new snorkel for the Autorotor conects all the way around the case because the case bracing is more open on the intake side.

Here is a pic of the older "top half" design.
 

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ok, so I guess I will reword my question.
What do you mean, newer whipple?
Trev
 
Wow, I see how that elbow attacks only the top of the intake of the whipple.
If you took that off, and compare both sides does it match?
Trev.
 
ffffanman said:
Wow, I see how that elbow attacks only the top of the intake of the whipple.
If you took that off, and compare both sides does it match?
Trev.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean here but the opening does "match" left to right and top to bottom it is just smaller over all.
 
jdnsx said:
I have the ARC, just because I got a deal on it, and I think the restriction was the thick paper filter that came with it. I ripped out the paper, kept the filter frame and replaced mine with UNI filter material. I also put an air scoop in the quater panel and it seemed to be an improvement.
Click to expand...

I have the scoop, I should do the filter deal too....
 

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