MODIFICATION: Cold Air Intake (CAI)

The problem:
The stock Jackson Racing supercharger (JRSC) air intake system collects air within a few inches from the very hot supercharger and just above the incredibly hot exhaust headers. The JRSC air filter is made from a thin foam and does not appear to filter dust well. In addition the air filter box is made of aluminum and collects water and debris underneath. Not clean, not cold, not more.

The principles:
A. More is good. The addition the more air (more oxygen available for combustion), the more compression is produced which produces more power. This is the principle to produce power with ram air, turbochargers and superchargers.

B. Cold is good. I have always believed 10 degrees F Temperature decrease in air intake temperature would produce 10 horse power (within reasonable limits). Cold air is more dense and produces more compression which produces more power.

C. Clean is good. Fine dust particles cause engine wear in the valve seats, piston rings, sensors, etc. and causes loss of compression, which produces less power.

The solution:
(1) Replace the JRSC stock air filter with a K&N filter (details on previous page).

(2) Replace the turn signals with Turn Signal Intakes (TSI) (details on previous page).

(3) Create a custom air baffel from sheet aluminum from the local hardware store ($14/sheet 24"x36"). I bent the sheet aluminum to match the frame beside the headlight, zig along where the headlight needs to lower, and zag back behind the power steering pump (see photo). I cut the top one inch higher and rolled it for a better finish (and prevent cuts) and then added pipe insulation to form a gasket to the underside of the hood. I found and taped over several holes, some of which lead into the wheel well, others back into the radiator space, all which could contaminate the cold air.

One can see the zig-zag cut to accomodate the space. One can see the baffel in place. It is a tight spot but it works very well at
(a) blocking the intake air from the warm and confused air from behind the radiator and
(b) producing a cold air flow from the TSI in the front of the vehicle to the driver side (LHD) fender well where the cold air intake is located.

(4) Create a custom baffel to butt aginst this front baffel and carry the cold air further back to the air cleaner. I bent sheet aluminum as shown in the photograph.

One can see the rear baffel and the cuts made to
(a) match up with the frame and fit the space,
(b) fit around the JRSC valve,
(c) fit over the brake line,
(d) and fit the long bend to follow around the frame member (providing more cool air around the JRSC intake) and
(e) match the mounting bolts on the frame to prevent rattling. One can see the rear baffel in place and a little of the butt joint to the front baffel. I cut the top one inch higher and rolled it for a better finish (and prevent cuts) and then added pipe insulation to form a gasket to the underside of the hood.

The results:
This front and rear baffel system works very well to
(1) carry the cold air from the front to the air cleaner without restriction or contamination by warm air.
(2) Shield the very hot air from around the supercharger from the air cleaner.
(3) Sheild the incredibly hot air from the exhaust header from the air cleaner.
(4) Provide a path for the cold air to flow to the rear of the engine compartment, eventually hit the firewall, mix with the air in the engine compartment and exit downward and to the rear.
(5) Create a little positive pressure "ram air effect" to feed the supercharger.
(6) Collect clean air from the front of the vehicle, not from near the road surface and not from inside the engine compartment.
(7) Keep the system simple, accessible and inexpensive.
(8) Provide high volume unrestricted cold clean air.

The entire driver side fender well is now a high volume (low restriction) slightly pressurized intake space which collects clean air and remains cool even after a hot run. I have thermocouple data if anyone is interested.

In this photograph I have taken both the front and rear baffel out of the car and placed them on the garage floor so the viewer can see the two baffels butted together and the space they fill. In future modifications I may shorten the rear baffel and simplify the design (elimiate some bending and cutting).

There are several variants in which I have tried to manage the air as it flows past the air cleaner, each has merits, I have not settled on a single design as of yet but all of them are superior to any other treatment I have seen and all perform well.