Well, It's Been a Year

"Long_Voyager94" (yourenotavalidusername)
07/14/2020 at 15:51 • Filed to: Grand Caravan, Long Voyager

And 33k miles since we bought our new van.

I finally completed my first official/actual mod, a full 4" Cold Air Intake.

Had to make a little mount to support it

Initial takes:

1. Watching intake temps on the handheld, it held 10-15* cooler than the stock intake. So it is actually making use of cooler air.

2. Throttle response is greatly improved. Anyone that’s driven one of these knows how laggy they can feel.

3. Seems to pull a little stronger in the mid range, which combined with the quicker response makes it feel much quicker and much more driveable. Response and low-midrange have been my biggest complaints about this Pentastar engine, thankfully simple mods like this seem to cure the issue.

4. The sound is purely brutal under WOT. The absolute loudest intake system I have ever installed. Even in normal driving it has a noticeable bark in the 2-3k range.

DISCUSSION (38)

CalzoneGolem > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 07:34

*reads title*

It sure has brother ... it sure has ...

Long_Voyager94 > CalzoneGolem
07/14/2020 at 07:41

That too.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 07:45

after seeing so much project binky, did you shoot a video of yourself making that bracket

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 08:03

Very cool! How low down is it? Don’t want it sucking up water from puddles and stuff!

Long_Voyager94 > pip bip - choose Corrour
07/14/2020 at 08:11

I did not, but it was quite an adventure.

The bracket is made from .125" thick 303 stainless.....

Long_Voyager94 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/14/2020 at 08:12

The bottom of the filter is roughly level with the fog light.

Given the bumper design and how it wraps under, I’m not really concerned with water getting to it, it is by far one of the most enclosed cold air intakes I’ve ever had.

Sovande > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 08:29

How do you calculate the correct size for the intake tubing? I’m trying to figure out a solution on one of my cars and I don’t know what size tuning is really needed. I keep reading things mentioning that too large a tube with actually slow down the air. But I don’t know what “too big” actually means...

Long_Voyager94 > Sovande
07/14/2020 at 08:33

In this case I stuck with the factory piping diameter, which is 4" overall.

Generally I use the TB opening diameter as a size guide.

Otherwise, I got nothing.

Sovande > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 08:39

I guess that makes sense! I’m trying to figure out something for a 350 with a carb hat setup - so there are all kinds of options available. Hopefully I can figure out something and make it look as professional as yours does.

HoustonRunner > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 08:46

Did you look at the intake temp with just an OBD II reader?

Also, 33k in one year, that is a bunch of driving.

Long_Voyager94 > Sovande
07/14/2020 at 08:46

I would guess a carbed 350 would be far easier to figure than a modern FI engine, but that’s just guessing. I’m sure someone on here knows more about it than me.

Long_Voyager94 > HoustonRunner
07/14/2020 at 08:49

That’s just on this van. We put 15+k on mine and another 12k on the car in the same timeframe.

I plugged in with my friend’s Snap on Verus. Got temp readings with the stock airbox, then installed the intake and did it again.

Sovande > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 08:50

It’s actually using a Holl ey Sniper fuel injection so I probably need to ask on their forum.

Long_Voyager94 > Sovande
07/14/2020 at 08:54

Good call!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 10:30

Ah, should be ok then!

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 10:30

That's an impressive amount of driving.

Long_Voyager94 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/14/2020 at 12:03

Should be. If not, I’ll find out the hard way.....

Long_Voyager94 > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
07/14/2020 at 12:04

We usually average around 60k/yr between our 3 vehicles, we were a little behind this year...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 16:02

283 HP and 260 HP stock? Good lord I don’t know what I’d even do with that amount of power, actually make a pass on an uphill, the possibilities are endless.

avalonian > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 16:12

Hhahaha, where yall be going? That's insane!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 16:22

Not in California, you don’t.

Long_Voyager94 > avalonian
07/14/2020 at 16:33

Just my commute back and forth to work amounts to 1/3 of our driving.

Otherwise it’s running errands, family trips, etc.

Long_Voyager94 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
07/14/2020 at 16:34

No emissions equipment on the intake.......

Long_Voyager94 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/14/2020 at 16:37

It’s in a 4500 lb minivan and all the power is above 4k in stock trim, so it’s really quite underwhelming unless you’re givin it.

0-40 my 1994 can walk it despite being short 120ish hp.

The new intake, upgraded coils, and mild porting on the intake manifolds have helped the low end tremendously though.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 16:39

I did something similar to my Focus a few years ago, to get around Ford’s “lifetime” air filter. Mines just a short air intake, as I didn’t want to risk sucking water through the filter if it was too low. I checked the air intake temp using the hidden engine check system in the gauge cluster , and it is pretty close to ambient air temp when going down the road. And it sounds fairly sporty, too.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 16:45

Cell the California Air Resources Board that. (They won’t care.) You have to swap it back out every two years for smog testing. I bought a cold air intake for my Safari many years ago that had the coveted CARB sticker, but the design was a disaster and the people at the company who designed it had their feelings hurt when I told them that it was a disaster and that I’d be sending it back.

thatsmr > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 17:15

Holy cow on the miles! Used to have a 120/day commute and was slack doing 10k oil changes on a 98 Volvo. Now I am religious about 5k on the Lexus but have not yet driven 15k in almost two years (have about 1200 miles to go..should put me right at 7500/year! 9 weeks of furlough was less than 300 miles!) Dont miss the commuting, I think I have a 15 or less round trip and when/if my kiddo has school it is less than a mile out of my way! A staunch van supporter here, wishing Id kept my Astro. Best to you!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager94
07/14/2020 at 17:17

You know now that I think about it, the only car with a penstar that I’ve driven I would call remotely peppy is the charger, and you really had to give it some throttle to get it to move properly.

Long_Voyager94 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/15/2020 at 06:54

I really wish they’d have kept the 4.0L in the vans. It was far more torquey down low, which made it more driveable, quicker, and more efficient.

Long_Voyager94 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/15/2020 at 06:56

Well, got to test it out in heavy rain/standing water this morning on my way to work, looks like I’ll be ok!

Long_Voyager94 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
07/15/2020 at 06:57

I guess it’s a good thing I don’t live in Cali then ;)

Long_Voyager94 > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus
07/15/2020 at 07:01

I checked the air intake temp using the hidden engine check system in the gauge cluster, and it is pretty close to ambient air temp when going down the road.

Don’t try to tell some people that, you know shorty ( aka Warm Air ) intakes don’t actually work because they only pull warm air ( because we all know no outside air reaches your engine bay while driving, duh ) !

I love the sound of a good intake and have seen some noticeable gains from even a simple shorty intake on some vehicles ( my 90s 3.0s are a great example ).

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
07/15/2020 at 07:40

Then again, if you did, your cars would be far less prone to control arms detaching because of rust.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager94
07/15/2020 at 07:58

Yay, all i s well! :D

Long_Voyager94 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
07/15/2020 at 08:27

Never had that issue. Keeping up on cleaning and maintenance keeps that from happening.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
07/15/2020 at 08:32

I believe you. Won’t be the case with most folks though. I’d think a careful rinse with the pressure washer underneath from time to time would go a long way.

Long_Voyager94 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
07/15/2020 at 10:05

It’s not like the salty sea air out there is great on vehicles either.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
07/15/2020 at 10:28

It’s true, but there’s not much place to live close enough that it matters. I can almost see the water of the San Francisco Bay from the roof of my house, but even from this distance it’s a non-factor. My BIL lives on the coast up in Humboldt County and his vehicles are most definitely more rust-prone.