How Does A Cold Air Intake Work?

There are simple steps you can take to improve engine performance. One is to install a cold air intake. So, how does a cold air intake work?

There are kinds of makes and models of cars on the road. The one thing that is common among them is the basic engine process. The internal combustion engine works by introducing air and fuel together in a piston chamber. The spark plugs provide a spark and the resulting small explosion creates pressure. The pressure pushes the piston down and that power is eventually transferred to the wheels. It is as simple as that.

Air is obviously a key component of this system. The air is picked up in the engine compartment through an intake vent. It is then passed through an air filter. From there, the air is introduced to the piston chambers via valves. The particular mixture of air and gasoline makes a car run in a particular way.

The air being introduced to the piston chamber in most cars is thin. Why? The engine compartment is hot as the engine and radiator give off a lot of heat. Just pop your hood after driving to or from work and you’ll be amazed at just how hot it is. Regardless, heat thins out air. Thinner air provides less pressure to the piston upon the ignition of the fuel and thus less torque to the engine. Put another way, the car has less get up and go!

The cold air intake is designed to increase the torque. It works by collecting air from outside the engine compartment. This air is colder than that found in the engine compartment and is thus denser. There is more oxygen in it. When ignited with the fuel, it provides more pressure to the piston. This makes the engine much more responsive.

The cold air intake system is usually purchased as a kit. It contains an extension for your current system. The extension is usually a plastic tube that is designed to run towards the front of the engine compartment. It will run up to a spot where air is just entering the front of the car. This allows it to pick up cooler air before the engine heats it up. This air is then run back to the filter area where a high performance air filter weeds out particulates. Every engine compartment is different, so most cold air intake kits come in a variety of forms specifically designed for the layout of various cars. You can use our “Shop” page on the menu above to find a specific kit for the make, model and year of your vehicle.

How does a cold air intake work? It works by introducing cooler, denser air to the piston chamber. When ignited, this creates more pressure and torque. It gives your car much more get up and go. The difference will be very noticeable in nearly every vehicle. 

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