Cold air/short ram for '94 V6 Camry

[mtdrums]

Hello,

This is my first post/thread, so consider this my official introduction.

I'm Matt. I have a 1994 V6 LE Camry, red, and I love it.

I'm just starting to look into simple mods I can make on this car. I have minimal engine repair/mod knowledge, but am slowly learning. I was wondering what the easiest way to add a cold air intake or short ram intake to my engine would be. Now, I am aware that most CAI's are illegal in California due to smog specifications.. So I'm thinking maybe short ram would be the best idea. It's been hard to find one that fits my engine specifically, and I'm just wondering if anyone has done this to their 3rd gen, and how they did it. I appreciate any advice, thanks.

[AliRazoR]

Short Ram Intake versus Stock Intake

[bigbird]

best thing to do is to use your stock airbox as a plenum to get the best of both worlds. work the SRI into the box so it doesnt take in hot engine air. There is A LOT of information about all of these setups here. best bet is to do a good search and see what works for you.

welcome to TN...and beware the bug

[funkclown]

I made a SRI using the stock intake tube and just bought an adapter plate for the AFM. Here is the thread about it.

Installed a SRI today on my 3vz-fe!

[Safari Wagon]

The WeaponR intake is made specifically for your car and is CARB certified (legal in CA)

[mtdrums]

Thanks for the responses, guys. I read through the entire thread that AliRazor linked to... So in short, an SRI will give me a meaner sound, but kill my mpg? Hmm. Tough choice.

I will look into the Weapon R intake.. And FunkClown, that doesn't look like a bad idea, either. Nice work.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Originally Posted by mtdrums

Thanks for the responses, guys. I read through the entire thread that AliRazor linked to... So in short, an SRI will give me a meaner sound, but kill my mpg? Hmm. Tough choice.

Almost. An SRI will give you a meaner sound, but will kill performance. It actually aids in fuel economy. A lot of eco modders create warm air intakes for this very reason.

[mtdrums]

Originally Posted by Kiwi-Corolla

Almost. An SRI will give you a meaner sound, but will kill performance. It actually aids in fuel economy. A lot of eco modders create warm air intakes for this very reason.

Ah, okay. Thanks for the clarification.

So what's the effect on fuel consumption with a Weapon-R intake? I found the specific model for my car, and the description claims to beat CAI and SRI in performance... I am mostly after performance and a deeper growl, but something that doesn't kill my mileage TOO much would be nice.

[bigbird]

ANY SRI for our cars will reduce mileage unless you vent the hot air from the engine bay. the weapon R claims alot but there is NO performance to be had from ANY intake system on our cars. at least nothing anyone can really feel. throttle response here, mpg there...thats about it. but the sound is worth it, so nice.

optimal mileage will be achieved with the stock unit in place, or something that likely maintains the intake temps but increases flow. the point of that link was to demonstrate that the SRI draws in HOT air, and it is hurting performance and MPG. what Kiww said is correct to an extent, the SRI on our motors have shown to hurt MPG to a degree because the engine must rely on higher revs to compensate for the much hotter air. the engine requires less fuel, but the ingition has less force because there is less O2 and fuel being ignited, thus reducing hp and requiring higher revs to produce the same power. and if it gets too hot, the ECU will retard the timing to prevent knock, even if it doesnt throw a code, further reducing power.

theres a happy medium with all engines in terms of MPG vs performance. CAI maximizes performance with a colder charge, but requiers more fuel. all in all, if ya want good mileage, consider a "warm" air intake as Kiwi said, or leave teh stock unit in place. If ya want to maximize performance or the sweet sweet sound of the 5sfe, go for a CAI or SRI.

[Safari Wagon]

I am a satisfied WeaponR customer (on my V6 wagon). It fits and works very well. Looks a bit out of place, but hey, its under the hood.
In my opinion the intake is on par if not better in mpg/hp compared to stock. This is only my opinion though - just like most of the other posts you read here and in the other thread. I tried to keep a mpg log, but that went out the window when I added the huge rack on my roof and started towing 100 of every 300 miles driven.
I only measured a few tanks after I got the intake on and it looked like it was getting a bit better. This could have also been because the old stock filter was not clean.... I am definitely not doing a dyno run.
I feel / think I am getting better performance and mpg but cannot really support that with real data.

By the way, my mileage went from 21-22mpg before adding the rack and towing (3:1 ratio of regular driving to towing) to 18-19mpg.

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by Kiwi-Corolla

An SRI will give you a meaner sound, but will kill performance. It actually aids in fuel economy. A lot of eco modders create warm air intakes for this very reason.

I'll believe better mpg's on a Camry when I see a valid test. This link showed no difference between CAI and WAI for mileage: http://www.metrompg.com/posts/wai-test.htm

Don't forget "eco modders" work every minute of every mile to manage better mileage (the boast factor), not something the everyday driver thinks about. I think channeling exhaust heat in the winter to the intake may speed engine warm up (less gas) as was done with older vehicles with carbs, but think if this really made any different modern computer controlled engines would be doing this. The best way to get the engine warm is to start/idle for a few seconds/drive slowly.

[SexieWASD]

Originally Posted by bigbird

there is NO performance to be had from ANY intake system on our cars. at least nothing anyone can really feel.

I think that a turbo counts as an intake system :P

[bigbird]

haha...well then so does an S/C. so i revise my statement, anything short of a $2500 intake yeilds no gains. Gold plated air filter?

[mtdrums]

Originally Posted by bigbird

Gold plated air filter?

Good idea . Well I might give the Weapon R intake a shot... It's not too pricey, at least not nearly as much a good CAI, and IS California legal. Orrrrr I might try to build my own CAI just for kicks, seems worth a try.