difference between sri and cai?

[rieds]

i'm looking to put one of these on my 2010 1.8 and i'm wondering what the difference is between the two. i'm clueless on car mods.

[LeanBurn]

to TN !!

The search feature is pretty good on this forum and this has been covered a few times, give it a whirl

[rieds]

ok. i did some research and figured it out.

[BLUEMEANIE]

[RBK]

SRI if you're new to car mods, although the CAI intake is better IMO.

[littleboi64]

i forget where i read this but supposedly CAIs arent as good as SRIs because the CAI pipe is metal. the metal pipe heats up white driving so in the long run, no cold air actually gets to the engine. SRI is better IMO

[flamedrgn]

sri for low rpms and cai for high rpms.

[RBK]

^CAI's offer some low end as well.

Originally Posted by littleboi64

i forget where i read this but supposedly CAIs arent as good as SRIs because the CAI pipe is metal. the metal pipe heats up white driving so in the long run, no cold air actually gets to the engine. SRI is better IMO

Technically yes, but drivers and companies alike have taken steps to keep them from overheating. Metal is kind of an ambiguous term though.

[x8dragon8x]

i dont think our cars should be running cai because it seems to me like it would lag in the low end but would definitely pick up on the high end however you would be using more gas. but to each their own. i have an sri in my car. because i want more on the low end.

[OkSlim]

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Originally Posted by littleboi64

i forget where i read this but supposedly CAIs arent as good as SRIs because the CAI pipe is metal. the metal pipe heats up white driving so in the long run, no cold air actually gets to the engine. SRI is better IMO

It's the other way around. Both SRIs and CAIs use alloy piping in most applications, and the SRI is the one that suffers from extreme heatsoak. The SRI sucks the heat straight from your engine bay and causes the piping to become really hot. The CAI on the other hand has a steady flow of cold air going through it, so it keeps the piping nice and cool. The only reason the piping should get hot on a CAI is if you sit for 5-minutes or so in traffic idling. Although it will soon becomes cool again as you start driving. The SRI will stay hot regardless and will increase even further in temperature as you sit idling.

When I was running a SRI on my 7th Gen Corolla, the pipe used to get very very hot after driving. After installing the CAI, the pipes are literally cold to touch, and the pipe that leads into the fender is always ice cold. I was amazed at the difference.

Originally Posted by x8dragon8x

i dont think our cars should be running cai because it seems to me like it would lag in the low end but would definitely pick up on the high end however you would be using more gas. but to each their own. i have an sri in my car. because i want more on the low end.

This was one of my concerns when I was deciding whether or not to upgrade to a CAI. After upgrading, I seriously don't know what I was worried about. There is no noticeable low end loss, in fact, the car actually seems more responsive. Losing low end power isn't a problem for 9th and 10th Gen Corollas because the piping from the throttle body is very short. The piping on my 7th Gen is a good 2-feet longer and there were no noticeable losses whatsoever so you've got nothing to worry about. In my opinion and experience, the CAI is the most sensible choice.

[rieds]

what i'd like to eliminate more than anything is the serious lag i experience when i stomp on it from a dead stop if your trying to pull out into traffic and get up to speed in a hurry. i think i may go with the dragon r. it can be used either way and it's only 152.00 on there site right now.

[v8eaterWRX]

Originally Posted by rieds

what i'd like to eliminate more than anything is the serious lag i experience when i stomp on it from a dead stop if your trying to pull out into traffic and get up to speed in a hurry. i think i may go with the dragon r. it can be used either way and it's only 152.00 on there site right now.

You better get a different motor to fix that problem

[Kayno_FirstClass]

has anyone who has a CAI on their 10th gen corolla experienced a drop in gas mileage? or is it just my misfortune? lol

[PhatRoyale]

Originally Posted by Kayno_FirstClass

has anyone who has a CAI on their 10th gen corolla experienced a drop in gas mileage? or is it just my misfortune? lol

Nope, it's normal.

I would say that the culprit is likely the change in your driving style.

Eg. Being more aggressive on the throttle to hear the intake sound.