Intakes are a popular after market feature for cars whose owners seek better performance and a more sophisticated image. They help cars run better by providing extra oxygen for combustion engines and sound better by easing the workload of the engine to get its next breath of fresh air.
Because cold air intakes are so practical, they now come in many different styles and colors. This was not always the case, however. There was a time when they, like all ingenious things that everyone takes for granted, had to be thought up and perfected.
It all started when they came about in the 80's. A decade later, they were popular in Japan and like all good Japanese cultural obsessions, America worked hard to bring intakes across the Pacific and claim them as their own. With this newfound international stardom, cold air intakes began to run themselves through more and more creative hands and minds, improving in functionality and style everywhere they went.
The original idea was that a combustion engine could function far better if only it had more oxygen to combust, all the time. Because cold air is denser than hot air, naturally there's more oxygen in cold air than there is in the same volume of hot air. So engineers realized that by funneling the cold air from outside the car into the engine, they could create a smoother combustion process. In order to get the air in faster and with less friction (since fighting friction heats up the air) they made cold air intakes large and smooth.
There are several other modifications that have been made over time. One important part of an intake is its air filter, which can also cause friction, and so are specially manufactured to avoid it. Often they are kept away from the engine to avoid collecting heat or made from carbon fibers. Because rain and moisture can cause a lot of problems for cold air intakes, some filters are also designed to keep moisture out. Also, some intakes are designed to suck air from hood scoops or wheel wells so that the air is colder and denser.
Intakes have all sorts of nifty modifications to improve their performance and style. Figuring out which modifications are right for you depends on a lot of things. Racing vehicles will have different needs than normal cars, and cars that are often driven in rainy areas also have specific challenges when it comes to their cold air intakes. Like any after market part, intakes can do a lot to make your car fabulous, but a little bit of research will help them do a lot more.
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